10 Best Anime Movies Not Made By Studio Ghibli
2. Your Name.
We've all seen body switch movies before. The likes of Freaky Friday, The Change-Up, It's a Boy Girl Thing and more have taken the played out idea and brought it to life plenty of times, mostly to middling results. So, the fact that this anime (written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, who also made Weathering With You) is as good as it is takes you aback.
Your Name. depicts the events after a pair of strangers find themselves intermittently switching bodies. They begin to communicate through notes and messages and soon form a strong connection, which gets tested as they attempt to find each other.
Of course, the dynamic between the leading characters is a major selling point for the movie, which is interesting as their connection to each other is purely metaphysical. Despite this, you still fall quickly for their chemistry and connection.
Despite the rather high-concept, the fantasy of this movie is entirely grounded. Nothing feels over-the-top, as the characters respond to everything naturally, focusing on their emotions rather than the supernatural phenomenon. If other body-switch movies did the same, then the concept might not be so looked down upon.