My opinion of it was pretty positive after I first viewed it, and I was pretty happy with everything. But seeing its incredibly positive reception, and thinking more about what actually happened in the movie, my views slightly changed (just a bit).
I really don't want to blame the hype for killing my favorable impressions, but it does make my eye twitch to see so many "IT'S PERFECT ABSOLUTELY THE BEST" comments that seem more like vague fawning, when actually there's a lot of room for critique. And for a movie that's reached a level of popularity even Makoto Shinkai is uncomfortable with, I think critique is very much needed.
As a note, I've watched most of Shinkai's other works, including shorts and films. I'm familiar with his narrative and thematic preferences. Most directors have one - for example, Miyazaki includes the magic of nature and simple living in all his works, at times criticizing industrialization and violence as a means to an end. Shinkai makes works that revolve around the themes of distance, connection, and loss as it occurs in the physical, spatial, temporal sense. He has a poetic method to his narratives as well. While it's fine (great, even) to have style, I worry that his works will become increasingly one-note in nature and as a result, not as thrilling as "Your Name" is perceived to be.
Story (5/10):
Many pitfalls can arise when a complex narrative is forced to be squished into roughly 100 minutes of material. I believe Shinkai encounters the same problems.
"Your Name" is a complicated story with complicated concepts. "Time travel" already suggests leaps over logic and takes a while for one to wrap their mind around. The movie presses upon this theme with spiritual and poetic elements (along with a super meteor), upping the chances of confusion. But, yes, perhaps one can push aside all the complications under the all-embracing heading of the "fantasy" genre.
The narrative development just seems rushed and flat at times. There's questions left unanswered as well. Sometimes things seem too convenient or too contrived. Moreover, as I realize now, there was so much opportunity for solutions to arise in the story but they just...weren't, leading to a fine mess that they desperately must struggle to fix.
Yes, there are big plotholes that may have been lost under the guise of beautiful visuals and charming animation. I'm not impressed with the writing as it seems either lacking or too flowery. And just to state a bias, I do think there is a level of "poeticism" that Shinkai puts into all his works that just doesn't appeal to me.
And ah yes, the romance - cute, but questionable, maybe a little random. I've noticed this in his other works as well but the romance is vague and fairly shallow. You can't really guess where all that attraction came from. The development wasn't fleshed out. It's not a huge complaint, but it is something I wondered about.
5/10 for all the strange or contradictory plot devices, and a lacking / questionable narrative.
Art / Sound: 9/10
I didn't watch the movie at its best quality but even I know that the art was amazing. Shinkai does well in crafting environments and directing splendid animation. I do wish the storytelling could match the power of the visuals.
Music was good as well, but is now being overplayed to death.
Character: 5/10
After all these months, I still don't know how I feel about Taki or Mitsuha. Maybe if I rewatched the film, I might build a better connection, but as of now, I feel they are mediocre in terms of character design.
I barely know much about them. I've seen their outward mannerisms but they don't suggest uniqueness. They seem rather trope-y, unremarkable, another set of typical anime high schoolers. Perhaps that was intended. I can take them as the "hero" and "heroine" but there's nothing else special. There wasn't enough development for them that made me want to walk their shoes.
Enjoyment: 7/10
For all its worth, the movie is beautiful. It truly is, and there were some fun moments. Overlooking all the script problems, you'll get a nice (not perfect) movie. I didn't strongly dislike any part, and the resolution was decent. It was a good time.
Last comments:
So, yes, I enjoyed watching "Your Name" but it does have flaws. It was fun to watch but not exactly fun to pick apart. I've picked apart Shinkai's other works, and I can copy and paste what I analyzed from them and apply them to "Your Name" with only some minor adjustments to account for the "flair" added to the story. And I guess that's where some of my disappointment is from. "Your Name" doesn't feel new from past Shinkai works, yet has reached a level of fame because it has flashy, stylized, cliche features abundant in regular, episodic anime.
But, I do think there's merit in watching the movie, and I'm sure viewers will find many good things to say about it. However, I have to seriously disagree with those who talk about how fantastic the movie is without explaining any more than that. A movie that's reached this caliber deserves a much deeper appraisal and evaluation than a simple, unquestionable "It's the best / it's perfect."
