A Gorgeous and Moving Tale, with Complex Yet Powerful Ideas

Rating: 9/10 (15 March 2019)

This movie was to me one of the biggest surprises of my life; when I heard that the story was about body-swapping, I never expected it to be original or even remotely entertaining. Then I listened to Chris Stuckmann's review of it on youtube, who gave such high praise that I couldn't help but be curious enough to check it out. I was absolutely mesmerized by the end, and am still quite convinced that this is the best animated movie I have ever seen! And I have seen quite a few.
Voice Acting:
Both RyÃ»nosuke Kamiki and Mone Kamishiraishi are excellent. I only watched the original version, and although they are not that different from most Japanese voice actors, they still do a very good job in conveying both frustration and longing and grief. The supporting cast is hardly noteworthy, aside from doing fine in the voice department. Mostly because pretty much all the focus is on the two main protagonists.
Animation:
This movie. Is absolutely gorgeous. Before this, I had never seen such a realistic depiction of our world in anime as this one. The modern town of Tokio looks fantastic and you'd want to book a flight immediately to just walk there in awe. The level of detail is just stunning. The same goes for the lighting, making excellent use of different stages of the sun over the day for beautiful sunsets and lensflares, painting the characters and backgrounds. The characters themselves are also very impressive, particulary how their movements and subtle gestures portray their emotional states.
Music:
It's surprising how little music actually is in this movie, but the few cues that come up are very effective and add a lot of immediate weight.
Plot:
This is perhaps the best aspect about this movie. Without spoiling anything, this movie pulls several twists and turns on the body-swap storyline that you absolutely wouldn't expect, but if you already know, you'd be amazed at how tricky the writing and crafting is that went into this picture. Information is revealed at the right moments to make the most shocking revelations for both the protagonists and the audience the most impactful. The ending is a bit wonky because of how sudden things are established after the conflict, but the final shot will possibly leave you with tears.
Tone:
Another reason why this movie works so well. The direction is pretty subtle and allows for breathing room to attach to the characters in certain emotional moments. Sudden silence is often used to great effect, as well as montages. At a certain point, you want everything that these characters are chasing after, and you are in despair when they are when they find that it is pretty much impossible. It is incredibly effective storytelling and direction.
General concensus:
Looking back at what I wrote, initially there doesn't appear to be much that makes this worthy of being the best animated movie of all time. But this is a gradual process, and by the time the credits role, the brilliance of it is solidly established. It is very grounded and fantastical at the same time, looks gorgeous, and becomes incredibly compelling. 8.7/10