For a film regarded as "the decade's Spirited Away" by Empire Magazine, Your Name (or its native Japanese title - Kimi no Na Wa) has plenty to live up to in terms of caparables, but boy does it deserve that lofty accolade.

The film, from Makoto Shinkai, is a lot more than a teenage body-swapping film (Freaky Friday anyone?), with elements of sci-fi and romance masterfully braided together like our two cross country characters, Taki and Mitsuha, two high school students across Japan. As the two grapple with each other's life in the bustling city of Tokyo or the quaint lakeside, we get a beautiful glimpse of actual scene-chewing Japanese scenery and architecture, all rendered gorgeously in anime form.

This isn't a straight teen drama either, and just when things were looking rosy for our protagonists, Your Name throws a comet-sized curveball (literally), where its impact can descend audiences into deep sighs and emotions of despair. It's a small nod to the recent disasters in Japan which adds more gravitas to what the film intends to convey.

At other times, Your Name exerts hopefulness against all odds, in times of disaster, with even enough space for a tinge of comedy to balance the melodrama. Combined, both situations will leave you teary eyed (or at the very least red-eyed from emotions, for this writer). Even amidst the very contrasting themes in which Your Name inhibits, everything just feels perfectly knitted together in a concise 107 minutes runtime.

With the film oozing with life beyond the caricatures, from great animation (sliding doors never looked sexier) to a greater depiction of Japan's vast landscapes. Your Name has plenty, if not more appropriately, an excessive amount of heart to tug your heartstrings until the credits roll. It's not a Studio Ghibli production, but it darn well belongs to that elusive category. A must watch, anime fan or not.

9.0 / 10