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Makoto Shinkai's 'your name.' Novel Sells 112,000 More to Rank #1 for 2nd Week

Kimi no Na wa. (your name.), Makoto Shinkai's original novel that inspired the film of the same name, had its highest-selling week in the August 29-September 4 week. It sold an estimated 112,000 copies to rank #1 on Oricon's weekly bunko (trade paperback) chart for the second consecutive week. The book has now sold an estimated total of 446,000 copies. Shinkai published the book on June 18.

Shinkai's other novels that inspired his previous films also rose on the chart. The Kotonoha no Niwa (The Garden of Words) novel sold 14,000 copies to rank #11 this week — up from #26 last week. The Byōsoku 5 Centimeter (5 Centimeters Per Second) novel sold 12,000 copies to rank #14 — up from #33 last week. This is the highest rank both novels have reached since their publication.

Kimi no Na wa. AnotherSide: Earthbound, a spinoff novel focusing on supporting characters from the film, sold an estimated 10,000 copies to rank #18 — up from #23 last week. Arata Kanō wrote the novel; he has also written novelizations for Shinkai's Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days films, as well as a spinoff novel for 5 Centimeters Per Second. The film's character designer Masayoshi Tanaka drew the cover art, and Hiyori Asahikawa illustrated the novel.

The different your name. children's book tie-in with illustrations by Chiko ranked sold 18,000 copies, ranking #7 in the weekly general book chart — up from #14 the previous week. The Shinkai Makoto Kantoku Sakuhin Kimi no Na wa. Kōshiki Visual Guide Book (Director Makoto Shinkai's your name. Official Visual Guide Book) sold 11,000 copies to rank #17 — up from #22 the previous week. Shinkai Makoto Walker, a book that looks back on Shinkai's previous work since Voices of a Distant Star, sold 6000 copies and ranked #57 — up from #71 the previous week.

RADWIMPS' soundtrack for the film sold about 39,000 copies in the same week to rank #1 on Oricon's album chart for the second consecutive week.

The film itself has earned 3.8 billion yen (about US$36.75 million), 10 days after its August 26 opening in Japan. It topped the Japanese box office for the second consecutive week for the September 3-4 weekend. TOHO predicts that the film will gross a total of 6 billion yen (US$58.8 million).

The film held its world premiere on July 3 in Los Angeles during Anime Expo, and it is slated to open in 85 countries and regions.

The film's "story of miracles and love" revolves around Mitsuha and Taki. Mitsuha is a female high school student who lives in a rural town nestled deep in the mountains. Her father is the mayor and isn't at home much, and she lives with her elementary school-aged little sister and her grandmother. Mitsuha has an honest personality, but she doesn't like the customs of her family's Shinto shrine, nor does she like her father participating in an election campaign. She laments that she lives in a confined rural town, and yearns for the wonderful lifestyle of living in Tokyo. Taki is a male high school student who lives in central Tokyo. He spends time with his friends, works part-time at an Italian restaurant, and is interested in architecture and fine arts. One day, Mitsuha has a dream where she is a young man. Taki also has a dream where he is a female high school student in a town in the mountains that he has never been to. What is the secret to their dreams of personal experience?

Shinkai also wrote the script for the film. Masashi Ando (Spirited Away, When Marnie Was There, Paprika) served as the animation director and Masayoshi Tanaka (anohana, The Anthem of the Heart, Toradora!) designed the characters. CoMix Wave Inc. animated the film.

Source: Animate Times