Review of Your Name. (2016) by Teekesselchen — 31 Dec 2017

A boy and a girl switch bodies - perhaps a somewhat cheesy premise, but Your Name gets every bit of mileage from it and more.

Albeit a romantic drama, the movie does an excellent job at easing you in with the natural comedy of the situation. The protagonists' reactions are so lovely that they grew on me in no time.

Your Name's pacing does an excellent job at this - it gives the characters and (almost as prominent) sets enough time to fully develop, but also drives breathtaking action. Combined with the gorgeous soundtrack and brilliantly used nonlinear narration, it keeps both heart and mind engaged. The stunning visuals do the rest. And of course, at some point it will hit you right in the heart.

While some parts around the middle may appear a little contrived, and the mixing time lines can create some momentary confusion, the clarification and payoff always come in due time.

Your Name musters all the strengths of anime as a medium, and their makers expertise. Now, Tearjerkers like this will always have to justify themselves against accusations of being formulaic, as romance writers (especially in the anime industry) have all too much experience manipulating our emotions. But Your Name manages to always throw a little extra in there, and executes everything with breathtaking perfection. In a movie year where so many seemed to stumble even over the basics, it is good to see a movie that just does things so right. In a time where CGI has blurred the characters of Hollywood productions into one, it is fulfilling to see such wonderful art. Your Name was my movie of the year before I was even half way through, and only grew from there.