‘I was going to tell you…No matter where in the world you are, I’ll find you again. I swear.’ Up in the sky, the comet’s nowhere to be seen, and a few stars are beginning to twinkle. – from Shinkai’s novelization of his blockbuster hit Your Name.
Even now, many years after its initial release, Kimi No Na Wa is still widely adored by Shinkai fans worldwide. And thus, Your Name merch, books, blu-rays, and manga are still in high demand.
As one of the world’s leading Kimi No Na Wa fans myself, I’ve amassed my own decent and shameless collection of Your Name merchandise that would make every otaku jealous. In this article, I’ll introduce my recommendations for the best Kimi No Na Wa merch that every superfan should consider adding to their collection.
The Best Your Name Merchandise
- Your Name HOMESTAR Bedroom Planetarium
- The Manga Collection and Light Novels
- Kimi No Na Wa Japanese Blu-ray Collector’s Edition
- Taki and Mitusha Mini Figurines
- Taki’s Bracelet/Mitsuha’s Hairband Replica
- Your Name Postcards
- Kimi No Na Wa Soundtrack
- Custom Your Name Pins
1. Your Name HOMESTAR Bedroom Planetarium
Undoubtedly, this is the coolest piece of Your Name Merchandise I have in my collection. It’s quite rare, as it was not released outside of Japan.
HOMESTAR is a company that makes portable bedroom planetariums. There are in the shape of a sphere and are battery-powered. This is a special edition that the company made in partnership with Your Name. This special edition Kimi No Na Wa HOMESTAR Planetarium plays 3 different songs:
- Zen Zen Zense
- Sparkle
- Nandemonaiya
While all the songs have been optimized to play like a lullaby, Zen Zen Zense is slightly faster-paced. I’d recommend Sparkle or Nandemonaiya if you want to fall asleep to the soothing Your Name soundtrack.
Not only do the songs change, but the backgrounds change with them. I won’t spoil it, but you basically get to fall asleep to the Kataware Doki scene near the end of the film. This can be a bit pricey, but for me as a superfan, it was worth it. Granted I paid around ($40 USD) for this and it has since gone up in price since there weren’t many of these made, and it didn’t sell overly well.
2. Your Name Manga and Light Novels
Since I already did a post on this, I’ll try not to talk too much about them. If you are a super fan and want to experience the story of Kimi No Na Wa in every possible medium, then you should definitely get the manga and light novel adaptations. Both were written by Makoto Shinkai himself. There are 2 light novels.
Your Name Light Novel
The first is simply called Your Name, and follows the story of the film pretty much verbatim. However, you get a deeper glimpse into the mind and thoughts of Mitsuha and Taki, since the story is told from their points of view.
Another Side: Earthbound
There is a second light novel which is oddly told through Teshi’s (Mitsuha’s male friend that has a crush on her) POV. To be honest, I never had much interest in Teshi as a character at all, and I didn’t even finish reading this light novel. Although it told the story from a completely different point of view, it didn’t add enough for me to get invested.
Your Name Manga & English-Japanese Manga
The manga adaptation of the film was released in 3 volumes. To be honest, I felt they stretched it out to sell more copies. They easily could have done this in one volume, like Shinkai did with 5 Centimeters Per Second. However, as a diehard fan, I still had to buy the complete set. As a bonus, they also released an English-Japanese bilingual set of the manga which Japanese learners can use to help study in a fun way, as can English as a Second language students.
In the end, these adaptations are cool to have on your bookshelf, but don’t expect to reread them every year. The 5 CM Per Second manga was much better than these adaptations.
3. Kimi No Na Wa Japanese Blu-ray Collector’s Edition
Let’s face it; you can’t call yourself a superfan if you don’t own Your Name on DVD or blu-ray.
Out of all the Your Name merchandise on this list, I recommend this the most. Here are some important things to note about the Japanese version of the blu-ray collector’s edition (which I think looks cooler than the English version).
- The Japanese version comes with the film in Japanese, with English subtitles.
- There is no English audio version.
- It comes with stickers and the full Japanese script of the film in a paperback book.
- The set includes behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and other content on the bonus discs.
- It includes the film in both blu-ray and DVD (for you boomers that don’t have a blu-ray player).
On top of that, I love the minimalist cover art of the box. I think it looks much better and sleeker than the English version.
4. Taki and Mitsuha Your Name Merchandise: Mini Figurines
This is another piece of Your Name merch that is exclusive to Japan.
These Taki and Mitsuha mini figurines were sold in Japan’s famous gachapon machines once upon a time.
They were only available for a limited time, while the hype around the anime was still in full force.
Therefore, they’ve become quite a collectible item that you don’t see too often when your out and about in Akihabara or Nakano Broadway.
There are 6 types available: 3 Taki and 3 Mitsuha. They are tiny enough to sit on the edge of your coffee mug or on the edge of your shelf or desk.
5. Taki’s Bracelet/Mitsuha’s Hairband Replica
Whether or not you’re actually going to wear it, this piece of Your Name Merchandise belongs in every Your Name fan’s collection.
This is a high-quality kumihimo (braided cord) replica of the hairband/bracelet Mitsuha gave to Taki in the anime.
The listing claims it is made in the same traditional braiding method from Hida, Gifu, where Mitsuha’s town of Itomori is slightly modeled after.
I own this bracelet myself, and while I don’t wear it (as I’m not much of a bracelet guy) I still enjoy having something somewhat authentic to the film in my collection.
6. Your Name Merchandise: Postcards
There’s no better way to show off your Kimi No Na Wa obsession than to send your friends and family postcards from the film (which they probably haven’t even seen or heard of).
But truth be told, if you are a huge fan, you probably won’t be sending or actually using these postcards anyway.
I have a few postcards in my collection and actually use them as wall art in my bedroom (to my wife’s dismay).
7. Kimi No Na Wa Soundtrack
One aspect of Your Name that every, and I mean every, Your Name fan raves about is the amazing soundtrack by the Jpop band Radwimps.
The score was masterful, allowing a smooth transition from scene to scene, and every beat was on point.
I listen to the soundtrack every day during work, and I’m sure you do too.
Although the songs are all available to listen to for free on YouTube, I still like to own the soundtracks to the anime films I love and support the most.
If you wanna do the same, you can purchase the soundtrack.
8. Custom Your Name Pins
Sometimes a personal touch is the best merch/gift there is.
Luckily, some companies have made it easy to personalize a unique custom pins with your favourite anime. And if you like a character or scene from Your Name, you don’t have to go around telling people – your enamel pin will do it for you. But you can still proudly tell your friends that this beautiful design was created by you.
Although enamel pins are small, they can add sparkle to any dress or outfit you want to wear.
I hope you enjoyed my list of the best Your Name merchandise that every Kimi No Na Wa fan, or general Makoto Shinkai fan, must have.
While some of the times on this list can be pricey, they would be well worth it for those that consider themselves superfans of the film, who have watched it more than 5 times (my count is at 10). If you have any questions about the items above, please drop a comment below, and I’ll be sure to get back to you.
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