Sep 9, 2016
Hi. Let me preface this by stating that the last time I wrote anything remotely seriously that wasn't math was in high school. As such, this is my first movie review, so I apologize for any mistakes.
I had the pleasure of watching Kimi no Na Wa. yesterday and all I've gotta say is that I was bawling by the end of the movie.
Story: 10
Art : 10
Sound: 10
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 9
Overall: 10
...
Coming into the film, I'd watched a bunch of other Makoto Shinkai titles. Based on that, and some word of mouth, the themes of the movie were more or less what I'd expected. However - just because I sort of knew what to expect from the movie doesn't detract from the overall experience that is the masterpiece Kimi no Na Wa.
Story
The story flowed in a very intuitive way and had great depth - particularly, it did a very good job of introducing and highlighting each main characters' personality traits. By 40 minutes in, I could really tell what each character was good at, their little quirks, their hopes, dreams, aspirations. Then, the transition between the first part of the movie was masterfully handled - it all flowed together very well. Towards the end, you only begin to fully realize how much you care for the main characters - and I could tell that the theatre did too.
Art
It's a Makoto Shinkai film. I don't think it needs to be said. The art, in my opinion, surpassed that of 5 wallpapers per second.
Sound
This was my first time hearing RADWIMPS perform, and I definitely look forward to more from them. The OST beautifully melded with each scene in the film, and RADWIMPS' sparkle gave me chills in the scene where it was played.
Character
Considering that this is a film with a limited time constraint, I feel that the characters were fleshed out pretty well. As I said before, you could really tell by 40 minutes in who the MCs really were. Even the supporting cast, particularly Saya and Tessie, the reveal in the middle of the movie really stung quite a bit. The audience was audibly affected, too. The voice actors, Mitsuha and Taki's particularly, were on POINT.
Enjoyment
The sole reason I give this a 9/10 is because I'm just really biased and wanted more from the ending. I was immersed in the film from the beginning and honestly this should be a 10/10 but I'm just stubborn and greedy and really want more.
Final thoughts
I haven't seen a lot of anime films, but among them, this film is my clear favourite. It's Shinkai's most accessible, so to speak, work so far. I enjoyed it from start to end, felt an emotional connection with the characters, and I definitely think that this film should be considered one of the best of all time, up there with Akira, Spirited Away, etc. I expect this film to be a hit with the western audience once it premieres.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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