Saturday 31 December 2016

Three from 2016

In all honesty, 2016 has been a bit of a shitshow. You don't need much knowledge of me to work out why. But maybe the underlying air of depression pervading through the year has made the nicer moments nicer still. Or maybe they didn't need to be as nice to be considered nice. I can't be sure right now, but there were some very bright spots in the year too. With all that happened, it kind of fell to nostalgia and the feeling of Japan to lift the spirits. 3 moments of joy that I can remember from 2016:

Game: Rez Infinite
In 2001 Rez was released. In 2016, it was finally realised.
http://walletsandswords.blogspot.com/2016/10/rez-infinite.html
I spent much of the tail end of 2016 thinking "I should be in Rez right now, not here". A reality that was both virtual and unmistakably of a different world than the one we inhabit. Nothing was close to Rez in the year, nothing at all.

Film: Your Name
Your Name was released quite late in the year which may affect how I feel about it but it is also one of the very few films that I have paid to see at the cinema more than once (I believe the last was Black Swan) which must mean it meant something to me.
http://walletsandswords.blogspot.com/2016/12/your-name-kimi-no-na-wa-2016.html
It is an object lesson in how to bring the texture of Japan to the screen and that was enough for me. A cleaned up, lush version of reality was kind of a nice thing to see.
I guess Victoria was the only other film in contention as it was such an intoxicating mix of the ingredients of Berlin.

Misc: September in Japan
My trip to Japan in September was very much an exercise in nostalgia as I joyously met up with quite a few old friends and it was very nice to do so.  It was pleasant not just because my friends are lovely but it also reminded me of a time when I was a little bit more lovely myself. It was a strangely comfortable trip - a familiarity and comfort that made me feel a little uncomfortable upon landing in Osaka.
The use of a brilliant JR West Rail Pass made it a trip of rediscovering some of my less well-known parts of the country and allowed a lot of train travel which was a constant of joy.
The second was April 14th which now seems like such a long time ago, but I can't forget the unforgettable. The last few moments of the Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund game were sensational in the Kop where I was lucky enough to be. Liverpool may not have won the Europa League that season, but they reminded me of why I fell in love with football and the second half of that game had an atmosphere that I can't put into words. The spine-tingling renditions of YNWA to start and end the game made it even more memorable.

Thursday 15 December 2016

The Last Guardian / Hitokui no Ōwashi Trico (人喰いの大鷲トリコ)

Games are generally about you making characters move but there are some, like The Last Guardian, that aim to flip that statement to make the characters move you. Fumito Ueda has, remarkably, made only three videogames inclusive of his latest, yet he is fairly recognised as a special talent. 

To say that The Last Guardian has been delayed may be an understatement in gaming terms and it started active development in 2007[1], a little after the Playstation 3 was released. Games can take a long time to make, this is true, and gargantuan games such as GTA 5 will take 3 years or so of active development but these are truly massive worlds that are created. Niche, more artistic games with little likelihood of breakout success do not take this long - and the time is much harder to justify when the revenue is not likely to be blockbuster level[2]. And to understand why people have been eagerly waiting for The Last Guardian, what Ueda's earlier games Ico and Shadow Of The Colossus (both available in remastered form on both PS3 and the lesser known Playstation Now service) were needs to be explained, at least briefly. 
Ico is a puzzle platformer with a single interesting mechanic that transforms it into a classic. You play as a child escaping a crumbling castle but also helping another prisoner within the castle - a slightly older, but still young, princess with whom you cannot talk to. The princess is scared and quite weak - as are you but as this is relative, you must protect her from the black, smudgy demons and the environment to escape together. The interesting mechanic of helping others is effected using your hands and so, by taking her hand, you are connected in a way that speech cannot do. It is a remarkably affecting dynamic and the slight tug of the princess, Yorda, is superbly realised in a way that was incomparable at the time. A game unlike games for gamers that only gamers knew about. In 2001, this did not necessarily great spell commercial success although it was critically acclaimed.

A few years later came the semi-connected Shadow of The Colossus which was unmistakably of the same stable. With a little more marketing, this was a more successful game commercially and also critically which revolved around a mechanic of defeating 16 large monsters in a variety of ways in order to try to save a young lady. Again, you were not alone and this time your companion was a horse, named Agro, that would help you travel the vast distances more quickly. In many ways, this was a more traditional game with combat and a defined level structure but it soon created a mythology around it based on the beautifully realised art direction.
Both of these games tried to create emotional connections within the player that were not usually explored within the industry at the time and so have left lasting impressions on many of those fortunate enough to have played them. It does also mean that, if you didn't get that connection, Ueda’s games could be seen as empty and trite -  a camp which a proportion of players will always fall into.

And so, to The Last Guardian -  another game that is standalone yet imbued with the worlds of Ico and Shadow of The Colossus through the whole piece. The game starts with the protagonist, a small boy, passed out next to a rather dangerous looking beast - a beast called (or the species is) “Trico”[3] that looks hurt and angry. Coming near it does not please it yet there are spears jabbed into it that look like they need removing. How could you gain the trust of the beast, to help it? At this point, I think the fact that the protagonist is a small child makes much more sense as children do generally believe in the goodness of animals so he goes off to find food for the beast. The beast’s food, in a nod to the fact it is a game, comes in the form of silver barrels of which there are a few dotted around. Once the beast is sated and released, the journey can begin as the two of you build a bond over time and attempt to escape from wherever you are together, as a team. Trico is still wary of you and so you must continue to build trust with food and kindness (as with Agro in SOTC, you can calm Trico with a pet or a stroke) as you journey on.

The gameplay is simple and reminiscent of Ico with the puzzles fairly simple combinations of doors and levers but spiced up with a huge catlike chicken thing that helps and hinders you throughout. The puzzles do have some combat elements sometimes but Trico is a beast by action and name and will deal with foes violently and with genuine anger when they cross his path - it is your role to ensure that they do get seen by Trico. The enemies make Trico go berserk[4] and point to a historic reason for that level of rage and apparent revenge. Ico is a template for this game due to it falling into the same genre but it could be seen as a flipped arrangement with you playing the princess role and Trico the protector. Watching Trico defending you is a sight to behold and in an entertainment form which places such importance on agency, it is interesting to lose that at points to let something else be awesome. You do have to be careful at these stages too, as he can also lash out a little too indiscriminately.
The game continues in this vein (as usual, I will not be too specific about the journey) as you attempt to escape from the ruins in which you find yourself but much of the formula for the next 10-15 hours is set within the first few minutes which evolves over time as your bond with Trico adapts and changes. 

In a way, after just 3 games, it is interesting that Ueda has such a coherent style that is easy to replicate yet is not replicated by others. The bloom, over-saturated lighting and solitude seems so simple to create but it is not done by anyone else. The Last Guardian is a game and should be judged on that basis but it is not really like other games. The industry has moved on hugely from the point where Ico was a breath of truly fresh air to an industry of indies that attempt to capture much of the ethos. Ico fleshed out a skeleton of a fairly simple set of gameplay mechanics with an atmosphere that felt markedly different to the competition. It wasn't particularly hard and aimed to funnel you through a batch of puzzles that would make you wonder for only a short while. In retrospect, it was a 3rd person "walking simulator"[5] before it became a genre. The change in the industry that makes the game both standout and, maybe, leaves it flailing, is the cottage industry of atmospheric games. In 2001 and 2005, there was a single proper price point for games - full price (and discounted as they got older). That necessitates a certain weight to your game with many seeing a nice, solid experience as needing fifteen hours. The walking simulators and indie games that often seem to get good coverage are often far shorter. 3-5 hours is a good length for this which means that you have a tight experience with no real need to expand the mechanic too much. The question is whether TLG can really justify itself on these terms.
I enjoyed The Last Guardian tremendously but I cannot be sure how much of that was just a desire to enjoy it after so long and just having the opportunity to enjoy a game without cynicism. The start, which is in an enclosed space, sets the whole game up very well and the art style is evocative, as Ueda’s work always is, of a faded grandeur that asks as many questions as an environment can do. So much is left to your own interpretation in terms of the architecture and design that it will doubtless be pored over by fans for years to come. Trico is a charming creature and the bond between the two of you is expertly crafted and realised with the way that you both help each other. He, or she, is at turns angry or playful or docile or perky. Each Trico is a little different, apparently, depending on how you treat it and so mine was quite obedient as I regularly stopped to care for it. I have read complaints about Trico being frustratingly selfish and stubborn but I am a very caring gamer, so I did not have these issues. The world created is beguiling and welcoming but that is only half of the story - and it is the other half of the gameplay mechanics that may leave some unsatisfied.

Ueda’s games are rooted in the early 2000’s and things which were acceptable then are not as freely accepted now. The most common complaint is that the camera is difficult to control which is not something that I had any difficulty with at all. Most modern games follow a template of control that has been refined of left stick to move and right stick to rotate the camera - and this retained in The Last Guardian. The difference is that it is not as smooth (and this is obviously by design) and quick as in other games using a dreamy, floaty camera that does not always see you central. Your character, as a child, either scampers or tiptoes which has also caused complaint as people expect a different type of control. Most ridiculously, in my opinion, a regular complaint is also that the buttons are not as expected - because the “X” button is not the jump button. I think, due to the way all games seem to be so customizable and so fall into the template of design, this has caused unhappiness but I think this is misplaced. I am used to learning the controls of a game and see no issue with this but I recognise that others might. I had no issues with any of these gameplay mechanics and think they are overblown, but it is worth mentioning[6].
The puzzles are simple enough but I did sit there perplexed for decent stretches of time which is both refreshing and a little frustrating as the puzzles are quite linear. Again, I am happy to not have it all handed to me on a plate so I appreciate that sense of discovery and “eureka” but there is something a little disappointing about the fact there appears to be single solutions. 
Overall, The Last Guardian is definitely a delightful highlight for me with the overall thrust of the game and story easily enough to propel the game through the hiccups in mechanics which are still quite rare. I would recommend to anyone interested as it will either be something that grabs you or it will, at least, be a game that you are not going to replicate.
The Last Guardian is a PS4 exclusive and can be purchased on the Playstation Store or in shops -  the trailer is below:


1. Fairly recently, there have been a number of big Japanese games that have finally seen the light of day after incredibly long development times - metal gear solid V spent x years in development which also resulted in the creator falling out with, and then leaving, his employer Konami. Final Fantasy XV has been in development for the best part of a decade. Last Guardian is published by Sony and was originally designed for the ps3.
2. Global sales on the PS2 for both of his earlier games was about 2m combined).
3. Team Ico have created three games: Ico could be the Japanese word for 1. The project name for SOTC was “Nico” which can translate as two. Trico sort of follows this convention although tri is not the Japanese for 3, the intention is clear.
4. Berserk is also is a Final Fantasy status affliction that makes characters attack constantly without considering other options - highly appropriate here.
5. This has become, almost, an implicit term of criticism for the number of games, such as Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, that eschew much combat for, instead, the joy of traversing an area or building intrigue. As games have become more popular, the market for games has widened but, as in so much of life in 2016, those that had it all their own way before don't seem to like opportunities for other people to do things that they can already do. This is a very interesting article about that..
6. To be honest, a lot of gamers are very vocal about these kinds of things and I think they let themselves dislike things for slight drops in quality.

Saturday 10 December 2016

Capsule Hotel: This is the point (カプセルホテル) [pt 2]

Yesterday's future was where modernity was born and Modernity is about efficiency. This future of yesterday can be seen in the architecture and shapes of the recent past - so aged now but so modern then. 
The space race was a defining element of modernity and the sleek, white shapes of orbiting spacecraft were recreated using sleek, gloss, white plastic to form bulbous shapes in objects around us. Post-war, Japan's most famous technological breakthrough was decidedly ground-based but the Shinkansen did involve travelling at high speeds and bringing modern life to far-reaching places. And it did so being white and sleek, cutting through the air like a bullet. It typified the space age view of optimism and speed. And what could be more in keeping with this drive for efficiency than the hugely effective use of space for sleep? We sleep while lying down… and we sleep with our eyes closed in the dark. Ergo, who needs extra space when sleeping? High vaulted ceilings are an extravagant frippery. Colour schemes and lighting design? Needlessly decadent. This was the future[1].

One surprising thing about capsule hotels is how much everyone seems to know about them whilst simultaneously not having stayed in them. I had never stayed in a capsule until I stopped living in Japan and returned for a visit. I'm not sure that I know more than five people that have stayed in capsule hotels before - probably not even that.

A frustrating element of the nature of Japan is that it all seems so zany when you haven’t been. The things that you hear and see about Japan outside Japan are not usually particularly indicative of the mainstream[2] and the capsule hotel does fit into this trap. The concept of the capsule hotel fills a gap perfectly that it wants to and is aimed squarely at the "missed the last train" crowd. There are perfectly rational and simple reasons for their popularity as they often provide a place to rest before another day at work. Or a cheap place to stay before any type of morning appointment such as a flight or interview.

The factors in play here are:
  • A work culture that expects presenteeism beyond working hours into a drinking culture extending into evenings and nights.
  • An urban sprawl that enables, or allows, people to work quite far from their workplace[3].
  • Poor nighttime public transport contrasting with excellent daytime transport meaning that the chances of getting somewhere easily but not being able to return quite so easily are increased.
  • A vibrant night-time economy with large numbers of 24-hour establishments.
  • High costs of land in city centres.
A capsule hotel has two elements - a capsule and a hotel which represents both the public and the private nature of society. My original description of a capsule hotel is, therefore, a little misleading as it covers just the capsule part. And the capsule part is the zany bit that everyone knows about - the reason I love the capsule hotel is the non-capsule part of it.
Upon entering a capsule hotel[4], there are lockers for your shoes and you then give that locker key to the “front” reception staff. They then give you another key for another locker after you have checked in and paid. This second locker is for all of your belongings and this is where the aim of a capsule hotel is clear as these lockers are often quite small and rarely big enough for a suitcase. I have even stayed in one where the lockers were very thin and could only really hold the clothes that you were wearing. Yes, that’s right, your belongings that go into the locker also include the clothes that you are wearing - you are given a jinbei (effectively a set of pyjamas) for wearing around the hotel. As far as I am aware, this clothing is not optional. This is a remarkable lightening of your load.
Now, you are ready.

There are basically now three places you can go, as a guest, within the hotel: your capsule; the lounge area; the public bath.
My preferred order is public bath - lounge - capsule

Public bathing
The public bath is quite a common element of Japanese culture and is a true joy when done properly. There are many variants of the sento but at its basic level, it is a big hot bath that you soak in, communally. Many places have variations on this theme and so there may be multiple baths of different types but fundamentally, there is an area (often just next to the bathing area) to wash where there are pots and usually showers heads to use to wash yourself in that washing area. Again, usually, there are soaps and shampoos for you to use and often razors, toothbrushes and combs etc. The washing area is very important as you cannot be even marginally dirty when you enter the communal baths so I am personally quite conspicuous in this as I can only assume that other people may think that I would not be used to this. Once that has been done, you are free to soak in any of the baths. If we assume that we are at a more well-equipped one, then there will be baths with different water temperature (hot, cold and many temperatures in between), different chemicals or minerals, water jets and the ever strange electric current. People have their own preferences for which baths to go in and when but I find that the cold baths are a little less popular. One thing that I quite like is a soak in the cold water where I count to 100 and then to the hot water baths to feel the change. I would normally spend an hour or so in the baths but it is entirely variable.

Lounge
After a nice, relaxing soak in the bath, I then go to the lounge area. This is quite a catch-all term as many capsule hotels will have a separate restaurant/izakaya area with a la carte food for snacking or even for more substantial meals. Every single one that I have been to has also had a comic reading area as manga is a cultural phenomenon in Japan. In this instance, lounge really is the appropriate term as it will generally be a group of disparate, but very relaxed men lounging about in pyjamas reading or eating and drinking. In my experience, this has never been a rowdy at all and would often involve little interaction with each other - somewhat like young children playing next to each other before becoming sociable and socially mature.
The nature and amenities of the lounge can differ markedly but I think wi-fi will be fairly common and so many people will be doing the things that people do glued to their mobiles. I have also been to some with separate Internet cafes so even if you do not have a wi-fi enabled device, you can still check on the outside world. There is usually a TV or, in some cases personal recliners with a TV at each seat (and at-seat power) so you can lie back and watch. It really is a very relaxing environment and lying back in a jinbei with nary a care in the world, even if only for a few moments feels like an act of decadence in some ways. A cheap and lovely form of decadence.
Once I am feeling relaxed and ready to retire for the night I will go to the capsule room.

Sleeping quarters
The capsule itself is usually in a fairly large room with capsules along a corridor or a number of corridors. This is what you expect and so it is not particularly surprising – in fact, you have probably seen many pictures of this view and thought it looked a little clinical. As people can go there at any time, there will already be a number of capsules with curtains/blinds drawn and probably many empty ones. The capsules are usually in stacks of two and with the end facing into the corridor so that you go in at the “foot” end. The upper deck may be a little more tricky to enter via the stair-like ladder but it is not so high – you will be in a jimbei though…

Once into the capsule itself, there are usually a number of amenities in there too. Note, that there will not be any toiletries here as they would be in the bathing area so the things in there are usually just the pillow, covers and bedding. Usually, there are also electronics and every capsule I have been in has had a television and alarm controls – with others having PC, radio and other functions (which are often decided at the booking stage). There are not always headphones so often the TV sound will actually come from the speaker of the TV itself but it is not loud and I cannot say I have ever had a problem with hearing other TVs. I have, however, heard other people although not much. Luckily, as this is aimed at the domestic market, most people are pretty considerate when retiring for the night so I have never heard people coming back very late and loud although I can only assume that this does happen. I assume that you may also be able to hear other people snoring or suchlike but I have never noticed it. On that basis, a hotel I stayed in had a nice little extra of noise-cancelling headphones (I think earplugs can be asked for usually, anyway) which I did use.
Usually, people do not stay in capsule hotels to stay in bed (although they can be pretty comfortable depending on options) so there is a lot of movement in the mornings well before check out time and I have also been reminded of check out (remember, capsule hotels are not designed for multiple nights) by a very loud siren so that you are forced out of slumber to check out. It is worth remembering this depending on your plans the next day.

Hopefully, this has provided a little more detail on one of the apparently zany, yet entirely sensible, things about Japan – which is something the world needs more of.


1. Japanese has three alphabets and one is used almost exclusively for foreign, loan words which added sophistication and a certain je ne sais quoi. At a point in time, internationalism was the future and implicitly, katakana represented that international future. Capsule becoming kapuseru becoming カプセル.
2. One of the things that I was asked by many, many people when I went to Japan in 2003 was about the preponderance of vending machines selling dirty pants. Obviously, I had never seen them but I was told it was something in Japan. Looking back, I think it may have been that there was a machine that did this in one of the more interesting nightspots but this is no different to assuming that the kind of thing that happens in Soho in London is indicative of the mores of semi-rural Lincolnshire.
3. In many cases, the worker does not pay the costs to travel to the office but they are borne by the workplace - so the economics of living further away are changed.
4. All capsule hotels are not created equal and there are variations depending on the type of place. The examples I use are the most common and, where specific, this will be from experience at Fukuoka. Capsule hotels come in many forms and I recently stayed in one that was modelled after Business and First class travel in planes. It felt a little more sanitised and suitable for those worried by the appearance of seediness but I cannot say I liked it as much – it probably works for those wanting to give it a sort of go though.

Sunday 4 December 2016

Capsule Hotel: What is the point? (カプセルホテル) [pt 1]

Tokyo nightlife has all the elements of a 24-hour culture except one - transport. The public transport system, largely trains, in Tokyo (and most of the major cities in Japan) are things of wonder with highly effective and quick transit available around most of the individual "cities" that make up Tokyo. An equally interesting facet is the transport utilisation over a day of the trains and that there is really no evening peak[1] as people return from work and socialise fairly evenly over the evenings. I am not sure I ever really noticed the evening rush hour and it continues into the night - but not through to the morning. Many services stop at about midnight (often earlier) making the journey home a little earlier than it would often be in other major cities. The vast scale of the city means that it will often be a long time before you reach home even if you do leave at half eleven. The scale of the city also means that it will often be a hugely expensive last drink if you miss your last train. This makes the last train quite an amazing experience in many ways as I discovered on one of my first nights in the city. But what about if you don't have one of those amazing experiences and miss the last train? Some of the more common sleeping options are:

   (Business) Hotel
There are, of course, many hotels that can be found quite easily and there is even a common class of hotel which are simpler but still quite comfortable with decent service and beds called business hotels.

   Internet Cafe/Manga Kissa
The internet cafe in Japan is often booth based rather than “open” as in most places. Each booth is often quite dark (so you can choose the level of lighting) and separated away so you get your own space. There is often a set of headphones so the whole room is often fairly quiet and the pricing is usually available for quite long chunks of time - including overnight. Drinks are available from vending and on a drink bar basis so you can get refreshment as you want it. At the point of booking, there is usually a choice of seating and this will regularly include a flat reclining seat option. Many Internet cafes will also have a shower room within the cafe too as well as an extensive choice of manga to read too.

   Love Hotel
In many parts of the city, there are a number of Love hotels where you can rent a room for the night or for a “short stay” during the day. As the name suggests, the resting part of the stay is not often the prime reason for a stay here. There is a lot to be said about love hotels but they allow an easy stay in often convenient locations and so are an option whether a couple or not.

   Capsule Hotel
Sometimes, you just need to get some sleep so all you need is a bed and not many amenities so why not pack people into the available space. These will often be very conveniently located near stations and allow sleep in a lying down position - an option not always available at similar prices.

   Karaoke Box
A somewhat counter-intuitive example but there are Karaoke boxes everywhere and they are open late and allow you to book a room that will hopefully be soundproof and have room service. Japanese karaoke rooms are also paid for per person rather than per room so this can be surprisingly cost effective and you would normally get a room which has space to stretch out. The option for a sing isn’t too bad either.

Of these options, I think the one that hits the sweet-spot for me is Capsule Hotel which is a surprise for many -and that many is usually made up of people that don't quite understand why. And in part 2, I'll explain why [link to come later].

1. The morning peak in Tokyo is a thing of legend with begloved station attendants helping pack the high capacity, high-frequency trains that little bit more than would be otherwise possible. If you go, be wary when you see those gloves.

Thursday 1 December 2016

Your Name (君の名は / Kimi no Na wa) (2016)

Makoto Shinkai (of 5 centimeters per second fame) is either a one trick pony or a specialist in his field depending on whether you like what he does. I think he’s a specialist - in evocative visions of longing, hope and small-scale joys.

Your Name is a story somewhat in the vein of body-swapping classics like Big and Freaky Friday. Taki is a schoolboy living in Tokyo getting on by in the way that kids from Tokyo do - mixing school, part-time work and hanging out with friends in an enjoyable cocktail. Mizuha is a schoolgirl from a rural town called Itomori[1] getting on by in the way that kids from rural towns often do - splitting time between school, home and the journey between school and home. And, most importantly, longing to be somewhere more exciting - in this case Tokyo.

The film starts following Mizuha through her day and getting some strange reactions as a result of her odd behaviour on the previous day - which she cannot remember at all. She does, however remember a vivid dream of being a handsome schoolboy in Tokyo. And tracking back to Taki, he has a similar reaction where his friends remember him being a little different the previous day. Eventually, both Mizuha and Taki realise that this is no dream and that they are body swapping - this is really happening - and so start to draw up some rules about how to act within each other’s bodies. The interesting thing about this particular body-swap is that unlike the other films mentioned, there is also a gender swap which is dealt with quite well and with decent comic effect at times. As the film goes on, you can sense the acceptance of each other’s lives and they begin to have a little more fun with it all and these scenes are nice slices of lives as Mizuha shows her desire to leave the small town and Taki getting quite used to the smalltown joys of intimate friendships.
The start of the film, showing the joys of being wide eyed and bushy tailed in Tokyo, is supremely engaging. This may be partially to do with my enjoyment of the city, and my memories of feeling a little similar, but it captures that feeling really well in a way that is a little intoxicating. Shinkai has a staccato editing style which helps this a bit and it makes the film feel dense and full of fun. That excitement at the little details of being in a big city are things that I can definitely relate to and it is nice to see the details of living in a city shown positively rather than being the negatives that are outweighed by the big ticket cool stuff. The artwork is always, consistently exceptional with really warm and clean pictures throughout using a mixture of 3D animation and 2D animation that feels hand drawn and full of character for the duration of the film. Most of the locations are drawn from real life and I always get a little kick out of seeing these drawn depictions of places that I know or little features that I like. I have a real fondness for the way that the front doors of apartments are shown and the little details around sliding doors opening or the sound effects of rural and urban life as they add so much to the life of any given scene. It is these little details that light up the film and I cannot be certain that this will not be specific to me as it felt so natsukashii[2] (nostalgic), but the atmosphere throughout the film felt so alive with the sense of Japan. Or, at least, my sense of Japan. This opening felt so joyous and left me smiling contentedly through the exposition phase of the film that it carried me through to the end. The story itself takes quite a few turns and I would say a few were unexpected for me but there are a few bits which are a little confusing which could lose you. Letting the film wash over you is advised, it comes together at the end and there is a classic Fight Club style decompression "changeover"[3] at some point in the middle.
Shinkai’s stock in trade is long-distance relationships (whether romantic or platonic) and so the way that the relationship grows across the distance of two towns and leads to one looking for the other is the start of the plot. Without going into the plot too much, the science-fiction elements of the story are subtle and do not impinge on the narrative particularly as the body swapping is covered at the beginning. Depictions of school life are two-a-penny in Japan so the fact that it is represented in a fresh way in Your Name is no small achievement although this is less important if you do not watch many Japanese films, of course. These elements, mixed together with the astonishing visuals create a wonderful world for the characters to inhabit which they do with fun and curiosity. I would really recommend this film to almost anybody for so many reasons. It is an easy watch as it is not particularly heavy yet it feels relatively smart and is very accessible as Japanese animation goes as it mixes light comedy in to the story with likeable characters that act quite normally. This is slice-of-life anime with a bit of plot thrown in which feels like a more mature version of Shinkai’s earlier, more textural films.

The trailer is below, and will probably give you all you need to know in terms of the visual style. Do try and watch it.          

1. Itomori is actually a fictional town in Gifu prefecture but appears to be based on the features of a number of different towns around Japan. It is not quite the “everytown” as first depicted as it has some quite exceptional scenery.
2. Forgive me for the use of Japanese, but this is one of those few situations when the foreign word seems to convey that sense better than the translation.
3. It's called a changeover. The movie goes on, and nobody in the audience has any idea.