What makes the 2016 film Your Name great is the way it subverts the classic body swapping trope that is so common not just in anime but in other media too. The body swap storyline has become so prevalent in fiction that it has become a trope in countless films and television series like Freaky Friday, Gravity Falls, and The Owl House. Traditionally, this narrative is used as a way to give two or more polar opposite characters a situation where they come to understand the perspective of the other. This eventually leads to the two reconciling their differences and improving their relationship with one another. This type of story is difficult to pull off today because of how common the trope and its clichés are, but the film Your Name actually expanded upon the idea and subverted it in the best way.
Your Name is a 2016 film by director Makoto Shinkai that follows an urban boy named Taki and a country girl named Mitsuha as they begin to experience a bizarre situation. On some days, the two end up switching bodies with each other without warning. This leads to the two finding ways to communicate with one another about how to live the other's life to avoid suspicion while they figure out what's going on. During the first act of the film, there are uses of traditional clichés in the body swap narrative as comedy ensues with the two getting used to their new bodies and surroundings. However, a sharp turn at the beginning of the second act solidifies what makesYour Name a special film.
Your Name Gives Body Swaps a Time Travel Twist
When Taki notices that he's not switching bodies with Mitsuha anymore, he tries to find out which village she's in to make sure she's alright. What he discovers completely changes the context of what science fiction romance. Just the premise alone makes it different from any story that uses this trope because of how it explores the life of someone who is longer around through the eyes of someone who is.
What's even better about this standalone film's subversion of body swapping stories is how heartbreaking it is for Mitsuha's character. She's established as a girl who wants to leave her rural village and experience the world outside with dreams of moving to Tokyo. When the body swap happens, it's a dream come true for her even though she's in a body that makes her uncomfortable. However, once viewers learn about the twist, the reality of what will happen to her makes the story even sadder. She's only getting a glimpse of a life she would never live because her death is right around the corner. Meanwhile, Taki is left to see Mitsuha's doomed world without realizing he's actually time traveling until it's too late. It's a cruel twist that just motivates Taki to find a way to save her and the town, so she can live out her dream.
Mitsuha's Story Is Made Even Sadder By Your Name's Subversion
Of course, things do work out in the end. Taki does manage to swap once again with Mitsuha and help get the town to safety before the comet strikes. This leads to a heartwarming ending where, in the future, Taki finally meets Mitsuha face-to-face and not through her eyes. Still, even with the happier ending, Your Name's subversion of the body swapping trope is ultimately what makes it such a great anime movie because it takes a familiar set-up and expands upon it to the benefit of its characters.
