When I heard that Your Name is the highest grossing anime film in history, I thought that either it would be great or it would be overtly commercial. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.
Small town high school girl Mitsuha and big city high school boy Taki keep changing bodies. First they both chuck it off as a dream, but eventually they do catch on leaving text messages for each other so they do nothing to arouse anyone's suspicion. Fat chance. This does lead to several comic situations, not the least of which is what happens when they confront each other’s bodies. You know this had to go there.
But the story shifts when Taki learns the fate of Misuha and her doomed community. What then follows is a desperate fight against time itself by Taki to save Misuha. The pace of the film does get briefly bogged down before it gets to the second half, but consider that just the lull before the storm. This is the moment the film gets very intense.
The artwork is superb, and at times astonishing. The animation is first rate. No cheap short cuts are taken here. Director Makoto Shinkai goes all out to stir your visual senses, bringing life to the entire screen. This film is best watched on a large theater screen.
Your Name is not for small children. Pre-teens and up, OK. This would include adults. Your Name is currently in limited release in the US in both English and Japanese with subtitles. Definitely go see it.
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