STORY (5/10)
One of my favorite authors is Ray Bradbury. If you’ve read any of his stories, especially “Night Meeting,” it’s difficult not to compare Kimi no Na wa. to his work. The mix of heartfelt slice-of-life and compelling, almost breathtaking science-fiction is what initially made me love his writing so much, and it is exactly this that is the strong point of Kimi no Na wa. We are introduced to our main characters as they find themselves inhabiting each other’s bodies, and, instead of delving into the (probably boring and obnoxious) science behind this, the story simply plays out in a very enjoyable and easily digestible way, showing how they cope with each other’s everyday life. About halfway through, a very well-foreshadowed plot twist hits, which was what really sold me initially on this movie. In truly Bradbury-esque fashion, we watch as the bonds built up between these characters are slowly broken down by a cosmic force beyond their control.
If you’re determined enough to find plot holes in something, you will find them. Obviously, Kimi no Na wa. is no exception. This is especially true because of the inherently convoluted nature of its premise - it explores understandably confusing topics like dreams, soul-swapping, time travel, unconditional love, and hallucinations. The fact that all of these intriguing ideas are blended together does make the plot at times difficult to understand, but luckily, thanks to Shinkai’s great directing, the viewer can always tell what emotion they are supposed to be feeling and what details are important at any given time. However, if you choose to dig a bit deeper into the concepts presented, you can find some plot holes (I can't describe them without delving into spoiler territory). Of course, because of how little is known scientifically about all of the topics explored in this movie, it's also equally easy to find justifiable explanations and cover-ups for these plot holes.
What really bothered me about the story, though, was not the presence of plot holes, nor its confusing nature. After the plot twist halfway through, the movie starts to pile on more and more plot twists, which range from clever to goofy. Shinkai is known for making his viewers cry during his movies, but it felt as though this movie was trying a bit too hard to affect its audience near the end by piling on new ideas that neither meshed with the overall message and themes of the film nor made logical sense with the rest of the plot. There's a time about a half hour before the end where it feels like the movie is going to be over soon, but it keeps going on for a while, trying out all of these new ideas that almost feel like alternate endings. It's as though this movie has planned out ten possible endings but can't decide which to use, so it tries its best to use all of them at once, using time travel as a cheap excuse for the inherent convolution which follows. Naturally, it feels sloppy, and the scenes which focus on romance actually subtract from the movie’s effectiveness by straying from its focus on fate and supernatural forces in favor of throwing in desperate attempts at making the audience cry, which feel wholly unnecessary. Emotional appeal does not necessarily equate to a good story. Just look at Scum’s Wish - it felt uncomfortable to watch, but that didn't make it good, did it?
ANIMATION (10/10)
Breathtakingly beautiful. Some of the opening shots are of a comet streaking through the sky, and it only gets better from there. At one point, it even turns multimedia, with colored pencils and a different drawing style… There's really not much to say here other than GO WATCH THIS F***ING MOVIE.
SOUND (8/10)
There were three tracks that really stood out to me here. The opening theme, the ending theme, and the song that plays during a montage about halfway through were all great. Besides being a bit generic (teen romance movies always need rock music, right?), they are certainly good. When I went to see this with my friends, we were rocking out to the soundtrack during both car rides. I’ll probably be listening to that montage song for the next couple years.
Of course, because there is rock music used in this anime, it is impossible not to make jokes about Naruto.
CHARACTERS (4/10)
This was by far the weakest part of the film. I find it ironic that I couldn't even remember their names after the film was over. Both the male lead and the female lead were the most generic possible teenager characters, with neither characterized by anything other than where they worked. Their reactions to being in each other’s bodies were quite well handled, with an emphasis on initial surprise and confusion, and this helped to demonstrate their personalities. However, because we were given minimal background on these characters and therefore no reason to believe that they would act any other way, it is worth noting that these were the most generic reactions possible.
Even worse are the side characters. If the motivations of the main characters were foggy, these characters have no motivations at all. We are told about their relationships with one another, but these relationships never end up being explored. Some are simply forgotten about. The best example of this is near the beginning, when characters complain about how the mayor’s daughter gets along with the son of someone the mayor is working with, and it is hinted that nobody likes the mayor. Following that scene, the topic is never revisited. This seems like a genuinely interesting side plot that could really lead us to understand our characters better, but it is absolutely dropped for no reason.
Perhaps it would have been interesting to see how the side characters reacted to our heroes switching bodies. In a few cases, we do see how the body switches have impacted their lives. But we never see the side characters legitimately concerned about the sudden changes in personality that they see the main characters undergo. They mention the characters acting strange, and leave it at that. Never do they actually grow suspicious, even when it is hinted that other characters have experienced the same phenomenon. This becomes especially problematic after the main plot twist, when one side character just accepts a seemingly impossible story told by his friend because the plot requires him to provide the exact materials needed by the main character.
Near the end we have one of our leads going in for a job interview in a hilariously blatant show of forced character development. The main idea of character development is that it is supposed to help the hero grow out of a flaw that they somehow developed for themselves long ago. This scene does not connect to any problems the main character had had earlier.
Another thing that you will notice is that the only possible ending that the writers decided not to visit in the final half hour would have offered an opportunity for much more coherent character progression. However, it was left untouched.
ENJOYMENT (7/10)
I said it before, and I’ll say it again: If you're seeing this at a theater, you're going for the visuals, not the plot. And, as a Bradbury fan, I even found the plot to be pretty enjoyable. I knew most of the storyline going in, so I could see that there was a fair amount of rewatch value included in the movie as well. I’m a stickler for Chekhov’s Guns and plot holes, though, so I was a bit more bothered than most by the film’s storytelling problems.
Also, I found it difficult to be emotionally affected by the movie because I felt no attachment to the characters. As explained previously, if the ending had handled itself differently or if we had seen some more background to these characters, especially the male lead, I would have cared about them much more.
Nonetheless, this was still a treat to see in the theater.
OVERALL (7/10)
The car ride home from the theater was spent with my three friends (all who gave the movie a 10/10) trying to convince me to raise my rating. I don't see that happening, but I completely understand why they enjoyed it as much as they did.
It's not hard to see why this is ranked number one on this website. It may not be the best anime, but I'm certainly comfortable with Kimi no Na wa. remaining as the face of MAL for quite some time.
