It'd be interesting to know what you thought the main themes were, it seems that quite a few people have interpreted the film in different ways and focussed on different aspects. It's possible that the film does rely somewhat on viewers supplementing what's in the film with their own interpretation of whatever aspects they've chosen to focus on, though I'm not sure if that would count as a bad thing (but could still be a negative for some, at least).
Regarding the ceremony, I thought the build up and follow up to the ceremony were more important than the actual event itself. The characters seemed to learn more from the preparation and the journey they take after the ceremony (or I suppose that might technically still be part of the ceremony). You could probably argue that the ceremony itself was kind of going through the motions, while the real meaning to it is found in the work that goes into it and being a part of something larger that spans generations. Just a thought, based on my increasingly vague memory of the film.
I've probably missed out on a lot of the hype for the film. I found that it met my expectations quite well but I suppose those expectations were based on a limited selection of perspectives and reading between the lines of comments that I'd seen. I think the strength of the film is in it's width of appeal, if it works for a lot of people and reaches a lot of people then it makes sense that there'll be a decent number that particularly enjoy it. I could see it having some enduring appeal in a similar way to many of the Ghibli films and it'll probably continue to have fans and doubters in much the same way as those. It might be interesting to see if that does happen, since it lacks the marketing advantage of being part of "the Ghibli collection".
Personally, I did enjoy the film quite a bit and I'll almost certainly add it to my collection. I don't know that I'd rate it as a favourite but I could imagine re-watching it and continuing to enjoy it from time to time in the future.
For me, the film's main theme about the struggle to reconcile the traditions of Japan and it's ceremonial nature, with the modern technologically advanced world. How do you maintain a traditional cultural identity in an increasingly homogeneous and Americanised world? For me, the most important moments were brief things, like the scene in the cafe in Tokyo where
he snaps a picture of his food and it immediately disappears, as if eaten and the stuff about small town politics. It's a prescient issue at the moment, even amongst the Western world that caused it -- To what extent are we willing to sacrifice our self-identity for a more prosperous and connected world? I think my issue is that it never even really tries to reach a conclusion, even a murky 'there is no easy answer'-type conclusion.
It's probably not helped that I saw the film on the way to Vietnam, a country where this is a huge deal. They say the North is interested in politics, but the South is interested in business, but it seems to run deeper than that. Vietnam seems to be struggling to hold on to it's communist identity and ideology, whilst also using a market economy to try and progress its development as a nation. The more Western inclined South and specifically Ho Chi Minh City seems to be becoming a 24/7 city and the place in the country to do business, making it easier to perform and obtaining the associated wealth as a result, whilst we were told (We were only able to visit HCMC unfortunately.) Hanoi in the North remains very traditional, with little nightlife and increased difficulty business. Hanoi is still the centre of the Communist Party and the country's rulers. As a country, it seems to be struggling to reconcile these two identities and potentially opposing ideologies. Ho Chi Minh is trying to be a global business centre, whilst it's business students are still required to take National Defence lessons, in case the communist single-party state comes under attack...
That was much more long-winded than intended. It just seems to me, given how wide-ranging and important the themes it was seemingly trying to discuss are, and how they affect almost every person and country in the world, of every age, that it was a huge missed opportunity. And the lack of conclusion, or seemingly even a clearly defined viewpoint, does it no favours. I appreciate films with impassioned and well established angles on the real world, unfortunately Your Name does not have that.
I do want to stress that I still enjoyed the film, I just don't think it's the emotional thematic masterpiece it's being aggressively sold and hyped as. And thankfully, Shin Godzilla more than made up for it on the way back.
Come off it Shinkai mate wise up a bit. Nah, definitely not better than Trigun Badland Rumble now.
