Review of Your Name. (2016) by Kyle M — 17 Jun 2017

What's your thought on a film made by a studio and by a director that you haven't seen any of the released works prior? It would take a growing reputation surrounding that film to become inviting with your curiosity piqued, especially if it's a foreign film. But on this case within the anime genre, it's a general preference to watch it when it's availably dubbed. That's how "Your Name" got to be seen, and it's worth the view to find it being a tearless emotional roller coaster with a mostly settled conflict between beauty and convolution.

The film introduces high school girl Mitsuha who lives, with boredom, in a rural small-town community with not much amenities around, and she wants to be free from those restrictions. In the populated Tokyo, high school boy Taki lives in a happy life with friends, a job and decent social skills. One night, a strange occurrence puts the two young souls into each other's bodies. While trying to figure out what different, yet distant lives they're in, as well the strange phenomenon, they figure out a way to communicate with each other. It leads to a twist that left their strong bonding connection to a question of fate and second chances.

Briefly based on a novel that was published a couple weeks prior to the release, directed and written by the same author, Makoto Shinkai's "Your Name" has the norm for a teen body-switching tale, with a twist and later a meaningful transformation after time, fate and young hearts. It's laid out the concept that talks about fate and time with a trigger object that gives the reason behind the connection somewhat. As the film progresses with recognizable Japanese-style animation that says beauty and charm, it tries its best to explain the concept while it's just confusing back and forth a little. The film ended with the result of the attempt to explain being somewhat satisfying. Considering its genre under fantasy with the main being drama, the justification for probability at the genre's standard is unclear.

Nonetheless from the convolution, director and writer/author Shinkai has written an emotionally attachable story with a contemporary vibe and amusing moments that were offered for enjoyment from a body-switch tale. Like between the animated beauty and explaining the concept, the story is well-balanced when telling in two adjusting perspectives of two separate lives that stirred enough resonance when reacting to the film along the way. As a tearless emotional roller coaster: you'll laugh on the teen aspect; and wonder towards the concept that fits between fantasy and supernatural, then it'll right away becomes edge-of-your-seat thrilling (frankly a little exaggeration that only felt like it) - with the help of the music by Radwimps tuning up the teenage taste and the thrilling vibe. At the end, the payoff is sharing the relief and the sense of happiness.

Other minor flaws would be (understandably) overdramatic and weird moments that appears occasionally in front of the camera like any anime by selective few out of memory. And while the film is really good, there's honestly not much to be offered to be spirited for the film's level to rise up instead it'd settled at a 4-star rating, close to a 4.5-star rating within arm's reach. The convolution of the trial of explaining the concept with clarity is the main obstacle for the film to be rated perfectly when suspecting that the animation is sort-of a distraction. Although it's perfect in its own way. It tackles a few different genres, and cultures being tied in, to really get you attached towards the shared emotional payoff. "Your Name" is an anime film worth checking out at an instance. (A-).