Greetings, my lovely humans, amphibians, sewer monsters and others. It is I, Hatticus le Moose also professionally known as “Hat”. As you may know, I have been settling down into another country and well, it has been, challenging that’s for sure. The dry weather cracks up my skin like some sort of 80s reptilian creature and the social aspect of college life has been what I dread the most–peachy. Well, when I am not struggling to have what others constitute a conversation and what I perceive as an aneurysm, I have been religiously watching a bunch of old shows over again and catching up on Anime.
Well, more specifically, I have finally watched “Your Name” and–I don’t really know what to say. I had honest-to-god high expectations over this film due to Anime YouTubers, blog sites and hell, even my Starbucks barista praising the ever-so-loving shit our of it. It did not help that Kimi no Na wa had broken the record set by Spirited Away as the highest grossing film in Japan and I had a soft spot in my heart for the Miyazaki classic.
So ignoring the fact that I’m extremely late on this and like totally missed the hype train for the whole, let’s dive into Kimi no Na wa and get my thoughts, opinions and rating of this film! So sit back, get your spoiler bucket ready and take a shot of vodka because you’re going to be needing it.
Your Name Isn’t My Favorite Anime Movie, But It Was Good Overall [extended Review]
“There’s no way we could meet. But one thing is certain. If we see each other, we’ll know. That you were the one who was inside me. That I was the one who was inside you.” – Mitsuha Miyamizu :>PLOT<:
Mitsuha Miyamizu (try saying that ten times fast) is a normal teenage girl living in the countryside with her grandmother and her little sister. She wakes one day with a notion that she was still in a dream when she in fact, had swapped bodies with a similar-aged boy named Taki Tachibana (What is this? A tongue twister contest?) living in the main city of Tokyo.
At first, the two young students can’t seem to fathom their situation but slowly come to understand and even set up rules for the other to follow when they take up each others’ lives. Mitsuha’s feminine charms in the body of Taki even catches the eye of Taki’s senior at work and also his crush. Taki, on the other hand, becomes a stronger and more confident Mitsuha as he challenges those that snicker behind Mitsuha’s back and performs well in sports, even getting confessed to by a girl.
Hd Desktop Wallpaper: Anime, Your Name, Kimi No Na Wa, Mitsuha Miyamizu, Taki Tachibana Download Free Picture #1371722
Eventually, they form a connection and just as Taki realises his affection for the girl in the boonies, Mitsuha disappears, all contact from her ceases to exist and Taki is forced to seek her out.
As he approaches closer to Mitsuha’s hometown, the truth unravels itself and the mystery surrounding Mitsuha and her town of Itomori begins to spiral into something more than just a simple case of body-switching.
AND that’s all you get from me because the plot-twist is really good and I really don’t want to spoil it for you just yet. Of course, in my review I will address it and how it really adds to the story but if you made it this far and want to watch the movie blind, then I highly suggest you stop, drop and click away before coming back here after the credits. Bon voyage!
Weathering With You: History, Quantum Physics, And Movie Reviews In The Middle Of August
Now, I bet you’re waiting for me to declare my adoration for this god-sent gift from our lord and savior Makoto Shinkai–But no. That will not be happening today, unfortunately.
I will admit, it’s a great film, filled with lush settings and characters that hold their own. I did find the characters charming and each one of them having as much importance to the plot as the two main characters, which was brilliant. The fact that a 2 hour long film is able to make me remember (Wait…what were their names again?) the characters is already an accomplishment especially when the characters are not sporting any sort of maniacally coloured hair or extreme clothing choices (looking at you JoJo).
Mitsuha and Taki are wonderful in their own ways as contrasting personalities and yet complimenting each other as direct opposites. Through the film we can also see the progression of Taki and Mitsuha as Taki becomes more emotional and more alive while Mitsuha matures and becomes confident in standing up to her father. The use of metaphors in the film is also pretty frequent and adds to the story.
Todayitryto: Share My Quick Thoughts On Kimi No Na Wa
Mitsuha having long hair, which she ties up with a red ribbon in the beginning of the film, represented her closed-off personality, demureness and inability to stand up for herself. While Taki, being Mitsuha, having a simple ponytail to show his carefree attitude. The fact that Mitsuha’s friends noticed the lack of ribbon in Mitsuha’s hair would also give a clue towards her personality where she would only wear the ribbon neatly and without change. Small hints that provide a bigger picture of the characters’ personality and current situation.
When Mitsuha cuts her hair, she is also “cutting” away her old self and becomes this confident young woman that could stand up to her father. When Mitsuha appears with long hair at the end of the film, she is a representation of Mitsuha reverting back to her old self with her lack of remembrance of the boy who changed her. And an extra fact, the red ribbon has a lot of symbolism not only in Japanese mythology but also in general Asian culture, to represent love and being tied to the ones you are destined to be with. So, obvious fact but good to know if you were still confused about the importance of the red ribbon.
The plot is definitely unexpected, the reason why I refused to see this film in cinemas was because of my hatred of cliché plot points i.e the body-switching one, a classic but overused and the choice to include the timeline plot point and make it almost Higurashi-esque genuinely blew me away. I was walking into this thinking it was another “I experienced another life and fell in love with her” thing but then Shinkai decided to use another cliché time travel trope and tie it in with the already cliché body-swapping trope and somehow make it work, mad props to the man.
Is Kimi No Na Wa Overrated?
It’s funny isn’t it, this film is able to use two redundant and overused plot-lines and make something new yet freaking In Another World With My SmArTpHoNe exists. I just–sometimes I am impressed by the way our society advances and some other days, I just feel like the world is one big bowl of depression.
Anyways, I have to say that there are certain aspects of Your Name that make me stop and wonder, “Huh, so that’s cool and all but I don’t see the hype over it.”. The massive amount of critical acclaim this film got basically skyrocketed it to number one worldwide and I was trying so hard to see the appeal of it that I could not find myself watching it again.
The film in of itself, has a distinctive plot that would catch the eye of any new-age anime fan, the simplicity of its character designs and the beautiful use of animation techniques would also appeal to the mass audience. As a matter of fact, this film is the kind of “feels-good rom-com” that would not only attract anime fans but also the general public and that in of itself, is already a key reason to the success of the film.
Kimi No Na Wa’ Is Overrated.
However, the same could be said for the hundreds of other similar anime films such as Hotarubi no mori e or even The Girl Who Leapt Through Time yet the success of Your Name is overwhelmingly so much more than that of the two films combined. Why is that so? Hotarubi no mori e has the kind of forbidden love trope and the nostalgic feel of teenage-love while The Girl Who Leapt Through Time deals with a similar plot point of time travel so how did Your Name, a modern film that resembles that of a Frankenstein project involving a mish-mash of different tropes from different films, fair so well?
I don’t know–bet you were expecting me to dish out the tea but I really have nothing to say. The success of Your Name is unimaginable, if you asked me a few years ago if I would have thought that another anime film would’ve taken the title as the “highest grossing film” away from Spirited Away, I would’ve asked you to stuff your mouth and sod off.
The truth is, simplicity sells. I mean, what can you expect from a generation that eats up TV shows with the exact same tropes over and over again. God–how many damn reincarnations of isekai-type series can one have at this rate? Next thing you know, I Woke Up As An Overpowered Rock In Another Dimension?! If–that actually becomes a
Best Funny Kimi No Na Wa Memes
