In “Foreign Fridays,” junior Adam Hagen highlights high-quality pieces of pop culture from oustide the states.  

Your Name is a rollercoaster of emotion that starts off slow and builds itself to amazing heights only to come back again to a subtle end. The film’s magnetic plot in combination with its stunning visuals make it somewhat of a masterpiece, one that rivals legendary Japanese movies like Spirited Away.

The story centers on a boy named Taki who lives in  Tokyo and is mysteriously connected to a girl living in rural Japan named Mitsuha. The two characters switch bodies each time they go to sleep and develop a strong bond as they help one another navigate through life. The plot can be fairly complicated but it fully compensates for this by being thoroughly developed, the explanation of Taki and Mitsuha’s connection isn’t crammed into a thirty second scene.

Everything that happens in the movie happens for a reason which made me feel a sense of fulfillment as everything came together and all my questions were answered. All the complex dynamics that are brought about by their connections add an extremely satisfying layer of storytelling that can’t be carried out in a traditional linear story.

Your Name also shows strength in its visuals and stunning landscapes. And intricate city architecture makes the world feel like a real utopia despite its being animated. Tokyo and Itomori, the settings of the two story lines, are put together so intricately that I felt like I was in Japan while watching the film. Obvious references to Japan like the metro, school clothes and housing were well executed, but I especially appreciated the subtleties such as the traditional jewelry and architecture.

Even if you don’t enjoy Japanese animation, I can assure that you’ll enjoy Your Name not only for its amazing story but also for its beautiful visuals.