Review: "Your Name" finds more balance between Makoto Shinkai's storytelling and his visuals

Despite this film having premiered at the Anime Expo in LA in July 2016, it has only recently started to gain traction with the mainstream American audience with its Oscar-contending December premiere.  I'll admit I hadn't taken notice of the film until around this time, but when I saw that the director was Makoto Shinkai - the showrunner behind previous breathtaking experiences including The Garden of Words and 5 Centimeters Per Second - I knew that I had to watch it.  Then came the problem of, well, actually finding the film to watch it.  Despite Pokemon's claims to the otherwise, anime - similar to many foreign mediums of entertainment - isn't exactly "mainstream" to begin with.  It's by complete chance that I was able to see this film this weekend, but I can say without doubt that the wait was definitely worth it.  For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, take a look at the trailer for Makoto Shinkai's Your Name:

Makoto Shinkai is known for his visuals.  He effortlessly blends hyperrealistic landscapes, backgrounds, and scenery with a distinctly modern anime style that, while occasionally jarring, ultimately makes each of his films look like a painting come to life.  One only has to watch The Garden of Words to know that (the visuals of which are, arguably, the best part of it's 40 minute run time).  This still holds true for his newest film Your Name.  It would be so easy to get lost in Shinkai's films just for the animation alone, and there are several other reviews that will tell you how edible his food always appears on the screen.  It's almost hypnotizing how Shinkai manages to evoke the sense of lighting and motion in his drawings; even more amazing is the sense of complete immersion you feel when watching his work.  (To top it off, Shinkai works as both lead cinematographer, editor, and designer on all of his films, doing a large portion of the animation and keyframes himself.  Does this man ever rest?  Spoilers: he doesn't.)

This is a drawing.  I'm serious.

Time and time again, Shinkai has been compared to legends within the anime film industry, most notably that of Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli and the man behind such masterpieces as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke.  With the runaway success of Your Name - the film is currently the fourth-highest grossing film of all time in Japan, and the highest-grossing anime film internationally - this comparison has only grown.  Shinkai himself, however, despises these comparisons, going so far as to tell people not to watch the film, as he feels it's incomplete.  But as much as I hate going against an artist's wishes when it comes to their own work, I have to disagree on this one.  While Shinkai is certainly no Miyazaki - not yet, anyway - there is no doubting the immense amount of skill and constant improvement that keeps bringing viewers such as myself back to his work.

Watching Shinkai's work is amazing because of the fact that he keeps improving.  He hasn't plateaued yet, and I don't see it happening anytime soon in the future.  I would go so far as to say to watch the entirety of Shinkai's portfolio just to witness how he's progressed in the past two decades.  His visual talents precede him, coming to life on the screen and ultimately taking you further than most live-action films probably could.  On this level, he truly could be a rival for Miyazaki, a fact made more poignant in that Shinkai has stated he sees the other as a large inspiration on his work.

All image credits to Toho and CoMix Wave Films.

However, Shinkai does have a weakness, and that's in his storytelling.  From the slow pace of 5 Centimeters Per Second, to the bare ripple of the plot of The Garden of Words, Shinkai's narratives often leave more to be desired, puttering along in philosophical ennui and the same melancholy that tends to clutter the young adult genre.  In a way, it's what makes his artwork so striking - more than once it has been the main thing that keeps the film afloat.

This is where Your Name differs, and why I have to urge everyone to watch it.  The plot of this film is spectacular, and for once I almost feel like it leads the film more than the artwork.  Perhaps it's because Shinkai wrote it as a novel first, or maybe it's just because he found a complete story, but whatever the case, the quality of the narrative has increased sharply, and feels completely on par with the actual images I'm watching.

From the get-go, Your Name is the first body-swap story I've seen that doesn't take time for the exploitation of cheap jokes and a plot based on its own awkwardness.  Yes, there is the cute/weird moment that comes with the premise, but it's almost immediately subverted through time jumps that instead build up the suspense.  That's the other thing about this film: the plot reveals itself slowly, building from a simple slice-of-life to a story that is rich, exciting, and ultimately inspiring.  This same plot delivers one of the most surprising - and also completely frustrating, in a good way - plot twists I've seen in a while, and I will admit that I actually screamed when it happened.  Not because it was frightening, but because Shinkai's story had managed to make me so invested in these characters that the emotional buildup just begged to be released.

And what's amazing about having this solid of a story is that it allows Shinkai to take more risks - and consequently, more improvements - with his animation.  There is a beautiful sequence, which includes the above frame - that leads to the buildup of the climax of the movie.  At this point, I promise you, you will be emotionally torn.  The sequence here is a rush of memories and flashbacks that come rushing into the character of Taki, a blur of images that come across as a painting, and leave just as fast.  Watching this, you are left with a sense of wonder and clarity, and for myself, I was struck with just how beautifully it complimented the subject at hand.

Is Your Name a perfect film?  No, if there even is such a thing.  But I do believe that Shinkai is being a little hard on himself by telling people to stop watching it.  Yes, there could be improvements, but there is nothing wrong with the final product as it is.  I can't imagine another storyline for this premise that would have been as both frustrating and satisfying that this film was, and to top it off, it only proves that Shinkai has a lot more in store for us in the future.  I mentioned earlier that this man never stops, and that's true; already, he's started work on his next film.  I look forward to seeing what new art we are given, and how Shinkai will continue to expand his skills in telling an honest, whole story.  And while I'm waiting, I might just go back and relive the captivating experience that is Your Name.