Your Name: A Coming of Age Movie
Your Name is a coming of age work because it exemplifies many of the genre's key points. The most salient of these points are the shifting dynamic between the genders, the newfound discontent and aspirations of teenagers, and the gradual loss of an innocence that is treated like magic in the movie.
The changing relations between the genders can be seen in both how they react to each other's bodies, and also in the nature of their bonds. For example, when the male main character switches bodies with the female main character, he is immediately fascinated by her breasts, while she is embarassed about using the restroom. While we do not have younger pre-adolescent versions of themselves to compare this reaction against, it can be assumed that their curiosity/embarassment has been either born or heighted due to growing up. The other side of this coin can be seen when the male lead goes on a date with another girl, and they both realize that they aren't compatible. Not only are they now dating, but they are also coming to accept that not everyone is a good fit as a romantic interest, and some people should just stay friends.
The discontent and aspirations of teenagers can mostly be seen in the female lead, who is vastly unsatisfied with her small town life. She resents the stigma she has due to being a shrine girl, as well as the daughter of the town's allegedly corrupt mayor. The male lead doesn't really have any discontent, and he doesn't really have any aspirations either aside from the end of the movie when he wishes to find the female lead. The most markedly coming of age trait on this topic is how the female lead comes to reconcile those discontentments and aspirations, as she comes to appreciate her town, culture, and father more as well as achieve her dream of living in the big city in adulthood.
The final point is the main thread of the movie, and that is the gradual loss of innocence. The movie treats innocence as a kind of magic, drawing a thread between being a teenager and the magic of switching bodies. The innocence can also be seen as the naivety of a concept such as true love, and the driving force behind the movie is that both the magic of switching bodies and the idea of true love is fading away from their minds. Where Your Name differs from the standard coming of age work is that the main characters rediscover their innocence at the end of the movie, both recalling the events that brought them together as well as finding true love.
I watched the movie a while ago, but from what I remember I think it's interesting how they force each other to "grow up" sooner by doing things that otherwise they know the other person wouldn't have done. For example, when Mitsuha was in the boys body, she talked to his crush and started a relationship with her. When the boy switches back to his body, he has to continue this venture and navigate being in a relationship. Basically, when they are in opposite bodies, they do things that make the "coming of age" process sped up and I think that's an interesting element to the movie!
ReplyDeleteI think you're spot on with your analysis. I think another important aspect of the movie is the time travel stuff. The fact that they are coming of age not only at different ages but also in different times is significant. While they seem to be so similar, there are parts of each other they don't know. It becomes very clear how they have different priorities in live, shaped by their upbringing. In many ways, they are each able to live in a different time and place as a "preview" of the rest of their lives, which I think is an interesting component to add into the mix.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the movie, but it seems like something to watch. I find the idea of regaining one's innocence as very interesting, as it's something we don't see a lot in the coming-of-age genre (and one can argue that coming-of-age itself requires the loss of innocence, so is Your Name really a coming-of-age narrative?). In Catcher in the Rye, for example, rediscovering/remaining in a state of innocence was Holden's goal that he could never attain, and that certainly applies in the real world too.
ReplyDeleteDo you think you have to lose your innocence to grow up? If that is one of the features that define their maturation does reclaiming that mean they are also reclaiming a part of their youth? I guess if one of the things that make this movie good is that they recognize each other at the end, does it really mean they grew up in this definition.
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