PLOT AND CHARACTERS



Movie
  • Directed and written by Makoto Shinkai
  • Music by Radwimps
  • Theme song: Yumetourou 
  • Release date: 26 August 2016
⚠️  Spoiler alert! Since this blog explains the movie 'Your Name' or 'Kimi No Na Wa', there will be spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
Plot Summary

Makoto Shinkai tells the story of two individuals meeting each other in an odd way. A historic event connected the lives of a boy and a girl of the same age: Taki and Mitsuha. He lives in the busy streets of Tokyo and she lives in a small town called Itomori. Without any explanation they start to switch bodies at nighttime. At first they think that it isn’t real or that they are caught in a dream. When they find out that isn't the case, they start to leave notes to make each other’s lives easier. One day, Itomori was hit by a comet and the body switching stopped and the memo's Mitsuha left of Taki's phone dissapeared. Slowly but surely, Taki starts to forget that he ever switched bodies with Mitsuha. It becomes clear that they didn’t only swap bodies, they also live three years apart in time and the notes disappeared, because at the time the comet struck Itomori, Mitsuha died.


Before the comet hit in her timeline, Mitsuha went to visit Taki in Tokyo and gives him her braided cord, but of course, Taki doesn’t know her yet then. Back to Taki’s timeline, when the memos disappeared, he goes to find Mitsuha, not remembering her, solely guided by his gut feeling and the cord that he got from a stranger (= Mitsuha) three years ago. He drinks the kuchikamizake that she made and this somehow, in combination with kataware doki¹, makes Mitsuha and Taki able to meet each other in their own bodies, shortly before the comet will hit Itomori. Taki tells Mitsuha that the comet will hit the city, killing all its civilians. They want to write each other’s names on their hands, so they won’t forget again, but don’t succeed, because kataware doki ends. 

 At that moment, they go back to their respectable timelines. Taki continues his life, not remembering Mitsuha, but he still has the feeling that he is looking for something, just not knowing what. Meanwhile in her timeline, Mitsuha also forgets Taki’s name, but still remembers that the comet will hit the town and tries to save everyone with her two friends. The comet hits and at first you don’t know if she made it. However, at the end of the movie, Mitsuha and Taki find each other in Tokyo and all the puzzle pieces fall into place as they both feel that they found the last missing piece in their hearts, the hole they have been trying to explain, has been filled.
 Characters 
  • Mitsuha Miyamizu 
Mitsuha is a 17 year old high - school student. She lives in a small town called Itomori. In her family's shrine, she participates as a shrine maiden. During those ceremonies she makes kuchikamizake. During the movie she can be described as a determined, caring and adventurous person. Even during her switching bodies with Taki, she appreciate the small things in life and makes sure that Taki's life is as easy as possible. 

  • Taki Tachibana

Taki is also a 17-year old high-school student who lives in the busy streets of Tokyo. He has a busy lifestyle, whilst working a part-time job in a restaurant and pursuing his dreams of being a architect. His personality can be described as responsible, hardworking and optimistic. 



Even though the characters are two different individuals, leading different lifestyles, both of them have the urge to fill the emptiness within themselves, the urge of finding each other. During the body switchings both Mitsuha and Taki force themselves out of their comfort zones. They also grow closer to each other even though they never met in real life. 

 ¹kataware doki is a moment when the sun sets and it is neiter day or night, when reality blurs and unexplainable things can happen.

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