"**Your Name.** (Kimi no Na wa.)" is a landmark anime film directed by Makoto Shinkai, produced by CoMix Wave Films, and released in August 2016.
The story follows Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school girl living in the rural town of Itomori, and Taki Tachibana, a high school boy in Tokyo, who suddenly find themselves mysteriously swapping bodies. Their connection across time and space gradually evolves into an epic tale of destiny.
The film grossed over 250 billion yen worldwide, setting the record for the highest-grossing Japanese anime film at the time. The soundtrack by RADWIMPS, including "Zenzenzense," "Sparkle," and "Nandemonaiya," became inseparable from the film, capturing hearts around the world 🌠
With overwhelming visual beauty, music, and a bittersweet yet beautiful love story, this miraculous work opened a new chapter in anime film history ✨
✨ Highlights
🧑 👥 Main Characters
❓ FAQ
🌟 注目コメント
01Makoto Shinkai's Breathtaking Visual Beauty
The overwhelming visual beauty that is synonymous with director Makoto Shinkai reaches its pinnacle in "Your Name."
The Tokyo cityscape, the majestic nature of Itomori, the gradient of the twilight sky—every single cut is as beautiful as a painting.
The scene of the comet crossing the night sky over Itomori is particularly celebrated as one of the finest moments in animation history 🎨
02The Emotion Woven by RADWIMPS' Music
The film score by RADWIMPS is a miraculous soundtrack that becomes completely one with the movie.
"Zenzenzense" became a cultural phenomenon, with its music video surpassing 100 million views even before the film's release. The twilight scene accompanied by "Sparkle"'s piano intro brings tears to every viewer.
"Nandemonaiya" as the ending reportedly left countless audience members unable to stand up in theaters 🎵
03A Miraculous Story Born from Body Swapping
Director Shinkai brilliantly reimagines the classic sci-fi concept of "body swapping" in a modern, romantic way.
Mitsuha and Taki leaving rules for each other's lives and keeping diaries on each other's phones is full of laughter and warmth. The comical exchanges born from contrasts between city and countryside, boy and girl, gradually transform into a deep bond.
This "swapped life" segment serves as the crucial foundation supporting the grand developments in the second half 💫
04A Historic Achievement: Over 250 Billion Yen Worldwide
"Your Name" recorded 25.03 billion yen in domestic box office, an astonishing achievement as the second highest-grossing Japanese film at the time (after "Spirited Away").
It was also a massive hit overseas in China, South Korea, Thailand, and across Europe, recording over 38 billion yen worldwide. No Japanese anime film outside of Studio Ghibli had ever achieved such global success.
This film's success marked a historic turning point that brought Japanese anime films to the attention of international markets 🌍
05The Beautiful Theme Embedded in "Twilight"
The key concept of "twilight" (kataware-doki) represents the threshold between day and night, when the boundary between this world and the other becomes blurred.
Called "kataware-doki" in the Itomori dialect, this moment when two people who should never meet actually do symbolizes Shinkai's delicate worldview.
The red thread of fate, the concept of "musubi" (connection), bonds that transcend time—Japanese aesthetic sensibilities permeate the entire work 🌅
06Mitsuha's Resolve and Itomori's Fate
Mitsuha, feeling suffocated by her closed rural environment, wishes so strongly to leave Itomori that she screams "In my next life, make me a handsome Tokyo boy!"
Yet through the body-swapping experience of Tokyo life, she also comes to realize the importance of her hometown. The conflict between her traditions as a shrine maiden at Miyamizu Shrine and her life as a modern girl is carefully depicted.
Mitsuha's growth and resolve culminate in the most moving way at the story's climax 💪
07Taki's Struggle and the Heartbreak of "Names"
Taki, a high school boy living in Tokyo with an interest in architecture and design, is an ordinary teenager. After the body swapping suddenly stops, he begins searching for Itomori driven by his desire to see Mitsuha.
As his memories fade, Taki running with only the writing on his palm to guide him squeezes the heart of every viewer.
"Who are you?"—the frustration and heartbreak of not being able to remember a name illuminates the deep meaning behind the work's title 😭
08The Philosophy of "Musubi" Woven into Kumihimo Braids
Kumihimo braiding, a key motif of the film, is a traditional Japanese craft of weaving threads together into a single cord.
The "musubi philosophy" spoken by Mitsuha's grandmother Hitoha—that threads connecting, people connecting, time flowing, all of it is "musubi"—embodies the very theme of the work.
The braided cord tied in Mitsuha's hair passing across time and space to Taki's wrist is a beautiful scene that embodies the red thread of fate 🎀
09Sparking a Global "Anime Pilgrimage" Boom
After "Your Name" was released, locations featured in the film—the stairs at Suga Shrine in Tokyo, the Shinjuku pedestrian overpass, the area around Yotsuya Station—became "holy sites" crowded with fans from around the world.
The Itomori landscapes modeled after the Hida region also drew attention, with fans endlessly visiting Hida-Furukawa Station and Lake Suwa.
Few anime films have generated such an intense pilgrimage boom on their own, making a major impact on Japan's tourism industry 🗾
10A Film That Changed the History of Anime Movies
"Your Name"'s success brought revolutionary change to the Japanese anime film industry.
After this work, not only Shinkai's own "Weathering with You" and "Suzume," but also "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train" and "THE FIRST SLAM DUNK" ushered in an era where anime films regularly gross over 10 billion yen.
By completely shattering the notion that "anime movies are for children," this historic work created a culture where audiences of all generations flock to theaters 🏆
Taki Tachibana
A high school boy living in Yotsuya, Tokyo, and one of the two protagonists. He works part-time at an Italian restaurant while harboring an interest in architecture and design. One day, he suddenly experiences the mysterious phenomenon of swapping bodies with a high school girl from an unfamiliar rural town. His straightforward personality and feelings for Mitsuha drive the story forward 🌟
Mitsuha Miyamizu
A high school girl living in Itomori, a fictional town deep in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture, and the other protagonist. While participating in traditional ceremonies as a shrine maiden at Miyamizu Shrine, she feels dissatisfied with her closed rural life and yearns for the city. Her famous line "In my next life, make me a handsome Tokyo boy!" is iconic. She's a heroine who combines inner strength with warmth 💫
Miki Okudera
A senior coworker at Taki's part-time Italian restaurant job. Beautiful and stylish, she's an admired figure with adult charm. She develops feelings for Taki due to Mitsuha's (in Taki's body) behavior during the body swap, but also notices that someone else occupies Taki's heart. She plays an important role toward the story's conclusion ✨
Tsukasa Fujii
Taki's best friend and classmate. With a calm personality, he watches over Taki with curiosity as his friend's behavior drastically changes day by day due to the body swapping. He accompanies Taki on his journey to find Itomori, serving as a reliable presence who continues to support his best friend. An important character who brings realism to the story through his grounded perspective 🤝
Tessie / Katsuhiko Teshigawara
Mitsuha's classmate, commonly known as "Tessie." The son of a construction company owner, he's a boy who loves the occult and conspiracy theories. Usually a jokester, he's a dependable ally who goes all out when Mitsuha is in trouble. His family's construction equipment plays a crucial role in the climactic operation. His subtle feelings for Sayaka are also a highlight 🔧
Sayaka Natori
Mitsuha's best friend and a member of the broadcasting club. Though she has a gentle personality, she understands and cares for Mitsuha more than anyone. Along with Tessie, she's a vital ally who supports Mitsuha, and during the climax she takes on the critical role of calling for the town's evacuation from the broadcast room. The bond of the trio with Mitsuha and Tessie is heartwarming 🌸
