Less than the sum of its parts, Your Name drowns in an ocean of lackluster writing and direction.

Makoto Shinkai's Your Name. is quite the anomaly for me. While my opinions on a specific anime do shift slightly over time, rarely do they ever change completely. Yet, Your Name. was an example of the latter for me. Years ago, I found it to be a remarkable movie on par with many of the other great modern anime films we place on a pedestal. But now, years later, I find it to be subpar at best. Nevertheless, in these past few years, I have not been able to pinpoint exactly why that is. Perhaps writing a review will allow me to put my opinion into words.

Story – 4/10

I’d say the storyline of Your Name. can be divided into two parts. The first would be a lighthearted slice-of-life comedy following two teenagers coping with body-swapping shenanigans. This section of the story ends after a highly enjoyable montage that is paired with a great song from RADWIMPS. The second part of the plot would revolve around the mystery regarding the body-swapping phenomenon, the conflict it brings, and… How it is used to save a town from impending doom?
… One of those aspects is not like the others. I’ll cover that in a moment though. For now, I wish to cover how these two sections function in the film. By all means, they are not equal. In this context, ‘equal’ is said in regard to both the quality of these sections as well as the length of the two. While the first part of this film is definitely enjoyable, it forces the film to delegate the majority of the exposition to the second part. At most, it establishes the “relationship” between our two protagonists – though that in itself is flawed. Nevertheless, if the film chose to shave off some of the more serious elements found later in the film and lean more heavily on lighthearted relationship building, I think I would have been writing a more glowing review.
Critiquing the second part of this film is quite the task to be honest. There are so many aspects that feel incredibly disjointed. As a result, it’s hard to point to one exact moment that the film failed to execute properly. As such, I apologize if it sounds like I’m just listing one plot element after another. Firstly, the film takes a couple of moments that bring the story to a screeching halt in order to explain the mechanics of the body-swapping phenomenon. I say ‘mechanics’ but in reality, it’s vague spiritual principles. I would argue that this is the metaphorical rug that the film uses to sweep its various other flaws under. Such flaws would include the various plot holes found in this film. For example, Taki never learns the name of the town he occasionally resided in. Some would chalk this up to someone forgetting details of their dreams, which would be fine, if the majority of questions one may have about this film’s plot didn’t use this as a veil as well. I have seen various people examine this film extensively to find a proper answer to such questions, but that in itself could be seen as a flaw. A story that is relatively simple shouldn’t require grasping at straws and hypotheticals. Plot holes aside, the film is simply unbalanced. Unsurprisingly, problems arise when you have two lead protagonists that act separately but fail to receive proper development. Much of this film expects you to buy into the connection these two have, but when the film is too busy explaining a phenomenon that shouldn’t be all that convoluted, it’s hard. A supernatural mystery plot does not mesh well with romance, especially in a film format that is constrained by time when compared to a TV series.

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~"My hormonal desire for romantic human connection demands I fall in love with you!"~
#Characters – 3/10
I hope the following sections of the film will be shorter in length. Luckily, the characters not only cause problems for the plot, but also suffer as a result of it. Being that I covered that in the story section, I shouldn’t have to spend too long on this. Quite simply, the two protagonists are cardboard boxes. And I do not say that solely with the intention of saying their characters are bland (though that is true). These are not “characters”. Instead, they are vessels to move the story forward. Mitsuha, aside from being obnoxious (yes, we get it, you want to move to Tokyo), does not make use of the development that she does in fact receive. Believe it or not, she does receive serviceable development in the beginning on the film. What is the problem then? Well, she is shoved to the sidelines in the latter half of it. As a result, Taki is tasked with carrying the weight partway into the film. However, Taki does not receive the same development and suffers as a result. This is a shame because personality-wise, I like him. He really encapsulates a teenage boy. I find him enjoyable to watch. Nevertheless, he does not work on a critical level. The problems I have just mentioned result in a romance that is hard to be engaged in. On a logical level, it makes no sense for these characters to fall in love. They only meet once, and their communication is limited to leaving behind notes. Look, I get it. Hormonal teenagers can be desperate for love. But surely this is not the standard! And in typical Shinkai fashion, they are implied to get together thanks to the final scene of the film.
Every other character is hardly worth mentioning. They do not receive enough screen time to allow the viewer to care for them. Each protagonist has two other characters that are at their side for a fair amount of time during the film. Do they receive sufficient development? No. Additionally, Mitsuha’s family members are important to the plot of the film. But again, no development is to be found. Granted, they are plot devices at best to begin with.
All of this is made worse when there was potential for these characters to be interesting. I think if handled correctly and given appropriate attention, Mitsuha’s dad could have been interesting to watch. In fact, he, as well as a couple of other characters, are given attention in a novel that serves as a supplement to Your Name. I’ll address that at the end of the review though.
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~"My love interest steals character development that should have been mine? Thanks Shinkai."~
#Art – 10/10
I’d like to note that this film is less than the sum of its parts. I say that because the animation and soundtrack are truly amazing and make the film worth watching based on their merits alone. Look at any scene or image of this film and you’ll understand that artistically speaking, Makoto Shinkai and his team are masters of their craft in that regard. All of this becomes even more apparent during the film’s climax, where the visuals are truly a sight to behold. I wish I could have seen this film on the big screen.
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~"Wow, it's falling. Just like my interest in this movie."~
#Sound – 9/10
RADWIMPS, the band responsible for this film’s soundtrack, hits a home run. Regardless of my opinion on the film as a whole, I can’t deny that the songs found throughout the film are great. And at the very least, the background music is fitting for the scenes they accompany.

#Enjoyment – 6/10
Enjoyment normally isn’t something that needs to be thought about extensively. You liked it, didn’t like it, or felt somewhere in between the two. If I were to watch this film for the first time and shared my thoughts immediately after viewing it, I believe I would be very pleased with it. However, given enough time, I’d begin to recognize the flaws found in the film as the flaws aren’t necessarily readily apparent.

#Conclusion:
Like I said at the beginning of this review, Your Name. is an anomaly. Despite my grievances with it, I wholeheartedly suggest watching it once. The visuals and soundtrack alone make it worthwhile, but I do think it’s enjoyable in an initial viewing. However, if you were to watch it again or think about the film extensively, it simply does not hold up well.
Held back by its lackluster plot direction and character development, Your Name. only manages to stay afloat thanks to outstanding visuals and a remarkable soundtrack.
All of this being said however, the novel adaptation of Your Name. was much better in my opinion. I think the story simply works well in that format, and its first-person writing style forces some amount of character development. It’s supplemental novel, Your Name. Another Side ~ Earthbound is also recommended as it gives much needed attention to several characters.