More side stories fleshing out the your name. world
Creative Staff
Story: Arata Kanoh, Makoto Shinkai
Art: Jyunya Nakamura
Translation/Adaptation: Taylor Engel
Lettering: Abigail Blackman
What They Say
Mitsuha Miyamizu may be experiencing a mysterious bond with an unfamiliar Tokyo boy, but she’s not the only member of her shrine-keeping family with transcendent connections. Her little sister, Yotsuha, finds herself getting a curiously closer look at the Miyamizu traditions. Their father, Toshiki, remembers his wife, Futaba, and all the love and pain.
Discover more stories from the world of the award-winning film your name. and see the town-and history-of Itomori in a new light.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
your name. is easily one of my favorite movies of all time, so I was intrigued by this short manga series that popped up giving us some stories that help flesh out some of the side characters and give the movie even more depth. This volume opens with the conclusion of Earthbound, the story of Mitsuha’s younger sister, Yotsuha, and her flirtation with the same mysterious power that has her sister swapping bodies with Taki. There are some nice additions in here that weave in with the movie well.
For my money, though, the second story is the reason to read this, as it follows Mitsuha’s father, explains how he met and married her mother, and why he is now the cantankerous, vengeful man he is portrayed as. While the movie briefly explains that it has to do with his grief over the death of Futaba, Mitsuha’s mother, it never explores it further. This story does, and we can see how he gives up his life as a promising university researcher to marry her and take over as the priest of the Miyamizu shrine, and just what she means to him. So, when he loses her, he loses everything, and it is crushing to him that everybody seems to be able to accept the inevitability of death. It adds a lot of depth to his character and to his actions in the movie. While it’s certainly not necessary for the movie to be understood, it is a nice addition to have.
In Summary
The Another Side: Earthbound series is a really fascinating read for fans of your name. Nothing in them is anything that is particularly needed for the enjoyment of the movie, but the movie is enhanced by what we learn about the side characters in them. This is certainly not a series to read if you have never seen the movie (or if, for some reason, you didn’t like the movie), but for fans of the movie, it’s great to revisit these characters and learn more about what’s going on in the background. If you like your name., then I think you will love this. Highly recommended.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: T – Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: December 24, 2019
MSRP: $13.00
