Shinkai has progressed beyond simply exploring concepts of love to actually writing interesting characters to express those ideas. By creating lead characters who have personalities that are actually integral to the story (Mitsuha especially so) Shinkai has managed to make something truly engaging, something that rewards you as a viewer. As a director he’s searched for ways to explore the boundaries around love but with Kimi no Na wa he’s infused enough life into the cast to make every emotional punch really hit home. There’s enough meaningful time dedicated to building thriving landscapes around both Mitsuha and Taki that Shinkai’s film doesn’t just look pretty, it is filled with wonder. Because of this he has delivered characters who manage to be equally captivating as the jaw dropping scenery they’re within – something I’m not accustomed to seeing from his films.
The story of Kimi no Na wa certainly has its predictable moments but I’m happy to overlook them because the narrative is executed so well. There’s enough new complications added to the tale as it progresses to keep it interesting and there’s sufficient foreshadowing to make reveals incredibly satisfying. Shinkai manages to make full use of both Taki and Mitsuha’s social circles to develop their characters and make their plight something worth our time. That’s something many anime TV series struggle to do, even with plenty more runtime up their sleeve to work with.
One of the most insufferable things watching any high school anime drama is how painfully overwrought things can get when it comes to characters expressing their feelings. While Kimi no Na wa comes close at times to overstepping the mark thankfully it manages to maintain a level of sensibility. The comedy and drama is balanced refreshingly well. There’s enough light hearted moments injected in patches throughout the movie to prevent it from becoming an over-emotional burden to sit through. It would be wrong to go so far as to call the handling of the drama ‘realistic’, but it’s wonderful to sit through something that doesn’t require the characters to inundate us constantly with how they’re feeling. Shinkai’s art, character actions and expressions all do that for us.
Speaking of that art, you know it’s going to be good. You don’t need me to tell you that. There’s endless details to be found in the background art and the animation is fluid. The score is gorgeous and it feels like no expense was spared in the sound design. Now that Shinkai has crafted some memorable characters to be a part of all this lush and vivid scenery these art and sound assets don’t feel wasted. For once I feel like I’m watching one of his films where the characters and art have been treated with equal importance, instead of being unbalanced in favour of the latter.
I was initially hesitant to the idea of people calling Makoto Shinkai the next Miyazaki but if he manages to continually craft wondrous adventures like Kimi no Na wa then I can get behind the notion. However, this will be hard to top. Some would, understandably, find Kimi no Na wa a little emotionally cumbersome and easy to predict where it may be going story-wise, but the film just clicked for me. Shinkai’s spin on young love is oozing with artistic flair and packed with stirring set pieces. It is an immensely satisfying watch from start to finish.
