**SPOILER ALERT - SOME ELEMENTS OF THE PLOT ARE DISCUSSED**
Story - 8
The story opened with an incredible vibe for slice of life, but something is off. We can tell from the character interactions that something is out of place. In fact, this supernatural force drives our two main characters, Taki and Mitsuha through the story. I should note that what I really enjoyed was that the force wasn't some explicit magic. It was definitely supernatural, but never fully explained nor was it required to be explained. Instead, a metaphor was used to give feeling and connection to this force.
The narrative quickly establishes the norms in each of their lives through each others' perspectives (no further spoilers) and from that point on, they begin to change. With a large emphasis on character interaction, the plot suffers slightly with a few changes in pacing later on. Nearly all scenes transition smoothly from one to another; only a few stand out and do not fit with the overall tone.
The weaker aspect of the narrative was an imbalanced shift in character roles. One main character would take over the narrative more than the other. Maybe this is just my nitpicking (or fanboying) but I preferred a more balanced character narrative.
In all honesty, I was disappointed by (what I consider) the climax. It threw me off course relative to the events that led up to the climax in the first place. From that point on, the plot got a bit muddled for me. The single reason: there was one loophole that the plot never addressed again. I probably was too fixated on it to fully pay attention. The saving grace was the ending, which instantly gave me PADS.
If you don't know what PADS is, urbandictionary it.
Art - 9
For the entirety of the movie, I have to say the art remained consistent. The style suited the mood and definitely complemented the atmosphere. It wasn't overly vibrant but used more dull tones to suit the down-to-earth atmosphere of the movie. There were no shounen-esque characters that screamed out "I am the hero;" all characters fit into a realm of reality.
Sound - 9
The. Sound. Was. AWESOME. Not only was it awesome, it was scored by RADWIMPS, which is a japanese rock band. The soundtrack stands out on its own because of the musical tone; its not outright melodious but juxtaposes melancholy in its melodies. Some tracks are happy, some are not; most have a balance of emotions laced in between.
Character - 8
So this is another part where I get to nitpick at some things in the movie. Some side characters have absolutely no impact in the plot despite them being (slightly) more prominent later on. Now for my real nitpicking. Taki, bless him, goes through quite a bit. He learns a lot and is mentally strained at some points. Earlier on, I said that the characters go through change. But that's the extent of it; there is no actual lasting development that I can see in their character. And so in the end, both Taki and Mitsuha revert to their normal character from the beginning of the movie. Or maybe there wasn't enough to show an actual change.
Enjoyment - 10
Now the nitpicking is over. My criticism only comes from sitting down and actually thinking about the movie as a work of art. While I watched, I was completely enthralled (after I put down my3DS). The story, art, and sound are so strong when put together. It made such a lasting impression that I almost want to compare it to my favourite Ghibli movie, Spirited Away.
Overall - 9
I would give this movie a 9.3 overall if I could put decimals. My enjoyment on the 10 scale is at, like, 12. I highly recommend that anyone should watch this but especially if you are into more atmospheric movies. There aren't many other movies like Kimi no Na wa that will build an atmosphere and then drive it through (that I know of) the way it was executed. I even recommend listening to the entire OST before watching. Then watch the movie, and listen again. Overall, Kimi no Na wa is definitely one of my favourite anime movies out there and I highly recommend to watch it.
