your name. (2016) written and directed by Makoto Shinkai

your name. begins in media res, meaning when Mitsuha attends school one day, we experience her confusion alongside her: her friends and family report that she acted strange the day before, though she has no memory why. It’s only when she fully body swaps with Taki, a boy living in Tokyo, that we understand the body-swap meet-cute we’re in—or so it seems. 

Mitsuha wants to live in Tokyo when she gets older, so her body-swap experiences seem to align perfectly with her dreams. The body-swap lets us understand these characters deeper, through constant contradiction and comparison. The mood is light as the teenagers leave notes to each other on their respective phones. When Taki begins to develop feelings for Mitsuha, he wishes to meet her in person; and when he finds out why he cannot meet her, the film takes a dramatic and emotional twist. The “meet”-ing part turns out to be much more complicated than either the characters or the audience expects. 

I don’t want to spoil more, despite all there is to say about the rest of the movie, because discovering for myself was part of the thrill. Without giving away too much, I can say Makoto utilizes the body-swap and the romance to dive deeper into love and tragedy, on a personal and a national level. The animation is beautiful, especially in Mitsuha’s rural town, and supports both the beauty and the tragedy. I watched it while I was sick, and it was a perfect pick-me-up. 

—Peyton

Kimberly Akimbo at the Booth Theatre 

For the month of March, I am recommending that you spend an arm and a leg to purchase a flight out to the Big Apple to see the broadway musical Kimberly Akimbo at the Booth Theatre. And you better see it soon, as the musical’s last showing is at the end of April. 

The musical follows the story of Kimberly Lovoco, a fifteen-year-old teenage girl who has the appearance of an elderly woman. Having been born with a rare genetic disorder, Kimberly ages four times faster than her peers. Being an awkward teenager is hard enough, and an unusual medical condition in combination with her older countenance only serves to make her the odd one out at her new school. 

To make matters worse, Kimberly’s dysfunctional family won’t tell her why they’ve left her old town and life for their new one in boring old Bergen County. And to top it all off, a dark cloud looms over her head as her birthday approaches, the life expectancy of someone with her condition being sixteen. Time is running out for our protagonist, Kimberly Lovoco. But she’s still a teenage girl at heart. What’s a girl to do when she knows her end may be nigh but she has so much she wants to do. According to her crazy, troublemaking aunt, commit crimes and make your shitty life better. 

Kimberly Akimbo was genuinely one of the most charming and heartwarming shows I’ve seen on stage. With a stunning cast that brings their quirky characters to life, this musical tugs and pulls at heartstrings throughout the show while bringing laughter and fun. The staging of the show was magnificent and the sets felt lived in and real. The soundtrack also featured each cast member, giving them standout emotional songs that cemented their characters and enthralled the audience. There’s no question as to why this musical was awarded the Tony for Best Musical, as the winning combination of having a strong ensemble, clever staging, and a moving and inspiring story propelled this musical to the top of my list. It’s hard to walk away from this show without feeling that you’ve truly experienced something truly special. 

Go to New York City. Watch Kimberly Akimbo. And make your shitty life better!   

—Eugene

“Ya Supérame” by Grupo Firme

In the month of March, I dove headfirst into the world of banda music. Grupo Firme is a banda group with 7 members, each with different musical talents (vocalist, accordion, drums, bajo sexto). They are famous for their improvised and informal musical performances and recordings—a key part of their live act is getting progressively drunk as the night goes on. I am recommending the music video for “Ya Supérame” (“Get Over Me Already”), which is the song that is currently stuck in my head. 

Everything about this song is so satisfying, and I feel like it encapsulates everything I love about banda in general. You have the low, consistent heartbeat of the tuba and the trombones, mixed with screaming trumpets and clarinets. My favorite part is the grito (literally “shout”) from the vocalists and the way those yells meld with the sounds of the trumpets. One of my favorite rock vocalists, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, does something similar in some of their songs, where he will yell and scream in a way that matches the intensity and pitch of the electric guitar, and I have always been obsessed with that dynamic. I think it’s so sick to hear that in banda as well. The songs are already so emotional—either desperate sadness or anger and disgust, and those intense emotions are made so visceral with the grito.

The informality of their music is also a huge draw for me. They joke around and in some performances you can watch them take bites of tacos in between stanzas. It’s genuinely fun to watch these men laugh, drink, and be overly emotional together; it really makes you want to be there too! I’m realizing more and more I love noisy music, so if you do too, banda might be for you. 

—Elise