By TIM LEE​Kimi No Na Wa., known in English as Your Name., is one of the top trending anime movies ever released. It first premiered at 2016 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, then released in Japan, and finally it eventually made its way back to the United States on April 7th, where it has been shown in many theaters including Harkins at Mountain Grove. The film has gotten top ratings with a whopping 9.3/10 on MyAnimeList, 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 8.6/10 on IMDb. This places it on top of some of the biggest anime titans of all time: Full Metal Alchemist, Naruto, and many more.

The storyline of the movie follows a girl living in rural Japan in a small city called Itomori and a boy living in the city of Tokyo. The girl, Mitsuha Miyamizu, is bound by formal traditions as she is part of her family’s shrine. She wishes that she was a handsome boy living in Tokyo. Her wish comes true as she then switches bodies every other day with the male protagonist of the story, Taki Tachibana. The switch occurs sometime during the night and is realized when the characters wake up the next morning. The storyline revolves around fate and how all events are related, and progresses through each character’s struggle as they search for one another.

Overall, the movie was fantastic. The plot was very original and was portrayed in a unique way that opened the audience to different cultures and lifestyles in Japan. The studios that animated the movie: Kadokawa Shoten, Toho, and many others were extremely detailed and created scenes of breathtaking beauty. The visuals were accompanied by soundtracks from Japanese rock band RADWIMPS, who produced amazing pieces for the movie. The movie is an emotional rollercoaster and had all the themes and elements that a good movie should have; it’s no surprise that it has already grossed over $330 million USD since it’s release.