Your Name Movie Analysis Essay

Your Name is a Japanese animated that has the genre of love, fantasy, and catastrophe.  It is a film directed and written in 2016 by Makoto Shinkai. The film tells a story about a love/hate relationship that grows through letters and texts wherein their status in life differs as a Tokyo high school student and a Japanese countryside high school girl. The said characters are Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu, respectively, who swap bodies for no apparent reason. In this film, the characters fight together against destiny and the red string of fate that bounds them together.

In this film, I expected over-the-top cheesiness and how I would root for them throughout their journey. After watching it, I felt like I was rooting for it, but the cheesiness was minimal, which I appreciated. The film explored themes of the fleeting essence of youth and the power of destiny in a way that I hadn't seen before. It was something a lover of romance film would enjoy.

The first is about the animation of the film. For me, it is simply beautiful. The sceneries based on reality and fantastical places are awe-striking. The details, quality, and flow were also some of the things that I found endearing. 

Second, are the voice acting and soundtracks. The voice acting expressed the characters' happiness, sadness--emotions, perfectly. It gave me shivers and feelings inside as if I was watching the scene unfold in real life. The soundtrack also helped set the mood in the film. It helped me feel even more empathetic and engaged to the emotion and atmosphere that the film is conveying through the characters' voices and music.

The plot, however, is very generic. Despite that, the way that the author portrayed was unique, captivating, and unforgettable. It sets the feeling of waking up from a dream that you wish had lasted longer or the impression of the answer being on the tip of your tongue. It does a good job transitioning a light comedy to a dramatic romance. Falling in love with someone without meeting them, but by putting yourself in their body, learning about their story, and attempting to live in it, is a lovely and novel idea for romance.

I would give this film a five out of five stars because I found the story entertaining and sweet. Although the plot was generic, the journey of it touched my heart. It ended in a cliffhanger with them just reuniting with one another once again and asking each others' names, nothing more and nothing less.  It was a frustrating ending, but at the same time, it was fitting. All in all, I would recommend this movie, especially to those who love classic romance with a twist.