Genre(s): Romance, Supernatural, School, Drama
Age-Appropriateness: 13+ (Some crude humor)
Platforms: None (but can rent anywhere)
Episodes: One 1 hr. 46 min. Movie
TheAwersome Rating: 9.2 / 10 (Truly magical, please watch)
Premise: Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school girl, yearns to live the life of a boy in the bustling city of Tokyo—a dream that stands in stark contrast to her present life in the countryside. Meanwhile in the city, Taki Tachibana lives a busy life as a high school student while juggling his part-time job and hopes for a future in architecture. One day, Mitsuha awakens in a room that is not her own and suddenly finds herself living the dream life in Tokyo—but in Taki’s body! Elsewhere, Taki finds himself living Mitsuha’s life in the humble countryside. In pursuit of an answer to this strange phenomenon, they begin to search for one another.
TheAwersome’s Thoughts: This is truly a magical and beautiful piece that keeps you gripped from start to finish. The animation and artwork are beautiful with gorgeous landscapes and scenery that draw you in and make you fall in love with Japan, both city and countryside. The comedy is great because it’s based on well written characters, rather than simple gags and jokes. Seeing Mitsuha and Taki deal with lives so far different from their own and grow as a result is such a satisfying, fulfilling experience that ties you to them. There’s a lot of real human connection in this story and movie, feeding your emotions and fattening them up behind your back before making you confront them in all their excruciating bliss. It felt like the magic of a Ghibli movie but geared toward more of an adult audience (purely for comprehension and lack of magical creatures’ sake).
TLDR: A magical, emotionally moving piece with the most gorgeous of visuals.
This is one worth owning in my opinion, as evidenced by my purchasing of it after renting it from ye olde Library.
At a Glance Anime 