“[It was] nothing more, nothing less, than a beautiful view.”
This line, spoken simultaneously by the two protagonists of Your Name., succeeds in both kicking off Makoto Shinkai’s latest film, and describing with an ironic sort of accuracy the essence of his previous works — all visuals and little substance. Despite breathtaking sceneries and vivid animation, pieces such as 5 Centimeters per Second and Garden of Words were lacking in essential aspects of storytelling.
Characters felt stilted and plots thin, leaving the films with not much more to run on than pretty pictures and the enduring dream of star-crossed lovers (a recurring theme in Shinkai’s works).
As my cousin said after her first experience with a Shinkai piece, “When you get bored, at least you can just admire the art.”
But, here is where Your Name. breaks apart from its predecessors. Featuring the most effective character writing seen in any Shinkai work to date, a genuinely shocking plot twist and a catchy soundtrack composed and performed by the Japanese rock band RADWIMPS, it isn’t hard to see how Your Name. has rocketed to international fame, becoming the highest-grossing anime film since Hayao Miyazaki’s famed film Spirited Away was released in 2001.
Your Name. tells the story of a boy and a girl worlds apart who one day wake up in each other’s bodies, reminiscent of a Freaky Friday scenario. Mitsuha, born and raised in rural Japan, is thrust into the heart of Tokyo, while city boy Taki finds himself in a countryside town he doesn’t even know the name of.
Through crisp editing that blends seamlessly with the story’s chronological jumps and our protagonists’ voiceover interactions, the audience, along with Taki and Mitsuha, begins to understand more about their mystical situation.
Accompanied by a poppy original RADWIMPS song, we witness Taki and Mitsuha slowly but surely growing accustomed to waking up in each other’s bodies a few times a week, making small adjustments to the other’s life and learning more about each other all the while.
It almost would have been enough for the story to leave it at that — nothing more than a fun slice of life with just a hint of the supernatural.
Shinkai excels at establishing the familial ambience of small-town life as well as the warmth and excitement of a bustling city. Quick cuts and bright palettes throughout the body-switching sequences lend the settings, both urban and rural, a sense of familiarity and comfort.
Our hearts swell at seeing Mitsuha experience the metropolitan wonders she’s always dreamed of, and we marvel alongside Taki at the natural beauty of the country.
However, a shift in tone and plot halfway in turns everything we thought we knew on its head, waking us from the complacent dream that we and our protagonists have been settling into.
The emotional deftness with which Shinkai handles the event that shatters Taki and Mitsuha’s worlds shines the brightest here, even as shadows loom ever larger in the story’s progression.
At this point, Shinkai’s pacing of the film is especially noteworthy. He never lingers on any plot point for too long, allowing the audience to take in the significance but moving on before it starts to drag. Developments occur as quickly or as slowly as they should, and even the jokes are delivered with a nice, snappy sense of comedic timing.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Shinkai film review without mentioning his artistry. Shinkai’s photorealistic scenery, brimming with loving detail and magnificent colors, forms a type of atmosphere I can only compare to early Ghibli works, where even the most mundane of settings have a touch of magic to them.
From the brilliant hues of a soaring comet to the glittering streets of everyday Tokyo, Shinkai manages to create a world that feels almost illusionary in its beauty for its audience and characters alike. Even then, the interactions between Your Name.’s characters and their surroundings have a real sense of depth that I’ve yet to find in any other anime film.
Shots like those of Mitsuha racing down the stairs of a temple or Taki circling around an age-old crater boast such raw, dynamic movement and radiant backgrounds that you scarcely want to blink for fear of missing them.
Character animations are fluid and wonderfully distinct. Without either one of the characters saying a word, it’s still remarkably easy to tell when Mitsuha is in Taki’s body or vice versa.
Additionally, the voice acting talents of Ryunosuke Kamiki and Mone Kamishiraishi give their characters life beyond simple words on a script. The contrasts between voices cannot have been easy to portray, with varying fluctuations, tones and even dialects for each character, depending on who is in whose body, but both voice actors deliver solid performances throughout the film.
Kamishiraishi, who also works as a singer, even offers a lovely treat in the form of a Mitsuha solo version of the film’s ending theme.
Indeed, Your Name.’ssoundtrack, composed entirely by RADWIMPS’ lead vocalist, Yojiro Noda, plays as big a part in the film’s storytelling as anything else. The plot is divided into three distinct acts by inserted songs that let the audience know when a shift is occurring without the need for clumsy transitions or narrative cover-ups.
Numbers such as “Dream Lantern” and “Zenzenzense” quickly became fan favorites with their upbeat, rock-style, while more traditional background music such as “Date” and “Katawaredoki” set unforgettably touching and often heart-wrenching moods in their respective scenes through soft piano melodies.
For all the praise I’m giving Your Name., it isn’t without its flaws. At times, the writing can feel stretched out, potentially testing many viewers’ suspensions of disbelief, particularly during the latter half of the film.
Furthermore, one scene has been admitted by Shinkai himself to largely exist to appeal to the fetishes of young men. Although the significance of it helped move the story along technically, the close-up shot featured in it did the film few favors.
Character designs, especially on the part of the male characters, are an unfortunate brand of generic for what is otherwise a visually unique film. Finally, some jokes and thematically-important phrases may have been lost to an English-speaking audience, but considering how difficult language intricacies are to translate, this is more forgivable.
Although any one of these aspects might dampen a viewer’s experience, the rest of the film is still strong enough to make it a powerful, unforgettable watch.
“Treasure the experience. Dreams fade away after you wake up.”
Ultimately, Your Name. is a story of connections being forged, fraying and struggling to form again. It’s about the bonds between friends, between family, between two children who find a place in one another and can never quite forget that feeling, however fleeting it may have been.
Elegantly executed through gorgeous artistry, an impressive musical score and above all else, a compelling story, Your Name. stands among the most memorable of anime films in recent history and thus far the strongest of Shinkai’s career.
Makoto Shinkai’s previous films include The Garden of Words, 5 Centimeters Per Second and Children Who Chase Lost Voices. Your Name. represents a new level for Shinkai, with the film receiving a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and becoming the first anime film not directed by Hayao Miyazaki to earn more than $100 million in the box office.
The newfound praise hasn’t altered Shinkai’s vision though, as he has been noted to claim that the film still felt incomplete in his eyes compared to his original vision due to a lack of time and money.
Still, the film has sweeped up at Japanese award shows, including numerous best actor awards at multiple anime-themed award shows (like the Seiyu Awards) as well as nominations at the world-regarded Annie Awards, although Your Name. didn’t bring any awards home.
