Japanese Literature – Your Name by Makoto Shinka
Rating: ***** (out of five)
Have you ever imagined swapping your body with a boy or girl? If you want to know what could happen, this novel is definitely for you. Your Name is both a novel and an animation.
Mitsuha Miyamizu is a high school girl living in the town of Itomori near Hida region. She wants to be a handsome boy because she does not like country life. One day, her dream comes true. She begins to switch bodies intermittently with Taki Tachibana, a high school boy in Tokyo.
Mitsuha causes Taki to develop a relationship with his co-worker Miki, while Taki causes Mitsuha to become popular in school. They communicate with each other by sending text messages and writing diaries.
Unfortunately, Mitsuha and Taki find that one day they cannot switch their bodies. They start to wonder why they cannot do this again. Mitsuha goes to Tokyo by taking Japan Railway to find Taki. When she meet Taki, he does not recognize her. She passes her ribbon to him hurriedly. Taki starts to investigate why Mitsuha disappears by surfing the Internet. He can search nothing about Mitsuha. Luckily, he discovered that the town of Itomori is destroyed by a comet. Mitsuha died in the disaster. Taki ran to the mountain where it has Mitsuha’s had left a bottle. He drinks it and reconnects with her body again. He discovers that he falls in love with Mitsuha because they know each other well. They know about their lives and hobbies.
When the sun is setting, people can see dead people and talk to them. When Mitsuha and Taki see each other, they hug together. They write their names on each other’s hands to remember their names well. Written words fade away and disappear after the sunset. Mitsuha starts to convince everyone on the town to evacuate. In the end, the comet crashes into Earth. All villagers have escaped from the town so there is no deaths or injuries.
If you want to know whether they will recognize each other when they grow up, read this book on Hyread or watch the animation online*. You have to buy the book on Amazon* if you want to read the English version of the novel. You can watch the animation on Amazon or Youtube via hiring.*
Comment:
What a wonderful story! It makes me imagine that I could swap my body with a handsome boy and started a fantastic adventure. It is preferable to read the book before you watch the animation. You will know more about the characters! It is also a touching story. If you don’t know how to start with reading, why don’t you consider reading this book?
More about Makoto Shinka:
A renowned Japanese filmmaker, animator and manga artist. He is best known for directing Your Name, Weathering With You, The Garden of Words and 5 Centimetres Per Second.
*Links:
Hyread: (Chinese version novel)
https://hkpl.ebook.hyread.com.tw/bookDetail.jsp?id=136849
Amazon: (English version novel)
https://www.amazon.com/name-light-novel-Makoto-Shinkai/dp/0316471860
Amazon: (animation)
https://www.amazon.com/Your-Name-Makoto-Shinkai/dp/B078SNJK8G
Youtube: (animation)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPTbHe7Oaqo