Taki writing „I love you“ was so smart because he knew that the name would vanish in the same way that his diary entries did. So he wrote something that was not adressed at Mitsuha’s memory but at her heart. This way, even though they did not remember each other explicitly, they knew there is someone who they dearly love which is why they find another again after all these events.
for me this was like .. kinda hard to explain. The reason they cant remember their names is because of the time. In his time she died, thats why he cant remember her and she cant remember him. Thats why lets call it "fate" did not allow him to write his name but "i love you" instead.
A little translation fact about this movie the Japanese title "Kimi no nawa" translates to "Your Name is?". but it's not an every day phrase it's used when you think you know a person name but aren't sure cause you can't quite see them(like at twilight) Or when you should know some one's name but it escapes you at that moment. It's such a perfect title and it's a real shame it was lost with the English title.
@Brianne Vieira That's a good recommendation. Oh yeah, Suzume is about to run in our local cinema soon. I'm already excited about this one (I watched Your Name in the theatre too, at least the first time anyway).
@Cinema Therapy this same director made another film, Weathering With You, in 2020 AND, a new film out late last year called Suzume. also, another anime director whose work quality is on par with Makoto Shinkai and Hayao Miyazaki is SATOSHI KON. he's super heady. check out his film, PAPRIKA!
Fun fact, when they right dummy and idiot on each others faces, it’s actually a dialect thing. People in the countryside of Japan use Baka for idiot, and people in Tokyo specifically use Aho instead. So they aren’t just calling each other stupid, they are correcting each other’s dialect so they will speak properly in the location they are in
I can't believe that even though i've seen this movie several times, read a lot about symbolism in it and stuff - and i still keep finding out new fun facts about it anyway.
The director of this film, Makoto Shinkai, has created 2 more films since this. “Weathering with you”which I believe is already available in US and “Suzume” which is in the theaters right now in Japan, should be coming to US shortly. Highly recommend both films! Particularly I’m sure Suzume will have you both balling in tears.
I watched Suzume a few days ago. But honestly, it wasn't for me. The story was told kinda out of nowhere. I haven't know/liking the characters when one of the main action hits (it's coming too soon, and just I said before I feel like it's too sudden). I actually tried reading the manga a few years/months back but dropped it at the beginning. The visual and music are really good though, especially the closing song "Kanata Haluka" (I've always a fan of RADWIMPS since Kimi no Nawa(my favorites are Yushinron, Futarigoto and Oshakashama). I've even listened to Kanata Haluka before watching Suzume (it was released a couple months before Suzume released in my country)
Actually both movies your name and weathering with you has books written by Makoto Shinkai. Both books go a little deeper than a movie could. SPOILER: The end of the book Weathering with you gives indeed a hint what happened to Mitsuha and Taki
He is also a genius of DIY anime production: "Voices of a Distant Star was written, directed and produced by Makoto Shinkai on his Power Mac G4 using LightWave, Adobe Photoshop 5.0, Adobe After Effects 4.1 and Commotion 3.1 DV software. Makoto and his then girlfriend, Mika Shinohara, provided the voice acting for the working dub." -- Wikipedia
Im glad that you guys are open minded to watch and review anime. Its really not for kids only. They have deeper meaning and themes that are more with essence and purpose than most even movies or tv shows nowadays. Here’s a few anime movies i would recommend you watch with mental health and deep themes “A silent voice” “Wolf children” “Perfect blue” “Violet Evergarden” “The Garden of Words” “Ride your wave” “Grave of the fireflies” “The girl who leapt through time” “I want to eat your pancreas” “Summer wars”
@Jonah Corpuz that movie is great too, but the overall topics on weathering with you are similar to that of your name. I can be wrong but that’s my take on it. It doesn’t subtract how amazing it is though
I love that the film opens with Taki and Mitsuha as adults, talking about how they both feel like they've lost something important. This helps the audience to get into the same headspace as the characters, since we also don't know what they've lost.
@Miyanoai14 Shinkai has stated the cameos of Mitsuha and Taki are before they have reunited, there is also apparently a wedding photo (huzzah!) in the timeskip, at least in the novel? People are going about their daily lives and still living, as one might expect.. As we're slowly seeing in our actual world.. Some are hit by these disasters, some aren't, but laying the blame at the feet of one person doesn't change things, and that one person can't miraculously save us all.
I don't think the filmwriter felt that the consistency of timelines between 2 of his pieces is that big a deal. They both deal heavily in supernatural / sci-fi elements, but they're also made to admire as one piece to treasure. Not a part of a saga so to speak. Let's just enjoy the movies for how good they are and wait until Mr. Filmwriter officially announces the movies to be interconnected.
A few things you probably missed: 1) You remember the beginning (and the end too) where they talk about having a dream as if something's missing as they get ready for work? Notice how after they wipe their tears they stop to look at their hands... It's the same hand they tried to write each other's name on 2) In China and Japan there is an idea of an invisible red string connecting two destined lovers. Hence symbology of the string. There are other colors on the ribbon that represent other things too. The center white diagonal stripe symbolizing the comet, the blue around it for the lake(s), etc. 3) There's also this big thing about how the god their family worship is actually a fraction of the comet that's given their family powers to save the village. That's how they have the dance and the tradition to honor their god. The comet actually came at least twice before. To make the lake and the god's underworld shrine. Both times also created craters. So the god is actually the comet and gave the family the power to save it's people 4) And the BIG Whopper. Mitsuha wasn't going to write her name on Taki's hand. You see her start to write from left to right in a straight line, here's the many ways you can write her name, but the way she actually writes her name is with a curved stoke, not a straight one. It's seen when at the end of the first day mistuha is in taki's body. She writes on his body (his hand) her own name and begins it with a curved stroke similar to a reverse C. Instead, it's likely she was going to write sukida or すきだ. While you likely don't recognize it, it's actually in the movie. You can see it on your clip at 17:58 😥 And yes, the director/writer, Makoto Shinkai did comment that mitsuha would have written something else other than her name in a Q&A 😥😥😥
@R - G - C we'll never know for sure, but it was said that it was more important for her at that point to convey her feelings. Maybe she knew the magic would erase her name, maybe she was concerned about leaving him with survivor's guilt if the plan fails, maybe she just wanted to write suki da first and was going to write her name after. we'll never know
A lot of people always found it weird why Mitsuha would trade off her cozy life for Taki's hectic city life. I live in a similar place to Mitsuha where it's distant and peaceful, and the ugly truth we're ashamed to admit is that we're afraid that because of how slow our lives move we're stuck in a life where we can't catch up to our dreams. It sounds silly but the city life has always intruiged us, and how it must feel nice to be surrounded by a thousand opportunities. Yes, we are aware it gets busy, and fast, and tiring, but at least you're living life on your own terms. Living a provincial life, because of how peaceful it is, sometimes it dawns on you that your existence is silence as well - nothing to be remembered for. So when this movie came out I felt seen and now I feel okay sharing these feelings about living in the far province. This movie meant so much to me.
I think everyone just wants to experience something different, everyone will envy other people's lives if it's different enough from their own and if it has a very obvious pro.
@Sam as someone who lives the city life everyday: obviously I don't know which city you're in but try keeping things organized is my best advice. Honestly, it's something you get used to but I understand if it's not for everyone
Update: I'm now living in the city and a lot of things have overwhelmed me. My first few days have been too much that I've broken down more times than I can count. It's going to be a month tomorrow and now I can find my footing. Sometimes I feel like Mitsuha, my spirit still travelling back to our province in the hopes of finding comfort in familiarity. But just like Mitsuha, it's like a part of me was always destined to be here - and so I'm gonna continue to strive. Wish me luck.
I love how you mentioned the way you went from “well its an anime for kids” to “ok this is my favorite movie” because a lot of people see anime in the same light as western cartoons where theyre just meant for kids, but in reality anime is just a vessel for storytelling that allows them to do way more than is possible in a live action setting. Some are certainly for kids but theres plenty of anime with complicated and dark themes that are meant for adults to watch and analyze. Great video!
I would HIGHLY recommend "I want to eat your pancreas/Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai" or "Summer Wars". Both stories have the topic of dealing with death and how spending time with others embraces the true meaning of living. Both stories are wonderful and very exciting. You can't help but fall in love with the characters!
Wolf Children From a film standpoint it is an unusual way of telling a story and might be interesting just because of how different it is to mainstream western media. From a therapy standpoint, this film was an eye opening experience that made me feel emotions that I didn't know about before hand and would have thought impossible for me to understand before experiencing this for myself. To put it simply I now have a better understanding of how my empty-nester Mother feels. Which has led me being more receptive to her attempts to stay in contact over the years and so reacting with more empathy.
Wolf Children consistently makes me cry. One of my absolute favorite movies. PS: I love how beautiful and meaningful Shinkai's movies are, but I would still rank Hosoda's stuff above him. And I'm not just saying this because he made the Digimon Movie lol
The biggest part of Mitsuha's "laughter through tears" is that she was going to write the same thing. She was starting to write the characters for "I love you" as well. That's part of why she laughed.
@Michael Margono み does start with a horizontal stroke, there are only two strokes in the character. You could argue that the line is too long for her to be writing her name though. It would be long enough for the kanji in her name but you make a good point that it could be interpreted differently (it also would have taken her too long to write it in comparison to hiragana)
@陳查理 Given where on Taki's hand she started writing, the stroke is too long to be み, and there wouldn't be enough space left on his hand to write the rest of her name in hiragana. We've seen her handwriting previously, and it's pretty good. There's also no reason she'd write her name in hiragana in this situation, as the point of writing your name in hiragana would be to ensure that the reader knows how to pronounce your name, which isn't at play here. It's still ambiguous whether it's a 三 or a す, though, and I think that's intentional. The location of the first stroke is different between the two scenes, so it's even harder to tell what was intended based on how much space was left around the stroke (especially since Mitsuha could also have intended to just write "すき" instead of "すきだ").
The ending is so perfect. The theme of switching places comes to the fore again. They lose their courage when they finally meet face to face, but its when they switch for the final time, this time metaphorically , that they both get the courage to confront each other. They literally physically switch places (on the stairs, not within their bodies this time), and that connection comes through again. Their gazes are also really important throughout the film, She often looks down and away as she is more shy, and He often is defiant, but at the end, as they stand in each others places for the last time, She looks up and him, and he looks down, thus highlighting the pieces of themselves they left within the other as imprints.
This anime is proof that you can take a concept that has been done before and put a twist on it, and even dive more deeper into the concept itself by doing things that others do not. There's going to be comedy when it comes to switching bodies, that's expected, but they still make the comedy work and because that's the surface level, it allows the film to surprise us by going deeper and into new territories.
omg I'm from Japan and Your name 君の名は is my favourite movie ever so I was debating with myself whether to click on this review or not because I was worried you guys might rip my fav movie apart haha. I'm glad instead that it was throughly enjoyed and was pleasantly surprised that even despite culture and language differences the messages and sentiment from the movie actually got across to both of you who are not regular anime watchers. The power of good animation speaks out! Just one thing though Onodera-san, the lady at Taki's part time job is not his boss but just a university student a few years older than Taki and whom he has a crush on (that he grew out of eventually when he fell for Mitsuha later) 😊 By the way this review comes at a perfect timing bec it was on tv 2 weeks ago in Tokyo in celebration of the same director's new film coming out. despite it being 6 years since this movie was released and me watching it a million times already I couldn't help turning on the tv and rewatching it for the nth time. and I thought I wouldn't cry bec I knew everything that was gonna happen and yet I STILL bawled like a baby so to see you guys getting teary eyed at the ending makes me feel like it's not just me haha. Thanks for the therapy advice too and I love your other videos! Keep it up!! 🌟oh just one fun fact for anyone that see this! 🌠The ending where Taki and Mitsuha reunite on the stairs, that happened in-movie in 2022 April. There is a scene where Taki is looking at his job hunting diary and it is 2021 December then it skips to Spring (April) the next year (as in 2022) when all new freshly graduated employees start their new work in Japan. I actually forgot about the dates but I happened to go with some friends to the Shrine where the stairs is at this year literally 2022 April to see the cherry blossoms so now that I realise the significance I feel super super happy I randomly decided to go there at the fated date! 😇
It wasn't brought up beyond 'her hair ribbon'. Her hair ribbon is actually symbolic. It's called the Red Thread of Fate. Here is a bit from wiki; "It is commonly thought of as an invisible red cord around the finger of those that are destined to meet one another in a certain situation as they are "their true love"."
There is something more that really adds a lot to this anime: In Japanese folklore there is something called a "red string of fate." The legend is that when people have a true soul-mate they are connected by an invisible red thread called a red string of fate. This thread means that even after reincarnation they are still connected and will find a way to be together as they are inexorably linked. This is why Mitsuha's hair ribbon is a red thread which they both posses at different times during the story. The movie is about how a love which is strong enough to create a red string of fate cannot be stopped. You will forever be incomplete until you are reconnected to the person on the other end of the thread and a love like that is powerful enough to overcome any obstacle, whether it be distance, time, or even death.
I remember hearing someone say "Miyazaki makes the magical feel like the everyday while Shinkai makes the everyday feel magical" and I think this film is a great example of that
Spot on comparison. Miyazaki does an amazing job creating these special worlds with their own set of rules and unique beings. Shinkai on the other hand makes his stories take place in our own world, and genuinely feels like they *could* happen. Everything, from his photo-realistic animation, to the use of smartphones and current technology, the grounded and not over-the-top characters designs, and backdrops ripped straight from real locales and Japan help to make his films feel real and rooted in today's society
@Gatis Gereišs What I feel that the quote was emphasizing the differences in how Miyazaki and Shinkai use magic in their works. Oftentimes, Miyazaki places the whimsical elements front and center in his narratives, and they go unquestioned by the characters and the audience. Think the wizards and moving castle in Howl's Moving Castle or the spirits and gods of the forests in Mononoke. On the other hand, Shinkai's use of magic and the supernatural is oftentimes a lot more abnormal and mythical. The way Shinkai introduces the body swapping in Your Name and the sunshine girls in Weathering With You as uncommon differs from how Miyazaki would normally incorporate them. Of course, neither director follows the trend all the time. You pointed out a good example of Miyazaki's being The Wind Rises with others being My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. I haven't seen Children Who Chase Lost Voices, but from the bits I have seen and from what I've heard, it seems to make for a good example of when Shinkai breaks the mold as well. Apologies for the wall of text. I also love these movies and find all this very interesting :)
I think the only way I can describe the emotion that this movie gives me, is like being human. Being full of tragedy and sadness, yet still having such wonderful hope and adoration. It is complex and wonderfully funny and tragic when it needs to be. It’s just such a great film
I think that's one of the things that captivates me the most about the Shinkai movies I've seen. Even though I love some more than others, every one has had that essence of living and humanity. It's beautiful.
This was the movie that changed my emotional outlook on life. I was a complete loner beforehand, who pushed most people away and felt only disdain and disappointment in other people, due to a young life of betrayal from my mother, and an overall lack of trust in others due to that. This movie opened my heart to a few emotions I had virtually shut off from a young age, and helped me grow closer to people. It's kinda the point in my life that I began letting people see me, and not just fake myself. The movie is beautiful, and I can only wish I get the chance to find love like theirs someday.
This is one of my fav all time animation! The soundtrack by Radwimps is simply beautiful.... No matter how many times I watch this, it always bring me to tears. Thanks for reacting
The tears usually start for me nearly halfway into the movie, and might stop flowing once or twice for a couple minutes at a time for the entire rest of it. My vision is usually blurry from tears for basically the entire 2nd half. From the visuals, too the music, to the acting. . . The emotions are so strong. My favourite movie by far.
Glad you guys liked this movie! A cool note about the sharpie-handwriting scene: Taki wrote "すきだ" (I love you) and Mitsuha wasn't able to finish writing her name...but she actually wasn't going to write her name in the first place. You can see that in Taki's hand is a long horizontal stroke which isn't how you would start "みつは”, the first stroke is short and to the left. You could argue that she was going for "三葉" which is the Kanji equivalent but its unreasonable to write the second character in what would presumably be a short time. In other words, she was actually going to write something else that starts with a long horizontal stroke...There's not many characters that fit this bill, depending on your handwriting style, but the character す will always start with a long horizontal line in any handwritten form. Which means that she was probably intending to write "すき" (I love you) herself. 10/10 moment.
I remember watching this movie and completely losing it. I cried like I haven't had since I was a child. Just all the emotions flowed out of me, and I just had no control. It was a beautiful moment, and watching this analysis, I am unable to hold back the tears either. I was studying psychology in college at the time I saw the movie, so this is very appropriate for me lol.
I absolutely love this movie. And the twist that they are also time traveling is done perfectly. Another animated movie you should look at is _Howl's Moving Castle._ It tackles war, conscientious objection, pacifism, self-esteem, and belaying your dreams for family.
You guys should check out '5 Centimetres Per Second'. Its made by the same director of Your Name and the story is somewhat similar but its embedded into reality making it so much more relatable to viewers who have been through a romantic relationship that didn't work out.
I think the part that is important when Mitsuha opens her hand to see Taki wrote "I love you" instead of his name is that his name didn't matter. Mitsuha don't need to know his name in that moment, what she needed to know is that someone, somewhere, wanted her to survive, to fight, to go forward. His name was unsignificant. A detail. Taki not only confessed his feelings to her but also saved her life in every way. This film is really one of my all time favorite, everything about it is beautiful. If you haven't yet, I think you should watch AKIRA. Katsuhiro Otomo masterpiece that Americans actually wanted to adapt really bad but still thankfully hadn't, lol #DontTouchAkira It's very very different but Akira influenced so many both in filmaking and storytelling, will it be for anime or live action that I think it's an important watch.
The soundtrack helps too. Even with the language barrier you’ll feel the notes and what they’re trying to convey. Still gives me goosebumps to this day.
From a phycological standpoint, Violet Evergarden would be a great show to go over. Dealing with loss and the switch from war to civilian life is done so well. And she learns what the meaning of love is by writing letters for people who have their own stories to tell.
Movies and works like this just make me respect artistry so much. Everything from the concept to the execution of a piece like this is done on such a high level. The decisions made for every little shot, every music choice, every frame, and every line that was delivered by the actors feel intentional and conceptualized and I can't even conceive of the level of talent required to make it happen.
Your Name is possibly the most beautiful film I've watched. I cry every time I see it 🥲Thank you for the reaction video. The film is a true masterpiece.
18:00 You hit the nail on the head about Mitsuha “laughing through her tears”, but what I also really love about this scene is the message it delivers: Instead of writing his name, Taki chose to tell Mitsuha something even more important, and by doing this he expressed: “This is not about me, this is about you. It’s not important who _I_ am, but how special _you_ are to me.” And despite being unable to remember his name, that’s what ultimately gives her the strength to stand up to her father, to save her village, to survive. Surely you could argue that this was not what he had in mind when doing so, that it was just a teenage boy’s whimsical idea, but even then, sometimes a man ought to be a little stupid in order to make a smart decision... if that makes any sense. ---------------------- You do realize that by asking for more anime suggestions you literally opened Pandora’s box, right? Well then... I agree with the suggestions to watch “Wolf Children” (likely a must-watch for every single parent) and “Howl’s Moving Castle”, and of course Hayao Miyazaki’s two most popular films “Spirited Away” and “Princess Mononoke” are always worth it - you could make three videos about the latter (including a “Psychology of a Hero” and a “Villain Therapy”) and it wouldn’t get boring. Furthermore, after you’ve already done Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”, it would just be proper to do Mamoru Hosoda’s “Belle” which is on one hand one gigantic tribute to the Disney movie but on the other hand still tells an original, quite heartwarming story about a teenage girl having to cope with a tragic loss and how she (literally) finds her voice again, while it’s also picking on certain aspects of modern internet culture. And especially from a filmmaker’s perspective I would recommend all works by Satoshi Kon, most notably “Paprika” for its ingenious depiction of dreams (to me basically the better “Inception”). When it comes to having another “therapy session”, “Perfect Blue” with its story about stalking, toxic fan culture, psychological terror and harassment, rendering the protagonist (and the viewers) increasingly unable to distinguish reality from imagination, might be just your thing, one of the darkest anime films out there, but truly good stuff, and, released in 1997, already relevant back then and yet way ahead of its time.
And then you get into some of the more atmosphere/character driven anime series instead of just movies... Cowboy Bebop, for example. Faye, Jet, Spike, and Ed are quite the unique combination as characters go. The method especially grabs you, the old Film Noir style of presentation. We could spit out a whole list of things, and they'd be at it for months.
I fully endorse your suggested anime films. Wolf Children: The story of a heroic widowed mother raising her two werewolf children (in a world where werewolves are misunderstood), trying to keep their secret. Their is a interesting take in it on child psychology. Howl's Moving Castle: Rumors, gossip, and perception vs the truth. The home life of a wizard. Slowly falling in love. Spirited Away: A child in learns courage and humbles their ego in mystical adventure and personal trial. One character embodies loneliness and their struggle for acceptance getting lost in others greed. Princess Mononoke: A dying man cursed by hate, observes a conflict of man vs man and man vs nature where there is no true villain just multiple people trying to get by in their messed up world.
I'm sure people have mentioned this already but "5 centimeters per second" by the same director as Your Name is also wonderful! Really poignant look at how we separate from the people we love simply because our lives move in different directions. Thanks for looking at this film - loved your commentary guys!
Wolf Children is my favorite movie. It is very good story how two people met and fall in love with ups nad downs, hardship as they start family together and then how their children grows up. It has really good pacing while showing perspective and determination to live thorught problems and overcome them.
I’d love to see you two take on “Weathering with you”! It’s the movie Makoto Shinkai directed after Your Name. It deals with a runaway trying to survive and grief and loss and… well it’s great! I’d love to see you two unpack it. Thanks for your work ❤
Another fun fact, when they were going to write their names on each other's hands, Mitsuha started writing the first character with a line left to right, which doesn't match here name みつは, she was going to write the same thing Taki did, すきだ (I love you)
Something that I keep coming back to, that I love you guys experiencing, is that animation isn't a genre--it's a medium. Anime in particular is viewed through such a specific lens in Western culture, and I cannot begin to tell y'all at this channel how much I appreciate the venture into these movies!! It's such a unique expression/art-form and deserves the appreciation that you have certainly given it. Thank you!
I can't recommend enough The Wolf Children, it's a great story about love, self-discovery and acceptance, it also addresses the struggle of a single parent. It's not a perfect movie but every time I watch it I just bawl my eyes out, the tone in these films is just so kind, so you can't help but feel so emotional.
CAN'T AGREE MORE :') TWC is a masterpiece that is not focusing on romantic plot like many other japanese animes. Definitely love this old but gold movie!
As someone who watched this maybe over 4-5 times now, I'll never get tired of how beautiful and the connections that go throughout the movie. This is the first anime movie (along with A Silent Voice) where it makes me want to watch it over and over again, to the point where I can still feel through the emotions and cry. What I'd love for you guys to react to is "Ride Your Wave"! I recently watched this movie that released not too long ago, and I cried so much throughout the movie. I hope everyone else recommend that they should watch Ride Your Wave!
Your Name is still one of my favorite movies ever. I'm sorry I didn't see you made this video sooner. If you want, you could look at some of Makoto Shinkai's other work too, his latest movie just came out and I can't wait for it to come to the US. Everything that I've seen from him is so beautifully heartfelt and magical. She and Her Cat, Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Garden of Words, Weathering With You, and one of my favorites is Children Who Chase Lost Voices. Shinkai sensei really knows how to astound with beauty and emotion. Some people don't like this film very much, but personally I love it more every time I see it. You can really see how Mitsuha and Taki come to deeply love each other. I don't know Kanji or katakana for myself, but I've been told that in the scene where Taki and Mitsuha are supposed to write their names on each other hands, it's not just Taki who writes "I love you" on Mitsuha's hand, she was also starting to write the same on his hand as well. And that just really pulls at my heartstrings fiercely
You guys should really watch "perfect blue", incredibly well made anime movie with a lot of deep psychological topics that are still very relevant to this day, despite the movie being made in the 90s.
Beautifully made, poignant, emotionally fulfilling, but you also get plenty of laughs, especially when Mitsuha's little sister keeps opening the bedroom door at the worst possible moment.
I watched it when I lived in Japan, when it came fresh out on the market. Sitting in the cinema, everybody watching it for the first time and all people around me just ended up shocked and cried when the meteor hit the village. And after that movie I was like, I want to see that village (which inspiration is Lake Suwa) and I must say it was worth it. I felt like I slipped right inside the movie. Beautiful town and the car ride around Mt. Fuji was very healing.
Yeah, there are animes like Paprika and Perfect Blue that are clearly not for kids. Even Ghibli movies have themes that are very difficult for kids to understand, like Grave of the Fireflies and Princess Mononoke
I know it's kind of a meme how anime overdramatizes everything, but when those over-the-top moments of wind in their hair and their eyes shining with tears, it's the absolutely BEAUTIFUL. That's one of the big things this movie pulls off for me. It doesn't linger on those moments too long, or too little. It finds a happy medium that conveys the emotions it's trying to invoke just right.
If you think about the part where they wrote each others name to remember each other, Taki writes “I love you” because if he wrote his name, it’s just a name without any meaning. So he writes “I love you” which has a deeper meaning.
I recommend "Kotaro Lives Alone". It is a short 10 episode (~30 mins each) series about a 4 year old boy who moves into an apartment on his own. The series follows the boys interactions with his neighbors and other townsfolk. It presents as a silly slice of life anime but actually deals with some deep themes.
A good handful of people think of anime as a genre when it’s really just “animation from Japan.” It’s a medium! Every genre under the sun exists within it *somewhere.* It’s really cool to hear that you guys poked around at some recommendations (even if they didn’t end up being your cup of tea) and I’m SUPER glad to see you found something you both liked!! Your Name is absolutely breathtaking
@fiveoctaves It's funny because people in Japan consider the Disney animated films as "anime" too but in the west there's a clear distinction between the two.
I agree though even people in Japan including Hayao Miyazaki consider "anime" a genre. I understand people sometimes try to distinguish the difference between animation geared towards an exclusively dramatic presentation vs. something more of a caricature-character-feature the way some people differentiate between animation vs. cartoon but anime is anime. One day there might be a different definition but we aren't quite there yet.
Exactly. Calling anime a genre is like calling black and white movies a genre. Oh, you enjoyed that Charlie Chaplin movie? Then you’re gonna love Sin City, it’s in b/w too! 🤣
You guys should really check out Makoto Shinkai’s entire body of work! His original short film “Voice of a Distant Star” was animated / created entirely by himself (or at least mostly) & how he became well known. It’s sorta trippy, but beautiful. Also the original voice acting was him & his wife (if I’m remembering right). “Weathering with You” is also so wonderful & thought provoking (though it’s divisive for some). Also would really be interested in your guys’ viewpoints on “Belle” which has some interesting sci-fi & social media ideas, but also tells the “Beauty & the Beast” story as more found family, dealing with trauma, & friendship & not really a romance (though there are other romantic aspects to the story). Plus, I just really love how it deals with grief.
I've only seen a few people recommend this one, but please watch 5 Centimeters Per Second. It's directed by the same person who made this film but is a completely different tone compared to Your Name. I just recently watched it and it's left me feeling all sorts of emotions because of how beautiful the ending is. Definitely my favorite film from Makoto Shinkai
6:37 you are wondering how they animated this. Well, Makoto Shinkai is known for creating movies where EVERY frame is hand drawn and this is actually the case here. The successor to Your Name, Weathering With You, is completely hand drawn as well ^^ Makes it even more astonishing tbh.
I am sure many others have already suggested this, 'A silent voice' (Koe no Katachi) would be a fantastic movie for you both to view privately or for the show. It has a focus on depression and suicide but is wonderfully heartwarming. Because these two movies were released in the same year there is lot of contention as to which is the better but honestly they are both great.
My favorite part is when he drinks the sake and is transported into experiencing her being born and important moments the symbol of her red hair tie is the string of fate! No matter what life or time they are meant to be together and they captured that perfectly
Chiming in with another vote for Grave of the Fireflies. It's older so not going to be as visually stunning as Your Name, but the story of siblings trying to survive in WWII Japan is real, raw and heartbreaking.
@Don't Panic I'm not saying it isn't beautifully drawn, just that it came out in 1988. It would be like comparing hand drawn Disney with Pixar era works. Snow White (or the Fox and the Hound if we want to stick to 80's) might have been visually stunning and groundbreaking for it's time, but modern technology allows for so much more.
Are you trying to drown them in their own tears? Yes- agreed- this feels like essential watching. Another film that will ruin your life but is excellent, that has similar themes, is "Nobody Knows" by Hirokazu Koreeda.
I would recommend *“Belle - the dragon and the freckled princess”* It’s absolutely beautiful and has a lot about Loss, healing, self esteem, social media (benefits and downsides) and domestic abuse. Also the music is spectacular
Weathering with you is up there with your name! Such a beautiful film with an amazing soundtrack 🤩 or Ride your wave would be a nice film to analyze from the therapeutic perspective 🙂
Another amazing anime film by the same director is Weathering With You. Those two are two of my favorites of all time and I love watching new people experience them. And yes, I do tear up EVERY TIME.
I know it's a series (really short one though) not a standalone movie but Violet Evergarden is so good - you have to watch it and comment on it at some point. Visually, musically, world building and from directed side is stunning, but also the story and the character development is nearly second to none. World in scars of war, dealing with the trauma because of loss of the loved one (and learing what "love" really is), as well as inspiriring others with our own actions while constantly looking for your place in the world... I have a feeling you would love Violet Evergarden the same as not even more than "Your Name" :)
I would highly recommend "Wolf Children" both the sub and dub are fantastic and the story centered around Hana's motherhood and children caught in between worlds and learning to grow up together even if they choose different paths is utterly phenomenal!
I watched this right after my little one was born when i felt very anxious, and it meant the world to me. Boy and the beast is great to. It made me bawl
The thing about this movie is that it makes me feel so deeply appreciative and grateful for everything that I have. Again, with the perspective storytelling, it goes so far out of the way to display just how lucky we are to live the lives that we do, and that everything we have is everything that someone else wants. Beyond that, it goes as far as to include the people we have in our lives in that demographic. With there being now 8 billion people on the planet, in my mind, there is no end to the depth of meaning derived from our closest friendships. There truly is nobody else like them on the entire planet, or in any other time. I love this movie.
I love how it feels like after the moment they establish contact with each other, the switches pretty much turned into "dates". That's why they're already in love. They know about each other's lives, but their communications with each other is why fell so hard for one another because they knew their flaws and dislikes. Their argument even sounds like one couples typically have on their off days.
This movie is honestly one of the greatest animated movies ever made. It's so maddening this movie wasn't nominated for an academy award because it deserved it if not an outright win. I just wish people took animation, in general, more seriously because theyre able to do incredible things like this movie.
Shinkai Makoto is one of two currently living Japanese animation directors (the other is Hosoda Mamoru) that are absolutely DOMINATING the genre. Absolute geniuses with an incredible body of work.
So, I watched about half this video before I decided to pause and go watch the movie without any more spoilers. Oh My God you were not joking. This movie is phenomenal. It left me shaken. Thanks for the good taste in movies, you two
I think another thing that's implied to explain why they forget each other is that Taki went to the "underworld" in order to find Mitsuha again, and as Mitsuha's grandmother said earlier in the film, you must give something up to return, hence Taki loses his memories. There is so much incredible symbolism, both overt and subtle, woven throughout this film that really just takes it up a level with every rewatch. I read somewhere that Shinkai wanted to build from the idea of seeing someone for the first time and having the inexplicable feeling of knowing them...and man did he nail that. I'm so glad you covered this film, you articulated so many things that I love about it. Thank you so much!!
@Iaxacs also a fun fact about Weathering with you, is that it is in continuity with Your Name. In one scene, we see Mitsuha’s friends, and they are together.
Shinkai loves having his plots revolve around different themes of love. The movie he made after "Weathering With You" has a theme about fighting against fate itself to be with the one you love, consequences be damned. He creates such unique romance stories because of this approach
The subbed version in the original language is, in this particular movie, infinitely better than the dubbed version. The scene where Mitsuha is trying to explain to Taki's friends why it was already lunchtime before making an appearance at school depends upon it, as Japanese has at least a half-dozen ways of expressing the first-person pronoun "I": Mitsuha, being a girl, immediately jumps straight to the word "watashi", which is used primarily by women, and upon being made aware of her mistake, works her way progressively up the masculinity scale to the very masculine "ore" that a boy would normally use. That nuance is utterly lost in dubbing.
I really appreciate these videos. Each of your guys’ unique backgrounds add really interesting commentary and deepen my appreciation of some of my favorite movies. I hope you keep making these! I get something valuable out of these.
I don't know if it's been mentioned yet or not, but "5 Centermeters Per Second" is a very beautiful anime movie. If memory serves me right it's by the same director of "Your Name". Honestly I'd say to watch all of his movies....they are all breath taking both in style and story ☺️.
It takes a lot to make me cry. I'm also not particularly fond of either anime or romance movies. This movie not only had me crying, but has become one of my favorite movie experiences ever. That's not small praise. It's *phenomenal*.
Seeing you cry, seeing your passion, Alan you do yourself a disservice. You are equipped to make this movie. I believe in you. I know I'm one of many strangers staring at you both through a screen. So what could I possibly know? So you're right, I don't *know* but I feel it like I feel the touch of my grandmother's love in every gentle breeze, every raindrop in the summertime, in every peaceful 3 A.M. snowfall. You've got this Alan, don't trust me, trust yourself. ❤️🖤
I feel like "I want to eat your pancreas" (kimi no suizou wo tabetai) is really undertalked and deserves an opportunity to be reviewed by you two guys. It is such a heavy, bittesweet, and tearjerking drama but also very very heartwarming. Even when it straightforward tells you what you have to brace for, it still catches you off guard, just like life itself. I really really recommend it.
@Rimu N The ending doesn't struck me as anything much as I didn't have much of an expectation for it. I watched it blindly as well and I was only hooked to see the little giant grow. Other than that, I really do not care. So I understand your POV there.
@Asriel Cypher I rarely watch anime these days but someone pulled me into watching Ranking of Kings and it was a great beginning marked by one of the worst anime endings. Absolutely ruined it for me. I understand the idea of redemption, but that show had absolutely no consequences in a really crazy way. A lot of people die and it's resolved in like 5 mins.
Makoto Shinkai is my favorite anime movie director, I love his use of the environment as a main tool in his storytelling. He also loves cats, trains and cellphones, they are core to his movies a lot of the time. Also, quick note: I analyzed him as a director for a uni assignment a few years ago and realized that his movies get "happier" with every new release, I watched them newest -> oldest and they just got darker and darker, with not so happy-endings, it really made me feel the pain.
Tasokare, also called Kawatare, (twilight or magic hour), and Musubi (union), are two of the most profound motifs throughout this anime film. I wish you had included a scene of a female teacher explaining to students what "Kawatare-doki" is. It would helped viewers understand what is happening when Taki and Mitsuha finally meet in person on the ridge of the crater overlooking the secret site of Miyamizu shrine's god. Sensing each other's presence, they call their names. They can hear their voices but are unable to see each other. Taki and Mitsuha extend their arms toward each other only to cut through the air. A moment later, the magic hour (kawatare-doki) begins, and Taki and Mitsuha are united (musubi) in the same space-time continuum for a brief moment.
If you loved Your Name on any way shape or form, Weathering with You is the next movie you need to watch. ❤️❤️ It is from the same writers/company that made Your Name and it is just as beautiful. ❤️
I fell in love with Makoto Shinkai's work with Voices of a Distant star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Both being emotional stories in Sci Fi Settings much like this one. Voices is probably a bit dated nowadays but still an interesting story. Place is great looking and i think at least a good story as well
As a child of a single mother, Wolf Children really hits different. It's really good, realistic and emotional. Also, if you want a gut-punching anime film, go watch Grave of the Fireflies. It's a Studio Ghibli film but man was it so different to the usual feel good movies they make. I believe it was first shown back to back with Totoro in US because of how heavy it is. This is a must watch for everyone. You'll come out as a totally different person and your life is changed forever. Your whole perspective is just altered. It's so memorable I still find myself thinking about it a decade after I watched it (I never rewatched it again because I just can't).
Yup, Wolf Children hits soooo hard for children of a single mother. I cried all the way through. And all the bits about family history and transmission... It's so great.
because there were a lot of suggestions about Wolf Children so I checked it out. Honestly, I think Alan and Jono won't like this movie too much, maybe because of the man-wolf relationship, it's weird and I personally don't like a few scenes in the movie. The movie is just pretty average I think.
I would definitely suggest checking out weathering with you if you enjoyed your name! It's another one of makoto shinkai's films, and it's considered to be up there right along with your name. Absolutely loved it.
@Viana Rose Nguyen that'll do it🤣 I watched your name first but for some reason was hesitant to watch weathering with you, for I don't even know what reason. I don't know why it seemed like I wouldn't like it, now they're both my top 2 anime films. I have no idea why I didn't decide to watch it earlier
I made the mistake of watching Weathering With You before I healed from Your Name since it’s so often recommended together XD. In retrospect it was a beautiful movie but I kind of ruined it for myself since I’ll never get a second chance at watching it for the first time haha
Fek... the ending! Gets me every time! Great reaction... really like this new reaction format and the fact that you guys do anime as well. Two US white bro's analysing a romantic anime and getting in the feels at the end, wouldn't have happened 30 years ago, no way. Keep it up and thank you.
Whoa, wasn’t expecting this film to come up on this channel! It was enlightening to hear it dissected from a therapeutical standpoint, and lovely seeing both of your reactions to the story and characters. If this hasn’t been suggested yet, the animated film “Paprika” might be a fitting subject for the channel. It’s a sci-fi/mystery involving a group of psychologists and a device that lets people share dreams with each other-but gets hacked by terrorists to destroy patient’s minds.
I'll say it. I love watching Alan cry. It makes me feel safe to cry and thus: the waterworks begin. I love John as well. I wish I could book an appointment for family counseling with him. My sister and I are not talking right now, we both have deep seeded trauma and mental health issues.
The moment that Mitsuha opens her hand and sees "I love you" on her hand, that was the moment that broke me in this movie. I had liked it up till that point, had an interesting premise and beautiful art, but that was the moment I was fully immersed and wanted everything to work out.
My boyfriend's friend and I had seen this, and we convinced my boyfriend to watch it too. We were doing it virtually, and at the point she opens her hand, we heard his friend throw his keys across the room. 🤣🤣🤣
This is a film done by Makoto Shinkai, he has won awards for his animation cinematography. His animation is out of this world. Check out his other works, Place Promised in our Early days, 6 Centimeters, Garden of Words, Weather Girl, etc.
I want to recommend steins gate. It is not a movie but it has such great... Everything. Mostly claustrophobic angles and descend into madness, they are pure gold. But it is such an interesting pot full of emotions and character study's. Every single character could be a master class. Even till the side characters!
Loved this video! As for reccomendations, I feel like almost all of the Ghibli movies are worth a watch. Whisper of the Heart is one of the most special movies to me, it's not as fantastical or magical as other anime they might have but always manages to warm my heart and break it at the same time.
I just watched this for the first time and its literally the best movie I have ever seen. It was so good I literally just started rewatching the moment it finished.
Thank you for reviewing this beautiful film. My animation recommendation would be the wonderful Whisper of the Heart, a Ghibli movie where the everyday becomes wondrous and magical. I feel like almost everything I can tell you about it would spoil the experience of watching it for the first time, so I'll just say that it tells the story of a 14-year-old girl who loves reading but is lost as to what direction she wants to follow in her life. I think there is a lot to say about her relationship with her parents, her older sister, her best friend and some other friends she makes along the way (including a mocking cat!).
I’m so glad y’all enjoyed Your Name so much! I hope y’all will continue doing more anime, especially more studio ghibli movies!! Howl’s moving castle has a great love story, interesting themes of self-perception, and it’s my go-to recommendation for people who wanna try anime ☀️
It's my favorite Ghibli movie! So different from the book, but both versions are awesome. I recommend Ghibli and Mamoru Hosoda for getting into anime movies, and Cowboy Bebop and Trigun for those who want to try the shows.
This movie has so many layers. Her grandma says about Musubi, which is was a Warden of their temple. Mitsuha keeps sewing and her grandma says that they represent the flow of time, a divine art, and also the connection between people. Her grandma also mentions that she had these dreams in the past, kinda like Mitsuha, which implies she also was affected by the Warden's power. Mitsuha created a Sake with her own saliva, and offered to the gods - which represents half of her. This is the same Sake Taki drinks to reconnect with Mitsuha one last time, since her another half was killed by the asteroid. Everything in this movie is because of Musubi.
I love watching your therapeutic and cinematic takes on movies, and hearing the melody at the beginning of every episode gives me so much joy 😊I love anime as well and you two watching an anime movie made me so surprised and so so happy!!! I would love it if you watched Bakemono no Ko which is my favorite anime movie, but maybe Belle would be better for therapy. I would enjoy either, or any other movie so I will eagerly await the next one :)))
I also love this movie. I am lucky enough to live in Japan and understand Japanese language and culture that I get all the references and smaller details some people might miss. But I will admit that I am stunned that Japanese life, both in the city and countryside, is depicted so beautifully and so flawlessly. On a different note, I would love your take on the movie Lake house. Though I am aware it’s not at all the same genre or body-swapping idea, the movie touches on the idea of two people “meeting” and then finding their way to each other through time. I love the movie, even through some of the bad acting, but I am fascinated at how the story wraps back on itself so brilliantly. Also love the relationship. I would love you take on both the relationship and the movie. P.S.: Two other great anime are “5 centimeters per second”, “The girl who leapt through time” and “The garden of words” P.P.S.: I have one last recommendation. A Japanese movie (NOT the anime) called “Ping Pong”. It might only come with subtitles, but I promise you both that you will love the movie for the characters, the relationships and the movie itself. Just brilliant.
Taki writing „I love you“ was so smart because he knew that the name would vanish in the same way that his diary entries did. So he wrote something that was not adressed at Mitsuha’s memory but at her heart. This way, even though they did not remember each other explicitly, they knew there is someone who they dearly love which is why they find another again after all these events.
Bruh istg this movie is peak
Messages of love are protected in japanese mythology. It wont be erased because, I think Tsukiyomi, protects it.
I did not think of that fact but damn that makes so much sense. Thank you!!
for me this was like .. kinda hard to explain. The reason they cant remember their names is because of the time. In his time she died, thats why he cant remember her and she cant remember him. Thats why lets call it "fate" did not allow him to write his name but "i love you" instead.
i was today years old when i discovered he didn't write his name
A little translation fact about this movie the Japanese title "Kimi no nawa" translates to "Your Name is?". but it's not an every day phrase it's used when you think you know a person name but aren't sure cause you can't quite see them(like at twilight) Or when you should know some one's name but it escapes you at that moment. It's such a perfect title and it's a real shame it was lost with the English title.
@Brianne Vieira
That's a good recommendation. Oh yeah, Suzume is about to run in our local cinema soon. I'm already excited about this one (I watched Your Name in the theatre too, at least the first time anyway).
@Cinema Therapy this same director made another film, Weathering With You, in 2020 AND, a new film out late last year called Suzume.
also, another anime director whose work quality is on par with Makoto Shinkai and Hayao Miyazaki is SATOSHI KON. he's super heady. check out his film, PAPRIKA!
More like "I already know your name but it has escaped me" - that's my opinion
That's cool. Thanks for sharing!
Fun fact, when they right dummy and idiot on each others faces, it’s actually a dialect thing. People in the countryside of Japan use Baka for idiot, and people in Tokyo specifically use Aho instead. So they aren’t just calling each other stupid, they are correcting each other’s dialect so they will speak properly in the location they are in
I can't believe that even though i've seen this movie several times, read a lot about symbolism in it and stuff - and i still keep finding out new fun facts about it anyway.
I love that, and also realized that Mitsuha called Taki "aho" when they saw eachother 🥲
That "I love you" scene hits you harder than the comet...
Truth!
The director of this film, Makoto Shinkai, has created 2 more films since this. “Weathering with you”which I believe is already available in US and “Suzume” which is in the theaters right now in Japan, should be coming to US shortly. Highly recommend both films! Particularly I’m sure Suzume will have you both balling in tears.
I watched Suzume a few days ago. But honestly, it wasn't for me. The story was told kinda out of nowhere. I haven't know/liking the characters when one of the main action hits (it's coming too soon, and just I said before I feel like it's too sudden). I actually tried reading the manga a few years/months back but dropped it at the beginning.
The visual and music are really good though, especially the closing song "Kanata Haluka" (I've always a fan of RADWIMPS since Kimi no Nawa(my favorites are Yushinron, Futarigoto and Oshakashama). I've even listened to Kanata Haluka before watching Suzume (it was released a couple months before Suzume released in my country)
YES!!! I can't WAIT for Suzume!!!!
Japan should devote some of its GDP to making sure Shinkai is wrapped in bubbles and goes nowhere dangerous.
Actually both movies your name and weathering with you has books written by Makoto Shinkai. Both books go a little deeper than a movie could.
SPOILER: The end of the book Weathering with you gives indeed a hint what happened to Mitsuha and Taki
He is also a genius of DIY anime production: "Voices of a Distant Star was written, directed and produced by Makoto Shinkai on his Power Mac G4 using LightWave, Adobe Photoshop 5.0, Adobe After Effects 4.1 and Commotion 3.1 DV software. Makoto and his then girlfriend, Mika Shinohara, provided the voice acting for the working dub." -- Wikipedia
Im glad that you guys are open minded to watch and review anime. Its really not for kids only. They have deeper meaning and themes that are more with essence and purpose than most even movies or tv shows nowadays.
Here’s a few anime movies i would recommend you watch with mental health and deep themes
“A silent voice”
“Wolf children”
“Perfect blue”
“Violet Evergarden”
“The Garden of Words”
“Ride your wave”
“Grave of the fireflies”
“The girl who leapt through time”
“I want to eat your pancreas”
“Summer wars”
You know someone has never given anime any real chance if they're locked into the mentality that it must be for kids.
@Jonah Corpuz that movie is great too, but the overall topics on weathering with you are similar to that of your name. I can be wrong but that’s my take on it. It doesn’t subtract how amazing it is though
I’d love to see them review ride your wave. The movie is superficially bubbly and colorful, but deep down there are some real topics to be discussed
Yes wolf children genuinely ruined me 😭
Reacting to multiple seasons of a series is a whole lot of work but man I want to know their thoughts on Mob Psycho 100
I love that the film opens with Taki and Mitsuha as adults, talking about how they both feel like they've lost something important. This helps the audience to get into the same headspace as the characters, since we also don't know what they've lost.
Loved that movie
@Miyanoai14 Shinkai has stated the cameos of Mitsuha and Taki are before they have reunited, there is also apparently a wedding photo (huzzah!) in the timeskip, at least in the novel?
People are going about their daily lives and still living, as one might expect.. As we're slowly seeing in our actual world.. Some are hit by these disasters, some aren't, but laying the blame at the feet of one person doesn't change things, and that one person can't miraculously save us all.
I don't think the filmwriter felt that the consistency of timelines between 2 of his pieces is that big a deal. They both deal heavily in supernatural / sci-fi elements, but they're also made to admire as one piece to treasure. Not a part of a saga so to speak. Let's just enjoy the movies for how good they are and wait until Mr. Filmwriter officially announces the movies to be interconnected.
Well the entire movie is framed as a flashback not of the memories but the emotions, as they all come flooding back.
Hi Trina 😂
A few things you probably missed:
1) You remember the beginning (and the end too) where they talk about having a dream as if something's missing as they get ready for work? Notice how after they wipe their tears they stop to look at their hands... It's the same hand they tried to write each other's name on
2) In China and Japan there is an idea of an invisible red string connecting two destined lovers. Hence symbology of the string. There are other colors on the ribbon that represent other things too. The center white diagonal stripe symbolizing the comet, the blue around it for the lake(s), etc.
3) There's also this big thing about how the god their family worship is actually a fraction of the comet that's given their family powers to save the village. That's how they have the dance and the tradition to honor their god. The comet actually came at least twice before. To make the lake and the god's underworld shrine. Both times also created craters. So the god is actually the comet and gave the family the power to save it's people
4) And the BIG Whopper. Mitsuha wasn't going to write her name on Taki's hand. You see her start to write from left to right in a straight line, here's the many ways you can write her name, but the way she actually writes her name is with a curved stoke, not a straight one. It's seen when at the end of the first day mistuha is in taki's body. She writes on his body (his hand) her own name and begins it with a curved stroke similar to a reverse C. Instead, it's likely she was going to write sukida or すきだ. While you likely don't recognize it, it's actually in the movie. You can see it on your clip at 17:58 😥
And yes, the director/writer, Makoto Shinkai did comment that mitsuha would have written something else other than her name in a Q&A 😥😥😥
@R - G - C we'll never know for sure, but it was said that it was more important for her at that point to convey her feelings.
Maybe she knew the magic would erase her name, maybe she was concerned about leaving him with survivor's guilt if the plan fails, maybe she just wanted to write suki da first and was going to write her name after. we'll never know
Why wouldn't she write her name on his hand?
A lot of people always found it weird why Mitsuha would trade off her cozy life for Taki's hectic city life.
I live in a similar place to Mitsuha where it's distant and peaceful, and the ugly truth we're ashamed to admit is that we're afraid that because of how slow our lives move we're stuck in a life where we can't catch up to our dreams.
It sounds silly but the city life has always intruiged us, and how it must feel nice to be surrounded by a thousand opportunities.
Yes, we are aware it gets busy, and fast, and tiring, but at least you're living life on your own terms.
Living a provincial life, because of how peaceful it is, sometimes it dawns on you that your existence is silence as well - nothing to be remembered for.
So when this movie came out I felt seen and now I feel okay sharing these feelings about living in the far province. This movie meant so much to me.
I think everyone just wants to experience something different, everyone will envy other people's lives if it's different enough from their own and if it has a very obvious pro.
@Sam as someone who lives the city life everyday: obviously I don't know which city you're in but try keeping things organized is my best advice. Honestly, it's something you get used to but I understand if it's not for everyone
Update: I'm now living in the city and a lot of things have overwhelmed me. My first few days have been too much that I've broken down more times than I can count.
It's going to be a month tomorrow and now I can find my footing. Sometimes I feel like Mitsuha, my spirit still travelling back to our province in the hopes of finding comfort in familiarity.
But just like Mitsuha, it's like a part of me was always destined to be here - and so I'm gonna continue to strive. Wish me luck.
I love how you mentioned the way you went from “well its an anime for kids” to “ok this is my favorite movie” because a lot of people see anime in the same light as western cartoons where theyre just meant for kids, but in reality anime is just a vessel for storytelling that allows them to do way more than is possible in a live action setting. Some are certainly for kids but theres plenty of anime with complicated and dark themes that are meant for adults to watch and analyze. Great video!
It’s really interesting because I remember in school we learned that the first cartoons from the 1930s were intended for adults.
I would HIGHLY recommend "I want to eat your pancreas/Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai" or "Summer Wars".
Both stories have the topic of dealing with death and how spending time with others embraces the true meaning of living.
Both stories are wonderful and very exciting. You can't help but fall in love with the characters!
OMG Summer Wars is just so a great movie like this one
From those, have only seen "Can I eat your pancreas?" and Id totally love their take on it.
Wolf Children
From a film standpoint it is an unusual way of telling a story and might be interesting just because of how different it is to mainstream western media.
From a therapy standpoint, this film was an eye opening experience that made me feel emotions that I didn't know about before hand and would have thought impossible for me to understand before experiencing this for myself. To put it simply I now have a better understanding of how my empty-nester Mother feels. Which has led me being more receptive to her attempts to stay in contact over the years and so reacting with more empathy.
This!
Wolf Children consistently makes me cry. One of my absolute favorite movies.
PS: I love how beautiful and meaningful Shinkai's movies are, but I would still rank Hosoda's stuff above him. And I'm not just saying this because he made the Digimon Movie lol
WOLF CHILDREN FTW
Yes, I recommend Wolf Children too! There's plenty for Jono to talk about, and plenty for Alan to cry about.
Another vote for Wolf Children!! Such a beautiful film.
The biggest part of Mitsuha's "laughter through tears" is that she was going to write the same thing. She was starting to write the characters for "I love you" as well. That's part of why she laughed.
She only got one line before it ended. It could very well have been the top of "Mi" (み). But I'd like to think you're right. 😭
The first stroke could have been the top of "mi" for Mitsuha, but that would be cute too.
@Michael Margono み does start with a horizontal stroke, there are only two strokes in the character. You could argue that the line is too long for her to be writing her name though. It would be long enough for the kanji in her name but you make a good point that it could be interpreted differently (it also would have taken her too long to write it in comparison to hiragana)
@陳查理 Given where on Taki's hand she started writing, the stroke is too long to be み, and there wouldn't be enough space left on his hand to write the rest of her name in hiragana. We've seen her handwriting previously, and it's pretty good. There's also no reason she'd write her name in hiragana in this situation, as the point of writing your name in hiragana would be to ensure that the reader knows how to pronounce your name, which isn't at play here.
It's still ambiguous whether it's a 三 or a す, though, and I think that's intentional. The location of the first stroke is different between the two scenes, so it's even harder to tell what was intended based on how much space was left around the stroke (especially since Mitsuha could also have intended to just write "すき" instead of "すきだ").
@Niko N
み is written like this in hiragana.
三葉 is the kanji
すきだ is I like you
So all actually start with a horizontal line.
The ending is so perfect. The theme of switching places comes to the fore again. They lose their courage when they finally meet face to face, but its when they switch for the final time, this time metaphorically , that they both get the courage to confront each other. They literally physically switch places (on the stairs, not within their bodies this time), and that connection comes through again. Their gazes are also really important throughout the film, She often looks down and away as she is more shy, and He often is defiant, but at the end, as they stand in each others places for the last time, She looks up and him, and he looks down, thus highlighting the pieces of themselves they left within the other as imprints.
This anime is proof that you can take a concept that has been done before and put a twist on it, and even dive more deeper into the concept itself by doing things that others do not. There's going to be comedy when it comes to switching bodies, that's expected, but they still make the comedy work and because that's the surface level, it allows the film to surprise us by going deeper and into new territories.
omg I'm from Japan and Your name 君の名は is my favourite movie ever so I was debating with myself whether to click on this review or not because I was worried you guys might rip my fav movie apart haha. I'm glad instead that it was throughly enjoyed and was pleasantly surprised that even despite culture and language differences the messages and sentiment from the movie actually got across to both of you who are not regular anime watchers. The power of good animation speaks out! Just one thing though Onodera-san, the lady at Taki's part time job is not his boss but just a university student a few years older than Taki and whom he has a crush on (that he grew out of eventually when he fell for Mitsuha later) 😊 By the way this review comes at a perfect timing bec it was on tv 2 weeks ago in Tokyo in celebration of the same director's new film coming out. despite it being 6 years since this movie was released and me watching it a million times already I couldn't help turning on the tv and rewatching it for the nth time. and I thought I wouldn't cry bec I knew everything that was gonna happen and yet I STILL bawled like a baby so to see you guys getting teary eyed at the ending makes me feel like it's not just me haha. Thanks for the therapy advice too and I love your other videos! Keep it up!!
🌟oh just one fun fact for anyone that see this! 🌠The ending where Taki and Mitsuha reunite on the stairs, that happened in-movie in 2022 April. There is a scene where Taki is looking at his job hunting diary and it is 2021 December then it skips to Spring (April) the next year (as in 2022) when all new freshly graduated employees start their new work in Japan. I actually forgot about the dates but I happened to go with some friends to the Shrine where the stairs is at this year literally 2022 April to see the cherry blossoms so now that I realise the significance I feel super super happy I randomly decided to go there at the fated date! 😇
It wasn't brought up beyond 'her hair ribbon'. Her hair ribbon is actually symbolic. It's called the Red Thread of Fate. Here is a bit from wiki;
"It is commonly thought of as an invisible red cord around the finger of those that are destined to meet one another in a certain situation as they are "their true love"."
There is something more that really adds a lot to this anime: In Japanese folklore there is something called a "red string of fate." The legend is that when people have a true soul-mate they are connected by an invisible red thread called a red string of fate. This thread means that even after reincarnation they are still connected and will find a way to be together as they are inexorably linked. This is why Mitsuha's hair ribbon is a red thread which they both posses at different times during the story. The movie is about how a love which is strong enough to create a red string of fate cannot be stopped. You will forever be incomplete until you are reconnected to the person on the other end of the thread and a love like that is powerful enough to overcome any obstacle, whether it be distance, time, or even death.
I remember hearing someone say "Miyazaki makes the magical feel like the everyday while Shinkai makes the everyday feel magical" and I think this film is a great example of that
Spot on comparison. Miyazaki does an amazing job creating these special worlds with their own set of rules and unique beings. Shinkai on the other hand makes his stories take place in our own world, and genuinely feels like they *could* happen. Everything, from his photo-realistic animation, to the use of smartphones and current technology, the grounded and not over-the-top characters designs, and backdrops ripped straight from real locales and Japan help to make his films feel real and rooted in today's society
@Gatis Gereišs What I feel that the quote was emphasizing the differences in how Miyazaki and Shinkai use magic in their works.
Oftentimes, Miyazaki places the whimsical elements front and center in his narratives, and they go unquestioned by the characters and the audience. Think the wizards and moving castle in Howl's Moving Castle or the spirits and gods of the forests in Mononoke.
On the other hand, Shinkai's use of magic and the supernatural is oftentimes a lot more abnormal and mythical. The way Shinkai introduces the body swapping in Your Name and the sunshine girls in Weathering With You as uncommon differs from how Miyazaki would normally incorporate them.
Of course, neither director follows the trend all the time. You pointed out a good example of Miyazaki's being The Wind Rises with others being My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. I haven't seen Children Who Chase Lost Voices, but from the bits I have seen and from what I've heard, it seems to make for a good example of when Shinkai breaks the mold as well.
Apologies for the wall of text. I also love these movies and find all this very interesting :)
I kinda disagreed with it, it's not like Miyazaki cannot make every day feel magical like in The Wind Rises. But I love this movie
I think the only way I can describe the emotion that this movie gives me, is like being human. Being full of tragedy and sadness, yet still having such wonderful hope and adoration. It is complex and wonderfully funny and tragic when it needs to be. It’s just such a great film
I think that's one of the things that captivates me the most about the Shinkai movies I've seen. Even though I love some more than others, every one has had that essence of living and humanity. It's beautiful.
This was the movie that changed my emotional outlook on life. I was a complete loner beforehand, who pushed most people away and felt only disdain and disappointment in other people, due to a young life of betrayal from my mother, and an overall lack of trust in others due to that.
This movie opened my heart to a few emotions I had virtually shut off from a young age, and helped me grow closer to people. It's kinda the point in my life that I began letting people see me, and not just fake myself. The movie is beautiful, and I can only wish I get the chance to find love like theirs someday.
wow! good luck and more courage to you! ❤
This is one of my fav all time animation! The soundtrack by Radwimps is simply beautiful.... No matter how many times I watch this, it always bring me to tears. Thanks for reacting
The tears usually start for me nearly halfway into the movie, and might stop flowing once or twice for a couple minutes at a time for the entire rest of it. My vision is usually blurry from tears for basically the entire 2nd half. From the visuals, too the music, to the acting. . . The emotions are so strong. My favourite movie by far.
Glad you guys liked this movie! A cool note about the sharpie-handwriting scene:
Taki wrote "すきだ" (I love you) and Mitsuha wasn't able to finish writing her name...but she actually wasn't going to write her name in the first place. You can see that in Taki's hand is a long horizontal stroke which isn't how you would start "みつは”, the first stroke is short and to the left. You could argue that she was going for "三葉" which is the Kanji equivalent but its unreasonable to write the second character in what would presumably be a short time.
In other words, she was actually going to write something else that starts with a long horizontal stroke...There's not many characters that fit this bill, depending on your handwriting style, but the character す will always start with a long horizontal line in any handwritten form. Which means that she was probably intending to write "すき" (I love you) herself. 10/10 moment.
I remember watching this movie and completely losing it. I cried like I haven't had since I was a child. Just all the emotions flowed out of me, and I just had no control. It was a beautiful moment, and watching this analysis, I am unable to hold back the tears either. I was studying psychology in college at the time I saw the movie, so this is very appropriate for me lol.
I absolutely love this movie. And the twist that they are also time traveling is done perfectly. Another animated movie you should look at is _Howl's Moving Castle._ It tackles war, conscientious objection, pacifism, self-esteem, and belaying your dreams for family.
@Tierneil book is sooooooo much better. The movie is beautiful but the story is just completely flat after reading the book.
Sophie's lack of self esteem and her "curse" would be a fascinating episode!
I personally think when it comes to anti war message, princess mononoke and nausica is leagues better than howl's moving castle.
Yes please, more studio ghibli
@Bettina Viola Barth I'm one who loves the idea of the movie being from Howl's perspective and the book being more from Sophie's perspective.
You guys should check out '5 Centimetres Per Second'. Its made by the same director of Your Name and the story is somewhat similar but its embedded into reality making it so much more relatable to viewers who have been through a romantic relationship that didn't work out.
I think the part that is important when Mitsuha opens her hand to see Taki wrote "I love you" instead of his name is that his name didn't matter.
Mitsuha don't need to know his name in that moment, what she needed to know is that someone, somewhere, wanted her to survive, to fight, to go forward. His name was unsignificant. A detail.
Taki not only confessed his feelings to her but also saved her life in every way.
This film is really one of my all time favorite, everything about it is beautiful.
If you haven't yet, I think you should watch AKIRA.
Katsuhiro Otomo masterpiece that Americans actually wanted to adapt really bad but still thankfully hadn't, lol #DontTouchAkira
It's very very different but Akira influenced so many both in filmaking and storytelling, will it be for anime or live action that I think it's an important watch.
"To remember names and people won't last longer but the feelings and affection will last forever."
A silent voice, think you guys would love it since you liked this!
I would also love to hear your thoughts on it!
@Connor Grynol Thanks for letting me know, I'll look through their old stuff and watch it later!
They reacted to A Silent Voice a year ago
The soundtrack helps too. Even with the language barrier you’ll feel the notes and what they’re trying to convey. Still gives me goosebumps to this day.
From a phycological standpoint, Violet Evergarden would be a great show to go over. Dealing with loss and the switch from war to civilian life is done so well. And she learns what the meaning of love is by writing letters for people who have their own stories to tell.
Yes!!
@VintagePuns I think they should do both violet everygarden and re zero cause of their characters and the psychological development
Violet evergarden was a masterpiece. Hands down one my favorites. Episode 10 made me cry so hard I got a headache.
Definitely a good rec!!
It’s also appreciated by veterans and others suffering from PTSD and finding purpose and self forgiveness after the fight is over.
This movie never fails to make me bawl. It's been 4 years since I first watched it and I get goosebumps every time.
Movies and works like this just make me respect artistry so much. Everything from the concept to the execution of a piece like this is done on such a high level. The decisions made for every little shot, every music choice, every frame, and every line that was delivered by the actors feel intentional and conceptualized and I can't even conceive of the level of talent required to make it happen.
this is one masterpiece...and imagine having to watch this in cinema WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA.......omfg that would be an amazing experience
where they finally are meeting the scene I always tear up, this video is no exception
Your Name is possibly the most beautiful film I've watched. I cry every time I see it 🥲Thank you for the reaction video. The film is a true masterpiece.
You're so welcome! It's amazing!
18:00 You hit the nail on the head about Mitsuha “laughing through her tears”, but what I also really love about this scene is the message it delivers: Instead of writing his name, Taki chose to tell Mitsuha something even more important, and by doing this he expressed: “This is not about me, this is about you. It’s not important who _I_ am, but how special _you_ are to me.” And despite being unable to remember his name, that’s what ultimately gives her the strength to stand up to her father, to save her village, to survive.
Surely you could argue that this was not what he had in mind when doing so, that it was just a teenage boy’s whimsical idea, but even then, sometimes a man ought to be a little stupid in order to make a smart decision... if that makes any sense.
----------------------
You do realize that by asking for more anime suggestions you literally opened Pandora’s box, right? Well then...
I agree with the suggestions to watch “Wolf Children” (likely a must-watch for every single parent) and “Howl’s Moving Castle”, and of course Hayao Miyazaki’s two most popular films “Spirited Away” and “Princess Mononoke” are always worth it - you could make three videos about the latter (including a “Psychology of a Hero” and a “Villain Therapy”) and it wouldn’t get boring.
Furthermore, after you’ve already done Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”, it would just be proper to do Mamoru Hosoda’s “Belle” which is on one hand one gigantic tribute to the Disney movie but on the other hand still tells an original, quite heartwarming story about a teenage girl having to cope with a tragic loss and how she (literally) finds her voice again, while it’s also picking on certain aspects of modern internet culture.
And especially from a filmmaker’s perspective I would recommend all works by Satoshi Kon, most notably “Paprika” for its ingenious depiction of dreams (to me basically the better “Inception”). When it comes to having another “therapy session”, “Perfect Blue” with its story about stalking, toxic fan culture, psychological terror and harassment, rendering the protagonist (and the viewers) increasingly unable to distinguish reality from imagination, might be just your thing, one of the darkest anime films out there, but truly good stuff, and, released in 1997, already relevant back then and yet way ahead of its time.
And then you get into some of the more atmosphere/character driven anime series instead of just movies...
Cowboy Bebop, for example. Faye, Jet, Spike, and Ed are quite the unique combination as characters go. The method especially grabs you, the old Film Noir style of presentation.
We could spit out a whole list of things, and they'd be at it for months.
Omg Perfect Blue yesss please
I fully endorse your suggested anime films.
Wolf Children: The story of a heroic widowed mother raising her two werewolf children (in a world where werewolves are misunderstood), trying to keep their secret. Their is a interesting take in it on child psychology.
Howl's Moving Castle: Rumors, gossip, and perception vs the truth. The home life of a wizard. Slowly falling in love.
Spirited Away: A child in learns courage and humbles their ego in mystical adventure and personal trial. One character embodies loneliness and their struggle for acceptance getting lost in others greed.
Princess Mononoke: A dying man cursed by hate, observes a conflict of man vs man and man vs nature where there is no true villain just multiple people trying to get by in their messed up world.
Yes！！！！I was thinking about suggesting Belle！！！！This movie is soooo good as well but I barely see people talking about it！
omg, I'd LOVE a video about perfect blue, it's litteraly "perfect" for their channel (pun not intended)
I'm sure people have mentioned this already but "5 centimeters per second" by the same director as Your Name is also wonderful! Really poignant look at how we separate from the people we love simply because our lives move in different directions. Thanks for looking at this film - loved your commentary guys!
Wolf Children is my favorite movie. It is very good story how two people met and fall in love with ups nad downs, hardship as they start family together and then how their children grows up. It has really good pacing while showing perspective and determination to live thorught problems and overcome them.
I’d love to see you two take on “Weathering with you”! It’s the movie Makoto Shinkai directed after Your Name. It deals with a runaway trying to survive and grief and loss and… well it’s great! I’d love to see you two unpack it. Thanks for your work ❤
Another fun fact, when they were going to write their names on each other's hands, Mitsuha started writing the first character with a line left to right, which doesn't match here name みつは, she was going to write the same thing Taki did, すきだ (I love you)
Something that I keep coming back to, that I love you guys experiencing, is that animation isn't a genre--it's a medium. Anime in particular is viewed through such a specific lens in Western culture, and I cannot begin to tell y'all at this channel how much I appreciate the venture into these movies!! It's such a unique expression/art-form and deserves the appreciation that you have certainly given it. Thank you!
yes!!! good point! hope that notion of anime changes outside of japan!
I can't recommend enough The Wolf Children, it's a great story about love, self-discovery and acceptance, it also addresses the struggle of a single parent. It's not a perfect movie but every time I watch it I just bawl my eyes out, the tone in these films is just so kind, so you can't help but feel so emotional.
For real!!!!
I've only seen Wolf children once. It was amazing beautiful and powerful but it also was such a gut punch that it's really hard to watch again.
CAN'T AGREE MORE :')
TWC is a masterpiece that is not focusing on romantic plot like many other japanese animes. Definitely love this old but gold movie!
I also came here to recommend Wolf Children, so I'm liking this post!! It's my favorite anime movie ^_^
Absolutely it’s in my book a masterpiece a tethered for all the right reasons and one of my favorite movies ❤✨
As someone who watched this maybe over 4-5 times now, I'll never get tired of how beautiful and the connections that go throughout the movie. This is the first anime movie (along with A Silent Voice) where it makes me want to watch it over and over again, to the point where I can still feel through the emotions and cry.
What I'd love for you guys to react to is "Ride Your Wave"! I recently watched this movie that released not too long ago, and I cried so much throughout the movie. I hope everyone else recommend that they should watch Ride Your Wave!
Your Name is still one of my favorite movies ever. I'm sorry I didn't see you made this video sooner.
If you want, you could look at some of Makoto Shinkai's other work too, his latest movie just came out and I can't wait for it to come to the US. Everything that I've seen from him is so beautifully heartfelt and magical.
She and Her Cat, Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Garden of Words, Weathering With You, and one of my favorites is Children Who Chase Lost Voices.
Shinkai sensei really knows how to astound with beauty and emotion.
Some people don't like this film very much, but personally I love it more every time I see it. You can really see how Mitsuha and Taki come to deeply love each other.
I don't know Kanji or katakana for myself, but I've been told that in the scene where Taki and Mitsuha are supposed to write their names on each other hands, it's not just Taki who writes "I love you" on Mitsuha's hand, she was also starting to write the same on his hand as well. And that just really pulls at my heartstrings fiercely
You guys should really watch "perfect blue", incredibly well made anime movie with a lot of deep psychological topics that are still very relevant to this day, despite the movie being made in the 90s.
Yes!! It is an incredible movie!!
Beautifully made, poignant, emotionally fulfilling, but you also get plenty of laughs, especially when Mitsuha's little sister keeps opening the bedroom door at the worst possible moment.
I watched it when I lived in Japan, when it came fresh out on the market. Sitting in the cinema, everybody watching it for the first time and all people around me just ended up shocked and cried when the meteor hit the village. And after that movie I was like, I want to see that village (which inspiration is Lake Suwa) and I must say it was worth it. I felt like I slipped right inside the movie. Beautiful town and the car ride around Mt. Fuji was very healing.
Anime and animation in general is not a genre, it's a MEDIUM! So so glad you guys are exploring outside your comfort zones! 💖
So true! When you realize this, so many doors open!
I wonder if they would like Princess Mononoke. I think Alan would, at least. The cinematography and the music are fire.
Yeah, there are animes like Paprika and Perfect Blue that are clearly not for kids. Even Ghibli movies have themes that are very difficult for kids to understand, like Grave of the Fireflies and Princess Mononoke
I know it's kind of a meme how anime overdramatizes everything, but when those over-the-top moments of wind in their hair and their eyes shining with tears, it's the absolutely BEAUTIFUL. That's one of the big things this movie pulls off for me. It doesn't linger on those moments too long, or too little. It finds a happy medium that conveys the emotions it's trying to invoke just right.
Don't worry guys, I cry every time I see it... I'm so happy you guys decided to watch it and that you loved it. Please keep them coming.
If you think about the part where they wrote each others name to remember each other, Taki writes “I love you” because if he wrote his name, it’s just a name without any meaning. So he writes “I love you” which has a deeper meaning.
I recommend "Kotaro Lives Alone". It is a short 10 episode (~30 mins each) series about a 4 year old boy who moves into an apartment on his own. The series follows the boys interactions with his neighbors and other townsfolk. It presents as a silly slice of life anime but actually deals with some deep themes.
I love how Jono’s therapy moment took like 5 seconds and then the rest of the video is them both just watching it and gushing ❤
A good handful of people think of anime as a genre when it’s really just “animation from Japan.” It’s a medium! Every genre under the sun exists within it *somewhere.* It’s really cool to hear that you guys poked around at some recommendations (even if they didn’t end up being your cup of tea) and I’m SUPER glad to see you found something you both liked!! Your Name is absolutely breathtaking
@fiveoctaves It's funny because people in Japan consider the Disney animated films as "anime" too but in the west there's a clear distinction between the two.
I agree though even people in Japan including Hayao Miyazaki consider "anime" a genre. I understand people sometimes try to distinguish the difference between animation geared towards an exclusively dramatic presentation vs. something more of a caricature-character-feature the way some people differentiate between animation vs. cartoon but anime is anime. One day there might be a different definition but we aren't quite there yet.
Exactly. Calling anime a genre is like calling black and white movies a genre. Oh, you enjoyed that Charlie Chaplin movie? Then you’re gonna love Sin City, it’s in b/w too! 🤣
Yes! Thank you! Drives me nuts… it’s like saying you don’t like ‘Art’ because you think Picasso was a bastard…. 🤯
some things are just not as good transported in a liveaction movie as it is in animation. Especially if it goes into a fantasy universe
You guys should really check out Makoto Shinkai’s entire body of work! His original short film “Voice of a Distant Star” was animated / created entirely by himself (or at least mostly) & how he became well known. It’s sorta trippy, but beautiful. Also the original voice acting was him & his wife (if I’m remembering right). “Weathering with You” is also so wonderful & thought provoking (though it’s divisive for some).
Also would really be interested in your guys’ viewpoints on “Belle” which has some interesting sci-fi & social media ideas, but also tells the “Beauty & the Beast” story as more found family, dealing with trauma, & friendship & not really a romance (though there are other romantic aspects to the story). Plus, I just really love how it deals with grief.
I've only seen a few people recommend this one, but please watch 5 Centimeters Per Second. It's directed by the same person who made this film but is a completely different tone compared to Your Name. I just recently watched it and it's left me feeling all sorts of emotions because of how beautiful the ending is. Definitely my favorite film from Makoto Shinkai
6:37 you are wondering how they animated this. Well, Makoto Shinkai is known for creating movies where EVERY frame is hand drawn and this is actually the case here. The successor to Your Name, Weathering With You, is completely hand drawn as well ^^ Makes it even more astonishing tbh.
I am sure many others have already suggested this, 'A silent voice' (Koe no Katachi) would be a fantastic movie for you both to view privately or for the show. It has a focus on depression and suicide but is wonderfully heartwarming. Because these two movies were released in the same year there is lot of contention as to which is the better but honestly they are both great.
We already did a video on it.
My favorite part is when he drinks the sake and is transported into experiencing her being born and important moments the symbol of her red hair tie is the string of fate! No matter what life or time they are meant to be together and they captured that perfectly
Chiming in with another vote for Grave of the Fireflies. It's older so not going to be as visually stunning as Your Name, but the story of siblings trying to survive in WWII Japan is real, raw and heartbreaking.
Tokyo Magnitude is another one with a very similar emotional tone but newer art style. Ideally, everyone should watch both.
@Don't Panic I'm not saying it isn't beautifully drawn, just that it came out in 1988. It would be like comparing hand drawn Disney with Pixar era works. Snow White (or the Fox and the Hound if we want to stick to 80's) might have been visually stunning and groundbreaking for it's time, but modern technology allows for so much more.
Dang, if they watch Grave of the Fireflies, a good 30 minutes of the review is just going to be Alan crying.
Are you trying to drown them in their own tears? Yes- agreed- this feels like essential watching. Another film that will ruin your life but is excellent, that has similar themes, is "Nobody Knows" by Hirokazu Koreeda.
What are you talking about, that movie is *gorgeous* visually. More so than Your Name in my opinion.
I would recommend *“Belle - the dragon and the freckled princess”* It’s absolutely beautiful and has a lot about Loss, healing, self esteem, social media (benefits and downsides) and domestic abuse. Also the music is spectacular
Weathering with you is up there with your name! Such a beautiful film with an amazing soundtrack 🤩 or Ride your wave would be a nice film to analyze from the therapeutic perspective 🙂
Another amazing anime film by the same director is Weathering With You. Those two are two of my favorites of all time and I love watching new people experience them. And yes, I do tear up EVERY TIME.
i ADORE this movie it’s literally my fav film ever and i think i’ll continue to watch it annually for the rest of my life
I know it's a series (really short one though) not a standalone movie but Violet Evergarden is so good - you have to watch it and comment on it at some point.
Visually, musically, world building and from directed side is stunning, but also the story and the character development is nearly second to none. World in scars of war, dealing with the trauma because of loss of the loved one (and learing what "love" really is), as well as inspiriring others with our own actions while constantly looking for your place in the world... I have a feeling you would love Violet Evergarden the same as not even more than "Your Name" :)
I would highly recommend "Wolf Children" both the sub and dub are fantastic and the story centered around Hana's motherhood and children caught in between worlds and learning to grow up together even if they choose different paths is utterly phenomenal!
YES!
I watched this right after my little one was born when i felt very anxious, and it meant the world to me. Boy and the beast is great to. It made me bawl
Came here to say that. One of the few anime movies to get me to cry. Really anything by Mamorou Hosoda is worth watching
thisssss!!!!!
YES PLEASE!!
The thing about this movie is that it makes me feel so deeply appreciative and grateful for everything that I have. Again, with the perspective storytelling, it goes so far out of the way to display just how lucky we are to live the lives that we do, and that everything we have is everything that someone else wants. Beyond that, it goes as far as to include the people we have in our lives in that demographic. With there being now 8 billion people on the planet, in my mind, there is no end to the depth of meaning derived from our closest friendships. There truly is nobody else like them on the entire planet, or in any other time. I love this movie.
I love how it feels like after the moment they establish contact with each other, the switches pretty much turned into "dates". That's why they're already in love. They know about each other's lives, but their communications with each other is why fell so hard for one another because they knew their flaws and dislikes. Their argument even sounds like one couples typically have on their off days.
This movie is honestly one of the greatest animated movies ever made. It's so maddening this movie wasn't nominated for an academy award because it deserved it if not an outright win. I just wish people took animation, in general, more seriously because theyre able to do incredible things like this movie.
Shinkai Makoto is one of two currently living Japanese animation directors (the other is Hosoda Mamoru) that are absolutely DOMINATING the genre. Absolute geniuses with an incredible body of work.
So, I watched about half this video before I decided to pause and go watch the movie without any more spoilers. Oh My God you were not joking. This movie is phenomenal. It left me shaken. Thanks for the good taste in movies, you two
I think another thing that's implied to explain why they forget each other is that Taki went to the "underworld" in order to find Mitsuha again, and as Mitsuha's grandmother said earlier in the film, you must give something up to return, hence Taki loses his memories.
There is so much incredible symbolism, both overt and subtle, woven throughout this film that really just takes it up a level with every rewatch.
I read somewhere that Shinkai wanted to build from the idea of seeing someone for the first time and having the inexplicable feeling of knowing them...and man did he nail that.
I'm so glad you covered this film, you articulated so many things that I love about it. Thank you so much!!
@Iaxacs also a fun fact about Weathering with you, is that it is in continuity with Your Name. In one scene, we see Mitsuha’s friends, and they are together.
Shinkai loves having his plots revolve around different themes of love. The movie he made after "Weathering With You" has a theme about fighting against fate itself to be with the one you love, consequences be damned. He creates such unique romance stories because of this approach
The subbed version in the original language is, in this particular movie, infinitely better than the dubbed version. The scene where Mitsuha is trying to explain to Taki's friends why it was already lunchtime before making an appearance at school depends upon it, as Japanese has at least a half-dozen ways of expressing the first-person pronoun "I": Mitsuha, being a girl, immediately jumps straight to the word "watashi", which is used primarily by women, and upon being made aware of her mistake, works her way progressively up the masculinity scale to the very masculine "ore" that a boy would normally use. That nuance is utterly lost in dubbing.
I really appreciate these videos. Each of your guys’ unique backgrounds add really interesting commentary and deepen my appreciation of some of my favorite movies. I hope you keep making these! I get something valuable out of these.
I don't know if it's been mentioned yet or not, but "5 Centermeters Per Second" is a very beautiful anime movie. If memory serves me right it's by the same director of "Your Name". Honestly I'd say to watch all of his movies....they are all breath taking both in style and story ☺️.
It takes a lot to make me cry. I'm also not particularly fond of either anime or romance movies. This movie not only had me crying, but has become one of my favorite movie experiences ever. That's not small praise. It's *phenomenal*.
Seeing you cry, seeing your passion, Alan you do yourself a disservice. You are equipped to make this movie. I believe in you. I know I'm one of many strangers staring at you both through a screen. So what could I possibly know? So you're right, I don't *know* but I feel it like I feel the touch of my grandmother's love in every gentle breeze, every raindrop in the summertime, in every peaceful 3 A.M. snowfall. You've got this Alan, don't trust me, trust yourself. ❤️🖤
I feel like "I want to eat your pancreas" (kimi no suizou wo tabetai) is really undertalked and deserves an opportunity to be reviewed by you two guys. It is such a heavy, bittesweet, and tearjerking drama but also very very heartwarming. Even when it straightforward tells you what you have to brace for, it still catches you off guard, just like life itself. I really really recommend it.
@Rimu N
The ending doesn't struck me as anything much as I didn't have much of an expectation for it. I watched it blindly as well and I was only hooked to see the little giant grow. Other than that, I really do not care. So I understand your POV there.
@Asriel Cypher I rarely watch anime these days but someone pulled me into watching Ranking of Kings and it was a great beginning marked by one of the worst anime endings. Absolutely ruined it for me. I understand the idea of redemption, but that show had absolutely no consequences in a really crazy way. A lot of people die and it's resolved in like 5 mins.
@a bc dont let the title trick you :) I expected it to be some kind of weird quirky vampire movie?? I was so wrong
I heard it was good, but the title just really freaks me out
I actually really disliked that movie, it was full of the usual anime troupes to me, couldn't stop cringing. But love Your Name!
Makoto Shinkai is my favorite anime movie director, I love his use of the environment as a main tool in his storytelling. He also loves cats, trains and cellphones, they are core to his movies a lot of the time.
Also, quick note: I analyzed him as a director for a uni assignment a few years ago and realized that his movies get "happier" with every new release, I watched them newest -> oldest and they just got darker and darker, with not so happy-endings, it really made me feel the pain.
Tasokare, also called Kawatare, (twilight or magic hour), and Musubi (union), are two of the most profound motifs throughout this anime film.
I wish you had included a scene of a female teacher explaining to students what "Kawatare-doki" is. It would helped viewers understand what is happening when Taki and Mitsuha finally meet in person on the ridge of the crater overlooking the secret site of Miyamizu shrine's god.
Sensing each other's presence, they call their names. They can hear their voices but are unable to see each other. Taki and Mitsuha extend their arms toward each other only to cut through the air. A moment later, the magic hour (kawatare-doki) begins, and Taki and Mitsuha are united (musubi) in the same space-time continuum for a brief moment.
If you loved Your Name on any way shape or form, Weathering with You is the next movie you need to watch. ❤️❤️ It is from the same writers/company that made Your Name and it is just as beautiful. ❤️
I fell in love with Makoto Shinkai's work with Voices of a Distant star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Both being emotional stories in Sci Fi Settings much like this one. Voices is probably a bit dated nowadays but still an interesting story. Place is great looking and i think at least a good story as well
I must be dead inside I don’t cry at any of these movies, but hats off to you guys! Not afraid to show emotion and let things move you 😄
As a child of a single mother, Wolf Children really hits different. It's really good, realistic and emotional. Also, if you want a gut-punching anime film, go watch Grave of the Fireflies. It's a Studio Ghibli film but man was it so different to the usual feel good movies they make. I believe it was first shown back to back with Totoro in US because of how heavy it is. This is a must watch for everyone. You'll come out as a totally different person and your life is changed forever. Your whole perspective is just altered. It's so memorable I still find myself thinking about it a decade after I watched it (I never rewatched it again because I just can't).
YES I WANT THEM TO DO WOLF CHILDREN SO BAD
100% agree. Wolf Children made me sob like no movie before.
Yup, Wolf Children hits soooo hard for children of a single mother. I cried all the way through. And all the bits about family history and transmission... It's so great.
Wolf children is a MUST watch :)
because there were a lot of suggestions about Wolf Children so I checked it out. Honestly, I think Alan and Jono won't like this movie too much, maybe because of the man-wolf relationship, it's weird and I personally don't like a few scenes in the movie. The movie is just pretty average I think.
I think you guys would love A Silent Voice. It's about a deaf girl and a bully, who end up growing up to develop a relationship
@Kevin Lu It's a great video, A Silent Voice is such a good movie aswell
@Kiwi Lemon Oh thank you! I didn't know, I will watch it!
They have a video on it about a year ago
I would definitely suggest checking out weathering with you if you enjoyed your name! It's another one of makoto shinkai's films, and it's considered to be up there right along with your name. Absolutely loved it.
@Viana Rose Nguyen that'll do it🤣 I watched your name first but for some reason was hesitant to watch weathering with you, for I don't even know what reason. I don't know why it seemed like I wouldn't like it, now they're both my top 2 anime films. I have no idea why I didn't decide to watch it earlier
I made the mistake of watching Weathering With You before I healed from Your Name since it’s so often recommended together XD. In retrospect it was a beautiful movie but I kind of ruined it for myself since I’ll never get a second chance at watching it for the first time haha
Fek... the ending! Gets me every time! Great reaction... really like this new reaction format and the fact that you guys do anime as well. Two US white bro's analysing a romantic anime and getting in the feels at the end, wouldn't have happened 30 years ago, no way. Keep it up and thank you.
Whoa, wasn’t expecting this film to come up on this channel! It was enlightening to hear it dissected from a therapeutical standpoint, and lovely seeing both of your reactions to the story and characters.
If this hasn’t been suggested yet, the animated film “Paprika” might be a fitting subject for the channel. It’s a sci-fi/mystery involving a group of psychologists and a device that lets people share dreams with each other-but gets hacked by terrorists to destroy patient’s minds.
(Can’t edit the comment, but if you liked “Inception,” chances are you’ll enjoy Paprika too!)
I'll say it. I love watching Alan cry. It makes me feel safe to cry and thus: the waterworks begin.
I love John as well. I wish I could book an appointment for family counseling with him. My sister and I are not talking right now, we both have deep seeded trauma and mental health issues.
The moment that Mitsuha opens her hand and sees "I love you" on her hand, that was the moment that broke me in this movie. I had liked it up till that point, had an interesting premise and beautiful art, but that was the moment I was fully immersed and wanted everything to work out.
I was basically on and off crying from that moment on!
My boyfriend's friend and I had seen this, and we convinced my boyfriend to watch it too. We were doing it virtually, and at the point she opens her hand, we heard his friend throw his keys across the room. 🤣🤣🤣
This is a film done by Makoto Shinkai, he has won awards for his animation cinematography. His animation is out of this world. Check out his other works, Place Promised in our Early days, 6 Centimeters, Garden of Words, Weather Girl, etc.
I want to recommend steins gate. It is not a movie but it has such great... Everything. Mostly claustrophobic angles and descend into madness, they are pure gold. But it is such an interesting pot full of emotions and character study's. Every single character could be a master class. Even till the side characters!
as well as Terror in Resonance
Loved this video! As for reccomendations, I feel like almost all of the Ghibli movies are worth a watch. Whisper of the Heart is one of the most special movies to me, it's not as fantastical or magical as other anime they might have but always manages to warm my heart and break it at the same time.
I just watched this for the first time and its literally the best movie I have ever seen. It was so good I literally just started rewatching the moment it finished.
Thank you for reviewing this beautiful film. My animation recommendation would be the wonderful Whisper of the Heart, a Ghibli movie where the everyday becomes wondrous and magical. I feel like almost everything I can tell you about it would spoil the experience of watching it for the first time, so I'll just say that it tells the story of a 14-year-old girl who loves reading but is lost as to what direction she wants to follow in her life. I think there is a lot to say about her relationship with her parents, her older sister, her best friend and some other friends she makes along the way (including a mocking cat!).
I’m so glad y’all enjoyed Your Name so much! I hope y’all will continue doing more anime, especially more studio ghibli movies!! Howl’s moving castle has a great love story, interesting themes of self-perception, and it’s my go-to recommendation for people who wanna try anime ☀️
Just remember, this movie didn't win an Oscar.
But brave did.
As a kid who moved a lot as a kid, I would love a vid on Spirited Away
That movie was the first Ghibli movie I watched. I'd seen pieces of Grave of the Fireflies but didn't watch that in full until recently.
Yes, please!
It's my favorite Ghibli movie! So different from the book, but both versions are awesome. I recommend Ghibli and Mamoru Hosoda for getting into anime movies, and Cowboy Bebop and Trigun for those who want to try the shows.
This movie has so many layers.
Her grandma says about Musubi, which is was a Warden of their temple. Mitsuha keeps sewing and her grandma says that they represent the flow of time, a divine art, and also the connection between people. Her grandma also mentions that she had these dreams in the past, kinda like Mitsuha, which implies she also was affected by the Warden's power.
Mitsuha created a Sake with her own saliva, and offered to the gods - which represents half of her. This is the same Sake Taki drinks to reconnect with Mitsuha one last time, since her another half was killed by the asteroid. Everything in this movie is because of Musubi.
I love watching your therapeutic and cinematic takes on movies, and hearing the melody at the beginning of every episode gives me so much joy 😊I love anime as well and you two watching an anime movie made me so surprised and so so happy!!! I would love it if you watched Bakemono no Ko which is my favorite anime movie, but maybe Belle would be better for therapy. I would enjoy either, or any other movie so I will eagerly await the next one :)))
I also love this movie. I am lucky enough to live in Japan and understand Japanese language and culture that I get all the references and smaller details some people might miss. But I will admit that I am stunned that Japanese life, both in the city and countryside, is depicted so beautifully and so flawlessly.
On a different note, I would love your take on the movie Lake house. Though I am aware it’s not at all the same genre or body-swapping idea, the movie touches on the idea of two people “meeting” and then finding their way to each other through time. I love the movie, even through some of the bad acting, but I am fascinated at how the story wraps back on itself so brilliantly. Also love the relationship. I would love you take on both the relationship and the movie.
P.S.: Two other great anime are “5 centimeters per second”, “The girl who leapt through time” and “The garden of words”
P.P.S.: I have one last recommendation. A Japanese movie (NOT the anime) called “Ping Pong”. It might only come with subtitles, but I promise you both that you will love the movie for the characters, the relationships and the movie itself. Just brilliant.