By this point Your Name. (君の名は。or Kimi no na wa. in original Japanese) isn’t a new film by any means. The film, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, premiered in Japan and the US in summer 2016. A few months later it arrived to Europe. In early 2017 it had surpassed Studio Ghibli’s Academy Award-winner Spirited Away (2001) as the highest grossing anime film ever in terms of worldwide earnings. This says something about how popular the film has been even among moviegoers who do not usually watch anime. Considering the huge success, it is strange that film buffs in Finland have had to wait until April 2017 to go see it.
Bored of her life in the old fashioned countryside, Mitsuha wishes she were a handsome boy from Tokyo instead. Her wishes come true as she unexpectedly switches lives with Taki, a Tokyo boy: every other day, they become each other in a comical Freaky Friday style body swap. The next morning they are back to normal, only to swap again the next day. Soon they realize that their body swapping isn’t a dream and has real-life consequences. In order to work out their strange predicament, they leave messages on each other’s phones and start forming an emotional bond. Although the beginning of the film is very light hearted, it’s not all fun and games. The complication of the plot and the tone-shift occurs later, when one day the body swapping suddenly stops and the two swappers-cum-friends have no means to contact each other. A search begins…
In its essence, Your Name. is a form of fantasy drama. Although the film is set in modern day Japan rather than a fairy tale world, the sense of magic is retained through the mystery connected to the body-swapping. Some suspension of disbelief is needed as the body-swap is not given even a pseudo-scientific explanation; instead it’s tied to the background of Mitsuha’s family, caretakers of a Shinto shrine. Adding to the magical atmosphere, the animation is fresh and beautiful – shots of modern Tokyo look way shinier than in real life. Special mentions go to the animation of light and landscapes, especially with how twilight falls on the Mitsuha’s hometown in the countryside, a stark contrast to Tokyo’s glossy skyscrapers. The animation studio in charge, CoMix Wave Films, has created a real treat for the eyes.
In spite of the Mitsuha and Taki being two teenagers, older viewers need not necessarily feel estranged. School life remains a tangential backdrop rather than the setting or a plot device as is common in many anime series with teenage casts. Instead, the ages of the characters merely add to their personalities and their youthful awkwardness and innocent outlook on life and love. Side characters have their own defined personalities, but none overshadow the two main characters. The personalities of the main characters are unfortunately not given a lot of development. Making up for this fault is the exposition that thankfully relies on a “show, don’t tell” style. Furthermore, it is actually the relationship between the main characters, balancing between friendship and tender romance, that is at the heart of the film yet never too overpowering. There is not much action, but the story keeps viewers guessing and the journey is made worthwhile as more suspense is built up towards the conclusion to the film in the form of a race against time.
Anyone who has familiarity with Shinkai and CoMix-studio’s previous team-ups (5 Centimeters Per Second and Garden of Words, for example) can recognize the style of storytelling in this film: the touching story does not give a clear and gratifying picture of the ultimate fate, viewers are left guessing. On the other hand, this may be a good thing, since it could be argued that many films feel too great a need to explain everything in full, thus limiting the interpretations and imaginations of viewers. In this case, the room for interpretation might merely add to the sense of wonder, as if the film in actuality is just a snippet of a longer story that keeps going even after audiences have left. Viewers may decide for themselves whether the conclusion is happy, sad or bittersweet.
Since many of Shinkai’s works are well known in Japan and in anime-fan communities elsewhere, it is good to see his anime film rise to the fame that is usually reserved only for films by Studio Ghibli’s legendary Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki’s announcement of his retirement has had everybody speculating who might be “the next Miyazaki”, and Shinkai has been suggested. However, in terms of style and themes, most films by either Miyazaki or the other directors at Studio Ghibli are very different from Your Name. and there is no need to compare them – Your Name. stands on its own two feet and creates an atmosphere of its own, a collision of teenagers in a world where magic meets the modern world.
In the end, Your Name. is a lovely fantasy adventure that can be enjoyed even if you’re not a fan of anime or Japanese culture in general. Viewers hoping for a more action packed show may want to look for something else. While the film may not be for everybody, it is the perfect choice for the viewer looking for a heartfelt adventure and a feel-good drama, a story of hope but also of loss.
Your Name. premiers in Finnkino and Cinema Mondo’s Kino Engel on April 21.