There is no doubt that Your Name is a beautiful movie. A Makoto Shinkai movie is a stunning piece of augmented reality. It looks like they took an amazing photo and then rotoscoped it with the most stunning Instagram filter ever created. It sets a new standard in visual deliciousness.

To be honest I prefer the Shinkai look. I have never particularly thought that the Ghibli movies were all that pretty. They seemed too ‘drawn’ to me. The way this is drawn is breathtaking. A generational preference, I suppose.

The plot’s surreal elements are enhanced by the hyper-reality of this rotoscoped effect. The stunning beauty of the city nightscape is enhanced by this beautiful but dangerous threat, the comet.

Coming into this movie, I was spoiled on that there was some sort of natural disaster event midway through the movie. I had expected it to be something like an avalanche or an earthquake (shades of Fukushima) but to find that it was the comet itself was a surprise to me. I am not 100% convinced of a comet hitting a town - seems pretty unlikely if you ask me - but okay whatever, I’ll buy it.

‘Cuz you know what? It’s effing beautiful. Getting to see the comet actually come through the clouds is just worth it.

The love that Shinkai gives to the landscapes is not reflected in how he draws his characters. In his last movie, he gives the characters this mystical green shine. I loved that stylistic touch.

It is not quite present here in Your Name, the characters look more ordinary. Compare this image of Yukari Yukino in both movies. The grab from Garden of Words shows the clear amount of work. The version from Your Name is a bit more basic. I wonder if it is because Your Name is nearly twice as long and they just did not have the time.

That being said, I love her still. I hope she finds Takao again soon!

Your Name’s plot focuses less on beats than it does on feeling. There is the feeling of something momentous happening - heralded by the coming of this comet that comes once every 5,600 years. The movie’s universe itself does not know the rules surrounding their body swapping nor is it especially consistent.

But you know what? That’s fine. Not everything needs to be explained. In fact, it helps. It adds to the surreal feeling that imbibes this movie. Its a fairy tale, where anything can happen. As Yukino herself says at the start, “a twilight that is neither night or day, where the world blurs and you might see something that is not human”.

That is what strikes me most about watching this film. I was brought into a universe of infinite possibilities. The world sometimes can feel way too known - the sun rises and sets and between that there is only commuting, working, eating, going home. The world of Your Name (and Garden of Words) puts some mystery back. I think we all need a little of that (myself especially). That is what has stayed with me after this movie.