Your Name

Mitsuha is a teenage girl who lives with her little sister and grandmother in a rural town in Japan. She longs for a life in metropolitan Tokyo – where the cultivated high school student Taki lives and works in an Italian restaurant after school. He, in turn, yearns for a quieter life in an idyllic village. One day, the two wake up to find themselves in the other’s body. A great deal of confusion ensues, for without understanding what exactly is happening, the two have to find their way among strangers in unfamiliar surroundings. The very next day, everything is back to normal, but they continually swap bodies at some time or another. When Mitsuha, in Taki’s body, begins to flirt with his boss in the restaurant, Taki tries to leave messages for Mitsuha. One day, the game of switching between the two ends abruptly, and after extensive research, Taki learns of a dramatic incident which, with his tremendous willpower and the power of one very last body swap, he can at least make easier to endure.
“Your Name” (original title in Japanese: “Kimi no Na wa”) by Japanese anime director Makoto Shinkai is neither defined by a genre nor a target audience and was met with great success: since its premiere in August 2016, it has grossed over USD 358 million. In this respect, it ranks as the most successful animation film in cinema history. The film garnered a large number of nominations and awards, including three Japan Academy Awards. The 45-year-old director attracted a great deal of attention with short films, compilations and two feature films (“The Children Who Chase Lost Voices”, 2011; “Garden of Words”, 2013), before making his international breakthrough with “Your Name”. (kf/as)