It has been a long-running joke among the Daily 49er staff that I dislike most films, but while some recent works have met my expectations, no other has blown me away more than Makoto Shinkai’s “Your Name.”
Although the film was originally released in Japan last year, an English version was made available by Funimation and made a full American theatrical release April 7. Given the option to watch the film through either English subtitles or dubbing, I ended up picking the former since I wanted to engulf myself in the cultural experience.
This quirky adventure is punctuated by a stunning narrative of two strangers who randomly swap bodies. It’s not a new premise, but it’s adorned with surprises and an enthralling experience around every corner. The distinctive tone between the city and country life, mixed with adolescent-comedy and tragedy, provide a strange take that eventually pays off through well-loved characters and terrific Japanese voice acting.
Mitsuha Miyamiza (Mone Kamishiraishi) is a teenage girl residing in the Japanese countryside, who performs family rituals dating back to the town’s initial creation. Wishing that she would live in the city as a boy, her dreams come true when she wakes up as male high school student and waiter living in Tokyo, Taki Tachibana (Ryunosuke Kamiki).
What she didn’t take into account was that in exchange, Taki would wake up in her body.
As the two eventually find out that their body swaps aren’t just dreams thanks to their friends recalling previous events, what begins is a zany comedy as the two teenagers explore each other’s lives and get into awkward situations in their new bodies.
The theme of dreams continually rise up over and over again. As with trying to remember a dream, it’s difficult to fully interpret the full events until you experience it all over again. As the first half of the movie sets up the idea, the second half pays off through rising intensity and a conclusion that nearly made me weep.
In the beginning, the comedy quickly shifts through a series of montages of both characters setting up guidelines and changing the lives of the other. It barely explores much story from Taki’s perspective in Misuha’s body, as Misuha’s background relates to upcoming major events.
Taki does, however, become a core focus in the second half of the movie, once he gets to explore Mishua’s family history and its relation to a comet that appears every thousand years.
It’s an absurd romance story (with barely any romance) that could be best credited to Shinkai, whose other works such as “5 Centimeters Per Second” and “Children Who Chase Lost Voices” have also explored romantic themes with great tragedy. It’s through his style of absurdity, the film shifts into a tragic tone that splits through the comedy and romance. And it fantastically works.
Shinkai has openly stated that he felt the plot is fine as is, but despite this, he said the film is unfinished. And I do agree. Certain avenues aren’t fully explored or explained before a sudden reveal. These boil the plot down to a simplistic beat of one revelation after another.
Still, through simplicity lies beauty — which this film has plenty of. Every scene, even if it’s only visible for a second, is like a painting. From the cozy village to the bustling city, the showcase on the scenery is a collective of realistic locations around Japan to the point that it makes me want to visit each and every one the film has explored.
Critics have compared Shinkai to the legendary anime director Hayato Miyazaki, and it certainly shows with regard to everything “Your Name” has presented.
The high-school aged characters and the mystical premise of “Your Name” give audiences the notion it was created for a somewhat younger viewer. The film plays it relatively safe, but Shinkai’s direction and writing, and Japanese rock band Radwimps’ soundtrack made the film a thrilling ride from beginning to end. There is hardly any romance aside from the tension-building final moments of the film, where I found myself wishing the film didn’t suddenly cut to credits.
Like a comet streaking across the night sky, “Your Name’s” beauty is only there for a limited time in theaters. So, let your eyes soak in the picture-esque beauty by watching the film on the big screen.