Why Many People Love Kimi no Na Wa

Kimi no Na wa (Your Name in English)’s success is phenomenal for an anime movie. After all, the film earned a total of US$281 million worldwide.

Just to let you know that I’m not really into the anime movie that much. So, I can’t say if any anime movies had the same box-office success like Kimi no Na wa.

But as far as I can recall, Kimi no Na wa is by far the only anime movie that managed to hit such a massive ticket sales not just in Japan but worldwide as well.

This brings me to the question that intrigues me as an author: what makes people love Kimi no Na wa so much that it managed to draw people to watch the anime film?

Okay, I admit that I don’t know the exact reason why people love Kimi no Na wa.

But I think I know why after seeing the movie for myself.

Isn’t it because of Makoto Shinkai?

Well, I’d like to think that Makoto Shinkai is the reason for Kimi no Na wa’s success.

I didn’t watch Makoto Shinkai’s other works, so I don’t know much about his style.

But still, I doubt that Makoto Shinkai is the main reason why Kimi no Na wa becomes a huge success.

It’s true that Makoto Shinkai is being put in the spotlight thanks to the movie’s success.

But before Kimi no Na wa was released, only a handful of anime fans know about him.

As for the rest of the anime fandom, they don’t seem to know about him. Heck, they may not even care about him at all.

In my case, I already knew Makoto Shinkai even before Kimi no Na wa. But I couldn’t care less about him since I wasn’t a fan of his works. So, I didn’t pay much attention to him until Kimi no Na wa.

Keep in mind that Makoto Shinkai does have a sizable fanbase. So, I don’t think that his fanbase is large enough to put Kimi no Na wa in the box office status.

But if we combine his fanbase with other anime fans who aren’t familiar with him and the non-anime fans, then it shouldn’t be impossible for a movie like Kimi no Na wa to hit the box office.

My guess on what makes people love Kimi no Na wa so much

I have to say that the success of Kimi no Na wa has a lot to do with the anime fans who aren’t familiar with Makaoto Shinkai’s works and the non-anime fans who are willing to give the movie a try.

Well, that’s great to know. But it still doesn’t explain why people love Kimi no Na wa so much.

Is it because Kimi no Na wa is presenting a new concept?

The main theme in Kimi no Na wa is body-switching with someone you don’t even know who lives in a place you’ve never been.

If you ask me, body-switching concept isn’t a new concept. This theme has been going around for years already.

And it’s certainly not a new concept in anime.

If the body-switching theme in Kimi no Na wa doesn’t seem to attract people to watch Kimi no Na wa, then what are they?

Here are some of the reasons that I can think of.

It’s a bittersweet romance story

Some people find the idea of connecting with someone they don’t know seems romantic to them. This thought alone is enough to make them feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

This kind of bittersweet romance isn’t just acceptable to the younger audience, but also to the older audience as well.

It doesn’t go overboard with the body-switching theme

Ask any men what they’ll do if they’re switching body with another girl, they will probably say that the first thing they’ll do is to grope the girl’s boobs.

Okay, I’ll confess. I don’t know if that’s what men will do if they have a chance to switch body with another girl.

But the idea that the guy will grope the girl’s boobs the first thing in the morning seems prominent in many body-switching theme anime.

Kimi no Na wa is no exception.

But the only body-switching trope you’ll see in the movie is when Taki is groping Mitsuha’s boobs every time he switches body with her.

Sure, he did it a few times throughout the movie. But he didn’t do it in such a way that will make people feel put off every time he does that.

Anime with this kind of theme tends to go overboard when it comes to what a guy plans to do once he switches body with another girl.

But you don’t see Taki to go overboard with Mitsuha’s body. And that’s a good thing.

Its unexpected plot twist

If I have to point out what makes Kimi no Na wa stands out from the rest of the anime I’ve seen, I have to say that it’s the movie’s unexpected, yet puzzling plot twist.

To be honest, I never expect that something unexpected will happen to both of them the moment Mitsuha decided to meet Taki.

So, seeing that the plot will turn into something that you least expect, with the extreme outcome to boot doesn’t seem to cross everybody’s mind.

I wasn’t the only one who didn’t expect that the story would turn out to be like that. Even my niece didn’t anticipate for the sudden change of event in Kimi no Na wa.

See Kimi no Na wa for yourself

I remember back in the old days where the anime fandom was raving about The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi.

Because of the hype, I’ve decided to give the anime a try. It was too bad that I didn’t enjoy the anime as much as everyone else.

Ever since then, I began to feel skeptical whenever the anime fandom was raving about a certain anime. It’s because for the most part, the anime became a hype for the wrong reason.

I’m sure that you may come across with the similar situation in the past. So, I undestand you also feel skeptical about Kimi no Na wa as well.

In fact, I also feel the same before I began watching Kimi no Na wa. Thankfully that the movie does meet the reason why it becomes a hype among the anime fandom.

I enjoy watching Kimi no Na wa because of its unexpected plot twist. If you’re wondering about the plot twist I’m referring to, then you should see the movie for yourself.

The movie is now available for sale either on DVD or Blu-ray.

The good news is the Japanese version of the DVD, and the Blu-ray comes with the English and Chinese subtitles. So, if you’ve decided to buy directly from Japan, then you don’t have to worry about the movie not having English subtitles.

That’s usually the case with most anime DVD and Blu-ray, though.

If you’re interested in getting the DVD or Blu-ray from Japan, the best place to get it is from CDJapan. For those of you who don’t know, CDJapan is the place where I get my anime-related merchandise, CD, and manga from.

Not only that, the DVD and Blu-ray are available in Standard Edition and Special Edition. There’s also Collector’s Edition if you want to see the movie in 4K Ultra HD.

If you’d like to get Kimi no Na wa DVD or Blu-ray, you can get it right here at CDJapan:

Kimi no Na wa Blu-ray (Special Edition)

Kimi no Na wa DVD (Standard Edition)

Kimi no Na wa Blu-ray (Standard Edition)

Kimi no Na wa Blu-Ray (Collector’s Edition)

With the holiday season around the corner, perhaps you can use this chance to watch Kimi no Na wa with your friends and family.

Whether they’re anime fans or not, I’m sure that they’ll find Kimi no Na wa entertaining to watch.