Makoto Shinkai’s top-grossing anime movie your name. is now available on iWant TV, the local streaming service of media conglomerate ABS-CBN.
The anime movie was added on iWant TV’s library on Monday, which was the day after its television premiere on the terrestrial channel.
This is the first time that a Filipino-dubbed anime title is being streamed on the service.
The service is streaming the broadcast version of the film, where some scenes were cut due to time constraints.
A representative of the network has told Anime Pilipinas that the movie is expected to be available for watching until the end of summer.
As of press time, the program now has more than 20,000 views on the website.
The day the stars fell, two lives changed forever. High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other. Yet, somehow, it works. They build a connection and communicate by leaving notes, messages, and more importantly, an imprint.
When a dazzling comet lights up the night’s sky, it dawns on them. They want something more from this connection—a chance to meet, an opportunity to truly know each other. Tugging at the string of fate, they try to find a way to each other. But distance isn’t the only thing keeping them apart. Is their bond strong enough to face the cruel irony of time? Or is their meeting nothing more than a wish upon the stars? (Synopsis from Funimation Entertainment)
your name., also known by its Japanese title Kimi no Na wa. (君の名は。), is a Japanese animated film written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, who is known for anime films like Voices from a Distant Star, 5 Centimeters Per Second and The Garden of Words.
The anime movie is based on the novel with the same name, also written by Shinkai, which was published in Japan by Kadokawa in June of last year. The film was produced by CoMix Wave Films and distributed by TOHO, which premiered in Japanese theaters on August 26, 2016 and ran for 29 weeks.
The Filipino voice cast were lead by Leslie Paraboles (“Shimura Shinpachi”, Gintama) as “Taki Tachibana”, and Denise Gail Tumibay (“Yuriko Kogami”, Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation) as “Mitsuha Miyamizu”.
The anime film, which was distributed by local movie distributor Pioneer Films, was screened in local cinemas in December 14, 2016 and ran for about two weeks before the Metro Manila Film Festival started the same year.
The film is now considered as the highest-earning anime film worldwide, beating Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away, earning US$281 million (about PHP14 billion) in mid-January. According to industry website Box Office Mojo, the film has now earned a total of US$354,425,227 (about PHP18 billion), including the North American screenings.
Media conglomerate ABS-CBN announced last year that several Japanese films, including your name., was set to air on TAG movie channel in Filipino dubbing.
The planned airing did not come to fruition because the channel has ceased broadcasting on January 15, which was then followed by Filipino language anime channel HEROtv a couple of days later.
