Movie Review: Kimi No Na Wa. (Your Name.)

Kimi No Na Wa. (Your Name.): The story is set one month after a comet has fallen for the first time in a thousand years in Japan. Mitsuha, a high school girl living in the countryside, wants to live in the city because she is tired of life in the country. Then, there's Taki. He's a high school student living in Tokyo with his friends while working as a part-timer at an Italian restaurant. He also has a strong interest in fine arts involving architecture. One day, Mitsuha dreams of herself as a young man. On the other hand, Taki also has a dream where he is a female student attending high school in the countryside. What's the secret behind their dreams?

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

In my previous Japanese language class, we end up watching a movie instead of getting into the lesson. We had a short debate on what to watch, either Kimi No Na Wa, My Neighbour Totoro or Doraemon in Hindi. Majority chose Kimi No Na Wa and sensee also mentioned that this anime had been one of the highest grossing movie in Japan, so it was highly recommended.

I was spoiled by some of my classmates who have watched it though, knowing that Mitsuha and Taki, the two main characters exchanged bodies for some reasons a bit too early. It's a bit frustrating to hear the spoilers, but I tried my best to pretend that I didn't hear anything and simply focus on the movie.

The story started quite slow, showing Mitsuha going on with her daily life, living with her grandmother and sister. It was soon followed by Mitsuha dreaming of herself becoming a boy named Taki and living her his life in Tokyo. But the catch is, Taki is actually a real person. And the situation was the same with Taki, who dreamed becoming Mitsuha. It was like, every other day, they swapped bodies for some reasons. It was interesting, seeing how they jot down notes for each other so that they would not end up ruining each other's lives. Mitsuha and Taki's friends were great too, and I definitely enjoyed their friendship, even when Mitsuha and Taki bodies were swapped.

The body exchange eventually became a normal thing to them, and it was quite a shocking when suddenly they no longer switched bodies. The story focused on Taki and it was like Mitsuha suddenly went missing. When Taki dug deeper to find Mitsuha's whereabouts with the help of his friends, the plot twist that followed was definitely something amazing. The real truth behind Mitsuha and Taki exchanging bodies, and what they both have to do to save themselves and hundreds more of people were something you would never quite expect to happen right before your eyes.

It was lovely to see just how much Taki was willing to do for Mitsuha, yet it was heartbreaking when they end up forgetting each other unwillingly. Especially after seeing the words written by Taki on Mitsuha's hand. I was mentally prepared for an agonising ending, but the bittersweet ending that Kimi No Na Wa gave was more than enough.

I'd definitely recommend this movie to everyone, despite the cliche plot of a male and a female swapping bodies, but you'd find something more in Kimi No Na Wa. The plot was just so beautiful and even the scenery inside the movie was breathtaking. It's a beautifully created story, with characters that developed so well and cared for each other even without actually meeting. The belief of red string of fate was portrayed very obviously in the story, The only thing that made me not give this movie a full five star is the reason why Mitsuha and Taki was connected. Why them both? What made them able to switch bodies and save each other?

I guess that will remain a mystery though. Do share your thoughts if you have watched this too!

Till next time ♡ Love, Maira