Includes minor spoilers.
The moniker “the next Miyazaki” is a title often bestowed upon Makoto Shinkai for his ability to direct aesthetically pleasing films that shy away from the slew of negative clichés of anime, catering well to the general Western audience. Upon closer inspection, it would appear that the parallels between the two directors are often merely superficial, as the themes they explore and the style with which they do so are incredibly different and nuanced in their own ways. For Shinkai, it is no exaggeration to say that almost, if not all his films to date have dealt with themes of teenage romance, distance
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(both spatial and temporal), and loss. However good his oeuvre may be, one cannot help but wonder how more many times Shinkai could redress the same story before he moved on. Doubts were quickly assuaged, however, as it became abundantly clear to me only partway through Your Name that he was only just getting started. Fact of the matter is: execution is everything, and Shinkai executed his latest film to near perfection.
At its very core, Your Name is a colorful body-swapping tale a la Freaky Friday. There is Mitsuha, a 17 year-old girl living in the placid countryside town of Itomori, who yearns for life in the big city while she begrudgingly attends to her shrine maiden duties; and Taki, a boy of similar age residing in Tokyo who is also a part-time waiter and aspiring architect. They, like the viewer, are slowly clued into the fact that they are switching bodies in their dreams with ensuing hilarity. As Mitsuha and Taki learn more about each other’s diametrically opposed lifestyles, they reflect on their own lives and begin to appreciate what the other has to bring into it. If this sounds like a promising setup for a romance, you would be pleasantly surprised at just how much more there is. It is absolutely perplexing how Shinkai weaves together so many elements of fantasy, science fiction, and even disaster films, yet still managed to wrap everything up neatly in a beautiful ribbon.
In terms of writing and directing, it would be a gross understatement to say that Your Name has eclipsed Shinkai’s previous works. The melodrama and heavy-handed writing has been dialed down from the likes of Garden of Words, replaced by a focused progression of the narrative and a hitherto unseen touch of humour from Shinkai as well. A wonderful sense of continuity is prevalent throughout the film as it thematically plays on opposites, with the ever-present juxtaposition of dreams and reality, femininity and masculinity, traditions and modernisms, fate and free will…the list goes on. This is of course underscored by the characteristic Shinkai themes of the pursuit of a distant romance and loss, engendering a painful sense of unfulfillable longing that pervades a majority of the almost-two-hour movie. Despite the long runtime (shared by one of Shinkai’s worst-paced films in Children Who Chase Lost Voices), the pacing of Your Name was near impeccable. The film starts slowly with disparate scenes that ostensibly make no sense, owing to the use of clever cuts and well-disguised transitions (which happen all throughout the film). As the plot unravels, the pace picks up at a staggering rate, and never once does it let up. From the light-hearted introductory act that will have you in stitches to the tear-inducing finale, Your Name will is an edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster that will run the entire emotional gamut, violently plucking your heartstrings and leaving you emotionally drained. I can only imagine how great it was for first-time viewers that went in with no prior knowledge.
Over the years, Shinkai’s name has become synonymous with gorgeous visuals. Your Name is no exception, offering frame after frame of artistic goodness and some of the most beautifully animated renditions of Tokyo and rural Japan ever (okay, Garden of Words probably still takes the cake for the former). Seriously, those time-lapse shots in the Zen Zen Zense montage? Perfect. Photorealism is the name of the game, as landscapes, buildings, and objects are all drawn with excruciating mind to detail, and these are portrayed with equally impressive sweeping shots as well. The colours are vivid and lines are soft and clean. To top it off, unlike the folks at Studio Ghibli, Shinkai is not averse to liberally using digital lighting effects to enhance the artwork. Frequently incorporated are lens flares, light rays, shadow lines and particle effects that add just a touch more magic and sparkle to the shots without being distracting. The end result is an emotionally captivating visual presentation, one that can be hyper-photorealistic at times, yet is also often tinged with a soft and dreamy haze that subtly contributes to a mounting sense of melancholy. Character design, courtesy of Masayoshi Tanaka (AnoHana, Toradora, Anthem of the Heart etc.) is simple and charming. The one downside was the animation of character movement, which had some moments of inconsistency or awkwardness towards the end of the film, but overall, the visuals are some of the best in the medium.
RADWIMPS does a tremendous job on the music, composing a cracking and eclectic soundtrack that combines a handful of pop-rock tunes with a collection of contemporary classical pieces scored for piano, a small string orchestra, and a few woodwinds. While not quite on the level of the best Joe Hisaishi scores from a purely musical standpoint, the more strikingly contemporary and poppy sound created by RADWIMPS lends itself well to the teen aspect of the film, likely more so than Hisaishi’s more classically-entrenched style. The insert songs are well-placed and downright catchy, the type that is likely to be looped for days on end. Despite being understated and often taking a backseat to the film itself, the orchestral score is poignant and makes use of a few recurring themes and motives to augment the feeling of nostalgia. Mone Kamishiraishi and Ryunosuke Kamiki nail their performances as Mitsuha and Taki, respectively (or vice-versa), with their organic and effortless delivery, and, critically, their inflections in their body-swapped scenes that are just nuanced enough without seeming overwrought. In a word, believable. The sound design was excellent as well, leveraging well-recorded and realistic-sounding samples against moments of palpable silence for an incredibly immersive, and, dare I say, impactful experience.
Nevertheless, the film is far from flawless, as character development was often forgone in favour of plot progression, and some of the animation and production values seemed to take a hit towards the end. Despite all that, Your Name is, without a doubt, one of the most gripping and exhilarating anime films I have ever seen, having absolutely lived up to its hype, however immense. Lovely film, would absolutely watch in theatres again.
10 Kuchikamisake shots out of 10
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Apr 20, 2017
Kimi no Na wa.
(Anime)
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Includes minor spoilers.
The moniker “the next Miyazaki” is a title often bestowed upon Makoto Shinkai for his ability to direct aesthetically pleasing films that shy away from the slew of negative clichés of anime, catering well to the general Western audience. Upon closer inspection, it would appear that the parallels between the two directors are often merely superficial, as the themes they explore and the style with which they do so are incredibly different and nuanced in their own ways. For Shinkai, it is no exaggeration to say that almost, if not all his films to date have dealt with themes of teenage romance, distance ... 
Jun 29, 2015
Kaguya-hime no Monogatari
(Anime)
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Contains minor spoilers.
As if a nod to the 1988 double-release of My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies, 2013 saw in quick succession the releases of the bittersweet anime swansongs of the legendary directors and co-founders of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Interestingly, Takahata, historically the one with a greater penchant for telling tales rooted in reality (as opposed to the fantastical lens through which most Miyazaki films are portrayed), chose to breathe life into a wistful fantasy with his opus magnum, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Based on an old Japanese narrative, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya tells a beautiful ... 
Oct 31, 2010
Byousoku 5 Centimeter
(Anime)
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This is my first ever review, so bear with me.
5 Centimetres per Second—an intriguing title for Makoto Shinkai’s latest work. And boy, what a work it is. The story follows the tale of two childhood sweethearts as they are forcibly torn apart by a series of unfortunate circumstances. Throughout the film’s three episodes, we are told of how they age and slowly drift apart, both physically and spiritually, despite their best attempts to brave the storm and keep their relationship lit. Its plot is far from ostentatious; some might even berate it for being too straight-forward. Indeed, if the movie’s selling point was its story, ... |
