Up until the female lead closes her eyes and falls asleep, the story unfolds entirely from her perspective, with the exception of the short segment after the opening theme.
However, since this isn't a show aimed at a female audience, the camera perspective quickly shifts to follow the male lead's perspective.
First, the male lead wakes up and discovers "Mitsuha" written on his hand, which leaves him feeling puzzled.
What confuses him even more is a diary entry on his phone: "My friends are so kind, and I guess I'm a pretty handsome guy. Even though I was startled while working at the restaurant, I'm so excited to be in a world like a movie!"
The diary also mentions something that happened at the restaurant where he works, and it concludes with: "I owe it all to my feminine charm."
This strange, unexpected diary entry makes the male lead exclaim, "What is all this?"
At school, the teasing from his friends, and at the restaurant, the jealousy of his coworkers and the change in Senior Okudera's attitude, all make him realize that there really was someone named Mitsuha who spent a day in his body.
The camera perspective shifts again, this time to the female lead.
In the morning, she wakes up and discovers "Mitsuha?? Who are you??" written on her hand.
The door opens, and her sister stands in the doorway, remarking: "Big sister, aren't you going to grope your boobs today?"
When she goes to school, her classmates look at her strangely, telling her she was "so cool yesterday."
With this, the first part of the story, the beginning, has concluded.
It introduced the gimmick of body swapping, but it didn't let the main characters dwell too much on it, nor did it overemphasize it as the focal point, managing to maintain the story's pacing while also keeping the audience's interest.
The fast-paced montage was also a well-handled choice. On one hand, it signaled that many days had passed and many things had happened—all the little moments that were bringing the male and female leads closer together. On the other hand, it avoided making the story feel draggy or like a mere chronicle of events.
"Really not bad."
Shiga Taka, in front of the big screen, couldn't help but inwardly praise it.
The pacing was handled quite well, and it was enjoyable to watch.
However, happy times are always fleeting, and soon the story entered its second chapter.
First, the male lead, possessing the female lead's body, travels with her sister and grandmother to the Shintai of Miyamizu Shrine to offer the Kuchikamizake. During this process, he learns some information from the grandmother, including the roles of the braided cords, the Kuchikamizake, and Musubi, as well as a mention of the "Kakuriyo."
The three arrived at a small river. According to the grandmother, "If you go any further, you'll reach the 'Kakuriyo'—the underworld. To return to this world, you must leave behind your most precious possession as an offering: the Kuchikamizake."
She handed the Kuchikamizake to Mitsuha, who was currently inhabited by the male lead, and said, "You must offer this to the Shintai. This is your other half."
After offering the Kuchikamizake and heading home, it was already dusk—the time known as "Kataware-doki."
The three stood in the twilight, gazing at the lake in the distance.
"Oh yeah, I wonder if we'll be able to see the comet," the younger sister, Yotsuha, suddenly said.
"The comet?" The male lead asked, feeling confused.
However, before he could ask any more, the grandmother looked at him and said with an "Oh my": "Mitsuha, are you dreaming right now?"
As soon as she said this, the male lead woke up from his dream on the spot.
Back in his own body, tears were streaming down his face without him realizing it.
He wiped the tears away, puzzled as to why he was crying.
He received a message on his phone from Senior Okudera: "I'll be there soon! I'm really looking forward to today."
At first, he was a bit confused, but after reading the diary, he understood: it was a date with Senior Okudera.
He quickly changed his clothes and hurried out.
Senior Okudera was his former crush. Ordinarily, he would have been thrilled to go on a date with her, but because his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Mitsuha, he was absent-minded and completely unprepared, leading to a disastrous performance.
It was obvious, and Senior Okudera naturally noticed. So, when the male lead asked her if she wanted to go for dinner later, she declined, saying, "Taki, I hope you don't mind me saying this... but didn't you used to have a little crush on me? You're in love with someone else now, aren't you?"
The male lead bashfully denied it.
Senior Okudera didn't dwell on it and soon said goodbye to him.
As the sky grew dark, the male lead was left alone.
He stood on the pedestrian bridge, looking at the diary entry Mitsuha had written on his phone.
"When the date is over... we should be able to see the comet, right?"
"What is this girl talking about?"
He muttered, found Mitsuha's contact information on his phone, and dialed.
Before the big screen.
Shiga Taka couldn't help but frown.
No more body switching?
Connecting this to that comet from earlier that split and had a part fall downwards... could it be that the part of the comet that split off smashed into Itomori Town, killing everyone there, including the female lead?
Surely not, right?
Is the "female lead gravedigger" Lin Zhiyan at it again? After a period of quiet following that Shirobako anime, is he finally going to kill off the female lead in one of his own anime again?
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