Kimi no Na wa (君の名は。) – Plot and Review

2016 marks the release of another animated film from Shinkai Makoto, who people are regarding as the successor of Miyazaki. But don’t worry folks…unlike his 5 Centimeters Per Second and Garden of Words, his Your Name (Kimi no Na wa) does not leave your hearts untended after ripping them apart. The story, the art, and the roller coaster ride of emotions that Kimi no Na wa brought definitely put itself up to the top movies of my collection (definitely buying its blueray release)… ehem… it is my favorite movie now. It spurred me to do a movie review, which I rarely make. If you don’t believe solely from my opinion, will the movie’s nomination as the best film for the 2016 London Film Festival convince you? It is definitely a must-watch movie!

The Story

Because the film was overloaded with excellent story-writing, cinematography, music, and emotions, many people understandably overlooked some of the vital details of the story. Some lapses of their attention to detail led to what they said were plot holes for plot conveniences. Therefore a deconstruction of the story must be done in order to explain the layers, the developments, and the connections being made. Clearly, this piece is meant to those who have already watched the movie. I implore my readers who haven’t watched the movie yet to skip this long section and proceed to the “reactions” section because spoilers will run rampant here.

Taki and Mitsuha

The story revolves around Tachibana Taki, a 17-year old student in Tokyo who works at an Italian restaurant and strives to become a landscape architect, and Miyamizu Mitsuha, a 17-year old student in a rural (and fictional) town of Itomori, 80 miles northwest of Tokyo, who at a harmless degree, hated her cooped-up life of being a miko (Shrine Maiden) of their town’s shrine, as well as being the daughter of the town’s mayor.

Unlike the rest of the stories from mainstream Japanese series, the main characters were normal human beings. Taki does not have the qualities that make him stand-out or suitable for a harem set-up. He is just a normal Japanese teenager who tries to fit into society. Although she takes center stage in Itomori, Mitsuha is nowhere near a cooped-up princess struggling to live a normal life but rather sees her current situation as a nuisance that can be easily left behind. Both were rather normal human beings. That fact does not hinder the film and the story at all, instead it makes it more poignant, heartfelt, and easy to relate to.

I can only think of four stories that were similar to the movie: Secret Garden (The K-drama), Secret (Bu Neng Shou de Mimi), Il Mare (2000), and the Yui Goido arc (The World God Only Knows). Both the Yui Goido arc and Secret Garden were about body-switching, with the former exploring about the role of body switching into influencing relationships with people and the latter exploring about the unknown perspectives which settled misunderstandings. Secret and Il Mare were both about relationships transcending and being constrained by time, with the former showing the determination just to hold the person, that one is holding dearly, close, and the latter showing the loneliness of being separated by time. These similar movies do not strip Kimi no Na wa its originality, for I cannot fathom on how these stories can be crammed into one. Maybe, these stories may have served as an inspiration but such a well-written story can only be credited to the author alone. Although Kimi no Na wa is original and generic like I said, I cannot help but feel anxious for my heart because the themes and ideas employed, most of the times, ended in disasters shown on the four stories that I mentioned broke my heart into pieces… plus the fact that the author is none other than who made 5 Centimeters Per Second, Shinkai Makoto.

This is why we hate trains every time in a Makoto Shinkai movie.

My worries and anxieties were immediately relieved when the film opened with the epilogue (that means that this is a cyclic narrative) where the main characters are experiencing the post-climax dilemmas (with the trend always going to a closure of their dilemma… and the story). Taki and Mitsuha, already adults, feel troubled by a lingering feeling for some (long) time…the feeling of something or someone missing…since the comet passed over (which is already presented as the story’s source of conflict and the climax).

It dates back to the past (later known to be about eight years ago) with Mitsuha dreaming about her meeting with Taki in the past (later revealed to be Taki’s past specifically) with Mitsuha saying her name as she used her braided cord to reach him, which unknowingly and mysteriously served as the bridge to their souls and the catalyst to their body switching. She wakes up, unfamiliar with her surroundings and her body, finding it realistic as she gropes and checks upon her body, with her younger sister Miyamizu Yotsuha being puzzled on  what her onee-chan (older sister) is doing. The word “onee-chan” from Yotsuha snaps Mitsuha from her daydreaming. She checks upon herself from the mirror to confirm that she is not in her (his) own body.

Then comes their breakfast time and now everybody is commenting on how Mitsuha is actually acting normal now unlike the previous day, earning a confused look from her. That means that the Mitsuha from earlier is from the previous day (Yotsuha’s jacket fooled me good). To add it up, Mitsuha remarks that she was dreaming somebody else’s life. Clearly the body switch is already established and that fact was just waiting to be found out by our main characters.

As expected in a rural area, the things are going too simple for the people especially the youth who seek adventure and new things as food for the soul. Mitsuha is already itching to graduate in order to leave the town for Tokyo to see something new, clearly evident when she and her friend, Natori Sayaka, beam with excitement when their male friend Teshigawara Katsuhiko (called by his friends as Teshi) to a cafe, which turned out to be a beverage vending machine.

Sayaka and Teshi lament as they sip their canned coffee on how uncomfortable Mitsuha’s situation on being on the town’s center stage is. They look faraway to the Miyamizu shrine where Mitsuha right now is braiding cord and listening to the history (already for the nth time) of their tradition from her grandmother, Miyamizu Hitoha, already 82 years old. Like most of traditions, the history behind the Shintoist tradition of the Miyamizu’s (which played a huge role in the story) were long gone because of the Mayuguro (the name of the person who accidentally started the fire…Poor Mayuguro says Yotsuha) fire, and like every tradition, the rituals were still being practiced without clear reasons.

It is clear that Hitoha’s differences with Toshiki (Mitsuha’s father who is Itomori’s mayor) hasn’t been settled after Toshiki left Shinto priesthood for politics. Mitsuha’s father is then shown drinking sake with his mining contractors headed by Teshi’s father who instructed Teshi into learning how to use explosives as he orders his wife for more sake.

And speaking of sake, Mitsuha and Yotsuha, wearing their miko outfits, performs a ritual to make their sake, kuchikamisake, which is made by chewing rice, spitting it out, and letting it ferment, much to the disgust of her classmates who were watching, which made Mitsuha self-aware and ashamed. In contrast to Yotsuha’s lack of concern, the shame reaches Mitsuha’s limit as she screams that she hates her life and wishes to be born as a handsome guy in Tokyo in her next life, an impulse which is a slip from her subconscious reflecting on what she was “dreaming” about.

Taki wakes up the next morning. Clearly like Mitsuha earlier, he (she) is not in his (her) body. The body of Taki contains Mitsuha’s consciousness. He (Mitsuha) is confused at his (her) deep voice and the lost of his(her) boobs, and freaks out on his (her) morning wood which he (she) treated as a foreign object lynching on him (her). HAHA.

Mitsuha in Taki’s body struggles to cope with the fast-moving Tokyo life…and also adjusting to the norms of acting like a male, with the watashi->watakushi->boku->ore pronouns… although he (she) is wet behind her ears with the things-that-Tokyo-had-and-Itomori-didn’t especially when he (she) gets into a cafe, a place that she was yearning to go to. Like every cafe, the prices of the items on the menu are sky high. Thinking that it is just a dream, Taki (Mitsuha) brushes off the thoughts of the consequences and picks the items to order in his (her) liking. Reality bites back real quick as the consequences of living in a high standard of living come knocking already by the door… he (she) proceeds in a hurry for he (she) is already late, into his part-time job at an Italian restaurant. Earning money in the urban Tokyo is very hard as Mitsuha, in Taki’s body and behalf, struggles in the toxic working environment of being a waiter and almost gets into trouble where Taki’s co-worker and crush Okudera Miki sweeps in for the rescue. To return the favor, Taki (Mitsuha) stitches artistically Okudera’s skirt which was slashed by the pervert customer that got him (her) into trouble earlier. Okudera begins to warm up to Taki (Mitsuha), with the finger-brushing-the-ear gesture, after seeing his (her) feminine side, in contrast to his normal short-tempered behavior that got him the bandage in his face.

At bed, Mitsuha, in Taki’s body, scans Taki’s phone…finding out Taki’s little crush on Okudera Miki and Taki’s diary entries…then proceeds to write one entry herself on how he (she) walked with Okudera-senpai because of his (her) feminine powers. She then recalls the “Who are you?” scribbling on her notebook. Thinking that the body swapping is only deep within the dream worlds, she rides along with it as she writes her name on Taki’s hand.

Reality and the realization of their body switching hit hard the following day when they are now in command of their own vessels… a este… bodies, as Taki finds more concrete evidences like the scribbling in his hand and the ripples of Mitsuha’s actions in his body as Mitsuha also finds out what Taki did while in her body, such as the self-groping, “her” throwing a fit in her class, and the multiple doodles on her notebook.

In order to cope with these mysterious events, they work together by leaving reminders of the do’s and don’ts on their smartphones, as well as leaving reports regarding on what they did and what happened as they continuously switch bodies at random instances…since when Mitsuha is in Taki’s body and vice versa, things will look like a dream and will become hazy when they wake up. Mitsuha, in Taki’s body helps Taki get closer to Okudera using her “feminine” powers, while Taki turns Mitsuha into a tomboyish school “heart-rob” who doesn’t care if her oppai bounces around during athletic events. Such reports of meddling with their relationships and their images annoy them in a friendly degree. The reports then become correspondence as their relationship develops. Bickering turns into developing.

This becomes clear when Taki wakes up in Mitsuha’s body who was wearing tighter pajamas just in case and hesitates into doing her (his) natural self-groping morning habit, indicating that Mitsuha has a significant value now to Taki (but still proceeds to do so…Haha) The Miyamizu family starts their long trek into the body of their shrine’s god, which is clearly a meteor crater, as her grandmother shares the story of the word “Musubi”, a word which is the old way of calling their local guardian god whose powers were tying threads (the braided cords were the townsfolk tribute to their local guardian god), connecting people, and controlling time. Into the braided cords that the representation of time was imparted…where like time, the threads converge, take shape, twist, tangle, unravel, break, and connect again (A clear metaphorical premonition). Musubi generally equates into four things: knotting, time, asking a favor from the local guardian god, and connecting souls.

With Musubi, the reason behind the kuchikamisake is finally explained. The kuchikamisake that Mitsuha made represents her soul, her other half, apart from her body, and it is used as an offering to the local god which connects the god with the people by leaving it in the kakuriyo (Underworld), which is Shintai tree and the shrine at the hypocenter of the meteor crater. Twilight approaches as Mitsuha (Taki) basks upon the afternoon view of Itomori Lake. Mitsuha’s (Taki’s) lack of understanding of the incoming Comet Tiamat’s passage is enough for her grandmother to let the cat out of  the bag to tell Mitsuha (Taki) that she (he) is just dreaming. Clearly, grandma already knew for some time now.

That snaps Taki back into his own body. He is puzzled by the tears flowing from his eyes (clearly Mitsuha in Taki’s body cried herself to sleep), but before he can look further, a text message comes from Okudera, hitting Taki with the realization that Mitsuha has set them up for a date. The date is an awkward one. Okudera manages to decipher Taki’s thoughts and feelings, even before Taki, who is still confused on his feelings, realizes them himself, telling Taki that he no longer has a crush on her and he already likes somebody else which Taki denies in order to save face.

It is now clear(to the viewers at least) that Taki has Mitsuha already in his heart (and so is Mitsuha) as he begins to look forward into switching bodies in order to share to Mitsuha the story on how his date with Okudera ended in disaster. He also tries to call Mitsuha through her number…but the call apparently does not reach Mitsuha who answers Teshi’s call instead. It is the autumn festival and it is customary for people to wear their traditional clothing.

Mitsuha, who trimmed her hair much to her friends’ disbelief, along with Teshi and Sayaka, watches the passage of the comet from a high point as the comet splits into two fragments… no longer a premonition nor a omen but an incoming disaster that severs the connection between Mitsuha and Taki as Taki’s call doesn’t reach her. Just when he looks forward in switching with Mitsuha and just when Taki yearns to talk to her, the switching just stops.

Taki sets out to meet her personally with only the town’s scenery, that he arduously tried to remember and draw from his hazy memories, as the only clue. And when he finally does make it to Itomori, he finds the place abandoned after the disaster brought by the comet.

He struggles to prove to Okudera and Tsukasa that the person that he holds dear, Mitsuha, exists by attempting to show to them Mitsuha’s note, but upon the realization of the severed connection between them (just like in the movie Secret) and to finally unveil to Taki that Mitsuha’s long been gone, along with the 500 other people of Itomori (now abandoned), now that the danger of a time paradox was gone, the notes begin to disappear as if reality tells him that the memories that he shared with Mitsuha that gave warmth to his bleak heart was a lie all along. Okudera’s remark supports Taki’s conviction that Mitsuha came to his life and her warmth changed him for the better. Reality otherwise keeps telling that Taki has been alone all along, now with the subconscious taking away the memory of her name from him. Taki struggles against the ploy of the apparent reality into accepting it.

He recalls the meaning of the braided cords as he discusses it with Okudera who read about Itomori’s braided cords in one of the library’s old magazines. He sets out without Okudera and Tsukasa’s knowledge to the body of the Miyamizu shrine’s god. It is his final act of desperation on his struggle against the apparent reality. And this time, he triumphs as he confirms the existence of the place, while fighting back his tears of relief. If the body switching was a crime, then the god’s body is the last remaining evidence, as the comet wiped out the town and those involved, including Mitsuha. He finds out that their timelines were not in sync, with the Mitsuha that he knows was from three years ago.

Taki goes to the kakuriyo to retrive Mitsuha’s soul in the kuchikamisake. Wishing via musubi and asking for its powers to give him one more chance, he drinks the kuchikamisake. Tipsiness and a slippery floor cause Taki to slip and lose consciousness, but not before catching a glimpse of the ceiling, realizing that the god of the Miyamizu shrine was the Comet Tiamat, coming every 1200 years to drop some payload on that specific vicinity.

Through the kuchikamisake, Mitsuha’s soul begins to seep into Taki’s train of thoughts, revealing that the connection to the comet runs through the blood of the Miyamizu family as well as a review of Mitsuha’s life as Taki helplessly watches as Mitsuha perished when the meteor struck the town 3 years ago.

That jolts him into waking up in Mitsuha’s body on the day that the comet will be dropping the meteoric payload. After wandering miserably in the bleak desert of loneliness, Taki finally hits home in Mitsuha’s body, hugging herself (hugging her) with tears of relief while groping herself once more which finally creeps out Yotsuha. Being given one more chance, Taki, in Mitsuha’s body, is determined to save everybody from that disaster as she (he) confirms once more in the news that it is the day of the comet’s perigee. Her grandmother notices this and she spills the beans to Mitsuha (Taki) that she knew all along about the body switching for she too experienced the same in her youth. She explains the mechanics of the body switching. Indeed, the switching will look like a dream to them, therefore, they could not concentrate on and would simply overlook the facts…especially the fact that they were living three years apart. All those things and the memories of the switch, since these are just dreams to them, will soon fade when they wake up. Taki realizes and exclaims that the body switching runs through the blood line of the Miyamizus all along in order to prevent this recurring disaster from happening…or in this case…foretell and reduce the casualties.

She (he) tries warning her grandmother of the incoming disaster, only that she finds it convoluted and improbable (Unknown to her, the lost meaning of the Miyamizu tradition was the history of the recurring comet disasters). Understandably, her friends, Teshi and Sayaka (shocked of Mitsuha’s hair trim), do, and they devise a plan to get people out of the blast zone: Teshi blasting the substation with explosives, Sayaka doing the emergency broadcasting, and Mitsuha persuading her daddy mayor about evacuating the people. However, her dad does not believe what she is foretelling about and suggests Mitsuha to see a doctor instead, earning a burst of anger (He really is short-tempered. But this time, his outrage is understandable) from Mitsuha (Taki) with expletives flying from her (his) mouth…which rings a few bells from her father…realizing that Mitsuha is not herself. So her father knew about the Miyamizu supernatural all along too.

With the efforts of convincing the mayor ending in vain, Mitsuha (Taki) tries convincing people desperately. Yotsuha comes, begging her sister to stop from being weird, especially going out for Tokyo suddenly the previous day. That finishes the puzzle about the tears from earlier for Taki, and Taki (in Mitsuha’s body) gets a feeling that Mitsuha (in Taki’s body) is in the god’s body, waiting for him, as he notices that twilight is approaching.

The memories and the emotions remained in their bodies, as the other’s soul finally got a view and feel of those memories and the corresponding emotions. The tears were the final protest of Mitsuha of sending Taki to Okudera. She cried herself to sleep in Taki’s body after she set up Taki’s date with Okudera. She continued to do so after she woke up as if her feelings were protesting against her sacrifice (a noble idiot act). In here, I recalled the final train scene and the Youido accident in Il Mare: the lack of recognition because of the difference of timelines and the feeling of loneliness that it causes. Hoping that Taki will realize if he saw her, Mitsuha went to Tokyo, only to get across the Taki who doesn’t know her yet. The 14-year old Taki felt that Mitsuha indeed knew him and chased her for her name. Mitsuha tried to reach him with her name and her braided cord, which is the catalyst of the switching in their case (representing the local guardian god who connects people in time, the cord connected Mitsuha’s soul to Taki’s). Mitsuha felt the same thing that Taki did earlier when he went to find her, as if the moments that they shared together turned out to be lies. The dejection and the rejection got Mitsuha down and she had her hair trimmed (a metaphor of severing connections). With the braided cord no longer in her possession and Mitsuha dying the next day), the switching stopped.

However, with the guardian god’s help, Taki has retrieved Mitsuha’s soul from the kakuriyo, and Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body. She is shocked to see the aftermath of the comet disaster which she recalled that killed her. The shock stuns her until she hears her voice calling out for her. It’s Taki calling out for her.

Since the movie did not employ flash backs to explain things to the viewers, I’ll do the rewinding myself. Back from the start of the movie, Mitsuha’s teacher, Kato Yuka (a familiar character…too much familiar for she was voiced by Hanazawa Kana), discussed about tasokare and kataware-doki…on how the world blurs at twilight, encountering something not human. The magic spell of the twilight begins to take effect and now they can hear each other’s voices.

Finally, the sun sets on the horizon and the magical effect of kataware-doki goes full throttle. They are back in their own bodies and they finally meet. The meeting scene is a touche of emotional satisfaction (One of the most tear jerking scene that I’ve seen since the Yi Kyung-Yi Soo scenes of 49 Days). Taki smiles as he blinks his eyes slowly to confirm that Mitsuha is indeed in front of him.

“Mitsuha,” he calls her by her name. His face spells of relief of being home at last. A waterfall of tears falls from Mitsuha’s eyes as she also feels relieved that the Taki that she knew is true after all. She keeps calling Taki’s name as she holds him close to confirm that he is indeed in front of her. Taki tries to hold back his emotion as he says with a shaky voice: “I came to see you. It wasn’t easy because you were so far away.”

Mitsuha understands the “faraway” as “three years ago and from the underworld.” She knows that she died already.  Taki tells her how he managed to pull it off: “I drank your kuchikamisake.”

“You drank that?”, she exclaims, knowing that the process that it was made was awkward by modern standards. They shared body fluids!

“You idiot! Pervert!” “Oh yeah, and you touched (groped) me.”

“How do you know?!”

“Yotsuha saw it.”

“Oh! Sorry. I couldn’t help it. It was just once.”

“Just once? It does not matter how many times, Jerk!”

“Sorry.” With Taki’s groping habit already busted, Taki clasps his hand as an apology. Mitsuha notices her braided cord on Taki’s hand.

“Oh. This.”

“Oh. Really, why had you come to see before I knew you? There’s no way I would recognize (or know) you.” He gives her braided cord back. “Here. I kept it for 3 years. Now, you keep it.”

Their misunderstanding is finally settled as she smiles in return. She uses the braided cord once more to tie her hair in a new way as if it is a headband with a ribbon on it and asks Taki if she looks good on it. Taki gives the normal tsundere response (“Not bad”) and the two bicker once more. It is one of the things that they normally did in the past that they missed and the two share their laughter as they think that they are really back where they left off. Taki then gives Mitsuha the instructions on which she promises to try executing.

Kataware-doki approaches its end. They are beginning to fade from each other’s perspective (The twilight is losing its powers as night closes in). To ensure that they will still remember each other after, Taki proposes to write their names on each other’s hand. Their meeting is abruptly cut short before Mitsuha even manages to write her name. It’s cruel! Just when he is about to say something about what he feels about her. His monologue rips our heart into pieces.

I wanted to tell you: wherever you are in the world, I will go and find you.

You name is Mitsuha.

It is alright. I remember.

Mitsuha. Mitsuha. Mitsuha. Your name is Mitsuha.

Your name is…

Who are you?

Why did I come here?

I came here to see her!

To save her! I wanted her to be alive!

Who was it? Who? Who did I come to see?

Someone dear to me! The one that I don’t want to forget. The one that I shouldn’t forget.

Who? Who? Who? Who?

What’s your name?!

It is time for the guardian god to get his part of the deal…the things that are most important to them (Like grandma said, one has to leave the most important thing behind): their memories of each other! He struggles to hold on to those memories as they fade.

Mitsuha tries to hold on to the fading memories too as she, Teshi, and Sayaka proceed with the plan of saving the town by first blowing up the substation, then doing an emergency broadcast of evacuation to the high school, but it is still futile unless Mitsuha persuades her father.

Her friends’ resolve begins to waver as their plan is starting to backfire, but when they see the comet split into two, as Mitsuha foretold, they begin to persuade people around, with their resolve renewed. Mitsuha races to her father’s office as she struggles with her memories, now having forgotten Taki’s name. The sight of the comet splitting gets her distracted which causes her to trip on the rugged poorly-maintained rural pavement.

She remembers Taki’s parting words as she regains her consciousness:

“For us not to forget when we wake up, let’s write our names on each other.”

Hoping to see his name written on her hand, Mitsuha opens her hand, only to find the words:

I Love You.

Ugh. The viewers surely felt the bittersweet feeling of that one. Taki actually wanted to confess on the top of the hill when he was with her, only to have their meeting be cut short. Mitsuha realizes this and tears stream from her eyes again, and so was to me and to many who have seen this scene. But there’s no more time for sulking as the comet-turned-meteor approaches and she has to reach her father. She does, finding him conferring with her grandmother, setting aside their differences for Mitsuha, about her body switching. Her father is in disbelief whether Mitsuha is now indeed Mitsuha. But a face of determination.

Then comes the comet, destroying the town.

Taki wakes up on the god’s body, clearly with no memory of how and why he got there. The memories may be gone but the feeling remains…loneliness. The feeling of searching for someone that went missing continues to bug him for a long time. Eight years since the comet incident, which turns out to be fatality-less (Everyone was safe, much to my relief *tears*), Taki, now 22 years old, struggles to find a job into being a landscape architect. He meets Okudera, now engaged to somebody else, and shares about the events of 5 years ago when they went to Itomori. Okudera, who knew that Taki is looking for the person who changed him, wishes him lasting happiness, which he just can’t have right now. Taki comes across Teshi and Sayaka, already engaged. He does not recognize them but Teshi’s name rings a few bells on Taki. It is night time and it is snowing. After chilling in the cafe, Taki is chilling against the cold as he walks on his way back home. Taki then comes across a lady wearing a braided cord that was familiar to him. But the lady does not stop walking and does not reveal herself to him. He looks away by the time that the lady looks back. It’s Mitsuha, already 25 years old.

Flashes of the morning Tokyo is next shown, along with the glimpses on some of Taki and Mitsuha’s friends… and finally Yotsuha, now 17 years old.

The scene from the beginning is shown again. Both Mitsuha and Taki are looking for something or someone that they have lost which they finally have found on the other train: each other!

They take off at their next respective train stops and dashes back to what they feel to be a common point. They meet at the stairway by the Suga Shrine, with no memories of their shared past. However, they could not shake off the feeling that they’ve met before. They walk toward each other, wanting to find the answer. However, reluctance from both of them is threatening to draw flak from that meeting. They pass each other. Clearly, both of them are upset that nobody wants to make the move. However, Taki saves the day by calling out for her, asking if they’ve met already. Mitsuha shares the same sentiment as tears roll down from the eyes of both Mitsuha and Taki. Tears of relief, joy, and love. They ask for each other’s name:

“Kimi no Na mae wa?” (What is your name?)

Reaction

Wow! What a roller coaster ride of emotions that this movie brought upon us. Some of the viewers might be suffering post-anime depression, like me right now. The movie was too good that some of us don’t want it to end. Some remarked that the ending was a bit of incomplete, giving us an open-ended scenario instead. It was maybe because of the kataware-doki scene that some viewers yearn for Mitsuha-and-Taki-being-together moments.

The story built up only to give us an open ending which seems unfair in the perspective of some viewers. After the chaos that the story brought, it ended just before the dust is finally settled. However, the story gave us the feeling that things will fall into place eventually. Let us trust the Miyamizu shrine’s god on that. Hehehe. It is just that the certainty of that thing happening lead us scrambling on the dark on what will happen next. Again, let us just trust the Miyamizu shrine’s god on that. Let the shrine’s god do the work, but please no more meteors!

We cannot beg the makers of the movie to drag it a little further because that would sure dissipate the build-up and the intensity of the message being delivered. They let our imaginations and our faith to the Miyamizu shrine’s god do the rest of the work. Musubi!

The main human state dominant in the story, like I have felt when watching, was loneliness. Being away from the person that we hold dear the most brings sadness. We would be yearning to be by their side. Sometimes, we let loneliness consume us. But humans are social creatures, except Katsuragi Keima almost (lol). We cannot be lonely and alone for long. We would soon be seeking warmth (because we are warm-blooded creatures? LOL)… the warmth that makes our lives complete. In Secret, Xiang Lun travelled back to the past permanently just to be with Xiao Yu. In Il Mare, Sung Hyun tried to reach out personally to Eun joo, only to suffer rejection since Eun Joo did not know him yet.

Through the development of the relationship between Mitsuha and Taki, no matter how supernatural it was, a path out of their loneliness was established. Initially, they were comfortable on being single. (“I’m single because I want to!”). But they were disturbed from their slumber…from that comfort zone…and they could no longer go back. Loneliness which was once a friend to them became their worst tormentor. Only when the path out of loneliness seemed crumbling that people would act to get through and out. Finding our lifetime partner was a monumental task, and when that person indeed came, we must seize the opportunity or else we would lose that person forever. We must have the courage to break social barriers and to face the possibility of being rejected.

We don’t need to have qualities that make us stand out, as with the typical main characters in mainstream media, to relate to them. The seat in the roller coaster was not a privilege seat. Anybody could relate to the roller coaster of emotions because like us, the story’s main characters were just normal beings. We can establish affinity to their dilemmas and to their emotions. Mitsuha was just a normal being who would freak out in the supernatural turn of events. Taki too was just a normal being who would immediately seize the opportunity to touch the boobs (There are only two kinds of boobs in the world: the ones that we have touched and the ones that we haven’t. The first one was very rare and sometimes extinct.) when he happens to be in a woman’s body (Hell, Keima from The World God Only Knows, who is known to be anti-social touched Yui’s breast on a regular basis when they switched bodies). It is their courage and hard work despite being normal is what made Mitsuha and Taki special. I wish that I have a bit of courage that these two have. Nope, I already have it…it is just that the girl that I am seeking was elusive as ever. It has to be mutual for that courage to pay returns.

Speaking of normal, the norms of the society are changing, especially the femininity and masculinity issues. I first saw it in the Yui Goido arc where the femininity in males attracts women more and so does the opposite on women to men. Men have to act like men and women have to act like women. That is no longer the case. The world is changing. When peace and order are maintained, the main qualifications for a male partner were not anymore the capabilities to protect his female partner. We are no longer like most animals who follow the natural order where their male partners were treated as trophies and bastion of protection and vice versa. In our current society, women can stand for themselves already, no longer needing protection from others, but they now seek for connection and affinity. The same goes for men in women where men no longer seek for women who act girly. That is why tomboyish girls are more attractive to men, and men with a feminine side attract more women. It was an upset to the status quo which is already obsolete where men were required to act like a man and women were required to act like a woman.

These kinds of animations and art cure cancer for sure.

Kimi no Na wa was a splendid journey of connecting two people where the cinematography was breathtaking accompanied by the music made by RADWIMPS which captured and resonated the mood and the theme of the scenes. Yume Tourou captured the main theme that surrounded Mitsuha and Taki’s relationship. Zen zen zense complemented the development of their relationship as they worked together in turn of the supernatural events. I cannot think of any other song that will fit into the 11-minute splendid climax other than Sparkle. Nandemoiya delivered the closure of finding love at last, as well as finding satisfaction after being an emotional wreck. The Kataware-doki theme and the Mitsuha theme will forever be ingrained in my mind after bringing a refreshing tide of emotions. The Kataware-doki theme took 3 buckets of tears from me…and it is still taking some more.

Just let me include the lyrics of the title song used here to see how well they complemented with the scenes and the story:

RADWIMPS – Yumetourou [Dream Lantern]

aa kono mama bokutachi no koe ga
[Ahh, wouldn’t it be nice if our voices, as they are,]
sekai no hajikko made kieru koto naku
[…could make it to the corners of this world without fading away]
todoitari shitara ii noni na soshitara nee futari de donna kotoba o hanatou
[If we were to succeed in that, what words should we release there?]
kieru koto nai yakusoku o futari de “see no” de iou
[On the count of three, let’s make an everlasting promise!]

aa “negattara nani ga shika ga kanau” sono kotoba no me o mou mirenaku natta no wa
[Ahh, I used to think, “If I make a wish, at least part of it will come true!”, but how long it has been?]
ittai itsu kara darou ka naniyue darou ka
[Since I was last able to look those words in the eye…what went wrong?]

aa ame no yamu masani sono kirema to niji no shuppatsu ten shuuten to
[Ahh, in the exact space of time the rain stopped…was the beginning, and the end, of a rainbow]
kono inochi hateru basho ni nani ka ga aru tte itsumo iihatte ita
[We were always in disagreement about what awaits us once these lives come to an end]

itsuka ikou zen seimei mo mitou mikaitaku no
[Someday, let’s go give a high five to a feeling undiscovered and unclaimed]
kanjou ni hai-tacchi shite jikan ni kisu o
[By anything in existence – and give a kiss to time itself!]

go jigen ni karakawarete soredemo kimi o miru yo
[Even being teased by the 5th dimension, I’ll still see you.]
mata “hajimemashite” no aizu o kimeyou
[So let’s choose our secret sign to say “Nice to meet you!”]

kimi no na o ima oikakeru yo

[Because I’m heading out now to chase after your name.]

–

RADWIMPS – Zen Zen Zense

Yatto me wo samashita kai sore na no ni naze me mo awase ya shinai’n dai?
[Did you finally wake up? Then why don’t you meet eyes with me? ]
“Osoi yo” to okoru kimi koredemo yareru dake tobashite kitanda yo
[You scold me “You’re late” but even so I rushed here as fast as I could]

Kokoro ga karada wo oikoshite kitanda yo
[My heart rushed here faster than my body could]

Kimi no kami ya hitomi dake de mune ga itai yo
[Just thinking about your hair and eyes hurts my heart]
Onaji toki wo suikonde hanashitakunai yo
[I want to breathe in the same time and not let it go ]
Haruka mukashi kara shiru sono koe ni
[To the voice I knew since long ago ]
Umarete hajimete nani wo ieba ii?
[What should I say for the first time in my life?]

Kimi no zen zen zense kara boku wa kimi wo sagashi hajimeta yo
[I’ve been searching for you since your past-past-past life ]
Sono bukiccho na waraikata wo megakete yatte kitanda yo
[I came in pursuit of that clumsy way of laugh]

Kimi ga zenzen zenbu naku natte chirijiri ni nattatte
[Even when you completely disappear and all of you is torn into pieces]
Mou mayowanai mata ichi kara sagashi hajimeru sa
[I won’t be lost anymore, and I’ll start searching you from the beginning again]
Mushiro zero kara mata uchuu wo hajimete miyou ka
[Or rather we can start a world from zero]

Dokkara hanasu kana kimi ga nemutteita aida no sutoorri
[Where do I start- the story during the time you were asleep]
Nan’oku nankounenbun no monogatari wo katari ni kitanda yo kedo iza sono sugata kono me ni utsusu to
[I came to tell you the stories worth millions of light years, but when I actually let my eyes reflect you]

Kimi mo shiranu kimi to jarete tawamuretai yo
[I feel the want to play about with you, who you don’t even know yourself]
Kimi no kienu itami made aishite mitai yo
[I want to try loving your pain that doesn’t disappear]
Ginga nankobun ka no hate ni deaeta
[I’ve met your hand at the far edge of a few galaxies]
Sono te wo kowasazu ni dou nigitta nara ii?
[How do I hold it without breaking it?]

Kimi no zen zen zense kara boku wa kimi wo sagashi hajimeta yo
[I’ve been searching for you since your past-past-past life]
Sono sawagashii koe to namida wo megake yatte kitanda yo
[I came in pursuit of that loud voice and tears]

Sonna kakumei zenya no bokura wo dare ga tomeru to iu’n darou
[Who would come stop us at the night before this revolution?]
Mou mayowanai kimi no HAATO ni hata wo tateru yo
[I won’t be lost anymore, and I’ll put a flag on your heart]
Kimi wa boku kara akiramekata wo ubaitotta no
[You snatched away from me the way to give up]

Zen zen zense kara boku wa kimi wo sagashi hajimeta yo
[I’ve been searching for you since our past-past-past life]
Sono bukiccho na waraikata wo megakete yatte kitanda yo
[I came in pursuit of that clumsy way of laugh]

Kimi ga zenzen zenbu naku natte chirijiri ni nattatte
[Even when you disappear and all of you torn into pieces]
Mou mayowanai mata ichi kara sagashi hajimeru sa
[I won’t be lost anymore, and I’ll start searching you from the beginning again]
Nankounen demo kono uta wo kuchizusami nagara
[While I hum this song, even for a few light years.]

–

RADWIMPS – Sparkle

mada kono sekai wa boku o kainarashitetai mitai da
[It seems this world still wants to keep me on a close leash;]
nozomidoori darou? utsukushiku mogaku yo
[But that’s just how I want it – I struggle so beautifully.]

tagai no sunadokei nagamenagara kisu o shiyou yo
[Staring at our respective hourglasses, let us share a kiss.]
“sayonara” kara ichiban tooi basho de machiawaseyou
[Let’s arrange to meet at the place farthest from our eventual, “Goodbye”.]

jisho ni aru kotoba de dekiagatta sekai o nikunda
[I grew to hate this world made up of words you’d find in a dictionary,]
mangekyou no naka de hachigatsu no aru asa
[On one August morning, trapped within this kaleidoscope…]

kimi wa boku no mae de hanikande wa sumashitemiseta
[Whenever we were face to face, you always gave a shy smile before before playing coy;]
kono sekai no kyoukasho no you na egao de
[Your smile was like a textbook description of this world.]

tsui ni toki wa kita kinou made wa joshou no joshou de
[The time finally came… yesterday seemed nothing more than a prologue to the prologue -]
tobashiyomi de ii kara kokkara ga boku dayo
[But you can skim through if you wish; from here on out is my story:]
keiken to chishiki to kabi no haekakatta yuuki o motte
[Wielding experience, wisdom, and a slightly molded courage,]

imada katsute nai supiido de kimi no moto e daibu o
[At a speed unbeknownst until now, I dove to where you were.]

madoromi no naka de namanurui koora ni koko de nai dokka o yumemita yo
[While dozing off, I dreamed I saw a place different from here, within my lukewarm cola]
kyoushitsu no mado no soto ni…densha ni yurare hakobareru asa ni
[Outside the windows of my classroom…On mornings spent swaying to and fro on the train…]

aishikata saemo kimi no nioi ga shita
[Even the that way I loved smelled of you…]
arukikata saemo sono waraigoe ga shita
[Even the way that I walked carried the sound of your laughter…]

itsuka kiete nakunaru kimi no subete o
[Faced with the fact you’ll eventually disappear,]
kono me ni yakitsuketeoku koto wa mou kenri nanka janai gimu da to omounda
[I have no choice but to burn your entire existence into my memory, with these two eyes;
I no longer perceive it as a right… I feel that it’s my duty!]

unmei da toka mirai toka tte kotoba ga doredake te o nobasou to todokanai basho de bokura koi o suru
[Let us fall in love at the place where words like fate or future are far beyond reach.]
tokei no hari mo futari o yokome ni minagara susumu
[We proceed on, as the needles of the clock give us sidelong glances;]
sonna sekai o futari de isshou iya, nanshou demo
[Making our way through that kind of world, let us spend our entire life- no, as many chapters as we can-]
ikunuiteyukou
[Living on and on, together!]

–

RADWIMPS – Nandemo Nai Ya (Nevermind)

futari no aida toorisugita kaze wa doko kara sabishisa wo hakonde kita no
[The wind that passed between us from where did it bring this sadness]
naitari shita sono ato no sora wa yake ni sukitootte itari shitanda
[The sky after the rain looked more transparent than ever]

tsumo wa togatta chichi no kotoba ga kyou wa atatakaku kanjimashita
[My father’s words that have always felt sharp, felt warm today]
yasashisa mo egao mo yume no katarikata mo shiranakute zenbu kimi wo maneta yo
[I did not know about kindness, smiles or talking about my dreams; so I just imitated you in everything]

mou sukoshi dake de ii ato sukoshi dake de ii mou sukoshi dake de ii kara
[Just a little longer a little longer after this just a little more is enough]
mou sukoshi dake de ii ato sukoshi dake de ii mou sukoshi dake kuttsuite iyou ka
[Just a little longer a little longer after this can we keep holding each other for just a little longer]

bokura TAIMU FURAIYAA toki wo kakeagaru KURAIMAA
[We are time flyers We are climbers running up time]
toki no kakurenbou hagurekkou wa mou iya nanda
[I’ve had enough of this hide and seek with time]

ureshikute naku no wa kanashikute warau no wa
[The reason you laugh while sad and cry when you are happy is]
kimi no kokoro ga kimi wo oikoshitanda yo
[Because you heart has surpassed you]

hoshi ni made negatte te ni ireta omocha mo heya no sumikko ni ima korogatteru
[The toy that we got by going so far as to wish on the stars is now lying in a corner of my room]
kanaetai yume mo kyou de hyakko dekita yo tatta hitotsu to itsuka koukan koshou
[Today, the wishes that I want to make come true reached one hundred….someday I will exchange it all for one wish]

itsumo wa shaberanai ano ko ni kyou wa houkagou mata ashite to koe wo kaketa
[I usually don’t talk to that girl; but today I called out her ‘see you after class’]
narenai koto mo tama ni nara ii ne toku ni anata ga tonari ni itara
[It is ok to do things that you are not used to occasionally…..especially if you are there beside me]

mou sukoshi dake de ii ato sukoshi dake de ii mou sukoshi dake de ii kara
[Just a little longer a little longer after this just a little more is enough]
mou sukoshi dake de ii ato sukoshi dake de ii mou sukoshi dake kuttsuite iyou yo
[Just a little longer a little longer after this let’s keep holding each other for just a little longer]

bokura TAIMU FURAIYAA kimi wo shitte itan da
[We are time flyers I knew about you]
boku ga boku no namae wo oboeru yori zutto mae ni
[From before when I could remember even my own name]

kimi no inai sekai ni mo nanika no imi wa kitto atte
[I’m sure there is some meaning in a world without you in it]
demo kimi no inai sekai nado natsuyasumi no nai hachigatsu no you
[But a world with you, is like an August without the summer holidays]

kimi no inai sekai nado warau koto nai SANTA no you
[A world without you, is like a Santa who doesn’t laugh]
kimi no inai sekai nado
[A world without you is…]

bokura TAIMU FURAIYAA　toki wo kakeagaru KURAIMAA
[We are time flyers We are climbers running up time]
toki no kakurenbou hagurekko wa mou iya nanda
[I’ve had enough of this hide and seek with time]

nandemo nai ya yappari nandemo nai ya
[It is nothing yes, after all, it is nothing really]
ima kara iku yo
[I’m coming now]

bokura TAIMU FURAIYAA　toki wo kakeagaru KURAIMAA
[We are time flyers We are climbers running up time]
toki no kakurenbou hagurekko wa mou ii yo
[Enough of this hide and seek with time]

kimi wa hade na KURAIYAA sono namida tomete mitai na
[You cry so hard I want to stop those tears]
dakedo kimi wa kobanda
[But you refused]

koboreru mama no namida wo mite wakatta
[Seeing those falling tears, I understood]

ureshikute naku no wa kanashikute warau no wa
[The reason I laugh while sad and cry when I’m happy is…]
boku no kokoro ga boku wo oikoshitandayo
[Because my heart has surpassed me]

What about the other characters? Teshi, Sayaka, Yotsuha, Tsukasa, Takagi, and Okudera? Some pundits may be pointing the lack of character development on these people. But as the title and story suggest, it is about chasing the name of the person you hold dear. It will only involve and centralize between two people. Will Teshi give a damn to chase after Taki’s name?

Plot holes? Did I leap over a gap on my narration of the story? I don’t think so. They must be dreaming themselves, therefore they cannot focus into remembering vividly some fine details. Try doing it in your dreams yourselves. Let see if you can. I would doubt it.

Scientific accuracy? With the depiction of the sky and the position of the celestial bodies specific to the places, Itomori and Tokyo. I find it accurate when checking on Stellarium. I knew little about astrophysics, but here are my insights: (1) it is possible that the fragment of the comet when the comet was halfway between the Earth and the moon will reach Earth in 30 minutes (2) The part that was separated from the main comet itself must be small in comparison to the comet’s size as a whole. (3) The inaccuracy was the angle of impact of the meteor depicted by the film with respect to crater it produced. The comet in the movie came from the east, which is not possible, given the positions of Itomori, the Earth in general, the comet, and the moon. For the comet to do the same meteor crater that the movie depicted, it must have hit 1 and a half mile further north of the Miyamizu household (when the comet was depicted to have hit). Ugh. Maybe, I just can’t establish my sense of direction for this movie. This is the only confusing part of the movie for me…or an inaccuracy made for the sake of artistic touch. The position of the lakes…the blast area…suggests that in the Kataware-doki scene, the sun has set in the east.

Seiyuu? The one that stands out is Kamishiraishi Mone, the one who voiced Mitsuha. The emotions that she imparted on Mitsuha were well-delivered. Oh. I wish she could send me a voice mail that contains a recording of her saying my name all over again! 😀

Meeting your life time partner is a miracle as love fueled by courage transcends boundaries. Koi (love) does not dwell in kioku (memories) but in kokoro (inner feeling). Koi will remain even if kioku kieta (disappeared). Finally, a movie of Shinkai Makoto with a happy ending! Our emotions were being played brilliantly by his latest film, but this time, we do not get the shorter end of the stick. The trains were finally redeemed. It was like a dream (but we should focus on the subtle details to prevent a misconception of a plot hole) for Shinkai Makoto to give us his best treat yet.