A beautiful romance, a mess of a science fiction

Rating: 6/10 (4 June 2018)

I, like a good number of others, went into this expecting, not only from the look and feel, but also from the story portrayed in trailers, a similarity to certain other romantic works in terms of style (5 Centimeters per Second, Clannad). And on this account I was not disappointed. The artwork, animations, backgrounds, and lighting effects hold up to all of those other works. For the beauty alone it is worth the watch.
The romance aspect did not quite hit the highs of these other works. I felt the characters didn't have enough time to develop their relationship. To the point of asking myself why they even liked each other in the first place. This was due to another failing in the film;
The science fiction plot felt weak and under developed as well. Which is a shame because I feel like this is a good way to please a wider variety of audience. *SPOILER* The body swapping and the time travel aspect were fine, if not a little confusing, and added for some good comedic moments as well as a genuine shock of realization. The comet story line felt unnecessary, weak, and worst of all took away from the true meat of the romance. I feel like the story would have been better without it. *SPOILER*
Overall this is a highly enjoyable movie, for a wide variety of audiences, but it lacks certain plot developments and focus to have it stand with some of the true greats. It is beautiful and I recommend a watch if for nothing else, but the effort and work dedicated to the visuals.