Your Name


Your Name is a 2016 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, produced by CoMix Wave Films, and distributed by Toho. The first installment of what critics deem Shinkai's "disaster trilogy"—followed by Weathering with You and Suzume —whose three entries each share themes inspired by the frequency of natural disasters in Japan, it depicts the story of high school students Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu, who suddenly begin to swap bodies despite having never met, unleashing chaos onto each other's lives.
The film features the voices of Ryunosuke Kamiki and Mone Kamishiraishi as Taki and Mitsuha respectively, with animation direction by Masashi Ando, character design by, and its orchestral score and soundtrack composed by the rock band Radwimps. A light novel of the same name, also written by Shinkai, was published a month prior to the film's première.
Your Name premièred at the 2016 Anime Expo in Los Angeles on July 3, 2016, and was theatrically released in Japan on August 26, 2016; it was released internationally by several distributors in 2017. The film received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for its story, animation, music, visuals, and emotional weight. Until it was surpassed by Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train in 2020, Your Name was the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time, with a worldwide gross of after re-release, breaking numerous box office records and dethroning Spirited Away. It received several accolades, including Best Animated Feature at the 2016 [Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards], the 49th Sitges Film Festival, and the 71st Mainichi Film Awards; it was also nominated for the Japan Academy Film Prize for Animation of the Year.
A live-action remake is in development by Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot.

Plot

Mitsuha Miyamizu is a high school student in, a rural town in Gifu, central Japan. Bored of her provincial life, she wishes to be reborn as a boy from Tokyo. Soon, she begins to intermittently switch bodies with Taki Tachibana, a high school student from Tokyo's ward of Shinjuku. On certain days, the two wake up in each other's bodies and must live the entire day as the other, reverting to their own bodies when they sleep. The two set ground rules for sharing their bodies, communicating via writing on paper, their phones, and their skin. Mitsuha sets Taki up on a date with his coworker, Miki Okudera, while Taki helps Mitsuha become more popular at school. While in Mitsuha's body, Taki accompanies her grandmother Hitoha and younger sister Yotsuha to a Shinto shrine in the crater near Itomori, leaving an offering of fermented with Mitsuha's saliva. Hitoha explains that God is sovereign over both time and the connections between humans. Mitsuha informs Taki that Comet 279P/Tiamat is expected to pass nearest to Earth on the day of the autumn festival. The next day, Taki goes on a date with Okudera in his own body; Okudera enjoys the date but says she can tell Taki is preoccupied with someone else, owing to his unusual behavior. Realizing he is falling for Mitsuha, Taki attempts to call her, but cannot reach her. The body-switching stops as inexplicably as it started.
Taki, Okudera, and his classmate Tsukasa Fujii travel to Hida to search for Mitsuha. As Taki does not know the name of her village, he sketches its landscape from memory. A ramen-shop owner in Takayama recognizes the town as Itomori and offers to take the trio there. When they arrive, they find the town completely in ruins, having been almost entirely decimated by fragments from Tiamat. The comet having passed three years earlier, Taki realizes that he and Mitsuha were separated by three years, with her living in 2013 and him in 2016. At Hida City Library, the three discover that Mitsuha, her family members, and friends were among the 500 victims killed by the impact. Taki then begins to lose his memories of Mitsuha. Taki leaves his inn accommodation and rushes to the shrine at Goshintai to imbibe Mitsuha's. Upon doing so, he faints, undergoing a vision chronicling much of her life, and realizes that she once came to Tokyo to find him. Although he was unaware of who she was, she passed her crimson braid to him, which he has worn as a good-luck bracelet ever since. He then awakens in Mitsuha's body on the morning of the festival. Hitoha undergoes an epiphany upon observing "Mitsuha's" uncharacteristic behavior; speaking directly to Taki, she reveals that the body-switching phenomenon has been in their family for centuries. Realizing he has a chance to save Mitsuha and the entire town, Taki convinces Mitsuha's friends, Sayaka and Tessie, to assist in broadcasting an emergency signal to evacuate Itomori before the fragments strike. He then rushes to the shrine, where Mitsuha has just arose in Taki's body. As twilight falls, their timelines intersect, allowing them to finally meet in person. Taki returns Mitsuha's braid, and they attempt to write their names on each other's palms, but twilight ends before Mitsuha can write hers.
Returning to Itomori on foot, Mitsuha observes that the evacuation plan had failed. She then successfully convinces the mayor, her estranged father Toshiki, to order an evacuation drill. Beginning to forget Taki, she discovers that he had written "I love you" on her hand instead of his name. Taki awakens in his own time with no memory of Mitsuha.
Five years later, in 2021, Taki has graduated from university, but struggles to find a job: he is haunted by persistent feelings of longing and emptiness. He has continuously fixated on the impact of Tiamat, from which the residents of Itomori were miraculously saved by a fortuitous evacuation drill, but is unable to determine why. Eventually, on April 8, 2022, he glimpses Mitsuha, who has moved to Tokyo, on a parallel metro train, and they race to find each other. On the steps of, Taki calls out to Mitsuha, and the two simultaneously ask for each other's names, declaiming the film's title.

Characters

; Taki Tachibana
; Mitsuha Miyamizu
; Katsuhiko "Tessie" Teshigawara
; Sayaka Natori
; Tsukasa Fujii
; Shinta Takagi
; Miki Okudera
; Hitoha Miyamizu
; Yotsuha Miyamizu
; Toshiki Miyamizu
; Futaba Miyamizu
; Yukari Yukino

Production

conceived the film's plot following his July 2011 visit to the fishing village of Yuriage in Natori following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Reflecting on the devastation, he thought: "this could have been my town." He subsequently conceived an idea for a film in which the positions of the residents of Yuriage would be swapped with the viewers. During his visit, Shinkai produced various sketches, some of which have been displayed in exhibitions.
Shinkai delivered his initial film proposal to Toho on September 14, 2014, with the original title of Yume to Shiriseba, derived from a line in a attributed to Ono no Komachi. Its title was later changed to Kimi no Musubime and Kimi wa Kono Sekai no Hanbun before being finalized as Kimi no Na wa. On December 31, 2014, Shinkai announced that he had been writing the film's storyboard.
Inspiration for the plot was derived from various literary works, including Shūzō Oshimi's Inside Mari, Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma ½, the Heian period tale Torikaebaya Monogatari, and Greg Egan's short story The Safe-Deposit Box. Shinkai also cited influence from Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. Meanwhile, Shinkai and his team scrutinized their earlier work for reference, such as Crossroads, a television advertisement for Z-kai, and 5 Centimeters per Second.
While the town of Itomori, one of the film's settings, is fictional, the film drew inspirations from real-life locations that provided a backdrop for the town. These include the city of Hida and its library.

Music

The score of Your Name was composed by Yojiro Noda, the lead vocalist of the Japanese rock band Radwimps. Shinkai requested him to conceive its incidental music "in a way that the music will the dialogue or monologue of the characters." Aside from various instrumental tracks, Your Name features four songs performed by Radwimps:
These four songs were recorded in both Japanese and English.
The film's soundtrack was well-received by critics and audiences alike and is acknowledged as one of the factors behind the film's commercial success. It was runner-up in the "Best Soundtrack" category at the 2016 Newtype Anime Awards, with Zenzenzense being the runner-up in the "Best Theme Song" category.

Release

Your Name premièred at the 2016 Anime Expo convention in Los Angeles on July 3, 2016, and later was released theatrically in Japan on August 26, 2016. The film was released in 92 countries. In order to qualify for the Academy Awards, the film was released for one week in Los Angeles.
The film was also screened in Southeast Asian countries. Purple Plan streamed an English- and Chinese-subtitled trailer for the film, premièring the film in Singapore on November 3 and in Malaysia on November 8, with daily screenings onwards. In India, PVR Cinemas released Your Name as the opening film of the "Makoto Shinkai Film Festival" on May 19, 2023. M Pictures released the film on November 10 in Thailand, earning in four days. In Indonesia, the film distributor Encore Films and cinema chain CGV Blitz announced that they would screen the film, with the former hosting its première on December 7. screened the film in the Philippines on December 14, where it immediately became the country's highest-grossing animated movie of 2016. In Hong Kong, the film opened on November 11, earning in three days. The film premièred in Taiwan on October 21, and earned in its first week while staying in the first position in the box office earnings ranking. By October 31, 2016, the film earned in Taipei alone. It was released in Chinese theatres by Huaxia Film Distribution on December 2, 2016.
The film was released in Australian cinemas on limited release on November 24, 2016, by Madman Entertainment in both Japanese and English. Madman also released the film in New Zealand on December 1, 2016. The film was screened in France on December 28. The film, distributed by Anime Limited, was also released in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2016. The film, distributed by Funimation, was released in North American theaters on April 7, 2017. In Germany, the film was screened in over 150 cinemas in January 2018, being completely sold out on the first day. It ranked as one of the top ten movies of that weekend. Due to high demand, additional screening days were arranged.

Home media

Your Name was released in 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 26, 2017 in Japan by Toho Pictures. The release was offered in Regular, Special, and Collector's editions. Funimation announced on July 1 at Anime Expo 2017 that the film would be released on Blu-ray and DVD by the end of 2017, but did not specify a date. At Otakon 2017, Funimation announced they were releasing the film in both Standard and Limited Edition Blu-Ray and DVD Combo Packs on November 7. In the first week after release, the Blu-ray standard edition sold 202,370 units, the collector's edition sold 125,982 units and the special edition sold 94,079 units. The DVD Standard Edition placed first, selling 215,963. Your Name is the first anime to place three Blu-ray Disc releases in the top 10 of Oricon's overall Blu-ray Disc chart for 2 consecutive weeks. In 2017, the film generated in media revenue from physical home video, soundtrack and book sales in Japan.
Overseas, the film has grossed over from DVD and Blu-ray sales in the United States as of 2022. In the United Kingdom, the film was 2017's second best-selling foreign language film on home video and again the second best-selling foreign language film in 2018.

Japanese television broadcast

Your Name was broadcast on Japanese television for the first time on November 4, 2017, transmitted by the satellite television broadcaster Wowow. In addition, the channel aired a special program dedicated to Shinkai and his previous works. The film furthermore received a Japanese terrestrial television première on January 3, 2018 via TV Asahi, with its initial broadcast received a 17.4% audience rating.

International broadcast

On February 18, 2018, Your Name premièred on Philippine television through the free-to-air broadcaster ABS-CBN and its HD television service. However, it was shown in a truncated form, having been for commercial breaks. According to Kantar Media Philippines statistics, the first free-to-air broadcast of the film received an audience rating of 9.2%, while according to the AGB Nielsen NUTAM statistics, it received a 3.1% audience rating. On April 9, 2020, as part of its Holy Week presentation, the film was aired again and a longer runtime of 102 minutes, immediately becoming a trending topic through social media platforms. Shinkai conveyed his gratitude to the those who watched the latter broadcast through a post on his Twitter account.

Reception

Box office

Your Name was a major international commercial success; until the release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, it was the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time, grossing worldwide.

Domestic

The film's greatest success came in its native Japan, where it grossed, 10% of the nation's entire box office revenue for that year. It achieved the second-largest gross for a domestic film in the country, behind Spirited Away, and the fourth-largest ever, behind Titanic and Frozen. It is the first anime film not directed by Hayao Miyazaki to earn more than at the Japanese box office. The film topped the Japanese box office for a record-breaking twelve non-consecutive weekends, holding the number-one position for nine consecutive weekends before being overtaken by Death Note: Light Up the New World in the last weekend of October. It returned to the top for another three weeks before being overtaken once again by Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

International

The success of the film also extended beyond Japan, becoming the highest-grossing Japanese film in China on December 17, 2016. Having grossed in China, it is the highest-grossing traditionally animated film in the country. The film was screened in over 7,000 theaters, earning an estimated on its opening day from 66,000 screenings and attracting over 2.77 million viewers, becoming the biggest traditionally animated film opening in China. It also held the record for the highest-grossing non-Hollywood foreign film in China until it was surpassed by two Indian films, Dangal and Secret Superstar, in May 2017 and February 2018, respectively. On July 19, 2024, Your Name was re-released in China, earning over US$5.3 million on its opening day alone.
The film reached number one on its opening five days in South Korea, with 1.18 million admissions and a gross of, becoming the first Japanese film since Howl's Moving Castle to reach number one in the country. The film eventually drew a total 3.81 million admissions in South Korea and grossed, making it the highest-grossing anime film in South Korea until it was surpassed in 2023 by The First Slam Dunk and Suzume.
In Thailand, Your Name grossed . By December 26, 2016, the film grossed in Australia and in New Zealand. On December 20, Australian distributor Madman Entertainment stated that the film made over in the Australian box office before closing its limited release run.
In the United States and Canada, the film grossed a total. In the United Kingdom, it grossed in 2016, making it the year's fifth highest-grossing non-English films|non-English] and non-Hindi film in the country.

Critical response

Your Name was met with widespread critical acclaim. Based on 119 reviews, review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "As beautifully animated as it is emotionally satisfying, Your Name adds another outstanding chapter to writer-director Makoto Shinkai's filmography." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 81 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."
Mark Schilling of The Japan Times gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 and praised the film's animation for its "blend of gorgeous, realistic detail and emotionally grounded fantasy." He also described the film's "over-deliver" of "the comedy of adolescent embarrassment and awkwardness" and its ending for being "To the surprise of no one who has ever seen a Japanese ." Reception outside of Japan was also highly positive. Mark Kermode called the film his ninth favorite film to be released in the United Kingdom in 2016. American reviews were generally positive: in The New York Times, Manohla Dargis described it as "a wistfully lovely Japanese tale," while David Sims of The Atlantic said it was "a dazzling new work of anime." Furthermore, The Boston Globe had a positive opinion of the film, saying that it was "pretty but too complicated." Mike Toole from Anime News Network listed it as the third-best anime film of all time. John Musker and Ron Clements, directors of the Disney animated films The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana, praised the film for its beauty and originality.
Despite the praise he received, Shinkai insisted that the film was not as good as it could have been: "There are things we could not do, Masashi Ando wanted to keep working but had to stop us for lack of money For me, it's incomplete, unbalanced. The plot is fine but the film is not at all perfect. Two years was not enough."

Legacy

Various characters from Your Name, especially its protagonists Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu, appeared in Shinkai's succeeding film Weathering with You, as well as in its light novelization.
Nekotofu, creator of the manga series Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister!, cited Your Name as an influence, stating that the popularity of the film motivated the creation of the series. According to Crunchyroll, the success of Your Name helped push non-Ghibli anime films into a more mainstream place in Japan, and changed trends in not merely in the production of anime films but also in their promotion.
Your Name has been referenced and parodied in popular culture, including in the eighth episode of Little Witch Academia and the third episode of Gabriel DropOut; others include a pornographic spoof of the film titled Your Rope, Complicity, the first episode of Pop Team Epic, Shirobako: The Movie, the video game Last Stop, a promotional advertisement for a season of the online game Fortnite, and the List of [The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You episodes#Season 2 |first episode of the second season of] The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You. In the preview episode for the Kaguya-sama: [Love Is War – Ultra Romantic|third season] of the anime series Kaguya-sama: Love is War, one of the characters names Your Name as his favorite anime.
In 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of The New York Times list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing in 168th place.

Accolades

Adaptations

Books

The film was adapted as a light novel by Makoto Shinkai himself. It was published in Japan by Kadokawa on June 18, 2016, a month prior to the film's première, and is 262 pages long.
By September 2016, it had sold approximately 1,029,000 copies. An official visual guide was also released. The novel has sold over 1.3million copies, while the novel and visual guide have sold over 2.5million copies combined.
A followup to the light novel was released on August 1, 2016, under the title Your Name. Another Side: Earthbound. It is set during the events of Your Name through the perspective of Mitsuha's friends and family. The light novel was written by Shinkai and Arata Kanoh, with illustrations by Masayoshi Tanaka and Hiyori Asakawa.
Both light novels, which were also adapted as manga by Shinkai himself, were published in English by Yen Press. An audiobook was released by their subdivision Yen Audio in July 2024.

Live-action film

On September 27, 2017, J. J. Abrams and Eric Heisserer announced that they were developing a live-action remake of Your Name to be released by Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot in cooperation with Toho, who produced the original film. The latter is to handle the film's distribution in Japan. Abrams and Heisserer were to be the film's producer and screenwriter, respectively. Heisserer stated that the Japanese right holders desired for it to be made from a Western point of view, with a transposition of the film's settings: a Native American woman living in a rural area and a young man from Chicago discovering they are magically and intermittently swapping bodies.
Marc Webb signed on to direct the remake in February 2019. By September 2020, Deadline Hollywood reported that Lee Isaac Chung had taken over as both writer and director, working off a draft penned by Emily V. Gordon, with Abrams and Genki Kawamura as co-producers. Citing scheduling issues, Chung departed from the project in July 2021.
On October 31, 2022, Carlos López Estrada was announced to be writing and directing the remake, replacing Webb and Chung.
According to Kawamura, the film was reportedly still in production as of October 2023. Progress had been greatly encumbered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 [Writers Guild of America strike].