“Ah, if only our voices speak at night
Could ever reach the very edge of this world and the time … “– Dream Lantern by RADWIMPS
2016 was a strong year for animated films. While there was Academy Award Winner Zootopia and pop culture blockbuster Moana, there was also Kubo and the Two Strings, My Life as a Zucchini, and Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name. (君の名は。). As much a fantasy body-swap comedy as it is a romantic adventure tale, Your Name. hung on the lips of any animation fan and cinephile that year and has only built a larger audience since then. In honor of its 10th anniversary, GKIDS Films first re-released Your Name. into theaters and now has released a first-time in North America 4K UHD edition with a brand-new 4K UHD remaster in a new steelbook design, alongside a standard Blu-ray with legacy featurettes. If the time to experience Your Name. was then, it remains time to do so now.
Taki voiced by Ryunosuke Kamiki in YOUR NAME.. Photo courtesy of GKIDS Films. © 2016 “Your Name.” Film Partners.
High schoolers Mitsuha (voiced by Mone Kamishiraishi) and Taki (voiced by Ryunosuke Kamiki) live in completely different cities, yet their lives are interconnected — not physically, but through their dreams. When one sleeps, the other jumps into their body and takes over their life. As this goes on, the two try to figure out how to connect when they’re both awake and that’s when the real adventure begins.
The following home review is based on a retail copy of the 4K UHD Blu-ray combo steelbook edition, provided by GKIDS Films via Radial Entertainment.
Mitsuha voiced by Mone Kamishiraishi in YOUR NAME.. Photo courtesy of GKIDS Films. © 2016 “Your Name.” Film Partners.
With this being a reissue with a brand-new 4K UHD edition, we’re going to start there and work our way inward. So, first things being first, there are two physical editions to choose from: the 4K UHD Blu-ray combo steelbook and the standard edition Blu-ray. Unlike the previous FUNimation Blu-ray that contained a DVD of the film, the reissue Blu-ray appears to be a single-disc. If past is prologue, the included Blu-ray with the 4K UHD edition is the same as the standalone reissue, just in different packaging. The Blu-ray appears to have the standard art of Mitsuha and Taki standing apart (one on grass in Itomori, the other in Tokyo) with the comet between them. The 4K UHD steelbook, however, is far more unique and artful. The outside of the steelbook conveys one complete image with Mitsuha on the front facing left and Taki on the back facing right. They are each designed as if in their respective cities, however, the background implies the twilight period when they meet, as does Mitsuha’s short hair and the red braid that connects the two. The inside of the steelbook has a place for two discs on the right side and a clear plastic liner running the length, enabling a scene from Itomori on the night of the comet to be visible (with discs removed). Presuming uniformity across all packages, the Blu-ray is held on the bottom and features Taki dressed from the twilight sequence and the 4K UHD disc is on the top rung with Mitsuha from the same scene. As can happen in transit, the 4K UHD disc was dislodged, but thankfully sustained no damage before it could be resecured. By comparison, the previous FUNimation discs were in a standard blue amray with the Blu-ray featuring the comet streaking across the sky and the DVD featuring the falling comet shard as it pierces through a wall of clouds.
Packshot for the 4K UHD Blu-ray combo steelbook edition YOUR NAME.. Photo courtesy of GKIDS Films.
Speaking of the reissue compared to the prior release, be advised that these discs are not a simple reskin of the FUNimation editions. The menus are redesigned and the art accompanying the menu is different, too. These are not exactly details that, alone, entice a second purchase, but it’s nice to know that GKIDS is striving to have their editions stand apart.
As mentioned, the bonus features included with the new edition and reissue are housed entirely on the Blu-ray disc. They are the previously available “Special TV Program,” “Interview with Makoto Shinkai” with the original FUNimation intro, “Makoto Shinkai Filmography,” textless opening credits, and teasers and trailers for the film. There is one feature included that I cannot source from the prior FUNimation release or any of the imports: “Behind the Scenes of Your Name.,” a talk at a library Shinkai gave on November 5th of an unknown year. There have been several 4K UHD editions released overseas that included the full RADWIMPS score, with booklets or art cards, but I can’t seem to find a mention of this speech or any record of it online. There’s no information at the top of the featurette to identify it and the text in the credits is in Japanese, but it’s clear that it was recorded on November 5th, 2016. It is an information piece, as Shinkai speaks for over an hour, talking about the different loglines (including one night used), taking people through the beginning of the film including the intro, and other concepts/themes of the film. With the way he speaks, this event seems to have taken place at a period where not everyone in the audience may have seen the film. That said, one of the most striking is learning that the dance Mitshua and her sister perform before making the kuchikamizake tells the story of the comet which has a part split off and crash. This is a dance, which we had only recently learned was carried over after a tragic fire destroyed much of Itomori’s history, that they perform out of custom without knowing its meaning. Of course, later we learn from the grandmother that the ability to travel into dreams has occurred for generations within the women in Mitsuha’s family, suggesting that these women have been protecting the people of Itomori from total annihilation for generations. If you haven’t already seen this featurette and have explored the others, this is where you’re going to want to begin your revisit. While I can’t speak to it with on-hands authority, the official GKIDS Your Name. webpage indicates that the bonus features are the same for both physical editions.
Taki voiced by Ryunosuke Kamiki in YOUR NAME.. Photo courtesy of GKIDS Films. © 2016 “Your Name.” Film Partners.
The reason why you’re here, one presumes, is to learn about the on-disc performance. On this, there is nothing to complain about. First, there is a new audio mix as the FUNimation Blu-ray had a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track whereas the GKIDS edition has a 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio track. Both contain lossless quality and multi-channel support, but DTS-HD MA is believed to have the edge on TrueHD by providing higher peak bitrates. Now, this isn’t something that the average film watcher is going to either understand or appreciate, so here’s what you need to know: the film sounds incredible. The score is enveloping but not overwhelming and the dialogue is crisp and clear. Much of the film truly doesn’t benefit from the 5.1 until nearing the climax of the film as the emergency alarm in Itomori goes off and you can hear it start in one corner and expand outward. Like the FUNimation edition, the GKIDS edition includes English *and* Japanese in 5.1 (something you’d be surprised to learn isn’t a guarantee with dual-language releases). Regarding the video, Your Name. is already a beautiful film and it’s gorgeous in 4K UHD. Some upscaling likely took place as the film was reportedly digitized in 2K, however, the colors are beautifully balanced and enhanced here. The whites are striking and singular, as are the blues and purples that make up much of the color scheme as it relates to twilight and the comet. There’s vibrancy in all the images and a clarity of detail in each frame, but none feel blown out or overdone in such a way as to reduce the very grounded approach of this fantastical tale. From a technical perspective, the 4K UHD edition is among the better 4K releases of the year as it maintains a healthy 80 Mbps range bitrate through the majority of the film. The press release and other official methods of information don’t indicate what type of disc storage the 4K UHD disc uses, but, thanks to the absence of any supplemental materials, the film has all the space to spread out, thereby reducing any unnecessary compression that can hinder playback. I don’t typically see this kind of high bitrate expect from other prominent boutiques, like Arrow Video, Vinegar Syndrome, and The Criterion Collection. Rumor has it that past 4K UHD editions have had issues with the video elements and this seems to have been addressed for the North American reissue.
A scene from YOUR NAME.. Photo courtesy of GKIDS Films. © 2016 “Your Name.” Film Partners.
If there’s one area of concern with the 4K UHD reissue, it’s the steelbook case itself. Once an intriguing novelty, steelbooks have become a massive piece of the physical media collector’s space. Alone, they stand out from the regular amray cases, but, with the right art, they become a piece of art. Unfortunately, with so many brick and mortar stores reducing their physical inventory, one needs to have their copy shipped and not all distributors will take care in the packaging. The case for Sony Picture’s 4K UHD of Paprika arrived packaged in bubble wrap and the steelbook was still so badly damaged that it couldn’t protect the discs long term. With Your Name., however, the 4K UHD steelbook suffers from the same issue that I have with Fight Club’s recent steelbook — it won’t stay shut. The top portion will lock properly, but the bottom will pop out, suggesting that there’s either warping or an alignment issue going back to its formation in the factory. There’s no way to predict this and it has become an issue to just expect, which, frankly, brings down some of the enthusiasm of owning any steelbook the discs are more likely to experience wear (or worse, disc rot) sooner if something happens to the case.
The closing song of the film, RADWIMPS’s “Nandemonaiya,” says in the pre-chorus,
“Now, just a little more, only just a little more
Let’s stay here a little longer now … .”
In the featurette “Behind the Scenes of Your Name.,” Shinkai comments about the romance of that statement — the notion that we all just want someone to stay a little longer with us. We should all be so lucky to find someone like that for even the briefest of times. This is a key element of the romance portion of Your Name. as these two high schoolers who have never dated anyone else (a quick aside made during the initial journaling portion of the bouncing between characters) slowly begin to fall for each other, fighting to figure out a way to stay just a little longer with the other. Their entire love story told out of order, even if told chronologically from Taki’s perspective. They meet, they swap bodies, they change each other’s lives immeasurably, they lose track, and then find each other when the time becomes right. Will it all work out? Will they be together forever after? We don’t know (even if they are referenced in Shinkai’s follow-up project Weathering with You (2019)), but we can only root for them and hope that they can stay together just a little longer. This is part of why, for those whom find themselves caught up in the adventure of Your Name., the film continues to resonate even 10 years later. The script isn’t just clever in the way it lays out its body swap concept or the reveal that it’s actually a time travel, body swap concept, but in the way it tells us that this isn’t the first time that the members of the Miyamizu family have been stewards for the people of Itomori; that their belief in musubi as a binding energy that moves forward and backward through time, connecting people and places, is more than fantasy but the way in which the 2013 citizens of Itomori were able to survive, even if they didn’t realize they were being warned from the past. Though there are pieces that continue to bother me (specifically Taki’s liberal touches of Mitsuha’s chest), everything else is so honest, pure, and fantastical that even knowing where the story leads doesn’t prevent one from getting sucked right into the wonder, comedy, and romance. It’s so hard to get to the twilight sequence and not burst into tears at the two finally meeting and then losing the memory of the other.
4K UHD is the current premium format and, therefore, for many, it’s the format that physical media owners want for the films they purchase. Unfortunately, not all 4K UHD editions are created equal because sometimes the materials aren’t available for a quality remaster or restoration, sometimes it’s just a cash grab, and sometimes it’s positively unexplainable (especially for new releases). Paramount is particularly guilty of releasing 4K UHD editions where the Blu-ray looks and sounds great for less money (The Saint; Popeye), though the new release of Pressure (2026) isn’t too far behind. Here, however, with the exception of the unpredictable consistency of the steelbook case, the 4K UHD edition is worth the additional cost between the outstanding visual presentation, improved audio track, and the additional, in-depth featurette. Obviously, if one prefers, do wait for a sale, but if you have the prior Blu-ray, love this film, and want an improved experience — you’re not going to regret the purchase.
Your Name. 4K UHD Special Features:
* Special TV Program
* Interview with Makoto Shinkai
* Behind the Scenes of Your Name. (1:08:35)
* Makoto Shinkai Filmography
* Textless Opening Credits
* Teasers & Trailers
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray Combo Steelbook August 25th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official GKIDS Films Your Name. webpage.
For more information, head to the official GKIDS Films Shop Your Name. webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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