Kimi no Na Wa (New Makoto Shinkai Film)

[Kanon]

Finally watched it after all those months of hype. It's not the best anime movie I've watched this year (that still goes to Koe no Katachi, I figured that one would be hard to top for me) nor Shinkai's best work (that goes to Kotonoha no niwa, really enjoyed the cameo by the teacher by the way), but damn if it wasn't a great movie! I enjoyed it a lot on an emotional level, I got really attached to the characters and the suspense near the end was killing me,

Spoiler:

I was so hoping for them to meet up, but given Shinkai's track record, I knew the possibility they would pass by each other was very real. Then the ending came, and it was as perfect as it could have been.

What brought down the movie a notch for me was that the actual story relied too much on fantastical elements and there were some contrivances that didn't sit well with me and I had to make efforts to ignore them and move on.

[blakstealth]

I like to think that the end could've been fleshed out more with them talking to each other, but he straight up ran out of money to do anymore.

[Infinite Zenith]

I think Shinkai mentioned somewhere that he wasn't satisfied with Your Name because some things remained unexplored and it is a valid concern. The unintended effect is that the open ending mirrors a bit of life: things don't always have decisive ending always.

[jpwong]

Originally Posted by Julio C

Post pics of the filmstrip you got.

Oh, that's a nice one, there's a few out there I've seen people post that are like, why did they pick that?

I got this scene on mine

[germanturkey]

yeah, i think the production company rushed him to finish up the movie. which is a shame, because there probably could have been a lot more done. not that i'm not satisfied with how it is.

jp, can you post a picture of the strip? that's a pretty damn epic transition to get.

[jpwong]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

yeah, i think the production company rushed him to finish up the movie. which is a shame, because there probably could have been a lot more done. not that i'm not satisfied with how it is.

jp, can you post a picture of the strip? that's a pretty damn epic transition to get.

I'd be really happy if he went back and just made an OVA to cover the entire month of their daily lives while they were switching back and forth. The movie's great, but the best part was watching them trying to deal with it as well as everyone around them reacting to their apparent split personalities.

Images

Film Strip

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[Kakurin]

My copy arrived today. The film strip I got:

Images

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[kanoguti]

Originally Posted by blakstealth

I like to think that the end could've been fleshed out more with them talking to each other, but he straight up ran out of money to do anymore.

I feel like Shinaki wanted them to not meet each other at the end of the movie. Felt so awkward, and it would probably be even worse if they ended up having a conversation.

[blakstealth]

Originally Posted by kanoguti

I feel like Shinaki wanted them to not meet each other at the end of the movie. Felt so awkward, and it would probably be even worse if they ended up having a conversation.

I was expecting the movie to end at the bridge when they both walk past each other tbh. So I'm at least glad they got to meet in the end.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by kanoguti

I feel like Shinaki wanted them to not meet each other at the end of the movie. Felt so awkward, and it would probably be even worse if they ended up having a conversation.

This is not Byōsoku 5-senchi. I honestly have no idea where you draw the conclusion from that Shinkai didn't want them to meet each other. Having watched this now for the third time it's clear that them meeting in the end is the absolutely logical conclusion from the way it was developed.

[Klashikari]

If Shinkai didn't want them to reunite at some point, the red string of fate imagery would be absurdely nonsensical.

[Verso Sciolto]

Originally Posted by kanoguti

I feel like Shinaki wanted them to not meet each other at the end of the movie. Felt so awkward, and it would probably be even worse if they ended up having a conversation.

I'm joining the chorus of those who say Shinkai's intention was always to have Mitsuha and Taki meet again at the end of Kimi no Na wa. The awkwardness of their "chance" encounter is also deliberate because of their shared and only half remembered previous encounters. In universe, their conversation will be awkward. It is supposed to be but there will be enough familiarity left to re-establish their bond.

That is significant not only in the personal story of these two changed individuals but also for the changed reality of the past, present and future of the other people and places involved.
The people of Itomori survived but their community did not. Not as a village. The town was not saved as a result of their supernatural intervention. It is now up to the next generations to ensure that their specific past is not severed although the've nearly all been scattered, exiled.

[Infinite Zenith]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

If Shinkai didn't want them to reunite at some point, the red string of fate imagery would be absurdely nonsensical.

That goes without saying. Defying a belief this ingrained into culture would probably not work so well and also leave audiences completely disappointed. I would've probably rage-quit had they just passed by one another, especially considering everything they'd gone through.

[kanoguti]

Originally Posted by Verso Sciolto

I'm joining the chorus of those who say Shinkai's intention was always to have Mitsuha and Taki meet again at the end of Kimi no Na wa. The awkwardness of their "chance" encounter is also deliberate because of their shared and only half remembered previous encounters. In universe, their conversation will be awkward. It is supposed to be but there will be enough familiarity left to re-establish their bond.

That is significant not only in the personal story of these two changed individuals but also for the changed reality of the past, present and future of the other people and places involved.
The people of Itomori survived but their community did not. Not as a village. The town was not saved as a result of their supernatural intervention. It is now up to the next generations to ensure that their specific past is not severed although the've nearly all been scattered, exiled.

The awkwardness was how it was paced. 5cm managed to have a "nail biter" because whether or not the characters met each other at the end was a main point of the film.

Spoiler for 5cm stuff:

How they were separated, and the ending shows the male character moving on from his childhood love.

The reason I say Shinkai didn't want them to meet is because it's a few minutes of them walking past each other and it meant absolutely nothing to the movie overall besides boring "tension" (does not share the same significance compared to 5cm). It feels, and I just rewatched this, like Shinkai personally did not want them to meet (cuz it's shinaki lol) but his studio jockies forced him to have a sappy ending.

[Verso Sciolto]

Originally Posted by kanoguti

...

Neither in the film itself nor in Shinkai's commentary/ thoughts shared through interviews do I see what you attribute to him regarding the ending and its motivations. Shinkai, as well as a large chunk of his audience, is well aware of 5 cm per second and it is this shared history which adds to, not detracts from, the poignancy of the meetings at the end of Kimi no Na Wa, as far as I'm concerned.

Originally Posted by Klashikari

If Shinkai didn't want them to reunite at some point, the red string of fate imagery would be absurdely nonsensical.

Dispelling that the depicted mythology has any basis in logical fact or reality is a very sensible way to deal with such fantastical elements but Shinkai didn't choose that route.

[Infinite Zenith]

Originally Posted by Verso Sciolto

Dispelling that the depicted mythology has any basis in logical fact or reality is a very sensible way to deal with such fantastical elements but Shinkai didn't choose that route.

Understand that the whole point of the supernatural elements in Your Name is to show how fickle and complex love is, and to wrench it from the protagonists even with these forces in play would be downright cruel to the audience's expectations, to the point where the reception certainly would not have been as positive as it is now. The current ending is in complete alignment with the message the film aimed to present, whereas an ending opposing the idea of the "red ribbons of fate" would not be well-received. If there is merit to the latter, I'd be happy to hear it.

Five Centimeters per Second was the portrayal of distance and longing sans the supernatural, allowing things to run their course naturally. To take the same approach in Your Name is to insinuate that love is pointless, futile and unattainable by suggesting that it fails even where supernatural intervention is present.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by kanoguti

The reason I say Shinkai didn't want them to meet is because it's a few minutes of them walking past each other and it meant absolutely nothing to the movie overall besides boring "tension" (does not share the same significance compared to 5cm). It feels, and I just rewatched this, like Shinkai personally did not want them to meet (cuz it's shinaki lol) but his studio jockies forced him to have a sappy ending.

This is a ridiculous assertion. From the get-go the path was laid for them to meet each other again. You are basically just ignoring all that, including the red-string and the musubi stuff - especially the latter holds great significance in describing the path of Mitsuha and Taki - , using only your own feelings regarding the last couple of minutes to declare that Shinkai didn't want them to meet.

Originally Posted by Verso Sciolto

Dispelling that the depicted mythology has any basis in logical fact or reality is a very sensible way to deal with such fantastical elements but Shinkai didn't choose that route.

But it wasn't only that, an ending without them meeting again would render the whole musubi part meaningless. As Infinite Zenith already said, the ending is completely aligned with the movie's central themes and messages. Them not meeting would require a completely different handling of key parts of the movie, starting with the musubi.

[kanoguti]

Originally Posted by Kakurin

This is a ridiculous assertion. From the get-go the path was laid for them to meet each other again. You are basically just ignoring all that, including the red-string and the musubi stuff - especially the latter holds great significance in describing the path of Mitsuha and Taki - , using only your own feelings regarding the last couple of minutes to declare that Shinkai didn't want them to meet.

It's a red string. It just meant that spiritually they were together through the time travel shit, but not that they would get together in the end. You have to admit, the ending sucked. If Shinaki had full control of the project, then they would have not got together in the end, and the movie would have been better as a result.

Don't link me any ""interviews"" with Shinkai. At this point he's trying his hardest to sell blurays, so he won't speak about the film in a critical light.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by kanoguti

It's a read string. It just meant that spiritually they were together, but not that they would get together in the end. You have to admit, the ending sucked. If Shinaki had full control of the project, then they would have not got together in the end.

This just shows me that you didn't get the movie at all and it's futile to continue discussing with someone who's fixed onto his tunnel view dominated by his disagreement with the way the ending was handled.

[kanoguti]

Originally Posted by Kakurin

This just shows me that you didn't get the movie at all and it's futile to continue discussing with someone who's fixed onto his tunnel view dominated by his disagreement with the way the ending was handled.

No. Actually I understand the film and Shinkai himself far better than anyone else in this thread. I've practically studied his films and their impact on the anime industry. No joke.