Title: Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name)
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Starring: Michael Sinterniklaas, Stephanie Sheh, Cassandra Morris
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

What It Is: One morning in a small Japanese town young Mitsuha (Sheh) awakes and cannot figure out why everyone is saying she was acting the previous day. Likewise, in Tokyo that same day a young boy awakens to find out he was acting peculiar as well. It turns out that every other day the two of them switch lives. In a constant freaky Friday fix-up. What becomes is an appreciation for one and others lives and the way in which they live them. One that grows into something more.

What We Think: This is a gorgeous, sweeping and at times a gut-wrenching piece of cinema. Not only is there a sense of amazement that a feat like this can work, but that it worked so well. Shinkai is gaining the reputation of being a modern Miyazaki. I disagree with this assessment. Shinkai’s films are more mature in theme and don’t have that magic that Miyazaki brings. So while these two artists both paint with the same style they do so with slightly different brush strokes.

Our Grade: A, What a wonderful little animated film to begin my 2017 with. Full of all the right emotions and brilliantly drawn. All of the voice acting is really good and thankfully it is. That, for me, can crush the entire film. This is the part where I would recommend a film or nah, well I certainly do recommend this and while you’re at it check out 5 cm Per Second one of Shinkai’s other, brilliant films. I think you’ll find it has the same amount of heart behind it that this does  See the film and tell all your friends to see it as well.