Kimi no na wa (Your name)

Sergio
2020.11.09
820 views

Yes, I’m really late to the party, but I’ve been meaning to watch Kimi no na wa (known in English as Your Name) since it came out in cinemas in 2016. It is, after all, one of the highest grossing movies of all time in the country, and everyone was talking about it at the time. I should be ashamed, I know. It’s been a dark spot in my history, but no more. I finally managed to get my hands on a Blu-ray of the movie and give it a watch.

First things first, the movie is beautiful. I can say without a doubt that this is the most beautifully drawn and animated movie I’ve ever seen and, at a time when 3D animated movies dominate, a perfect example of how 2D animation can be superior. The movie is colorful, bright, and sharp looking, and every scene is designed to be eye-catching. It’s so beautiful, in fact, that I wish real Tokyo looked like the movie. Yes, even naked concrete looks nice in this movie.

The story revolves around two high school students, because of course it does. Japan really seems to love high school stories, and the natsukashii feeling is strong here too. A comet causes the two protagonists, a boy and a girl, to swap bodies back and forth. One would be forgiven for thinking this is what the whole movie is about. It’s not the most original concept, after all. Early into the movie, though, it takes a left turn and we learn that there might be some time-travel shenanigans going on. Again, not very original, but a welcome change of pace, though I do wish the movie had explored their experience inhabiting another body a bit more, besides the constant booby-fondling.

I won’t spoil the rest of the movie, but although I found the ending to be kind of predictable, the journey there was still charming. It’s well worth a watch and it definitely has all the ingredients to make a Japanese blockbuster: teenagers, an old village, nature, drama, love, J-pop… not the most original movie out there, but it’s a well concocted formula and great at what it aims to do. The quintessential Japanese natsukashii animated movie, if you will.

Hi, I’m Sergio.
I’m from Spain, lived in the UK for seven years and came to Japan in 2012.
I majored in journalism in London and have been teaching English in Tokyo.
I like traveling, cycling, photography, movies, and spending time with friends.
I wrote articles about life in Japan as a foreigner and anything that I might find interesting.
My email is ” sergio.dom.jpn@gmail.com “, by all means contact me about anything!