Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name dominated conversation in the anime fandom for two years, and now that the film is more widely available on streaming devices and home video, fans are beginning to discover even more of Shinkai’s nuanced animations.
The latest example comes from a key animation of Taki running down the stairs and it just shows how much detail Shinkai put into his work.
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The key animation comes from early on in the film, where Mitsuha first wakes up in Taki’s body. When she first works one of his shifts at work, where he’s a waiter at a restaurant, and clumsily tries to adjust to her new way of life.
The scene of her working shows Taki clumsily walking down steps holding two plates as well as getting yelled at by the chef in charge, most likely for that very mistake (as Mitsuha made many mistakes during her first attempt in working in Taki’s body).
This is just one lovely example of why fans loved the film, and why it’s still fun to break down two years after its initial release.
If you aren’t familiar with Your Name, you should know that the film is the most successful anime feature of all-time. The film debuted in Japan in 2016 and quickly earned more money than any of Studio Ghibli’s iconic films, beating out Spirited Away to become the highest-grossing anime feature in the global market.
The film is so popular, in fact, it is set to get a Hollywood live-action version. It was announced last fall that Star Wars director J.J. Abrams is making a live-action version of Your Name, news that revived concerns about whitewashing when it comes to Hollywood’s track record with anime, particularly with the less-than-positive reactions to Scarlett Johansson’s turn as cyborg heroine Major in Ghost in the Shell and the complete transplant of Death Note from Tokyo to Seattle complete with a nearly all-white cast.
For those who plan to stream Your Name (which is now available on Google Play), prepare to have your heart broken. Your Name is a beautiful, nostalgic love story between two star-crossed lovers. It follows two high school students after they discover they spontaneously switch bodies. Rather than panic, the pair find a way to work out their supernatural exchanges and begin to fall for one another. But, when the phenomena comes to an abrupt halt, the would-be lovers learn how cruel both fate and time can truly be.
