Your Name (2016)

I’m not someone who has seen a lot of East Asian animation. I’ve seen a few bits and pieces of Anime series, and I’ve watched a fair amount of the Studio Ghibli films. Your Name was not really on my radar until the plot was vaguely mentioned in a conversation I was having online. That lead me to look into reviews and then finally watching. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I like great uses of colour in films, so I have a pretty enjoyable time with animated movies on average. There are a lot of beautiful moments in this film visually and from a purely narrative perspective. The film is a fantastical love story that crosses the bounds of space and time. Every emotional note hits home; the writers knew how to write hope and despair while balancing them evenly throughout the film. I would recommend to anyone who loves a good love story and who hasn’t explored much East Asian animation before.