Japanese anime phenomenon “Your Name” deserves the hype

A sumptuously beautiful film, detailing a lovingly intricate world.

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By Mark Hamill

Controversial opinion claxon: This is perhaps the best animated film I’ve ever seen. This is coming from someone who devoured and adored all of the Studio Ghibli films. Written and directed by Makoto Shinkai of 5 Centimetres Per Second fame, this is boy meets girl body-swapping done beautifully – think Sliding Doors meets Freaky Friday, but actually good. (Soz Gwyneth).

Your Name has spent 12 weeks topping the box office in Japan and there are plenty of reasons why. It is a marvellous wonder to watch. The animation is sumptuous, with trickling rivers and busy streets given loving care. There’s almost a feeling that watching the action means you may miss some stunning little detail in the background, which only adds to the overall magic. The story is full of emotion: glee, embarrassment, sadness, laughter and awe.

The endearing lead, Mitsuha, is fed up of her sheltered provincial life. “Please make me a handsome Tokyo boy in my next life!” she screams in frustration and just like that, the next day she wakes up as Taki, a handsome Tokyo boy! If only it were that easy in real life, hun. And of course Taki wakes up as Mitsuha! The pair soon click that they’re living days at a time in each other’s bodies and begin to leave diaries for each other. This mechanic runs the risk of coming across trite, but the witty screenplay means that it is actually refreshingly genuine.

The two revel in their situation – acting with confidence and panache that they could never get away with in their own lives, often to comedic end. Sometimes as a gay man, it’s quite easy to dismiss boy meets girl stories as unrelateable but this just isn’t the case here.

There’s an overhanging tinge of sadness, the futility of adolescence, as well as Mitsuha and Taki’s predicament (they forget each other’s name when they wake up – thus making contact impossible). Subtle echoes of the 2011 tsunami add to the foreboding feel – but the fun and silly narrative keep things from getting too dark. You’ll leave the cinema not feeling sad, but buoyed with happiness and unadulterated joy. There have already been rumblings of some Oscar nominations, perhaps even Best Picture. I mean, if Sandra Bullock can win an Oscar, then Your Name is a shoe-in!

Your Name is out now.

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