Your Name.

So, what's in a name? A lot.
And what's in 'Your Name.'?
Much more than I was prepared for...

Your Name., the latest masterpiece from Makoto Shinkai, has taken in more than a quarter of a billion dollars at the box office in Asia with an anime that is just as beautiful as it is brilliant. On April 7th, it opened in theaters here in the states. A love story literally woven in the lives of two teenagers who switch bodies randomly over a series of nights, Your Name. tells the tale of tale of two strangers who are introduced by fate and bound by love as they search to find each other while trying to remember the other's name.

---

So, here's the story as summarized via Funimation:
​
​The day the stars fell, two lives changed forever. High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other. Yet, somehow, it works. They build a connection and communicate by leaving notes, messages, and more importantly, an imprint.

When a dazzling comet lights up the night’s sky, it dawns on them. They want something more from this connection—a chance to meet, an opportunity to truly know each other. Tugging at the string of fate, they try to find a way to each other. But distance isn’t the only thing keeping them apart. Is their bond strong enough to face the cruel irony of time? Or is their meeting nothing more than a wish upon the stars? 

---

The story of a boy and a girl, as seen through the lens of the other, is one where tradition becomes appreciated and intention becomes aligned with something time and space can't alter. If the beautiful bond that's built in this smart and sensitive storyline isn't enough to bring you to tears, the music surely will. The soundtrack by award-winning Japanese band RADWIMPS 
embodies the stirring tempo and the sincere emotions of the tale that's told. 

​It should come as no surprise that the film now stands as Japan’s highest-grossing film of 2016 and is the highest-grossing anime film worldwide, eclipsing legendary works from Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle. 

Cheers to all expectations exceeded in Your Name.
​- Allié Merrick