Kimi no Na wa (Your Name) - Final Thoughts
Released: July 2016 (JP) / April 2017 (US)
Director/screenplay:
Makoto Shinkai
The movie
is officially released in theaters across the western hemisphere
and I got the chance to see it at my local movie theater. There are subbed and dubbed versions both available. I decided to watch the subbed version, I just want to hear Kamiki-kun’s
voice. Anyway, this movie
had me by the heart and it was so good. Now, I understand what all the hype was
about behind this movie. This is a spoiler-free, quick-final-thoughts
summary.
The Story. A high school girl named Mitsuha (JP: Mone Kamishiraishi/US: Stephanie Sheh), who lives in the country side of Itomi. She lives with a family who owns a shrine and they take part in traditional shrine ceremonies, like the miko rituals. But Mistuha dreams to escape her boring life and wants to move to the city of Tokyo. Her wish does come true when she wakes up the next day with a room that has a great view of the city scape. But there’s one problem, she finds herself in a stranger’s body. That stranger is a teen boy named Taki (Ryunosuke Kamiki/Michael Sinterniklaas), a city boy who finds himself switched with Mitsuha’s body. They both try to work together to solve this strange phenomenon that’s going on between them.
Final Thoughts. It’s a body swapping story, a popular theme that’s been done many times in TV shows and movies. It starts off with typical body swap clichés. But it later turns to a different direction. It has a very clever and imaginative way of weaving the theme together. It’s more metaphorical and spiritual, and that’s all I can say about it.
What I liked
- It has a
good balance of comedy and heavy drama.
- Fantastic voice acting from Kamiki and Kamishiraishi, they voice both genders. Like for Kamiki, when Mitsuha is in Taki’s body, he has to voice in her tone in Taki’s voice.
- Awesome soundtrack from the RADWIMPS.
- Fantastic voice acting from Kamiki and Kamishiraishi, they voice both genders. Like for Kamiki, when Mitsuha is in Taki’s body, he has to voice in her tone in Taki’s voice.
- Awesome soundtrack from the RADWIMPS.
- A body
swapping theme with a twist.
If you are familiar with Makoto Shinkai’s animated films (5 Centimeters Per Second, Children Who Chase Lost Voices), then you know what you are getting into. It has gorgeous animation. Everything from the landscapes, buildings, trees and the food, it’s very detailed and hyper-realistic. I heard that it took 2 years to complete the movie and I’m not surprised. Shinkai uses similar themes throughout his movies, like a girl-meets-boy scenarios and they have feelings of longing for each other. He understands human heartbreaks and being lost-and-found again.
I get why this movie is so big in Japan because this movie plays with your emotions. The characters go through a journey of ups and downs and you want them to be rewarded at the end. It does have great character moments that make you feel sympathetic toward them. I admit that I cried and I didn’t have a box of tissues with me.
Overall, I had a good time and it was a satisfying movie to watch. This is my first time watching a Japanese animation on the big screen in the US. Usually, foreign film releases are limited. So, thank you, Funimation. I would recommend anybody to watch the film, if it’s still playing in your area. If not and if you are patient, I think that it’s worthy to buy it on DVD/Blu-ray.
If you are familiar with Makoto Shinkai’s animated films (5 Centimeters Per Second, Children Who Chase Lost Voices), then you know what you are getting into. It has gorgeous animation. Everything from the landscapes, buildings, trees and the food, it’s very detailed and hyper-realistic. I heard that it took 2 years to complete the movie and I’m not surprised. Shinkai uses similar themes throughout his movies, like a girl-meets-boy scenarios and they have feelings of longing for each other. He understands human heartbreaks and being lost-and-found again.
I get why this movie is so big in Japan because this movie plays with your emotions. The characters go through a journey of ups and downs and you want them to be rewarded at the end. It does have great character moments that make you feel sympathetic toward them. I admit that I cried and I didn’t have a box of tissues with me.
Overall, I had a good time and it was a satisfying movie to watch. This is my first time watching a Japanese animation on the big screen in the US. Usually, foreign film releases are limited. So, thank you, Funimation. I would recommend anybody to watch the film, if it’s still playing in your area. If not and if you are patient, I think that it’s worthy to buy it on DVD/Blu-ray.
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