Part 1) of essay on “Your Name”

My first thoughts right after I finished movie:

BRUH !!!!!! WHY EXCUSE ME?WHY I WAS RICK ROLLED BY ALL OF GUYS?!!

WHY NO ONE FORCED ME TO WATCH “Your Name”?

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST EMOTIONAL ROLLER COUSTERS OF MY ENTIRE LIFE

AND YALL CALLING THIS FILM:

“Oh yeah! It’s good, ahah :)”

ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW? CALLING IT GOOD IS AN INSULT.
ITS MIND BUGLING, THE AMOUNT OF TALENT IT TOOK TO MAKE THIS ANIME. ITS AWESOMELY AWESOME IN EVERY WAY.

Okay let’s clam down..

This review is broken into six (6) points:
• first thoughts and detective
• emotional roller coaster
• Genius writing
• technicalities of the movie
• other less important stuff
• conclusion

First thoughts and detective:

First of all I want to point out that I didn’t expect mystery drama. I was expecting a slice of life anime where two of them suddenly lose connection on the phone and they trying to find each other.

I was very surprised when they switched bodies. And I thought it’s cute. Maybe they will explore this deep idea of switching bodies and all the consequences that comes along with it and maybe they will get to know each other that way and what will happen if they actually meet in real life and it’s just a great concept to play around and a huge potential source of creative artwork to begin with.

What I did not expect is also at time travel on top of that. So we have a mystery in the mystery or a double mystery in one story. No, the story of course explained it as the net threads Tingling, combining, splitting, then reuniting, again as the fabric of reality which also includes the space and time.
(Something like you would expect from the bunny girl Sempai)

I said previously I was rick rolled. Well duh. I didn’t know this is was supernatural mystery Time travel drama romance.
I was told that it was just as good as silent voice and I want to eat your pancreas. Both of those animals were slice of life.

And before I could even digest what the heck just happened, and what exactly am I watching. Turns out that when the boy went to see her, and the city was actually gone from that freaking meteor. And all long three years ago? Bruh!!!!
I’ve felt so much fear and anxiety I’ve forgot I ever experienced in my entire life. He became a detective anime right in a few milliseconds.

I started to calculate and make some logical conclusions that. It definitely wasn’t a dream because the impacts of her on your body and your surroundings are physically visible evidence that she was in your body on the days that you don’t remember.
So, it wasn’t a dream that’s for sure. Assuming that she was in your body that means whatever happens to you and her body and what you have done had the same physical real impact at her time and space. That means physical time and space actually exists and you can actually go there according to your knowledge of the previous so-called lives.
The theory that she was a ghost also doesn’t quite work. Because it would’ve work only in one way around. She will have physical impacts and your actions to have no physical impacts on her story that has already happened since she died three years ago.
But once he found out for himself that his physical impacts were correct in her life that confirms that it wasn’t a dream and she’s not a ghost.
If she’s not a ghost then there’s a chance that you can change the past if somehow one way or another you could communicate with her and switch bodies again.
Which exactly what main character did and he went to the temple of some weird stuff and he did whatever he could think of and he actually managed to switch bodies.

End of detective

Part 2 of the essay on “Your Name”

Emotional
Roller coaster :

I actually used to have a girlfriend I met online and then we had a long distance relationship. I remember the moment when I forgot my password to my account and I couldn’t renew it. My dad accidentally reset my phone so when I opened the app again ,where were texting, it asked me for login and then I couldn’t login back. For like two minutes the idea that I lost pretty much all contact with her and I will never see her again was so agonizing in my brain that it sound like I couldn’t breathe but it became very hard to breathe.
Gladly, my brother used same app and I was able to text her and create a new account. I also forgot that moment that I actually could probably find her by memory since I remember her first and last name of that time and there wasn’t any real risk or threat. We broke up later and we are not together right now , and we don’t talk at all for a very long time, cuz it happened a long time ago.

But man..

The idea and then the realization just flashes before your eyes and it is almost as if you already lived so many years without her and you’ll never ever going to see her ever.
If I felt that way, I can’t imagine what he felt that she’s dead and you found her name in one of the 500 dead people who died from the meteor. And they all died three years ago. Are you just stare at that name in the book and you don’t know what to say or what to do or why do they happen. Then the serious questions Bob pops in your head like are you actually gone insane? Is this all a joke? Am I going mad?

One of the other things that you probably never thought of if you haven’t Faced similar situations, is that all of the memories that pop up in your head about you and her yeah? Imagined that? And then you realize you were taking it all for granted. It’s like , wooow, it makes you forced to appreciate and promise to yourself that the next time I’m going to meet her I will never let go and I will cherish every single moment. Because like I was on the verge and I stared at the void without her and I was about to fall and I was going to fall but I met you again. Of course I am going to cling to you and never let go!!!!!

And the second thoughts that come to mind is that: This is my life from now on. I will live in uncertainty for the rest of my life. That maybe, just maybe, one day I’ll find her.
I had all this plans, all this emotions, and thoughts of the some of the things I wanted to talk about and to spend years looking forward. And now you expect me in just 1/2 second 360 my life around and start to live without her? The idea to live without her? Life without her are the thoughts that you never entertained or planned or you barely imagined. AND NOW BOOM.
This is your life now. All future, without her.

And no wonder you want to reject all that and then to find every single way back as much as possible as fast as possible.

And when he was trying to find her and when he finally drank that sprite of her’s. And he was able to switch body. That was so relieving. My heart was so tight in my chest I couldn’t blink normally. All the while he was searching.

If I was him all I would be able to think about is that if If I am going to see her and Touch her again, I am never letting go and all other thoughts just like that.

And then when he finally met her at the magic hour, that was like a lightning stroke in your head. And you just standing there stunned and speechless not believing your eyes if it is actually her or not.
If I was him I would just straight kiss and a hug her while I can. Because even if it is a dream or even if nothing later will work out, at least I kissed and I hugged her and I told her I was I was worried and that no matter what I love you.

But I do understand how he felt hesitated and was too stunned to think of anything because 1 million thoughts running your mind and time passes so quick and before you realize the time does run out.

I’ve like very much that he wasn’t able to say that no matter where you are I will find you. Because that’s pretty realistic and the way she got cut off when she was writing her name on his hand that’s also pretty realistic because that’s what happens in real life is that you don’t always get to do stuff how you want it and time just runs out because he took way too long.

And then everything went back to pain and uncertainty. I also like The fact he doesn’t remember and she doesn’t remember because that makes sense. Since the fact that they were able to even see each other it was a miracle and a bunch of special time circumstances that they know the threads singled at one point and then unfold it at another.
That’s pretty well thought through.
But man.
I don’t know what’s worse, The feeling that your search for something that is very important and seems so familiar but you don’t know at the same time what is it.
OR
Knowing what you have lost and desperately searching after a while you kind of stop searching and see yourself just live almost aimlessly hoping one day to find her.

In the first scenario you don’t feel a lot of pain because you are just confused. But the problem with that is that the thought of you being confused for the rest of your life searching for something that you don’t know and you’ll probably never find it because you don’t know what it is and all you have to rely on purely chance and luck, that also could be detrimentally demoralizing if enough time passes like 20 years or 30 years.

In second scenario at least you can move on or something. Or you can say to yourself that I’ve did everything I could and I will just remain in Tokyo so maybe she will find me here. And then you just go going about your life and maybe the feelings will pass away over time. And maybe you’ll be interested in someone else and you marry her or something. At least you can let it go, knowing who it is. But that’s the catch. You have to let go first. Which in itself is almost unbearable thing to do. You too would have to spend a long time before you look up to how to humbly let go and accept defeat.

But the movie chose the first scenario so. I can’t imagine how tough it was for him to grow up and find a job and just move on as… as if nothing happened. But at the same time searching for something that you don’t know. The feeling of nostalgia or the familiar smell, look, touch, and just the feeling could be so addicting that you would wake up on sleepless nights potentially. But finally he met her.
I was actually surprised they didn’t go crying after each other and hugs each other.
But then as I thought about, it does make sense, neither he or she knows each other and practically seeing each other for the first time. So it was pretty relistic I would say that they walked past each other and he finally couldn’t handle any more and asked if they know each other somehow.

And then the anime ends!
Bruh
I want to see how they have each other in there they’re happy or something. I want to see the re-remembering everything that happened to them. I want to see them get married or something. Bruh so much happened and just one and a half hours.

Part 3 of the essay on “Your Name”

Genius writing of the movie in itself:

Slice of life:
Honestly I wouldn’t mind if it was just a slice of life. I would still love the anime if they would just message each other from far away and started dating. That alone is the evidence of the great introduction to the characters I would say. The anime implies a lot of material to work with about her traditions of grandma problems with dad and problems in school. While the boy has problems at work with his crush, and also potential some family problems. I assume in that version of anime that was solely slice of life, The main character would have been the girl, because she has more material to work with and the story imply that a lot. For example when she was dancing in her tradition at the shrine and her classmates came to make fun of her. And another slice of life anime is that would’ve been the main focus of drama, source of conflict and the plot progression. Which I assumed, thinking that it was slice of life anime. But it wasn’t as I said before I was surprised.

Switching bodies:
It’s also the first time I’ve seen the idea of switching bodies taking seriously. I’ve seen switching bodies in the bunny girl Senpai but it was between the two sisters. I was entertaining the thoughts of how differently a boy and a girl would see each other if they could actually spend days as the opposites sex.
I wouldn’t mind having a whole anime about just that idea alone. There’s many moments you could take it advantage to make fun of. The girl could teach the guy about all the girly stuff how to ask on a date. And the guy could tell the girl about the myths that girls have about guys. For example that guys is actually afraid to approach girls. And the girl could say same thing. How cute or how annoying guys are in certain situations. There’s a lot of scenarios I could think of as funny, as the boys who never experienced a girls day to-day life would’ve been pretty informative and actually entertaining to some degree. Of course me as a guy, I’m not interested in make up and other stuff the girls usually take interest. But I still think it will be pretty cool to clear up some space and realize why certain situations or misunderstandings arise between boys and the girls. For example me as a guy- I am career oriented-, I am more about going out in the world and changing or saving the world, more adventurous boy-ish stuff. But when I talked to my mom I found out that girls are more family oriented and more relationship oriented. For instance: back in the day when there was no Internet and the main source of education, and -hence- Measure of success, were universities and colleges. The more ambitious your plans and ideas the more is the likelihood you will consider and go to college to have a better job and more opportunities, But most importantly you were going to meet other people that are like you and have important connections that could last you entire life. But I found out that most families back in the day would send their daughters to the best universities they could possibly afford, to get a degree of course and go to job, but primarily to find a future husband. So boys would take interest in girls at the universities and they would date and the boy would actually propose to the girl, and after graduating he has a good job and he can sustain a family already. So that was a good strategy for girls who want to get married And have a family from young age.
Right now of course the times are different. Because it was totally different economical and age situation.
Back in the day, people didn’t live 80 years they lived 40, maximum of 50 years. So when you’re 20 roughly half of your life already spent. So people got married young. Right now the life expectancy is roughly 80 years. So it’s double of the previous 19 and even 20th century age. So the idea of marriage is also postponed to when you’re 30 years old.
But anyways,
I like the way they handled the situation of switching the bodies. It doesn’t feel over sexual or sexually inappropriate too much. But acknowledges the fact that the awkward reality of the situations of switching bodies but it never went into the some pervy disgusting routes that would’ve been very unnecessary and actually distracting from the main story.

Similar thing happened in the the ancient Magus bride. In the first episode the Elias bathed Chisa, and It didn’t feel sexual at all, but it was rather wholesome and hilarious the way they handle it. Elias made comment that it was like bathing a kitten. She does sound like a kitten while is he bathed her lol. Also later she reminded that fact to the Smith, that he proposed to her and bathed her. That was hilarious and funny mixed with wholesomeness. Yeah that was a cute moment. Whole anime was Very wholesome and there relationship with each other. Even though it was dark moments a lot. I’ll talk more about it on other reviews.

Time travel:
And of course the time travel.
They actually could’ve gone some lazy route and simply don’t acknowledge the time travel part.
But they actually took a lot of talent in writing that he actually had that string before he started to switch bodies with her. Because back then three years ago he didn’t know who she was. But she knew who he was from the three years into the future. So that’s a weird dynamic at first if you think about it but that’s why it’s mystery because it doesn’t make sense why it happened in the first place.
So that was very impressive detailed moment. Wow what can I say. Those are kind of moments that makes me believe that the writing was incredible. Because to write that, you do actually have to visualize and to live it out and care enough simply, Love enough the story to think through that detail. Same thing with “I want to eat your pancreas.” I was surprised how much of details it referred back to its beginning. Every single detailed that was in the beginning was mentioned and used as a reference. Those kind of phenomena could only happen when the author truly adores the story itself and doesn’t forget to mention it at the very end.

Smart move:
Also now that I’m thinking about it. As time moved on to them being adults is important.
Interesting how they still made stories that they met when they were adults. I guess between the mind-boggling events they had to be some breathing room and to let all the facts sink in about what just happened. And movie does that by showing us the slice of life and how he grew up and how much time has passed from that day. And the feeling that as if it all was just a dream and nothing ever happened. But also that nagging feeling in the back of your mind or itching in your heart that it was all true but you don’t remember exactly what happened. So you wander aimlessly waiting for that day to come to realize in to find out and hoping that this longing need will be for filled.
It got the abrupt ending that left me in awe and speechless.
I was surprised that I am surprised about how I was in awe. I literally touch my face and find out my jaw was somewhere on the floor. The movie just left you flabbergasted of how how much happened and how great it is.

Part 4 of the essay on “Your Name”

Less important details and Technicalities of the Movie:

The animation was stunning. For some reason I was convinced that it was the most good-looking anime I’ve seen in a while. Their expression are always so genuine and it feels the most human of drawings out of all anime I ever seen. I don’t know if it’s just me or something else but that’s what I think. The art style is perfect. Their expression and emotions are so real and sincere you can see everything. Great job!
The background is indistinguishable from realistic one.
And the camera angle shoots that they were taking off were pretty interesting and full of the livelihood of the world they live in. For example the camera angle would be constantly covered in some details of the environment. Like under the desk or far away from the farming field or behind the window or among many people or even from the ceiling. All the while filled with details.
Some animes always focus on the character because the background is blurry but that one really made me feel that the characters are a part of this Separate world that lives its own life regardless of the characters. Those kind of moments actually make it feel alive and breathing story. Most animation studios don’t pay that much attention to the background. I guess it has to do with the budget and it depends if it is a movie or anime with 12 or 25 episodes. I don’t know, this was outstanding if I compared to silent voice or I want to eat your pancreas. In those two movies it was heavily based on the emotional and intimate relationship between the characters. This movie is also same way but I can’t help but notice the full richness of the background they provides that doesn’t slip up at any given moment during the movie and is more detailed and more beautiful than the characters themselves walking around in the world.

In just first 30 minutes I got shown so much of the Japan culture that I don’t remember the last time I got so much knowledge that was implied and not vocally expressed about Japan. The only time in all the other animes they actually mentioned the fact about the culture and traditions was on the festivals with a tour guide or something. But this movie really portrayed the feeling of how it feels to live in those kind of settings with traditions and culture and the lifestyle that they have in mountains.

Yeah the first 30 minutes really established how it was a slice of life. Oh, I didn’t expect a blow that it was a mystery and they switched bodies. When she screamed that she wanted to be a tomboy in big city of Tokyo , was funny. Be careful what you wish for I guess.
I’m glad that they didn’t focus side characters too much attention than necessary. The little small chat they had about the main characters was also perceived by me as part of the world building they live in. I don’t know, some of the other movies spend more time than necessary on the side of character that I don’t care about at all. But this one felt very genuine and kind.

The pacing of the movie was great. It didn’t feel rushed or forced because again it’s a slice of life. Kinda reminds me of the jobless reincarnation. It got anime of 20+ episodes it also took similar format. It’s a slice of life then suddenly something happens so then it’s the slice of life and then suddenly again something happens and it’s slice of life again. Interesting approach. I was about to say that I wish to spend more time focusing how they talk to each other and arguing and figure out their relationship and maybe slowly realizing that they have crush on each other. But I don’t think that’s a fair assumption to make, I think that’s just me being overly adoring of those two characters and their relationship. I still think the pacing was great.

I like that we get some clues that something went wrong before hand, before he stops switching the body. Actually, when he first stop switching the body, I really thought she actually died but then I didn’t believe that. So, continue to watch the movie hoping she was alive. But I didn’t expect the com-met to kill her. The part when his body switching abruptly stops in the middle of the him going to temple with grandma and little sister was a warning sign that something is about to change or something is it going to be wrong. And it wasn’t the only instance that happened, There were a few other Subtle glimpses and hints , that I would have to rewatch to notice again.

So yeah, The movie for-shadows something wrong and I had a feeling but I didn’t realize it consciously, of course the news that the body switching has stopped was very surprising and happens very abruptly to the slice of life part of that moment. But looking back I can clearly remember the feeling that I had when the grandma said “ you’re still dreaming aren’t you“ or something like that and he switches bodies, when he was supposed to switch bodies only when he and her go to sleep.

And other moments when side characters recognized that the person in front of them is not actually the person they look like. Which adds a lot more mystery but it does make sense that if in real life someone would switch bodies people would instantly recognize that and take a notice of it.

Nice little detail again, So many slices To uncover of this movie.

Also the moment when he traveled into a dream and the line between reality and a dream blurred. (That’s when he drank that alcohol from three years ago. That was actually surprisingly realistic). As someone who had vivid dreams and I remember how I fell asleep. This, I can say with all confidence, is the most accurate representation of a dream I ever seen before in my entire life. The tricky part is when you think it’s a bubble but you don’t know how far away it is, so a comet shoots through the bobble as if it is planet but at the next moment the water drop goes down the glass as if it was regular water drop. That small scene presents many of those similar kind of situations, that I always experienced in the dream but I wasn’t quite able to put it into words or draw it exactly myself. When I tried to describe or draw it what I saw, it was very hard and time-consuming to put in to words or to draw with exactly how I saw it. It’s just so hard to convey physically what you felt almost emotionally where time and space doesn’t work as in real life. It’s the detail probably all of you missed but I was always looking for it in the back of my mind all these years. I’m just impressed how they did it. And the way he saw her memories almost blurry end and cuts off and in a little slice of scenes, is same way I remember memories in dreams.

Other not important details:
I saw one comment on TikTok or YouTube post of the silent voice clip, it said “ silent voice is better than your name“.
Bruh
They are not even in the same conceptual universe is. With that kind of logic I might as well compare sun in the moon, or the earth in the sky.

Silent voice was just a masterpiece that I had to rewatch the next day I watched it. You can watch it as many times as you want then you’ll be still aesthetically pleased. It was about the feeling, the pacing, the animation and the self exploring about what you have done and how to live with it.

Your name was an emotional roller coaster, with big high emotions and expectations. Running around with characters hoping and praying that it is going to work out. It’s an adventure that you have to be buckled up for. And it takes you at surprise and you’re barely ever able to recover from.

I almost hate all my friends who said that “oh yeah duh your name is just a good movie” . Bruh this movie is so beyond good that it is the first thing I should’ve watch when I started to watch anime. I should’ve watched it right after I saw the silent voice. Why no one stressed me out enough so I would actually see the movie as soon as possible?. XD, I’m joking ofcourse, I’m just expressing how much I appreciate this movie that I wished I seen it sooner. This movie is beyond great and leg shaking awesome.

Part 5 of the essay on “Your Name”

Other less important details:
I saw one comment on TikTok or YouTube post of the silent voice clip, it said “ silent voice is better than your name“.
Bruh
They are not even in the same conceptual universe is. With that kind of logic I might as well compare sun in the moon, or the earth in the sky.

Silent voice was just a masterpiece that I had to rewatch the next day I watched it. You can watch it as many times as you want then you’ll be still aesthetically pleased. It was about the feeling, the pacing, the animation and the self exploring about what you have done and how to live with it.

Your name was an emotional roller coaster, with big high emotions and expectations. Running around with characters hoping and praying that it is going to work out. It’s an adventure that you have to be buckled up for. And it takes you at surprise and you’re barely ever able to recover from.

I almost hate all my friends who said that “oh yeah duh your name is just a good movie” . Bruh this movie is so beyond good that it is the first thing I should’ve watch when I started to watch anime. I should’ve watched it right after I saw the silent voice. Why no one stressed me out enough so I would actually see the movie as soon as possible?. XD, I’m joking ofcourse, I’m just expressing how much I appreciate this movie that I wished I seen it sooner. This movie is beyond great and leg shaking awesome.

Other less important detail,
is that I think the movie could potentially be called the string or thread or some thing. Like “thread of love”or “threads of destiny”. Right now it sounds cringe and out of place. And I’m not criticizing the title “your name”, it’s a great title for a movie. I just think that the fact that they forget each other was not the main focus of the story. The main focus was desperately searching for each other, which could also be portrayed as constantly asking what’s “your name?” Meaning you forgot the name, hence the identity of the person associated with that name. But I think it would also be cute if they would say like “we have one thread destiny for each other” or “ The thread of love is greater than all the other threads that the very fabric of reality will yield so that we could meet each other“.
Essentially it doesn’t matter and it is not important detail at all. I’m just entertaining some thoughts.

Conclusion:
This movie conceptually and technically is beyond masterpiece. 10/10 up there with a “silent voice” and “I want to eat your pancreas.”

Although there wasn’t any message as direct as other movies, that wasn’t the goal of the movie.

The heavy lifting was reconciling two mysterious ideas of bodies switching and Time travel into one comprehensible story, and what’s even impressive they manage to add a slice of life to that somehow, with a glimpse of detective. So, conceptually it is three slices burger cheeseburger with a ketchup of detective’s search. Which is very hard to manage in just one movie. That’s why I praise the writing for it.

Technicalities is less important but also there’s very good moments I might’ve missed. Such stories with heavy conceptual ideas even with bad animations still pull off a great ratings by emotional investments.

The overall Goal they have accomplished, which was focus on two characters emotional roller coaster, and longing for each other. That makes perfect sense why they long for each other, because at some point they feel like the other one was physically a part of them. Because they lived each other‘s lives they know so much about each other that it feels like they always been living that way.

This is probably the most important detailed I haven’t mentioned above.
The emotional relationship of two characters and the roller coaster.
But I think what I experienced was a mirror glimpse of what they experience so that’s good enough.

P.S.
Again thank you for reading such a long review, I hope it wasn’t boring but interesting and informative.
Took me 2 hours to write, and 1 hour to re read and edit.

Hopefully I inspire you to rewatch this anime :). Me rereading it right now makes me want to watch it again, that’s for sure.

I wished I watched his anime sooner
Don’t do my mistake watch this anime right now. !

Bye-zeeees!!!! Have good day! <3