Temper your expectations

Ah, Kimi no Na wa. The anime movie that spread throughout Japan, and the world, like wildfire. To many, it captured their hearts and took them on a ride. But to others such as myself, it roused up a resounding "meh". I don't like reading long reviews, and I don't like writing long reviews, so I'm going to keep this short.

To start: This movie is a heavily commercialized movie. By commercialized, imagine Michael Bay's Transformers movies. Big budget action scenes, kind of dull but relatable protagonists, hot girls, and Linkin Park. Throw in some storyline and you get butts in theaters seats. Kimi no Na wa follows the same formula, except this time it's big budget thriller scenes, kind of dull but relatable protagonists, a hot guy and a cute girl, and RADWIMPS. Throw in some Japanese traditions and you get butts in theaters seats. While this makes for an enjoyable movie, it does not make for a memorable film. It's like candy. Fun to eat, but it doesn't fill that gaping hole inside you that craves sustenance.

Slightly deeper analysis: Like most commercialized films, the art is fantastic, zero complaints from me. However, the characters and the narrative kind of fall below par. You have Taki, your standard Tokyo boy who's a bit brutish, and you have Mitsuha, your standard country girl who dreams of living in the city. This is all there is to these characters. They are not meant to be some deep character analysis or are really meant to have any kind of impact, they are carefully crafted to invite the viewer to be in their shoes. These two characters swap bodies and experience each other lives and the plot kicks into overdrive (I won't spoil you, but it escalates pretty quickly).
However, major plot events are kind of glossed over with a montage and a RADWIMPS song. It happens several times throughout the movie. Personally, this lack of subtlety makes it hard for me to take the movie seriously, and I wish the movie would have spent more time on developing inner character conflicts than throwing twist after twist at you. If you like plot-driven stories, then you're in for quite a ride! But if your into character-driven stories like I am, the narrative leaves some pretty gaping holes.

Conclusion: That's basically it. A movie that attempts to take you onto a roller coaster of events and emotions, but once the ride is over you move onto the next thing and forget what you just rode. The ride may even leave you on the platform, so you get to watch everyone else have fun while you twiddle your thumbs in boredom. It's a worthwile movie to check out, but don't go in expecting some 10/10 masterpiece that will change how you view the world. Imagine yourself walking into a theater to see the latest Transformers flick, and apply those expectations to Kimi no Na wa.