Eye-catcher

Rating: 7/10 (16 January 2018)

Japanese hand-drawn anime featuring a slightly unusual take on the freaky-friday-esque body swapping trope.
In a continuous string of well-drawn dualities on one hand you have Mitsuha, a girl from a small town engrossed in a traditional Shinto upbringing; on the other you have Taki a boy from ultra-modern Tokyo working part-time as a waiter.
The small town is realised with a soft, dreamy sunshine-streaked palette; Tokyo as near photo-realist and futuristic - in both cases, the visuals are handled with real care & attention and quite noticeable: it's a visual treat.
The plot follows 3 main stages, of the 2 main characters realising their predicament, developing each others lives in some way and eventually Taki's efforts to find Mitsuha in the 'real' world. (they can't remember each other's names, hence the title)
Some unexpected turns are found and it really ramps up the tension for a thriller of a denouement.
The voice work here (dubbed into English) is standard fare, and the sound track super poppy which for whatever reason I found faintly amusing.
Very engaging overall and a nice compact running time, recommended.