A wondrous experience.

Rating: 9/10 (8 August 2019)

Your Name (2016)
At its heart it's a Japanese body swap comedy drama, but there's a hell of a lot more to it than that. Our boy Taki lives in Tokyo and girl Mitsuha hails from a rural village. There are genuine moments of humour as the two teenagers wake up in each other bodies for a day at a time, a couple of times a week. They return to "themselves" after going asleep with no memory and they try and piece together the previous day with notes left of each others phones and tales recounted by friends.
All in all seemingly a slight twist on a conventional premise but the plot becomes layered by celestial occurrences, time disparities and tragedy. What sounds complicated is wonderfully drip fed and tangible and makes for a compelling tale. The characters and friends have a warmth to them and you'll care about them.
As good as everything sounds so far the most enthralling thing is the animation. It's is right up there with the most beautiful movies i've ever seen. The village and surrounds are exquisite. The details are remarkable. The bustle and movement of Tokyo are magnificently rendered. It genuinely blurs the lines of animation and reality.
This movie is worthy of every acclaim and to be as outstandingly successful as it was in it's homeland. NINE