amari55 - 2016-12-30 20:37:37

I’ve just watched this movie as it was released in France in main theatres.
This is my third movie from Makoto Shinkai, and as it has been the case with the two previous ones, I still yearn to stay immersed in this beautiful story hours after I left the theatre. It really touched me to a very deep level. The spectator gets drawn to the characters charm easily and one cannot NOT feel they are part of the story that unfolds. The voice acting is on par with the best performances I’ve heard, and the music, soft and crystalline, brings the emotion to its highest degree. If I didn’t actually cried, I certainly wanted to, and I shed many tears in my heart. It was, by far, my best movie experience this year, and probably the years before.

Story: 8/10
Complex enough in its narration, and yet simple not to lose the spectator, it follows a pattern where it starts slow but raises question in the head of the viewer. You get hooked in when what happens is revealed, and think that the story will developed in a cliche way from here. Fortunately, Makoto Shinkai introduces a twist that completely change the way you approach the story and the characters. Emotional involvement rises crescendo with the action, until the conclusion. You’re in for a story about life, fate, friendship, and love, in a cocktail that tastes sweet and transport you to a world you cannot really fathom but in which you feel both sad and happy. I hesitate to give a note for the story as it involves a certain level of complexity that I need to think about more, so I’ll put an 8/10 as minimum, since if there are indeed some mistakes it won’t bring my note lower than 8.

Visual: 10/10
The animation is of the highest quality. I cannot stress enough how good it is. Camera movements around the characters in movement is most impressive, not even considering how smooth the character animation itself is.
One thing that I rarely see noted is the visual quality of the art. Anime has a tendency of having the same kind of background art and it is difficult to stand out in general. Here, however, the details and the colours are sharp and beautiful, so much that you actually want to pause the movie just to stare at the scenery. It draws you in and plays a major role in how immersive the movie is.

Sound: 9/10
The music is the unsung hero of the movie: always there to support the mood but never taking precedence over the rest. Sometimes, the visual and the song seem to fight over which will take the lead in a sequence, which can be something one who is not accustomed to anime doesn’t like. The insert songs are good enough that you can remember the moment in the movie if you listen to them again afterwards.

Characters: 8/10
Characters are touching and lovable for sure. The overall cast is well set, everyone has its role and I couldn’t pick one to remove without losing something from the story. Nothing astounding, though, but nothing negative I can really point out.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I wish I had cried, but since I didn’t I want to go back in and immerse myself in Kimi no Na wa again, live this story again and be with the characters again. I was truly filled with emotion, like I rarely am during a movie. This sensation still lingers as I write these lines hours after having watched it, a sweet bitterness I want to hold in my heart.

Overall:
Maths say 9, but since I give a huge coefficient on my enjoyment, I’ll say 10, because screw it that’s the only thing that matters to me. Undoubtedly one of the, if not the, best from Makoto Shinkai, and my best movie experience this year.

rogahn.madge - 2016-12-17 11:03:25

From other romantic anime like Golden time to Ah my goddess, Your name holds it’s own on a whole other level. The quality of the animation, the sound and music, the likeable characters and so much more make this animated film one of 2016 best. As a huge fan of the romance anime genre I have to say your name is a must watch.

ylubowitz - 2016-10-29 17:27:59

Desde un principio no pensaba ver esta película que tenia una tonalidad de un anime más del montón, pero al ver que el publico le ha dado buenas criticas y hasta diciendo que es la obra más superior que ha hecho Makoto Shinkai, incluso superando a 30 centímetros por segundo, me motive a descargarla y...tuvieron razón, es la mejor que ha hecho.

Me encanto incluso la manera en como desarrollaron la premisa de la historia, cosa que no les voy a contar, ya que quiero que ustedes vean la experiencia, y aunque los personajes no sean los de mi tipo, la química que les dan en la obra no es molesta y hasta es emotiva de ver, no siendo del estilo que nos narran los sucesos como en las otras obras de Makoto Shinkai, que es pura filosofía y poemas, aquí si hay simbolismo (típico de los japoneses) pero no llega al grado de ser tan pesado de entender, y bueno, la música y animación como siempre, están pulcros.

No me hizo llorar como en 30 centímetros por segundo, pero estaba a punto  ya a partir del giro argumental de la mitad de la pelicula. Incluso, ojala esta pelicula pudiera ser más reconocida a nivel mundial, ya que la historia que nos cuentan debe ser recordada para la ultima década, pero la pelicula es muy japonesa, de que algunos chistes y significados de que nos aporta el contenido no serian entendidos por el publico general, incluso si hicieran un doblaje en ingles o en latino.

Vean "Your Name" sin miedo, se que muchos les encantara o reconocerán el buen trabajo que le pusieron a este film, ya que veo que es una de las mejores peliculas animadas que van del año.

cfahey - 2016-10-27 08:13:53

This is one of the few anime I've watched where I've been forced to give serious thought and reflection on it for days after I'd seen it. In fact, I'm writing this three days after I finished the movie.

I believe that "Kimi no Na wa" is the height of Shinkai's storytelling. Almost immediately, we are engrossed and deeply care about our two protagonists, and what they do. He takes these interactions to make something meaningful out of the story. While the first of the three sections (if you will) is definitely the lightest in tone, the over-arcing wastes no time in plunging you head-long into the full story. Instead of just playing it for laughs, the story makes an interesting scenario that pays off in spades later, as well as developing that characters and the world around them. This is something I strongly commend, as a problem I had with "5 Centimeters per Second" was that I was never really able to connect with or care about the characters (in part due to a lack of backstory and development), and thus never deeply care about the events they got into. No matter where you are in this film, there is always something to keep your attention on, always something to make you smile. There's less of a drive for "thematic consistency," and more of an engaging experience for the audience.

The art is gorgeous and breathtaking. Sadly, I only got to watch it in 720p -- something I will definitely rectify once it's been officially released in the states.

RADWIMPS brings an electrically exciting musical atmosphere to the table, and it certainly delivers. As opposed to the soft-spoken and gentle tracks composed by Tenmon for previous Shinkai films, the music helps to shift the gears and mindset of the viewer, while still being balanced and soft-spoken where necessary.

The only main complaint I may have with this film is the minor spattering of plot holes or "conveniences" that show up as a result of making a romance sci-fi. This by no means takes away from the overall experience, rather, just makes some elements of the film harder to suspend disbelief of than others.

Ultimately, "your name." is an exemplary example of change for the better. Shinkai left everything alone that worked, and changed things that benefited the work in the long run. It’s funny, entertaining, gripping, engaging, moving, and romantic, all while having a pretty solid base story line. I'm looking forward to re-watching this in the near future, and crying all over again.

godfrey80 - 2016-10-23 14:50:44

I had no regrets watching this movie and i cannot describe how much this anime speaks love between to people so to my romance anime lovers out there if ur really looking for something ecstatic and heart warming THIS IA THE ANIME MOVIE THAT IS MEANT FOR YOU!

fturner - 2016-10-22 06:43:01

This was a stunning film.  Beautifully animated.  Superb voice acting.  Fantastic story.  I cannot recommend this enough.

marks.sydnee - 2016-10-02 17:13:27

The story is a bit predictable. But the delivery is absolutely amazing. Some of the best art and direction I've seen. An absolute must watch.

jokon - 2016-09-21 04:04:43

(spoiler free)

The art was gorgeous, the soundtrack was phenomenal, and the portrayal of deep human connection was absolutely there. Kimi no Na Wa perfectly encapsulates a mixture of both the feeling that you have to do something but can't remember what it was, and a feeling of interminable distance that separates two lovers bound by fate. It provides an interesting perspective on how two people can connect very fundamentally, and truly find themselves in each other. 

All of the characters were brilliant, serving a very clear purpose while also sitting comfortably in the setting, creating a very natural feeling for the viewer, and establishing a very lived-in world for both of the main characters. Immediately you get a very good sense of what their lives were like before the events of the movie, drawing the audience into a world very much their own. From start to finish I was extremely eager to see the best for these two, and the way their stories unfold is exceedingly interesting.

To love and to lose, and to love again. Kimi no Na Wa made me feel this very strongly, and in tandem with unbelievable visual and animation quality we've come to expect from CoMix Wave Films and Makoto Shinkai's brilliant directing, I was left with an extremely memorable experience. The ending didn't fully satisfy me, though that's more of a personal gripe. It's still quite a good one.

All in all, a fantastic movie. Admittedly, it wasn't quite as moving as I was hoping. That's not to say it wasn't moving at all, I had a great time with it, though judging by the reception this movie is getting I can say with a fair bit of confidence that it didn't quite have the same impact on me that it's had on many others. Maybe, some time in the future, I'll re-watch this movie and come to enjoy it even more. It's layered with the sort of depth and nuance that I can absolutely consider that a possibility.

I don't think I enjoyed this more than Garden of Words, though I can certainly say it's up to par. You won't be disappointed.

dturcotte - 2016-07-05 05:19:56

[Spoiler Free]

I watched this movie premiered at LA Anime Expo 16. I'd like to write a review before I forget about the details. From watching this movie, I can see the director Shinkai Makoto becomes a much more matured and experienced anime director, over years of trial and error.

I had not laughed and cried so much at the same time for an anime / animated movie before watching Your Name. It's a movie featuring many different themes including friendship, romance, fantasy, philosophy and drama. You can definitely draw many commonalities from 5cm per sec and Garden of Words, but Your Name goes far beyond Shinkai's previous movies in terms of its ways of expression, plot development and complexity build-up.

Story: 8/10. Only watching the PVs, I thought it would be just an amalgamation of many stereotypes, such as Charlotte and Kokoro Connect (if you have watched these shows), but it didn't. Shinkai took a very special perspective and incorporate some new themes that I have never seen before. The story has a great level of complexity but I believe most audience should be able to grasp most of the hidden message he tries to convey. The only reason that I don't want to say the story is perfect is some level of redundancy in the plot, which I personally dislike if it goes too far and the audience starts to feel like being teased. Some people might think the relationship build-up happens to quickly and prematurely, whereas I disagree with it. As some people have also noticed, there might be some logical contradictions in the plot. Nevertheless, they are minor issues that wouldn't hinder the enjoyment of the movie...

Animation: 9/10. As always, it didn't let me down. I have nothing more to say about the visuals in Shinkai movies.

Sound: 8/10. The music is composed and performed by RADWIMPS. They almost always come at the perfect timing. The lyrics are well written and are incorporated themes from the movie. I'm even surprised by the fact that every time I rewatch the PV the music reminds me of the plot and make me cry again. I lowered the score because sometimes the insertion of the music sounds weird to me but they might tweak it later or it's just my misperception.

Character: 8/10. Tanaka Masayoshi, the character design of this film and AnoHana, Tora Dora and Hitman Reborn, did a really good job at making the characters distinctive in terms of personalities. None of the characters could be considered as extra or unnecessary. They all play important parts along the course of the story development. The only thing I'm unsatisfied is sometimes characters grow a little bit too fast that it almost looks weird and unnatural. I can't say more because it may involve spoilers.

Enjoyment: 10/10. As I aforementioned, I laughed and cried so much while I was watching this film. Happiness, sadness, surprises and disappointment intertwine and you will never get bored by Your Name.

Overall: 9/10. It's very likely to become Shinkai's best animated film so far, surpassing both Garden of Words and 5 centimeters per second. There's nothing much that I can suggest to improve the movie.

lkunze - 2016-07-04 00:05:13

Just watched the world premiere at Anime Expo LA. This review will be spoiler free and I'm not good at writing reviews. 

Story: 8

I thought the story was really good, but it was not perfect. It wasn't as moving as I was hoping, but it was still great.

Animation: 10

If I could go higher than 10 then I would. Shinkai makes the best animated movies when it comes to animation in my opinion, and this was no exception. AMAZING.

Sound: 10

The music was also AMAZING. Lots of music by RADWIMPS which I loved, and the piano bgm was so beautiful. The voice actors were also perfect and spot on.

Character: 9

Not much to say here personally. The characters were great and had a lot of personality. The only reason I'm giving a 9 is because they were not outstanding to me, just normal.

Enjoyment: 10

SO GOOD. I think it's my favorite movie of this director. In fact, I know it is. Not much else to say than the fact that I loved it!!

Overall: 10

This movie is so far the best anime movie I have seen. Hoping that Shinkai goes on to make more pieces of art!