It will not be what you expect to see. That would be great! And now everything in order.
Yes, the drawing is as good as ever. Here you will see everything that many people love Shinkai - and incomparable clouds, stars, and trains. Here comes Tokyo - and it's so good that you want to grab a suitcase and passport right now and go to a Tokyo cafe to eat cake and watch the endless flow of people outside the window. I want to communicate with people in the wilderness and learn as much as possible about such mysterious Japanese beliefs and traditions, see their temples and rituals with my own eyes.
Yes, the beaten story with the exchange of bodies in ' Names' shown intriguingly and the plot is remarkable in its development, in the sharpness of its turns. Shinkai is like a magician here - you look at the stage and expect him to pull a hare out of the hat, but instead a tiger appears right in the audience!
Yes, several times when watching the heart shrank into a lump - so much you are drawn into the story and sincerely worried about the heroes.
Yes, in this film, Shinkai perfected his idea with time and distance, as he always does, making these concepts so tangible that they seem to be groovable. And for this I am ready to worship him again and again! But, it seems to me that 'Name' is a curtsy towards the viewer after 5 centimeters? It’s as if Makoto constantly refers us to this particular story and, as it were, says, “I understand that I’ve already broken enough hearts, so you can breathe out!” There is only one scene with an umbrella in the final. As if the audience would not forgive him the second such denouement.
The best storyteller is Miyazaki (in my humble opinion), Shinkai is good at others, they cannot be compared. And in this film, thank God, he managed to balance on the edge to attract fantasy just to reveal the theme of time-distance, without going into the wilds as with the “Fishers of Forgotten Voices”.
I also really liked a lot of little things that constantly refer you to reality, as if reminding you that this is not just a fairy tale. Like, "I knew for sure that when we met, we'd get to know each other." Who hasn’t had the same romantic thoughts about meeting that person? Yeah, guys, run away!
Thank you for being here and continuing to make us happy. I'm in love again, but, forgive me my arrogance, I didn't have enough 5 millimeters of naked sensuality to hit my heart and die of delight. I will humbly wait for new miracles! In the meantime, thank you for giving us hope for the best, that everything in this world is not accidental and we can change something!
9 out of 10
Original