A review by gladiolus17
君の名は。 by Makoto Shinkai, 新海誠

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I read this in Japanese, so my opinion only is relevant to the source text, not the translation. However, I really wonder how this was rendered, because for better or worse, the Japanese book was exactly like the movie. It was split in two perspectives only with the distinction of personal pronoun to tell between Mitsuha and Taki. How did they do it in English when the perspective shifted between sentences or paragraphs between them? Hmm.

I have mixed feelings about this. I saw the movie three times and cried every time. But reading this was a chore in the beginning. Okay, I get it, I’m in a teenage boy’s head. But seeing his hormone-raging in a movie gives more distance than reading it! I also have gotten older and maybe have less patience for YA novels.

This book also has a mild case of menwritingwomen. In Mitsuha’s perspective she goes on a whole tangent describing Okudera’s boobs and hips!!! Mitsuha! C’mon, man. 

But as I went on, I found myself getting into the groove of this and enjoying myself.