A beautiful piece of art, but the quality of the story is held back by Makoto Shinkai's ability to take that extra step,

Rating: 7/10 (6 March 2017)

I think most of us can safely say that as far as pure direction and art go, Makoto Shinkai's popular new movie called "Your Name" has taken the world by storm. As of now, it has won several large prizes and it's praised by casual watchers and critics alike.
There is no doubt that this is in fact one of Makoto Shinkai's most beautiful pieces of art as far as pure visual fidelity goes. That, in combination with its engrossing soundtrack just allows the movie to speak to the heart directly. This often means that people will refrain from criticising this movie, and i find myself being a lone bird flying in the opposite direction of all the others when it comes to this movie.
The issue i have with this movie doesn't lie in its art, or in its direction. It more lies within the lack of depth in the story itself. Makoto Shinkai is known for using repetitive settings in his movies, as they do tend to sell well.
I just wish Makoto Shinkai would have been a bit more creative in his writing, rather than making me think "oh, it's this again. Not very original." The story is confusing, but once i figured it out it didn't leave me lost in thought and i was honestly disappointed.
That being said, Your Name is still a solid movie with stunning animation and I'd recommend you try watching it yourself. It's not very long and it's definitely worth a watch purely because it looks stunning.