Supernatural stories of transformations are usually the strongest contenders for trans allegories. But director Makoto Shinaki’s Your Name is practically literal instead of allegorical. It tells the story of two teenagers, Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu. Mistuha is a girl who lives in the rural town of Itomori but wants to be in a big city like Tokyo. She feels stuck in Itomori, and prays for a different life. Taki is a boy in Tokyo who is pursuing his high school studies and working part time to cover rent and living expenses. Due to some inexplicable reason, one day Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body and Taki wakes up in Mitsuha’s body. Over time, the two figure out a means of communication in the form of notes, phone memos, and even marks on their bodies. Then one day, Taki notices a beautiful meteor which splits into two parts on its way down, and ever since, he no longer switches bodies with Mitsuha. Confused, he ventures out in search of Mitsuha, using the sketches of Itomori he has drawn from memory to help find the place, because he doesn’t know its name. After a lot of days of seemingly aimless wandering, he finally finds out that a meteorite fell on Itomori three years ago, killing its residents. Realizing they had been connected across different timelines, he makes a desperate attempt to connect to Mitsuha by drinking the offering made at the Itomori shrine. When he finally sees Mitsuha again, this time in her body, he is able to warn her about the festival and they save Itomori. But unfortunately, Taki and Mistuha no longer remember each other’s names.
