Your Name.

Your Name.

It's not often that I watch an animated film from Japan that isn't from Studio Ghibli, but I'm glad I made this exception. With gorgeous visuals, charming characters, and complex storytelling, there's simply a lot to like about this movie.

I'll say the same joke that I'm sure everyone's making about this movie, which is that this is the best adaptation of Freaky Friday/The Hot Chick/the one good season 4 episode of Community/the other Freaky Friday that anyone has ever seen. Unlike Lady Bird, which I said put an end to that specific genre (in a good way), these guys essentially opened the door to an entirely new way of looking at this specific genre. They take what's often used as a silly platform for hacky, obvious jokes and heighten it to a point where it becomes genuinely emotional and profound (and, as a bonus, its moments of humor still manage to be infinitely funnier than the entirety of those other movies). In a weird way I hope we get get at least two or three more of these body-switch movies that can dig even deeper into what Your Name. has started, which I see as a fantastic foundation.

The visuals are mesmerizing, with detailed, realistic backgrounds and seamless animation. One of my favorite aspects is the difference in how the main characters are animated depending on if they're in their own bodies or each others'. Their expressions and movements are actually different, which becomes more clear as they go through the story. There's also an incredible montage that I can't spoil the context of, but you'll know it when you see it because it's breathtaking. I also particularly love the sky in this film, and wish our sky looked more like this one. C'mon, sky. Take it up a notch.

Still not getting into spoilers, part of me feels like they could have taken this concept even further by not getting bogged down in certain details and instead going into a deeper analyzation of the characters and discovering more heart-wrenching realizations. The characters are likable, but they are somewhat light and unspecific. If they had more distinct personalities the emotional impact would hit even harder and the movie could elevate itself into something truly extraordinary. Slight spoiler for the beginning of the movie: That being said, one aspect I really liked about the way they told this story was having it begin with them already in each others' bodies. It's jarring and disorienting, but in a good way, and they still come around to telling us what these individual characters are like, light as they are.

This is a film that can be appreciated by both fans of anime and total novices, as it's a universally interesting story told with passion and detail. I recommend checking it out, and can't wait to see where someone will take this genre to next.