To start off April, I’m going to be doing something a little different than usual.  Instead of highlighting three events for this week, I’m going to be focusing on just one.  I decided to do this not just because it would allow me to get a little more in depth about this one event, but also because it’s something I’ve been waiting over a year for and can’t really contain my own excitement.  So, what is it that is so exciting I’m dedicating this entire week to?

Kimi No Na Wa, or Your Name as it is known in English, is the latest film from my personal favorite director Makoto Shinkai.  Now I realize that name probably doesn’t mean a lot to most, or maybe any, of you but hopefully I’ll be able to change that.  Generally speaking, people who have seen anime films tend to know just one studio and one director, that being Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, and while I have seen and enjoyed some of his films, to me they don’t hold a candle to what Shinkai has done.  Your Name is only the 5th movie he’s directed, and the four previous are by no means perfect, but they each touch on something deep within the human experience in ways I personally didn’t expect.  Not to mention each of his films is more gorgeous than the last, with the art quality alone stunning enough to bring a tear to your eye when combined with the heartfelt scores.

By now I’m sure I’ve shown my platinum level weeb-card for all to see, and I haven’t even spoken about the latest movie yet.  There’s a reason for that.  I don’t know a thing about it.  I haven’t watched a single trailer, seen only the poster, and heard a few very brief words from people who’ve been able to see it.  That’s how I went into the first of his films I watched, 5cm Per Second, and that experience is one I’ll never forget.  So I’m not going to tell you about those films, I’m not a film reviewer anyway, but encourage you to just go see them.  Most importantly, see Your Name while it’s still in theaters here.  It starts on April 7th, both subbed and dubbed.  Considering it has already become the second biggest film Japan’s box office has ever seen, and the fourth largest worldwide, my recommendation shouldn’t even be needed.

Jesse Lennox

Jesse graduated from CU Boulder in 2014 with an English degree in Creative Writing. He has been writing independently ever since a high school teacher inspired him with a simple assignment to write whatever he wanted after struggling to follow a writing prompt. Since then, Jesse has been writing every day and continues to work on getting his writing published. It was that one spark that sent Jesse on a path not just toward pursuing his own writing, but to go into education in the hopes of awakening a similar passion in others. To keep his creative juices flowing, and keep a healthy balance, he also enjoys exercise of almost every kind and keeping a healthy diet. In his free time he enjoys seeking out new and interesting stories of all kinds, watching foreign media, and sometimes just relaxing and looking out the window for a while. Since coming to Boulder at the age of 3, Jesse has found no shortage of inspiration here.