Your Name is a 2016 Japanese animated love fantasy film produced and distributed by CoMix Wave Films.
Makoto Shinkai wrote and directed the film, which was commissioned in 2014.
The movie stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and Mone Kamishiraishi in the lead roles. Masashi Ando directed the animations and Masayoshi Tanaka designed the characters. Radwimps composed an orchestral score and a soundtrack. A month before the film’s release, Shinkai’s light novel of the same name was published.
Your Name premiered on July 3, 2016, at the 2016 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, and was released theatrically in Japan on August 26, 2016, and in the United States on April 7, 2017.
The animation, soundtrack, graphics, and emotional weight of the film were highly praised by critics. The film grossed over 41.44 billion (US$380.15 million) globally, shattering multiple box office records, including being the third highest-grossing Anime film of all time, unadjusted for inflation.
Here’s a data table on the movie Your Name:
| Written by | Makoto Shinkai |
| Release Dates | July 3, 2016 (Anime Expo) August 26, 2016 (Japan) |
| Running Time | 107 minutes |
| Budget | ¥750 million |
| Box Office | $380.1 million |
So the hype around this film is insane, but does it live up to its name, or is it simply another overhyped Anime? You make the call.
Let’s take a glance at its synopsis before I provide my thoughts.
Synopsis
Mitsuha Miyamizu, a very typical high -school girl, desires to lead the life of a boy in Tokyo, a fantasy that contrasts sharply with her current life in the countryside.
Meanwhile, Taki Tachibana, another high-school student juggling a part-time job and dreaming of a career in architecture, lives a busy life in the city.
Mitsuha awakens one day in a house that isn’t her own and finds herself living her ideal life in Tokyo, but, here’s the twist, she’s in Taki’s body! Taki, on the other hand, discovers himself experiencing Mitsuha’s life in the poor countryside.
In search of an explanation for this bizarre phenomenon, they begin to look for one another.
Your Name is centered on Mitsuha and Taki’s activities, which begin to have a significant impact on each other’s destinies, interweaving them into a fabric linked together via fate and circumstance.
Isn’t the plot a little strange? However, in the realm of Anime, it’s very mild in comparison to One Punch Man or Naruto.
Now for my review.
Positive Notes about Your Name
Here are some things which I loved about the movie:
Amazing Animation
There is one scene at the beginning that includes a type of 3D camera rotation that appears so lifelike that I assumed it was rendered.
However, the figure turned its head at the last second, and I was able to determine that it had been fully hand-drawn.
There are instances in which basic physics is radically altered, but they manage to make it 100% fluid, tugging me along with the character’s experience.
Characters
Because of the film’s framework, the majority of the characters had fairly simplistic characteristics.
The characters’ complexity was sacrificed for the sake of the larger tale, resulting in the main characters having richer personalities while the side characters were left behind.
But don’t be perplexed. The character depth that they were able to communicate was outstanding for the medium. Many sequences had subtle hints that conveyed the individuals’ origins and characteristics.
Sound
The musical score’s complexity was fantastic. I’ll need to re-watch it with my usual headphones before truly committing to one. There wasn’t a single sound that didn’t fit.
All of the characters’ voices were appropriate for their appearances, resulting in an extremely immersive experience.
Story
The tale is essentially quite simple, yet there is a lot of depth added as the story progresses.
The show makes several key points, some of which are somewhat philosophical, without being too difficult for the common audience to grasp.
Furthermore, none of the tales is compromised to drive these themes; they are inextricably linked.
Impact
Please don’t take this animation lightly. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.
I laughed and sobbed during the show. Don’t get me wrong: that is significant. Only two other Anime have made me cry so far. Also, I was at the theater, so I was out in public and I wasn’t the only one who had tears in his eyes.
The Negative ones
Now let’s look at some of the downsides of this movie:
Timing
There is a scene in the film where two characters get to know each other that feels rushed. It could have been better to have the entire experience acted out, or at least parts of it, with the movie, lengthened as needed.
The richness of the plot and people took a toll on the world’s completeness, leaving several concerns unexplained. Most characters lacked worldviews or concepts of right and wrong since there just wasn’t enough time to build them. Also unresolved are the origins of the world and what the ending entails for the world itself.
So, should you see it? I think you should. It’s a visual marvel that captivates you in a variety of ways. It’s worth a look.
Is Your Name a Sad Film?
Your Name is a depressing film. It has a joyful conclusion and some amusing parts, but it’s also sad.
This movie is heartfelt and endearing in many ways, It’s an emotional rollercoaster that makes you go from feeling lonely to happy and then so sad, and then finally when it all ends, it leaves you feeling empty. You feel as though you went through an emotional journey just for it to end, and now you have nothing left. The ending is what got me the most.
It’s widely considered by most that Your Name has an ending that most consider happy, even though after all that happiness all you feel is an emotional void overcoming you for a few hours. The Music does a great job at pulling on your heartstrings, especially in the ending sequence.
Even though Your Name left me an emotional husk of a human, I was able to gather a single lesson from it, It is alright to reminisce on treasured or traumatic memories but it’s more necessary to move on.
Is Your Name overrated?
I don’t think Your Name is overrated. If I had to give this movie a score, I would give it a 9. It’s an excellent piece of art, but it has some flaws.
One thing I didn’t like was that instead of compressing as much as they did into a 4-minute montage during the OST Zenzenzense, I believe the directors should have spent more time portraying Taki and Mitsuha’s body-swapping, what obstacles they experienced, and how they coped with them. Despite a handful of flaws, it’s now my favorite Anime film.
We must also recognize that, at the end of the day, everything is entirely subjective. When it comes to any type of art, it’s impossible to be objective. When someone claims something is a masterpiece, take it for what it is: an opinion, not a reality.
So in my opinion, it lives up to the expectations in terms of animation, soundtrack, and overall atmosphere!
Here’s a review of Your Name:
Is it worthwhile to watch the anime film Your Name?
Many people, particularly teens, respond to your name. It’s about a romance between a boy and a girl who are separated but occasionally switch bodies.
This film feels very relevant to modern youth, who are in long-distance relationships and are often lonely, feeling as if they are drifting rather than having a purpose. It also appeals to an older audience, who may be reminded of their youth while they watch this.
Your Name is a fantastic and passionate escapism story. There are many references to Japanese culture that some viewers may not understand, but it is not necessary to enjoy the film.
What makes the film Your Name so popular?
The magic is how fictitious it is and it takes you away from the mundane realities of running out of time and losing people.
It takes us a while to envision what it’s like to have something our lives don’t provide: a second chance. It broadens your horizon beyond daily drama because it isn’t a film or an anime. It’s a method to enter the creator’s mind and, for a change, live in fantasy rather than reality.
Conclusion
- Your Name is a 2016 Japanese animated love fantasy film produced and distributed by CoMix Wave Films.
- Your Name premiered on July 3, 2016, at the 2016 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, and was released theatrically in Japan on August 26, 2016, and in the United States on April 7, 2017.
- The animation, soundtrack, graphics, and emotional weight of the film were highly praised by critics. The film grossed over 41.44 billion (US$380.15 million) globally, shattering multiple box office records, including being the third highest-grossing Anime film of all time, unadjusted for inflation.
- There’s one scene at the beginning that includes a type of 3D camera rotation that appears so lifelike that I assumed it was rendered; however, the figure turned its head at the last second, and I was able to determine that it had been fully hand-drawn.
- There is a scene in the film where two characters get to know each other that feels rushed. It could have been better to have the entire experience acted out, or at least parts of it, with the movie, lengthened as needed.
- Your Name is a depressing film. It has a joyful conclusion and some amusing parts, but it’s also sad.
- I don’t think Your Name is overrated. If I had to give this movie a score, I would give it a 9. It’s an excellent piece of art, but it has some flaws.