Your Name (2016)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Your Name (2016) – M. Shinkai

Apparently the most successful animated film in Japan since Spirited Away (2001) (and an exception to Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki’s domination of the genre), Your Name is an unusual combination of weird and saccharine.  On the one hand, we have a Freaky Friday-styled body swap that has something to do with a meteor hitting Japan and possible space/time travel.  On the other hand, the body swapping occurs between a teenage boy and girl who cheesily may be “meant” for each other.  But things are mostly not too cloying (some J-Pop interludes notwithstanding) and the plot is set up to be mysterious enough (with occult overtones) that a second viewing might be rewarding (I did get confused at one point although this might be due to the distraction of watching this on an airplane).  The animation itself echoes the Ghibli love of landscapes and nature without quite rising to the same level.  But I don’t want to undersell this film which is interesting and unpredictable and therefore worth a watch for adults (not for kids).  Japan’s animation output is still strides ahead of comparable films from other countries, respecting the intelligence of the audience and delighting visually at the same time.  Perhaps, though, it is the “otherness” of Japan that leads to this conclusion?