A few days ago I visited my friend's house to discuss the holiday issue that we will live in the next few weeks. Incidentally, my friend had time to tell me that she just bought a movie DVD which she said is very fresh and fantastic.
She stated that the film managed to break the record with the largest audience in Japan.
When I asked what's the film about, she just said that the movie is in anime genre.
I was honestly not interested in anime, but because my friend kept telling me about it, I finally decided to watch it.
At first glance, I was quite surprised when browsing and find out that the biggest movie sites like IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes give an excellent rating for this movie. In my heart, I think that this movie must be exceptional and extraordinary.
Movie Info
- Title: Kimi no Na Wa / Your Name
- Director: Makoto Shinkai
- Author: Makoto Shinkai
- Director of Animation: Masashi Andou
- Genre: Drama / School / Romance / Supernatural
- Character Design: Masayoshi Tanaka
- Production: CoMix Wave Films
- Distributor: Toho Company
- Country: Japan
Main Character:
- Taki Tachibana: The man who has the nature of irritability, hard work, and not easily despair.
- Mitsuha Miyamizu: A woman who is patient, able to weave, and likes to help but she hates life routinely in the countryside.
Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school student, living in the village of Itomori, is getting fed up with his life in the countryside where he was born and hopes to become a handsome young man living in Tokyo in the next life.
Later, Taki Tachibana, a high school student who lives in Tokyo, awakens from his sleep and realizes that he is Mitsuha, who somehow can get inside Taki's body.
Taki and Mitsuha realize that they both enter each other's bodies. They start communicating with each other by leaving notes on paper or through memos on their phones.
As time passes, they become more accustomed to this body exchange and begin to interfere with each other's lives. Mitsuha helps Taki to approach a female co-worker named Miki Okudera, who ultimately Taki can date Miki.
Meanwhile, Taki helps Mitsuha to be better known in her school. Mitsuha then tells Taki about the comet that will pass, and how interested him to see it, because the time coincided with the festival in the village of Itomori.
But some time before the comet's appearance, for some reason Taki no longer swap places with Mitsuha. Curious, he tried to find the village where Mitsuha lived. The trip took him to the shocking facts about the village where Mitsuha lived. Taki is seeking to find a way to exchange places back with Mitsuha. Mitsuha's fate and the villagers of Itomori depend on him.
I think this anime is done in a very great detail. The entire depiction, layout and even the atmosphere of Tokyo are made in great detail along with the cafes, stations and even the details of the roads are good.
The atmosphere of the village where Misuha lived is also described with no less good. It was fun to see beautiful scenery, hills, lakes, and forests until the appearance of colorful meteors in the sky.
All the details look very real even if only in the form of animation. Based on the story also this film offers a fascinating story for me. I am so amazed at the ideas that exist in the minds of Japanese filmmakers, the case of creating crazy and extraordinary things they are experts.
A story about two people who exchange bodies may not be the first time in a movie. But Kimi no Na Wa also adds elements of mystery, Japanese culture, time traveling and even to the myths that exist in Japan is also contained therein. The combination of all these elements can produce a movie flow that can make me hypnotized and carried into the story.
At first, I was a little confused about what happened to Misuha and Taki.
But as I continue to follow the story, I finally begin to understand how the storyline works and it is very entertaining. Especially when the scene Taki-shock when waking up with a woman physical, as well as the clumsy behavior of Mitsuha, a girl from the village who suddenly woke up and lived in a big city that he did not know at all. It made me laugh so much that my friend looked at me strangely.
In the middle of the story, the situation changed, it became so tense and dramatized especially when Taki began to lose contact with Mitsuha and decided to find where the girl was. The peak when Taki finally realized what happened with Misuha Village, I finally realized that this movie story is so complex and mysterious.
The next scenes became very stressful and made me very curious. Taki's attempt to save Misuha is described so dramatically. From the start, he ran on the hill to the thrilling scene as they were on the train.
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Then do this Anime have a sad ending?
No, but thanks to the drama presented from the beginning where the character is centered interacting "deep in the eyes close to the heart" and some unexpected story changes can make the audience get carried away. So the drama presented in the anime can make an impression on the brains of the audience, coupled with some scenes that make the audience very carried away with the story line. This anime has a beautiful ending but tastes like there is less moment with the end of the story.
Is there a Romance scene in this Anime?
There is. The drama in the anime is very thick, character traits when interacting and when the changes will be emphasized here and add romance and ending atmosphere can add a romantic impression to the audience. Especially during the peak of the story, the audience showed a romantic scene to feel how romantic anime is. But that is temporary because there is a change of story and drama that can make the audience carried away and can open up anxiety what the audience wants to wait for.
Especially when the words "Kimi no Na Wa" continue to be repeated many times.
Kimi no Na Wa?
Your name?
Taki could not remember the name of the girl who had been exchanging bodies with him.
In closing, there is a scene where Taki and Misuha pass each other on the street in Tokyo without remembering each other. Both feel not know each other even though they feel familiar with each face.
It is one of the best scenes and the one I like best in this movie.
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The film is more themed on friendship than romance. A strange friendship between two people who are a distance apart and time and do not know each other but have a strong empathy relationship. Ultimately the strength of their relationship can create miracles in this film.
Kimi no Na Wa is very suitable to watch with the people closest. Like me who watch it at my friend's house.
Notes from Me:
- The film is so popular in Japan that there is a tour agency offering a tour around Tokyo ala Kimi no Na Wa visiting the places depicted in the film.
- The author of the novel Kimi no Na Wa as well as its director, Makoto Shinkai won the award for best director of Japan this year thanks to this film.
- Kimi no Na Wa is also championed to achieve Oscar next year for best animation movie category.
Overall I give 9/10 rating for this movie because of its incredible drama.
But if you want to watch this movie, I suggest not get carried away because you will be sorry and vent your anxiety to others.