I have enjoyed watching movies since I was a little kid like most people, but it wasn't until the past few years when I really became interested in getting familiar with this industry and learning about the best actors, actresses, directors, and writers.
Coupled with this learning process about the film industry, I also started to appreciate genres that I either didn't like in the past or was simply not interested in watching. Some specific example of this is the drama and the biographical genres. In the past, I wasn't really interested them but now, I really enjoy watching films that belong to those genres. Something similar happened with the romance genre although I still am very cautious before watching a romantic movie.
When it comes to anime, I loved it when I was a child like most kids. Dragon Ball and Pokemon were 2 of my favorite shows and as I became a grown-up I stopped watching anime altogether. For a while, I thought this type of production didn't have much to offer but boy how wrong I was.
I don't exactly remember the production that sparked my interest in anime once again, I think it was probably either the Ghost in the Shell anime movie or the suspense series called Another. I then started to watch other anime productions and discovered some excellent ones such as the Parasyte series and the Steins;Gate series. Eventually, I became hooked and now I consider myself a big fan of anime.
There is one anime creator that really blew my mind with his romantic stories. I am talking about Makoto Shinkai. The guy who has created several excellent anime films such as Weathering with You, The Garden of Words, and 5 Centimeters Per Second, this one is particularly touching. He has another film that I consider not only his best work so far, but also a masterpiece in the genres of romance and anime, this film is called Your Name.
What is Your Name all about and why did I enjoy it so much?
Your Name is a story about a teenage boy and girl living in Japan but in different cities. One day they magically discover they have a deep and inexplicable link, this is when a bit of scifi and comedy makes its appearance by the way, and this link will completely change their lives in ways they cannot comprehend. If you have watched the Netflix series from the Wachowskis called Sense8, the characters of that series have a similar link between them. Similar, but not entirely the same.
The film has very intense moments and beautiful songs as soundtracks. I never thought an anime production could make me feel so many emotions but Your Name proved to me it was possible. Scifi is an important aspect of this story, but there is also a bit of comedy, as mentioned before, coupled with the typical silliness in a lot of anime productions, especially at the beginning of the film, and there are also very dramatic moments. Ultimately, this is a romantic story that I honestly believe most people will enjoy. I am not exaggerating when I say this film has moments that rival those of major romantic Hollywood productions. There is even a Hollywood live-action remake in the works but I doubt it will be able to reach the level of intensity in the original anime production.
The way this film mixes several genres to produce a unique experience was very enjoyable to watch. When the film is starting some people might think this will be a silly story, because while the 2 main characters discover and get used to their link, a lot of stupid things happen. But as the story keeps advancing, and the scope of it is slowly revealed, the viewers will realize this isn't a normal story, this is a masterpiece with unforgettable moments.
One of the reasons why I am able to effortlessly enjoy foreign productions is because I got used to watching movies and series with subtitles since I was little. My main language is Spanish, and the most common language in movies and series is obviously English. Reading subtitles is something I needed to do in order to enjoy most of the stories I wanted to watch. In the beginning, when I was very small and I wasn't able to read fast enough it was difficult and frustrating, but this problem got solved as I became an older kid capable of reading faster.
Among the main differentiation of anime compared to the films I am used to watching on a constant basis is that in anime there is a lot of silly moments included as an attempt to make the viewer laugh or simply an attempt to make the viewer feel familiar with the characters. Sometimes it works, other times not so much. In the case of Your Name, I think the silly moments were completely appropriate and complement the story very well.
Animated movies tend to be related to stories for kids and younger audiences, but that's not always the case. Anime has great stories that aren't meant for kids and are as enjoyable as normal live-action productions. With anime, I believe it is also a bit easier to produce a film or series because there is no risk in having actors or actresses doing mistakes while on camera. This should speed up the process of creating a film and allow the creators to produce more movies or series in a shorter time span.
Final thoughts
Anime can be a serious genre, there are excellent productions with a big variety of genres, including genres that require a level of seriousness to be properly enjoyed by the audience. The series Another is an excellent suspenseful anime story, The Ghost in the Shell is one of the best serious scifi stories ever created, and Makoto Shinkai mixes the romantic, and sometimes action and scifi genres to create unique and very enjoyable stories.
People who don't take anime into consideration when deciding what to watch are really depriving them of several masterpieces. Your Name is the prime example that this genre can deliver very touching, original, and emotional stories.
I would like to finish this post by sharing one of the many beautiful songs this movie has. This one is a piano song and a very lovely one:
This was my entry for the CineTV contest about foreign cinema, if you want to learn more about this contest you can do so by reading the original post.
