As I am beginning to read Your Name by Makoto Shinkai, a popular Japanese book turned into a cartoon, I have loved reading an outside perspective on teenage love outside the North American view. The book follows the story of Mitsuha, a quiet teenage girl living in a small Japanese town, and Taki, a city boy living in the heart of Tokyo. Both characters long for each other but as the distance between them grows stronger, is their love really meant to be?
“I’m in love. We’re in love.
That means we’ll meet again. I’m sure of it.
And so I’ll live.
I’ll survive this. No matter what happens, even if the stars fall, I will live.” (pg. 80)
This book, however, does not only follow the story of the two star-crossed lovers unable to be forever with each other but also explores different topics such as finding one’s true self. Unlike many other romance books I have read beforehand, this book has kept me wanting more and more each second I turn the page, which has helped me start and finish this book quicker than I had expected. I love reading how the two main characters grow alongside one another, and I hope when I am fully finished reading this book and can watch the cartoon it will be just as good as what I have read.