Your Name

What was (will be) the first film you watched in 2018? Your Name. was the first one for me. The film Your Name. (Japanese 君の名は。Kimi No Na Wa.) is a Japanese animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai, released in 2016. The film was a greatest success and was highly praised for its beautiful animation and emotional impact. It is said that a live action version will be made soon.

It is a romantic drama movie. High school girl Mitsuki who is also a Shrine maiden at her familial temple in Itomori (a rural town), had a dream of herself as being a teenage boy in Tokyo. Simultaneously, high school boy Taki who lives in Tokyo wakes up in a body of a girl who he had never met before. Their bodies have been somehow swapped. Not knowing why this happens, they begin to enjoy living each other's life and eventually grow feelings for each other. One day, this swapping stops and the story gets more and more complicated.

Actually, the English title "your name" is not quite the same as the Japanese one. The direct translation of "君の名は/Kimi No Na Wa" will be "your name is". The "is" is important in the sense that it expresses an act of remembering and forgetting. Maybe "your name" sounds better as a film title but I personally think the "is" tells you the weight of time. When you meet someone who you think you met before (and probably you have), remembering and forgetting happen in parallel. Noted that the title has a full stop, this suggests they once knew each other's name. However, the sentence is not yet "complete" as they can't remember the name. Remembrance is a key in this film.

Beautiful but confusing - I am sure most of the audience will find/found this film very difficult to understand. Not only the body-swap tale and time-travelling part but also the complex Japanese old traditions including Shintoism do we need to follow in order to fully appreciate this film. Now that the film's popularity knows no boundaries, Your Name (2016) has been translated in many languages. By all means, it attracted many non-Japanese viewers all over the world. But I wonder...do the non-Japanese audience really understand this film? I mean, this is not a matter of language but the intricacies of Japanese culture. It was already hard enough for Japanese fans. The fusion of modern living and old traditions is one of the reasons why this film has become a biggest film of all time in Japan. For example, while the protagonists use LINE (a communication app like Whatsapp) just like any other teenage Japanese, some references to ancient Japanese poems are also notable in the film. Japanese anime is not all about kawaii/hentai cultures!

結び - Musubi

Without understanding the concept of "Musubi", you will never really get this film. The kanji "結" (Yui) consists of 糸 (Ito: string) and 吉 (Kichi: luck, fortune and blessedness). Originally, "結" (Yui) meant a great teamwork in agriculture and the cooperators. 結び (Musubi) is a knot. Two sides of one string are tied together; they become one. Better, stronger, happier. This is why 結び (Musubi) represents marriage, completion, commitment and promise...

糸を繋げることも結び - Typing thread is Musubi. 人を繋げることも結び - Connecting people is Musubi. 時間が流れることも結び - The flow of time is Musubi.

In Japan, many believe in the Red Thread theory. Everyone's pinky is tied to an invisible red string. If you follow it, you will meet your significant other (the love of your life) who is also tied to the same string. Your ways were destined to come across. This is known as the red string of fate (Japanese 運命の赤い糸). Although China also has a similar belief , the origin of this belief in Japan is said to be the mythology of Mt. Miwa (Japanese 三輪山伝説).

It is a story of Princess Ikutamayori (Japanese 活玉依姫-いくたまよりびめ). She had a lover. Back in those days, women are not supposed to show their faces. They can only utter few words. It sounds impossible to fall in love for men but under such a condition, even the voice can be the reason to fall for. Once they found their "love", they go visit their loved ones (to have sex). Of course, the men are only allowed to visit their love late at night (they cannot be seen!). Women are always awaiting for their "guests". Having a man over is a status. You may have realised by now, but Japan was/(is) a super sexist country. Back to the story of the princes, one day she realises she is pregnant. This is not acceptable for a princess who is not yet married. Her parents are desperate to know who the father is. She then decides to find out (she doesn't even know his face nor the name but they are in love...!). The following night, she secretly sticks a needle with hemp cord into his kimono in order to follow it up to him in the morning. So she did. Turns out he is Ōmononushi, the spirit of agriculture. This is one of the tales from the Kojiki (Japanese 古事記), the first detailed accounts of Japanese folklore. And this is the story on which the belief is based. Mikasa's Kumihimo Braid functions as an invisible red string of fate, I believe.

This is just one of hundreds that you must know when watching this film. I hope this can help you better understand the film. To be honest, this is not my kind of film. I liked it, but not to the extent I would shed tears. Having said that, it reminded me why I like Japan. Whether you have seen it or not, don't just focus on the body-swapping part. The film tells you more than that.

ずっと何かを、誰かを、探している。

I'm always searching for something, for someone.

If you liked this film, you may also like...

千と千尋の神隠し/Spirited Away (2001) by Hayao Miyazaki, もののけ姫/Princess Mononoke (1997) by Hayao Miyazaki, おおかみ子供の雨と雪/Wolf Children (2012) by Mamoru Hosoda, Summer Wars (2009) Mamoru Hosoda...