This was our final examination of the course subject Literary Criticism. We watched a 2 hour long anime movie entitled "Kimi No Nawa" and analyzed the movie based on world famous writers' criticisms in the world of literature. Enjoy!

1. ANDRES BONIFACIO COLLEGE
College Park, Dipolog City
Literary Criticism Final Examination
NAME: Columnas, Anjenette E. COURSE & YEAR: BSED-IV
MOVIE TITLE: “Kimi No Na Wa.” (Your Name) by Makoto Shinkai
1.
a. Describe and interpret the movie according to the description of the use of poetry
(literature) by William Wordsworth. (30 points)
Answer:
The movie entitled “Kimi No Na Wa” (Your Name) has a very unusual plotting and it is
very confusing the first time you watch it, but when you try the second time and as many times
as you like, you’ll soon get the whole idea and even the whole purpose of the movie. Like the
ideals of William Wordsworth under his written works, Lyrical Ballads and Appendix to the
Preface, he pointed out that poets or other aspiring authors should write something that has a
purpose. A purpose in which the readers or even the listeners can make something out of it as a
guide to their own daily lives. A purpose in which the readers and listeners can get a moral
from something that is only written or spoken. Some ideals of William Wordsworth are also
based on the ancients, such as the ideals of Horrace and Aristotle, but he also has inserted his
own ideals in poetry such as Rhyming, thus considering him as the first person to use and
popularize the use of rhyme in poetry making. He agreed to the ideals of Horrace that poetry
does not only delight or entertain the readers and listeners, it must also instruct them as well. A
literary work that instructs and delights at the same time will serve as a dual purpose, because
the movie itself gives instructions about life to the viewers and it also gives a spirit of delight to
them as they watch the movie. As I watched the movie, it made me realize something that our
lives have different timelines with others. The characters in the movie, Taki and Mitsuha, lived
in separate lives with each other. Taki, a school boy living in the city and Mitsuha, a school girl

2. living in the countryside. They both have different lives and somehow they didn’t seem to like
the lives that they have. Both parties wanted to have a different set of lives and it is living in the
life of the opposite gender and place setting. It gave me a realization about life that we should
try to live it as it is because it is given and planned beforehand by the most powerful being
himself. I realized that we should try to be contended with the lives that we have and to give a
little excitement to the lives we live in, we must try our best to live it to the fullest. We will
never know when a disaster would strike. It also entertained me as I watched the movie, I got
so hooked to the movie plot that even in the smallest of details in every scene and also the
subtitle, I try to pause it and read out what they said and view the details in the movie. It sure
entertained me in that way. The movie didn’t have a usual plotting like every other movie that I
saw. It has a mix of genres to it, like drama, romance, comedy, and even sci-fi. It made me feel
happy and it also made me cry at the end. It made me sense a feeling of bewilders and
inquisitiveness, especially the part where how they end up switching bodies with each other.
The plotting of the movie also did give a clear beginning, middle and end. I was satisfied with
the ending that at last, they get to see each other and ask for their names, which is the reason
why the movie is entitled as that. So, going back to the ideals of Aristotle, in which William
Wordsworth had agreed and had inspiration from, emphasizing that authors really do inspire
each other, it applies that the movie gave a clear beginning, to let viewers know the background
of the movie and where it all starts, a middle, to let the viewers reach a peak of excitement of
the movie plot, especially the part where the comet disaster struck the town of Itomori and
destroyed many casualties and people, and lastly, the end where the viewers have achieved the
point of “Katharsis”, the feeling of pity and excitement for the characters in the movie. William
Wordsworth also mentioned that poetry should be of the natural language of common speech,
using of simple words and avoidance of the flowery, hard-to-understand ones. Since the movie
used Japanese, where the movie was purposely made to be in a Japanese language, I had to rely
on the subtitles in which the translators used common words of speech for the viewers to get an
easy grasp on the whole point of the movie. It also has a spontaneous overflow of feelings in
which the characters in the movie have shown to the viewers. The movie showed many scenes
that the characters felt happy to see each other and that they felt the feeling of longing. It
showed a feeling of melancholy that the characters felt that something is missing in their lives
that they never even knew. It is also a cliché, that everyone felt the same experiences, that

3. feeling of longing and melancholy that something is missing in our lives and that we try to find
those answers to feed our bemuses. William Wordsworth also emphasized that poetry should
be pleasure and should offer access to the emotions contained in memory. The movie
entertained me so much and it made me feel happy for the fact that I also felt that feeling of
something missing and lost, and that I also wanted to find out and for me to be satisfied and go
on with life. It is a movie that we can somehow relate to because it gave a grasp to the common
people like the viewers of the movie. It is also emphasized that poetry is the breath and finer
spirit of all knowledge. The movie didn’t give a clear explanation to how the characters switch
bodies in the first place, but as the movie got closer to the ending where all the emotions
empowered the film, we get to understand why they switch bodies and why they felt that way.
We get to understand why their tears fell down when they saw each other because we also have
felt the same way too, thus giving us an insight and an explanation to our why’s and how’s on
the film. It gave us a breath of fresh air knowing that we don’t need a book to read why the
things happen, thus emphasizing that poetry doesn’t need a scientific explanation to know why.
b. Describe and interpret the lyrics of the song 30:08-33:28 (Zenzenzense by RADWIMPS)
through the description of the use of poetry by William Wordsworth’s Lyrical Ballads. (30
points)
Answer:
The song entitled “Zenzenzense” by RADWIMPS talks about very much of the movie
itself, that both hearts were longing to find each other and that one of them is willing to wait
even if it takes a long time for them to find that one person who is very important in their lives.
Even if they’re from a different time and place, if both hearts are willing to find each other, they
will search and make a way. Basing from the ideals of William Wordsworth under his written
work, Lyrical Ballads, he pointed that what makes poetry good is that firstly, poetry should be
of the natural language of common speech. The song is in Japanese language, so I had to look at
the translated version which happens to be the English subtitles in the movie, it just uses the
simple and common kind of words that are easy to grasp for common people. It showed the
viewers the essence of the movie. By just listening or looking into the lyrics of the song, the

4. viewers doesn’t need to read a book to know what the movie really mean, thus giving them a
hint to what the movie is all about. Secondly, poetry should offer access to the emotions
contained in memory that the song itself all the feelings that an average person can feel, like the
feeling of doubt and excitement as expressed to the part of the song which is, “So you woke up
at last, then why won’t you look me in the eyes? You’re late, you pout, but I did my best and got
here too.” Expressing the feeling of doubting to why is it that way or did I say or done
something wrong that makes you look away from me? And also the feeling of excitement that
even if the other was late to arrive or to realize something, but still had the hope to come and
meet the person who was waiting for them. There was excitement and hope thatthe person will
soon find what they have been looking for their entire life. There is also a melancholic
expression in the song because it means to emphasize the feeling of sadness when missing
someone or something. The common people can relate to the lyrics song because they have also
experiences and feelings that they felt in their lives too, and they relate these experiences and
emotions with themselves. Once people can relate their emotions and experiences from a song,
they find it great that the song understands them and get a piece of them as well. Thirdly,
poetry should be pleasure which the songs make me feel happy or sad. It makes the person feel
something for the song and what the emotion of the song is trying to bring up. And lastly,
poetry has become cliché, which means that everyone can relate to the song because it expresses
the same value and weight of emotions, feelings and experiences as to the song. The people can
grasp to the idea of the song because they can relate to it. It also has a spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings where there was an expressiveness of emotions in the song. The song poured
out all its emotions into one composition. It expresses the heartbreaks and happiness about the
feelings of the characters in the movie making it philosophical at the same time because we
don’t need to read a psychology book to know why they are feeling like that, we only need to
listen and try to internalize what the song really mean to know everything. Like the part of the
song that says, “But when my eyes actually see you, your hair and eyes make my heart ache. I
want to suck the same air in and not let you go.” It expresses happiness once seeing the person
who very important to you and that you are afraid that they might leave soon, so you hesitate
to never let them go. We don’t need a scientific explanation as to why the singer is happy and
unwilling to let go because we already know. The song also express tranquility because the

5. lyrics came from the internal feelings of the singer, it came from the heart and not from the
mind.
2. Interpret the movie according to Samuel T. Coleridge’s concept of imagination and prose in
Biographia Literaria. (45 points)
Answer:
The movie entitled “Kimi No Na Wa” (Your Name) has a lot of things going on, the soul
swapping, the comet disaster, the different time frame of the star-crossed lovers and there is
also a hint of tradition in the movie. The movie is very impressive and the writer must have a
wide-range of imagination to think of the things happening in the movie. In order to write a
good story, one must have limitless imagination, and from the ideals of Samuel Taylor
Coleridge under his written work, Biographia Literaria,he distinguished fancy and imagination
that poetry should be written with vigor, imagination and creativity. The movie was written
very creatively that even the different time frames of the characters managed to fit together and
also with the help of Japanese tradition, the movie was creative and informative at the same
time. The author compared the senses or scene from the different element of the universe and
even in tradition. Just like the scene in the movie where Mitsuha cut her hair short before the
comet tragedy happened, it shows that it was her last day to live. That part there was zoomed
emphasizing the scissors cutting the hair, thus showing significance or warning that Mitsuha is
going to die or something bad will happen. The splitting of the comet in the movie somehow
depicts the two separate lives and time frames between the two characters, and it is not only
that the comet brought destruction and climax to the movie. There is also a scene in the movie
that brought a lot imagination to the film, and it is the scene where Taki drank Mitsuha’s
kuchikamisake in the Miyamizu Shrine. It showcased many instances on the life of Mitsuha and
that Taki was able get a glimpse on the life of his love. The movie really proves the ideals of
Coleridge and that according to him; imagination is living power and prime agent of all human
perception. From the help of imagination and creativity, the author came up with a movie that
has a mix of emotions and as well as intellect. According to Samuel Taylor Coleridge,
imagination has two levels, the first level or imagination in which the author makes a solid
comparison of the elements of the universe. The things that represent something or have any
symbolisms in the movie were the reflections from our own universe. The senses or thought

6. and even the tangible things have interpretations of their own. And the secondary level or
imagination in which the emotions, will and understanding that pertains to the things that is
represented in the movie is being interpreted to fully understanding the meaning of each scene
in the movie. It is the human understanding of what a thing represents or means to another,
and then the emotions come in to let the viewers understand the juncture of the movie. Like for
instance, the braided cord from Mitsuha’s hair represents that both hearts belong to each other
even if there are circumstances that might hinder them from seeing each other. The braided
cord simply represents destiny and fate of the two hearts. Another example is also the hair that I
was mentioned earlier, that when the scissors cut Mitsuha’s hair is a sign of death and disaster.
The kuchikamisake also represents the side story of Mitsuha and also represents that people
have another chance to do things over if they are willing to do it. As long as there is imagination
and creativity, a literary work or a story can really make an impact to the readers and listeners.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge also emphasized that verse and prose are not separate things and that
they go together. In the movie, the film timeline was also associated with its theme songs. We
all know that songs are always written in verses, and let’s just put it this way that the whole
story is the prose. It really shows that even in movies songs and story plot goes together. In the
movie, while there song was still playing, there were a couple of scenes that were inserted. But
in a literal sense it means that verse and prose always come together because prose is the
definitive imagination of the author from the verse, it is the interpretation of the work, so that
we can get the sense or message of the literary work. The only thing that is different is that a
verse has its metrical rule and that a prose has not, it is limitless.
3. Analyze and interpret the character of Mitsuha according to Mary Wollstonecraft’s theory on
women (characters) in literary pieces. (20 points)
Answer:
The character Mitsuha, who was a school girl from the countryside, is one promising
character in the movie. She is one shy and timid girl like most of the female characters in
romantic movies. She is an excellent example of a girl that is a domesticated female individual.
She was raised to have proper etiquette on how a lady should act or be in a society. Since she
was raised by her grandmother, who is an elderly that believes and uses ancient traditions as a
guide for living, and grew up without the care and discipline of her father because their father

7. left them when their mother died, that’s why she acts all lady-like in school and in even to be
known as a quiet and well-behaved girl in their town because her grandmother taught them to
be like how a woman should be as to what people, especially men, would think or expect. She
speaks slowly and moves gracefully. She tries to think first before she moves or speaks whether
it may be appropriate or not to the people around her. Like most anime films, they would try to
emphasize femininity by the mere red blush on the cheek, and most of the time, Mitsuha would
blush even if she is also in Taki’s body. There was also a part of the movie that when Mitsuha
and Taki switched bodies, and Mitsuha, who was in Taki’s body, together with Taki’s friends at
school, she even said “Watashi” female version for I and “Buko”, which is also female thing to
say, that made Taki’s friends noticed that she really is a “she”. The way she also sits down while
she was still Taki’s body also shows off her femininity, but when they switched back to their
bodies, you can really notice the difference on how both genders act. There were also parts of
the movie that shows off very much of her being a girl, the part where Taki’s friend, Tsukasa
said, “Yesterday, he was kind of cute.” and also Ms. Okudera said, “Like he was trying so hard,
it was cute.” This shows the fact that you can’t keep away one’s qualities, it shows and others
can notice. Mitsuha is known to be cute, thus expressing her femininity in the movie and that
just shows of how a girl she really is. Even in the memos she left in Taki’s phone, they were all
pink and it really shows how girly she is. Mitsuha is a character that shows how a girl should be
in the society and according to the ideals of Mary Wollstonecraft, it expresses inferiority of
women to men, that even in the movie, Mitsuha got popular in school when Taki is inside her
body. The guy usually shows domination in the film. So Mitsuha in the movie bears the ideals
of Mary Wollstonecraft’s theory on women in literary pieces are to be consistent in a way that
women should be domesticated for men. The women should act according to the expectations
of men and society. The only thing that makes Mitsuha contrast to the idea of consistency is that
when they switch bodies with Taki, the male character in the movie entitled “Kimi No Na Wa”
(Your Name).
4. Describe and interpret the lyrics of the song 1:38:06-1:46:56 (Nandemonaiya by RADWIMPS)
through the description of the use of poetry by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Cite at least five. (25 points)
Answer:

8. The song entitled “Nandemonaiya” by RADWIMPS is about two people who long to
find their fated half, and finally they had the chance to see each other after the lengthy time for
waiting and finding for that someone who they miss in their lifetime. From the ideals of Percy
Bysshe Shelley about poetry, he pointed that poetry combines wisdom and delight in which the
song gave information about the emotion that was contained in it, like the emotion of longing
and happiness, and at the same time, the song also entertains the people who are listening
because people can really relate to the feeling of the song. Almost everyone had felt the same
feeling like as to the song because people are bound to miss and desire the presence of that
certain someone in the end. It also showed other emotions like happiness and security as cited
out in the first chorus of the song. It talks about the meeting of two hearts and that they vowed
to never let each other go, and for that time that they have finally met and seen each other, they
were taken over by the feeling of joy which resulted to tears of happiness. They also have a
feeling of security for that they knew that they are safe now that they have each other to hold
on. It can also be relatable to the common people because of these emotions that overpower the
song. Shelley also cited that poetry is a source of pleasure in which the song is not only good to
listen to because of its vibe of the melody, but it also entertains the listeners as well. It makes
them think that they are also a part of the song because they can relate to it. It you feel happy
for the singer because of the arrangement of the melody and composition of the lyrics. Relating
to another ideal of Shelley that poetry kindles the symphathetic imagination in which the
listeners can feel something for the writer by the mere use of words. The structure of the lyrics
of the song can give an impact to the listeners in which they can feel what the singer is feeling in
the song. The listeners can understand what the singer is trying to deliver from the lyrics that
are composed, thus resorting to the feeling of sympathy for the singer. Shelley said that poetry
inculcates virtue that it teaches us to be good people and do good things for other people. The
song also teaches the listeners good morals like waiting for the right time when it comes. Don’t
make hasty and fast decision that might get you in the midst of regret. Waiting is always and
will be a virtue. Shelley also said that poetry is from the imagination of human beings and that
is it the superior mental faculty of the human mind. The song is driven from the imagination of
the composer and lyricist that it was possible to make something out of man’s imagination and
thought about a certain thing or situation. And lastly, according to Shelley, poetry is the
unfailing herald, companion and follower of the awakening of great people to work a beneficial

9. change in opinions or institution. The song did not fail to deliver the message of what the singer
wanted to display and that it can also make people change their perspective about something
that they used to believe in.
5. Use at least three of Charles Baudelaire’s literary theories pertaining to modernity and justify
whether this movie will adheres to his descriptions or not. (30 points)
Answer:
According to the ideals of Charles Baudelaire pertaining to modernity, poets should be
great observers of life. In order to be a great observer of life, one must always look into the good
and the bad of all things. There is always a duality of art that is a fatal consequence of the
duality of man. It means that poetry must expose of the vulgarity of things to see the bad side
and as well as the good side of things. One must not always show the goodness of things
because behind all that sugar-coated perception, there will always be something sinister to it.
That’s why poets and writers must always show a little dreadfulness to reveal the truth and
become a great observer of life. Just like one scene in the movie, it showed the truth about the
damage to be done in a disaster and the truth the deaths of the people in town that has been
struck with the comet. The movie also showed a little perversion in the scenes where Taki
always touches the boobs of Mitsuha whenever they switch bodies, and it is also true that some
guys out there would want to touch the private parts of a woman because some guys have the
desire to do it or think about it. Charles Baudelaire wanted to let people know that in the good
things, there is also a bad side to it. He emphasized that bad things makes us learn a lesson, it
makes us stronger and appreciate the works even more. In modernity, there is also a state of
newness because Baudelaire wanted something fresh and new. A work must avoid being
mainstream because it loses its creativity. The movie did avoid being a mainstream because
from the structure of movie plot shows an unusual arrangement. It doesn’t have a common plot
like most movies that I have watched, that’s why it is something fresh and new. Charles
Baudelaire also wanted to people to not show off everything to preserve the spirit of mystery,
and he wanted to let the people have time to know a thing or certain individual and not by
judging through face value. The movie at first glance didn’t seem to catch the attention of the
viewers but as the movie went on, it became interesting and it was not judge by face value to
call it as beautiful. The movie also aims for generality that almost all ages are allowed to watch

10. and can relate to the feelings and scenes happening in the plot of the movie. Baudelaire also
said that poetry is an active imagination and the movie itself is an active imagination based on
the feelings of the characters and scenes that people can really relate to. The characters in the
movie are an active imagination itself because it contains significance to the movie to keep it
going and show its true beauty. Just like the ideal of Charles Baudelaire that poetry has its own
gait, glance and gesture, the movie itself showed its own manner of bearing or style in
presenting the movie. It has its own uniqueness that makes the movie stand out from the rest.
So, that is why the movie entitled “Kimi No Na Wa” (Your Name) adheres to the ideals of
Charles Baudelaire under his literary theory of modernity.
6. Explain the concept of Musubi (knotting) using two literary theories in the finals term. (25
points)
Answer:
The Musubi (knotting) or cord braiding, based in the movie “Kimi No Na Wa”, it is the
town’s tradition that women would braid cords for the yukata, a Japanese traditional dress.
There is one scene in the movie that Mitsuha’s grandmother mentioned something about
Musubi. She said, “Trying thread is Musubi. Connecting people is Musubi. The flow of time is
Musubi. These are all God’s power. So braided cords that we make are the god’s art and
represent the flow of time itself. They converge and take shape. They twist, tangle, sometimes
unravel, break, and then connect again. Musubi – knotting, that’s time.” The grandmother also
said that those things we consume joins the soul of our bodies is Musubi and somehow it
connects us to the gods. From the ideals of Immanuel Kant under his written work, Critique of
Pure Reason, poetry should be interpreted through “aesthetic judgment” and as the connection
to the concept of Musubi, the grandmother judged and interpreted the whole idea about
Musubi through her senses, like the sense of sight in seeing Mitsuha drinking coffee and
instantly gave the concept of Musubi. Also the sense of touch by braiding cords also gave the
grandmother an insight about Musubi. It provoked the senses of the grandmother to come up
with the informatio abut Musubi. Kant also pointed out that we process sensory data through
preexisting mental categories in which the movie gave information about Musubi. Through the
process of “Priori Knowledge” that the grandmother gave information about Musubi through
her past experiences, especially the time she braided cords. Musubi also means the old way of

11. calling the local guardian god, so when the time that Taki drank Mitsuha’s kuchikamisake, he
was calling out to the gods to let them see each other and sync their times so they can be
together, and that is also another concept of Musubi about connecting people together. Another
literary theory is from the ideals of William Wordsworth under his written work, Lyrical Ballad,
he pointed that poetry should give emphasis on imagination rather than intellect. This can be
applied in the movie where the grandmother mentioned about the concept of Musubi, she used
her imagination to fit the things that represents about Musubi. She used her imagination rather
than her intellect in explaining long scientific theories to let her grandchildren, Mitsuha and
Yotsuha, understand about Musubi. My whole concept of Musubi is that the braided cord that
Mitsuha wears around her hair has the similarities of the concept about the “Red Sting of Fate”,
just like the Filipino Teleserye, Born for You. Though Mitsuha and Taki were from very
different time frame and they were out of sync, they will always meet with each other and
giving emphasis on the Musubi that it will never break or reconnect again, which means they
are destined to be together and they will always find each other regardless of the different
place, time and circumstances. Mitsuha and Taki are destined to be together and even if they
are apart or separated by life’s hindrances, they will always end up being together.
BONUS QUESTION (15 POINTS):
I. Why do you think the movie is entitled Kimi No Nawa (君の名は / Your Name)? Cite
at least two theories from the finals term to support your answer.
Answer:
I think it is entitled Kimi No Nawa (君の名は / Your Name) because of the ending of the
movie. It was a happy ending in deed and I felt very satisfied when both characters finally
meet. Though it was a total cliff-hanger, I was still happy that it ended that way. So it goes like
this, Mitsuha and Taki ended up seeing each other and ends up asking each other’s name.
According to the ideals of William Wordsworth, poetry is the spontaneous overflow of
emotions, and though out the movie, both characters had this longing to find out what was
bothering through all their lives, the feeling that they miss someone or something is missing,
resulting to the overflow of emotions of both charcters because of the uncertainty and

12. forgetfulness of each other’s names. All they wanted to do is to remember each other’s names
but they fail to do, thus resorting to the searching of their fated half to know their name. There
is also the use of the natural language of common speech because the title is not only short, but
also easy to understand. The viewers can understand to why it is entitled as “Your Name”
because as they watch the movie, they can learn why it is entitled like that. The character’s
names were the reason why they were searching for each other and as hard as they try to
remember it, they seem to forget it. Their names play an important role in the movie, which is
why it is entitled as “Kimi No Na Wa” or “Your Name”.