Review

“Garden of Words”Director Makoto Shinkai isn't called "The New Miyazaki" for nothing!In the past few years, many of his work kept getting more and more recognition globally, and his latest work, "Your Name" (Kimi no Na Wa) has set a whole new record, putting him on par with some of the best works from Studio Ghibli."Your Name" is definitely one of the best Japanese animation films of all time, featuring a beautiful and authentic story that will keep you spellbound, lovable mains, supporting and even minor characters, and breath-taking art visuals which mixes both classic landscape paintings with some exceptional photo-realistic macro-focus shots.The story of the film is simple yet complicated at the same time, but not to the point that it would confuse you, more to the fact that it would make you crave for an answer.Also, the mystery and plot twist of the film is obvious yet surprising at the same time as it is full of foreshadowing, which shows how much of a genius Shinkai is, as not everyone would be able to pull off such a perfectly creative and unique story with the use of metaphorical imagery and mixture of subtle and explosive emotions.The film is a mixture of various genres such as romance, drama, comedy, mystery, supernatural, and tragedy, but despite having various genres, the story is completely balanced as no genre would end up overtaking the other.Although the theme of the film is not exactly new, the way director Shinkai presents it is very refreshing and filled with enjoyment, making it one of the best films to catch this year!• This is the first anime film not made by Studio Ghibli or Hayao Miyazaki to gross 10 Billion Yen (about US$98 million) at the Japanese box office.