Mapping Out Your Name/Kimi No Na Wa

There will always be that one story that may not make sense to anyone. No matter how you slice it, it seems impossible to find something logical.

In the case of Your Name/Kimi No Na Wa, I've been finding certain feedback like that lately.

“It's a great movie, but don't think too much of the plot.”

“This is confusing. How did they get from that point to here?”

“This honestly made no sense halfway through.”

While I disagree, rather than stating that… I'll be breaking down Your Name/Kimi No Na Wa, so people may be able to see my perspective.

DISCLAIMER: This will contain major spoilers beyond this point. If you haven't watched the movie, or don't like spoilers, please turn back. Thank you.

When Things Get Weird

• When Taki was in Mitsuha's body, he was with Yotsuha (Mitsusha's younger sister) and their grandmother Hitoha. They were taking a trip deep into the mountains to visit the Miyamizu god's shrine, to give the kuchikamizake both Mitsuha and Yotsuha made as an offering (making the kuchikamizake was considered as putting in "half of their (the maker's) soul"). Once they were done and heading back home, Hitoha was asking Mitsuha if she was "dreaming" right now.
• This prompted Taki to wake up in his own body, in tears for reasons unknown. A last minute date with his co-worker Miki came up since Mitsuha—while in Taki's body—arranged it.
• While on the date, Taki spotted a nostalgia exhibition, which was showcasing a gallery of sights in Itomori. There was something about this bit that had him feel bothered, but he wasn't sure what. In the memos Mitsuha left him, she said there would be a comet coming up in the evening. Wondering what she meant, he decided to call her.
• At the same time, Mitsuha was in a summer festival with her friends. The comet, which had been on the news for days now, had split into two. The impact of it had left the residents for dead, Mitsuha included.
• Taki couldn't reach Mitsuha through her phone. And the following day onward, they never switched bodies again.

The Wham Moment

• Troubled by Mitsuha's lack of contact, Taki decided to go seek her out. Worried, Miki and Tsukasa (a friend of Taki's) accompanied Taki during the trip.
• There was no luck of finding her whereabouts. The three ate in a restaurant, planning to go back to Tokyo, when the owners saw Taki's sketches. One of them said it was Itomori, which prompted Taki's memory.
• However, it was revealed that the comet Mitsuha was talking about had hit Itomori three years ago. When Taki tried to show Mitsuha's memos in his phone as proof of her existence, they all disappeared.
• Once Taki and his friends went to the library to research further, all information regarding Itomori was confirmed. The list of victims who perished included Mitsuha's name.
• From this, Taki did remember seeing the same comet three years ago when he was in Tokyo, unaware of Itomori's demise. At this time, Taki was fourteen. So, this shows there is a three years age difference between Taki and Mitsuha.
• Remember that Your Name/Kimi No Na Wa was released in Japan in 2016. So, this means Taki's time is in the year 2016 while Mitsuha's own is 2013.
• As a result of finding out all of this, Taki has forgotten about Mitsuha (either due to the reality of the timelines, trauma, or both). But after being prompted by the dream he had about her for some time, her voice asking if she remembered him, he knew he couldn't just leave the situation as it was.

Turning Back Time

• After constantly researching on where to go, the following day, Taki had the restaurant owner drive him to Itomori. After a certain point, Taki ended up walking to the shrine of the Miyamizu family's patron god.
• Taki drank Mitsuha's kuchikamizake in an attempt to go back to the past.Taki slipped, seeing a drawing of the comet on the shrine wall as he fell. Due to his connection and memories with Mitsuha, he was able to see her life flashing before his eyes up until where he witnessed Mitsuha's death.
• While his own body was unconscious, Taki was able to go back into Mitsuha's body, hours before the comet had hit. Hitoha sensed Taki in Mitsuha's body, confirming that this was the "dreaming" she talked about some time back. (In the light novel, which takes place after the movie's events, it was revealed that the Miyamizu family—Mitsuha's mother's side—found their soulmates via body switching. This was how Mitsuha's parents met each other and Hitoha did say she had this power in the past but no longer remembers who she was "dreaming" about.)
• Not pleased of Hitoha's response about the crisis (she didn't believe Taki one bit), Taki decided to make attempts to save the people of Itomori before the comet fell or die trying. While planning with Tessie and Sayaka on how to save everyone, Taki was also trying to convince Mitsuha's father but to no avail.
• From there, Mitsuha woke up in Taki's body, surprised and confused about why he was in the shrine. Once she got out and saw Itomori's destruction, she remembered how she had died.

One More Chance

• Sensing Mitsuha's presence, Taki had gone to the Miyamizu god's shrine.
• On the way, he was starting to remember why Mitsuha kept appearing in his dreams. It was during Mitsuha's time, she went out to see him on the day before the comet destroyed Itomori.
• The meeting didn't go well. Since Taki was in middle school during her time, and she was communicating with his future self three years ahead of her, it was obvious he wouldn't remember her. But before she had gone back to Itomori, Taki had asked her what her name and she replied, handing him the ribbon she wore in her hair as a memento. (If you noticed the bracelet Taki wore the whole time in the movie, that is Mitsuha's ribbon.)
• Deep into the mountains, Mitsuha and Taki can hear but not see each other due to their timelines not being in sync. They passed each other and sensed the other's presence. Once the sunset began, the times merged. Taki and Mitsuha were able to meet each other again. (If you recall, Mitsuha's teacher gave a lesson on the word twilight: "Twilight, when it’s neither day nor night. When the world blurs and one might encounter something not human.")
• Giving back Mitsuha's ribbon, and reconnecting with each other, both her and Taki knew there was no time to waste. Itomori needed to be saved. Wanting to find each other again, Taki suggested writing down their names. As Taki finished writing on Mitsuha's hand and she was about write on his, she disappeared. The sunset was deepening into dusk and all time separated once more.
• From here on, as the timelines would soon change from their actions, Taki began to forget about Mitsuha again. He was left with nothing more but a lingering sense of his longing and love for her.
• On Mitsuha's end, deciding to go with the plan Taki came up with her friends to save Itomori, she was on her way to convince her father. As she progressed, she, too, was beginning to lose memories of Taki but her feelings remained. On the way to her father, she fell and saw that Taki wrote "I love you" on her hand instead of his name. While deeply saddened about this, it gave her the push she needed to keep going. Not one to back out without a fight this time, she was able to convince her father to evacuate everyone into Itomori High School.
• Taki woke up in his own time, not knowing why he was in Itomori. Having forgotten about Mitsuha and everything that had transpired, he went back to Tokyo.

Reconnected; A Long Overdue Reunion

• Five years have passed in Taki's time, making it the year 2021. In Mitsuha's timeline, it would be eight years since the Itomori incident. Their times would merge and sync normally at this point, so it took Mitsuha a little while longer to show up in Taki's time.
• Taki is twenty-two now while Mitsuha is twenty-five.
• Both of them have had this deep longing, love, and heartbreak for each other that lingered for a long time. This was the aftereffect of being connected by body switching and having interfered with the other's timelines. Both vaguely remembered the events that happened between them, but have no idea why they're feeling this way. They also have no idea what or who they're searching for. This has been going on for the both of them for years, ever since Itomori was saved. (Thus, bringing a full circle back to the beginning of the movie. A reprise, so to speak.)
• Taki and Mitsuha unknowingly encountered each other twice. The first time, it was at a train station but Taki thought he was seeing things. The second time was passing each other on the street, but neither turned around. (Keep in mind, Taki's memory jogged slightly after encountering Tessie and Sayaka in a cafe. But nothing came out of it.)
• As summer approached, Taki and Mitsuha saw each other through the windows of different trains. The emotion of longing awakened into realization. That they were searching for each other all along and still cherished their love this whole time.
• Both got out of their trains and eventually met up after running around. They were going to pass each other by like nothing happened, but Taki decided not to ignore this and asked Mitsuha if she felt that they have met before. With both in tears, Mitsuha said she also felt the same. They asked for each other's names and the movie ends there.

Now that you've come to this point of the article, I would also want to add this. Originally, Shinkai Makoto didn't have the movie end like this.

The movie originally ended as you see in this Youtube video. Sparkle was one of the songs playing in Your Name/Kimi No Na Wa and this official music video of it contains footage not seen in the final cut. By having saved Itomori as they did, Shinkai Makoto initially wanted Taki and Mitsuha to meet sooner. After the Itomori incident, Taki, who would still be seventeen, would've ended up meeting Mitsuha when she was twenty. (You would be able to tell it's an older Mitsuha, given that she kept her hair short and tied her ribbon the way she did near the end of the movie.)

But since that would cause lots of confusion, Shinkai-sensei made the wise decision to have the two meet years later rather than immediately. He also said they had to do a lot of editing and cutting until it became what was the final product. I also feel this is realistic in having the time pass and letting the characters go back into the normalcy of their lives first.

I'd also recommend reading the light novel that took place after the movie's events as well (provided that you know how to read Japanese or if you manage to have it translated). It actually does explain a few more things that were not able to show in the movie. And just like 5 Centimeters per Second, Your Name/Kimi No Na Wa also has a mangaversion. They, too, will have details that may have not been in the film.

I hope I was able to make things clearer for those who are still questioning about this movie's plot!