Your Name. Another Side: Earthbound

This is basically an extension to the movie. If you haven't watched the movie yet, there's a good chance you're going to be lost. There are 4 stories that take place in between the events of the movie. The supporting characters are fleshed out a lot here and were given motivations on why they think in some way. It also gives more context on some of the scenes in the movie. The art is kind of meh especially compared to the movie. It feels muted. I don't think coloring it would help its case by a lot. The plot barely exists. Some comical parts here,serious part there. Makes the movie look like a literary masterpiece compared to this. This manga is decent on giving more context to the movie. As I said, it is made as an extension so to get the most out of this manga, you have to watch the movie. I wish Makoto Shinkai makes this into a movie or OVA that is somewhat similar to 5 Centimeters per Second in structure someday.

“Your Name. Another Side: Earthbound” is truly a wonderful compliment to the beloved story of Kimi no Na wa. / Your name. I’ll admit, I was hesitant to purchase both volumes of this side story without having read them online first (this seems to be quite niche, with the second volume being impossible to find in PDF format, but I digress), but I am ultimately so glad I did. I cannot describe much without spoiling both this and the original story, but Earthbound does an excellent job of contextualising past events, as well as elaborating on the motives and actions of supporting characters such as Teshi, Sayaka,Yotsuha, and Toshiki (Mitsuha’s father). The first volume is a lot more lighthearted, sharing a lot of the same comedy with the original, while the second volume honestly made me tear up a little towards the finale. While still focusing on love like the main story, Earthbound takes a particular interest in also showcasing familial love instead of purely romantic, depicting the history of Miyamizu shrine and the women entrusted to carry its legends, traditions, and history into the future. The only minor flaw is its somewhat strange pacing and sudden tone shift from volume 1 to 2, but that can be excused given its merely filling in space which was not covered in the movie. Overall, I would absolutely recommend picking this up if you enjoyed Your Name as a movie, manga, or both!