Disclaimer – This is my oldest article, and contains several errors. I personally was proud of this work, but I hate reading it now. I may revise this piece later or publish a new, better piece and delete this one. However, feel free to enjoy reading.
When the massively successful anime film Kimi no Na wa finally released in the U.S, I was more than excited to witness this supposed masterpiece. And after watching the movie, I can say without a doubt that it was indeed a great film. While it may not be the “savior of anime”, the film boasted gorgeous visuals, a phenomenal soundtrack, and a nice set of characters to support the well-structured story. However, what surprised me the most about the movie was not just the visuals (as people praised it the most), but the mysterious amount of depth that the movie had. For me, the movie did not seem to be just any romance film, however well made, but something much greater, with a more significant theme in mind than simply the beauty of love. So after looking back at the movie and doing some research, I came to understand the message the movie held for me. Of course, everyone would interpret the movie differently, but to me, Kimi no Na wa is not a story about discovering love, but a tale of growing up and discovering what truly identifies an individual. With that said, let us begin from the very basics.
Kimi no Na wa has quite the simple title, but it’s definitely not an irrelevant one. The title, translated officially to “Your Name.” in English, is referred to constantly throughout the movie, and it also holds symbolic meaning for the characters in the movie, which I will talk about later. But first, let’s analyze the literal meaning of the title: especially the “Name” part of it.
Suzume No Tojimari: 12 Facts About The Animated Movie, A Rival To Kimi No Na Wa
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “name” as “a word or phrase that constitutes the distinctive designation of a person or thing”. I, for one, would agree with this definition. Everyone we know has a name, and the name we use distinctly defines each of these individuals. For example, a person named Robert might be referred to as Bob, Robby, Rob, and much more. However, each of these names are very much valid, since they all refer to this Robert and him only. Names could also be longer and more personal. You may call some friends by nicknames that only few people would understand the true meaning of. In short, names are used to uniquely identify one person by the speaker. However, it is important to note at the same time that these names, no matter who created them, all relate and center around one person: the person the name is given to. This will be important soon as we see how names are used in Kimi no Na wa.
If names define a person’s identity, the question of changing the name comes to mind. If one changes a name, does that change who they are? Does a name transcend a mere calling sign to become part of the personal identity? In the real world, the common answer would be “no”, as names change on the internet and in real life quite often, and only sometimes does a person change with it. However, in the case of Kimi no Na wa, the answer would be “yes”, and to explain this, I must talk about my favorite scene (that, admittedly, got some tears from me).
The lake shines bright, with pale red light reflecting off the calm surface. It reflects the night sky, one that is different from normal. In the night sky is a comet. A radiant pink comet flies over a small village, breaking into two luminous fragments, being witnessed by the entirety of Japan, and one young girl, running desperately for an unknown reason. On the ground is Mitsuha, a young school girl who is desperate. She is desperate to save her family, her friends, and her village. But with all that weight on her shoulders, a void in her memories continues to gnaw at her insides. She tries to remember him. She looks up, looking at the deadly spectacle, and trips, still trying to remember someone’s name, with little coming back to her. A memory flickers in her mind: “So we don’t forget each other when we wake up, let’s write our names on each other”. Mitsuha opens her hand, and on her palm are the words, “I love you”.
It]japan Modern Culture: Kimi No Na Wa
Mitsuha does not remember Taki Tachibana from this point on (at least until the end), but instead remembers “I love you”. What I find so amazing about this scene goes back to the definition of names. If a name is used to distinctly define one person, Taki, knowing that what he writes down will be the only words Mitsuha will associate with him as time passes, puts down “I love you”. In other words, between Taki and Mitsuha, Taki is now defined by his love for Mitsuha. His distinct identity, in its core, did not lie in “Taki Tachibana”, but instead in his connection with Mitsuha. Neither Taki nor Mitsuha knew when they would see each other again, and perhaps they thought they never would, but for Mitsuha, she will always remember the love Taki had for her, which, even after five years, is shown not to have faded between either of them.
But that is merely the beginning of the grand theme behind the names of Kimi no Na wa. Earlier, I mentioned that names always refer to the person it is given to, in both identification and definition. As you might have guessed, this is no longer true for Taki. By changing his name – his identity – to his love for Mitsuha, Taki has changed the very definition of a name. In the eyes of human society, a name is connected solely to one person. In Taki’s case, his name, which means “waterfall”, defines only him, and whatever the context of “waterfall” may be, it will never be used to bind another person to its definition. However, by changing his name to “love for Mitsuha”, Taki now uses a name that defines both him and Mitsuha. Taki has broken the basic standards of society.
However, this simple, albeit well done, confession scene holds even more meaning than just that. In one decisive frame, this scene also summarizes Taki’s journey throughout the movie and shows the audience Taki’s growth both as a character and also as a human being. So, just as this scene summarizes Taki’s journey, let us go back to the beginning also to see how Taki grew throughout the movie.
How Shinkai Makoto Creates A Sense Of Love And Loss
In the beginning of the movie, we see that Taki lives a relatively normal life. After Taki, controlled by Mitsuha, wakes up late, we see that Taki’s father and his friends are not surprised by his late attendance to school. His interaction with others, however, reveals a lot about Taki’s lifestyle. Taki, being controlled by Mitsuha, confuses his father and his friends for his politeness and innocence. More importantly, taken over by Mitsuha, Taki’s fellow waiters in his workplace notice him for the first time. His hard work and passion in helping others, shown when fixing Okudera’s skirt, surprises the other waiters. These scenes show us that Taki is normally extremely quiet, and his lifestyle is quite dull compared to Mitsuha’s lively and beautiful life in the country. He has few friends and little connections with others, but most importantly, we learn that Taki does not care about others as much as he does in keeping the bare minimum in society.
Move forward in time a bit, and now we start to see Taki changing. After switching with Mitsuha for a while, Taki starts to enjoy interaction with others by living in a small village full of close connections with others. He appreciates his time with Tessie and Sayaka, and slowly, he starts to become more passionate in his own body. With assistance from Mitsuha, Taki befriends Okudera, and the audience finds what should be a boring city life to be lively and endearing. However, Taki’s growth is shown most clearly only after Mitsuha stops switching with him.
After losing contact with Mitsuha, Taki, with a new passion, draws a detailed sketch of Itomori based solely off memory. He immediately searches for Mitsuha, with no clear plan in mind, and when he finds out that Mitsuha, Tessie, Sayaka, and the rest of the village are gone, he continues his search, traveling into the ruins of Itomori in vain effort. What I find most amazing about these few scenes is that I realized how absurd Taki’s actions were only after looking back at the movie. Would the old Taki have searched for a girl he had only seen in dreams? The answer is, of course, “no”. Makoto Shinkai, director of Kimi no Na wa, builds Taki’s character so naturally that the audience does not question his actions at all. Taki has come a long
Kimi No Na Wa: “tears…why?”
In the beginning of the movie, we see that Taki lives a relatively normal life. After Taki, controlled by Mitsuha, wakes up late, we see that Taki’s father and his friends are not surprised by his late attendance to school. His interaction with others, however, reveals a lot about Taki’s lifestyle. Taki, being controlled by Mitsuha, confuses his father and his friends for his politeness and innocence. More importantly, taken over by Mitsuha, Taki’s fellow waiters in his workplace notice him for the first time. His hard work and passion in helping others, shown when fixing Okudera’s skirt, surprises the other waiters. These scenes show us that Taki is normally extremely quiet, and his lifestyle is quite dull compared to Mitsuha’s lively and beautiful life in the country. He has few friends and little connections with others, but most importantly, we learn that Taki does not care about others as much as he does in keeping the bare minimum in society.
Move forward in time a bit, and now we start to see Taki changing. After switching with Mitsuha for a while, Taki starts to enjoy interaction with others by living in a small village full of close connections with others. He appreciates his time with Tessie and Sayaka, and slowly, he starts to become more passionate in his own body. With assistance from Mitsuha, Taki befriends Okudera, and the audience finds what should be a boring city life to be lively and endearing. However, Taki’s growth is shown most clearly only after Mitsuha stops switching with him.
After losing contact with Mitsuha, Taki, with a new passion, draws a detailed sketch of Itomori based solely off memory. He immediately searches for Mitsuha, with no clear plan in mind, and when he finds out that Mitsuha, Tessie, Sayaka, and the rest of the village are gone, he continues his search, traveling into the ruins of Itomori in vain effort. What I find most amazing about these few scenes is that I realized how absurd Taki’s actions were only after looking back at the movie. Would the old Taki have searched for a girl he had only seen in dreams? The answer is, of course, “no”. Makoto Shinkai, director of Kimi no Na wa, builds Taki’s character so naturally that the audience does not question his actions at all. Taki has come a long
Kimi No Na Wa: “tears…why?”
