The theater was silent.
From the second half onward, the film hadn't given the audience a single moment to breathe.
The first half had been lighthearted and humorous — but once it turned serious, it was relentless.
Yet despite all that, what everyone felt now was a strange, inexplicable sense of emotion.
This kind of romantic narrative — with such a unique structure — was rare even among Jing Yu's previous works, and practically unheard of in Great Zhou cinema.
And until the ending actually unfolded, everyone sat on edge.
The male lead had already started to forget the female lead. And back in her own timeline, the female lead was also losing her memories of him — gradually.
She ran through the streets of her small town, unwilling to forget — but helpless to stop it.
Her memories of his face, his voice, began to blur — until all that remained was the sensation of someone writing something in the palm of her hand.
She fell hard on the road — scraped and shaken. But as she lifted her head, her eyes landed immediately on the words written on her palm.
"I love you!"
Not a name — a confession.
If he had written her name, it would have been erased by the world's laws before her memory faded. But since emotions weren't considered "critical data," the message lingered — just a little longer.
This had been hinted at earlier in the story — during their final soul-swap, when Mitsuha had left notes for Taki on his phone. Important information became gibberish first; trivial bits lingered before being erased. In the end, everything would eventually be corrected by the world's unseen forces.
Audience members like Chen Yushan, sharp and attentive, quickly understood what was going on.
It was a confession.
He had confessed. Truly.
And somehow… that made it all the more heartbreaking.
For anyone who'd ever gone through a breakup, 'Your Name' hit even harder — the feeling of mutual affection eventually fading away, forgotten.
In the movie, it was the result of supernatural interference.
In real life, it was just... life.
Many couples in the audience were already tearing up.
Then came the scene of Mitsuha giving a speech to evacuate the town — and confronting her father, the mayor.
This kind of positive-turn development felt natural. If a movie built all the way up for over an hour only to end in total tragedy — unless the writer was completely deranged — that would make no sense.
Still, this part didn't stir the audience much. Their hearts were still back on those three words in her hand: "I love you."
Then came the meteor impact — a barrage of destruction on the small town, rendered with breathtaking visual and sound effects.
But honestly? No one cared about the spectacle anymore.
There was only one question on everyone's mind:
Did Mitsuha and Taki really forget everything?
"They didn't… completely forget, right?"
"Old bastard Jing Yu wouldn't be that cruel, would he?"
"You'd be surprised."
"Ugh. This is just like 5 Centimeters per Second. Remember that ending? After an hour of build-up, we thought the two leads would reunite — but it just ended with a train crossing and missed chances."
"Jing Yu would absolutely pull something like that again."
"I swear, if he does it again, I'm going to flame his social media into the ground."
Whispers filled the theater.
Everyone was fully immersed.
That final story hook — whether the leads would reconnect or not — still had them on edge.
Because in Jing Yu's previous works, similar setups had always ended in tragedy.
The scene shifted.
Six or seven years had passed.
"I feel like I've been searching for something. I don't know why… but the feeling won't go away."
Taki's narration hit home for many.
They, too, felt a strange sense of longing.
Maybe I also once experienced something life-changing… maybe I, too, forgot someone I once loved, just like them.
The audience, many of whom had never grown out of their "chūnibyō" phase, began projecting heavily.
The hustle of the big city.
Struggles with job-hunting after graduation.
Endless interviews, rejections, condescending HR departments, resumes in the trash…
Amid emotional and real-life confusion, came winter.
On a pedestrian overpass.
Taki and Mitsuha — walking toward each other, umbrellas in hand.
The umbrella hides their faces, but the tension skyrocketed.
"Will they recognize each other?"
"Wait — is this… a happy ending?"
"Please. Let them remember!"
"Did Mitsuha move to the city for work, too?"
"She graduated three years earlier than he. If he's job hunting now, she should have been working for a while already."
"Please, I'm begging you. It's New Year's Day — I can't handle a depressing ending!"
But…
Here comes Makoto Shinkai's twisted sense of humor.
Before 'Your Name' was released in Jing Yu's previous life, he knew exactly what kind of fans would show up — mostly people who had been emotionally destroyed by '5 Centimeters per Second' and 'The Garden of Words'.
So he filled this movie with callbacks.
In 'Your Name', Yukino — the female lead from 'The Garden of Words' — ends up as a rural school teacher.
Specifically? Mitsuha's literature teacher.
Meaning: when Taki saved Mitsuha from the meteor, he also accidentally saved Yukino. Otherwise, they both would've died.
A little Easter egg.
The film also included visual homages to the infamous train-crossing miss from '5 Centimeters per Second'.
On the overpass, Taki and Mitsuha pass by each other — both look back, but not at the same time. So once again… they miss.
But later…
On their commute — in a subway station.
Soft music begins to play.
The score builds, mirroring the emotional rise.
Cherry blossoms bloom.
The color palette warms.
Inside two separate, parallel subway cars, Taki and Mitsuha stand by the windows.
The trains rush past each other.
They look up.
And in that instant, they see one another.
If I ever see them again — I'll know it's them, the moment I lay eyes on them.
That's what Mitsuha had once told herself before she traveled to find him.
And now, both of them felt the same.
They didn't remember each other's names.
Or faces.
Or voices.
But the moment they looked up…
That buried emotion surged back.
"I've been searching…"
"Searching…"
"For someone."
Their inner voices echoed.
The music hit its emotional peak.
Both got off at the next station — each instinctively chasing the other.
In the audience, everyone held their breath.
"Find each other!"
"If they meet, I'll forgive Jing Yu for everything — even 5 Centimeters per Second!"
"I'm crying. Goddamn it. Nobody even died, but I'm bawling."
"How does he come up with this stuff?!"
"If they end up together, I'll forgive him for Voices of a Distant Star and 5 Centimeters per Second."
And finally — at the steps outside the station…
In thousands of theaters across Great Zhou, at 10:00 AM, at the same time…
Audiences everywhere were united in the same thought.
Mitsuha and Taki — on opposite ends of the stairs — locked eyes.
Even after all these years. Even though they'd forgotten each other.
This time… they were not strangers.
Their paths had crossed once more.
They both felt something indescribable — but undeniable.
Still, because they were strangers in reality, neither dared speak first.
And yet — neither was willing to let the moment slip away.
If we meet again, I'll recognize you instantly.
As they passed by one another, both their expressions darkened.
And then —
"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before," Taki said, summoning the courage to speak.
"Me too…" Mitsuha replied, tears in her eyes.
The screen faded to black.
The title appeared: 'Your Name'.
The film ended — not with closure, but with infinite possibility.
In every theater across Great Zhou, the audience had only one feeling:
Moved.
Deeply moved.
And still moved.
No death.
No tragedy.
This time, when the trains crossed paths, they looked back.
They found each other.
In 'Voices of a Distant Star', a love spanned ten years and eight light-years — emotionally close, but physically unreachable.
In '5 Centimeters per Second', love faded with distance — even when walking just inches apart, she never looked back at the boy she once loved.
And in 'Your Name' — it was a fusion of the two.
Fans of 'Voices of a Distant Star' and '5 Centimeters per Second' finally found peace.
All three stories explored how time and space affect love — but each reached a different conclusion.
As the ending theme faded out, hardly anyone left their seats.
And then — thunderous applause.
Long and unending.
In one Modo City theater, Jing Yu and Yu Youqing had watched the 10 AM screening with the audience. Afterward, they appeared in person, greeting fans. Photographers, already prepared, captured the moment for use in upcoming promotional material.
But even before that…
Tens of thousands of fans who saw 'Your Name' first thing in the morning flooded forums and fan groups.
"Say no more — Jing Yu outdid himself this time. You have to see this."
"He's grown. This film made up for the heartbreak of '5 Centimeters per Second' and 'Voices of a Distant Star'."
"I'm crying so hard, and nobody even died!"
"Taki and Mitsuha are perfect together. I demand Jing Yu and Yu Youqing announce they're dating. If they don't get together after all these films, I can't accept it!"
"There are rumors they're a couple, but Jing Yu always dodges the question in interviews."
"Of course he does. She has a ton of male fans. He has tons of female fans. Why stir the pot if you don't have to?"
"Or maybe they're just really close friends. Guys and girls can be just friends, y'know."
"Screw it. I'm watching it again tonight. Daytime tickets are already gone — only evening shows left."
"Yindou Net Review just dropped. 100,000 votes — 9.7 rating. I demand to know who didn't give it a 10. You, haters, are everywhere!"
"Before your second watch — go rate it on Yindou Net Some rival film is trying to hire bots to smear 'Your Name'. We're not gonna take that lying down!"
"Tonight: second watch. Tomorrow morning: third watch. Tickets already booked. First, I'm going online to flame the trolls. Whoever disses 'Your Name', I'm fighting them."
Meanwhile, in the real world…
As 'Your Name's ratings and attendance surged through the day, theater managers across Great Zhou immediately adjusted their screening schedules — ramping up showtimes for the next day.
Online, every major film forum was in chaos.
Early viewers went full guerrilla-marketing mode, telling everyone they knew to go see it.
Strictly speaking, 'Your Name' wasn't some cinematic masterpiece in Jing Yu's past life. It was just a well-made youth romance.
But in Japan, it broke regional box office records.
And it truly did resonate with young people.
Not everyone will love it — but if most people do, that's more than enough.
Jing Yu's fans weren't calling it a work of art.
They just called it moving.
Excellent.
Not necessarily the best romance film ever made —
But definitely the best one this New Year's.
And in just half a day, that became the consensus.
January 1st passed quietly.
With just 13% of total screenings, 'Your Name' took 27% of total box office revenue, raking in 210 million yuan on its first day.
The entire Great Zhou film industry went dead silent.
Because this time, Jing Yu wasn't competing against nobodies.
His rivals — including 'Glacier' — were backed by major studios, directors, and producers.
In the past, people mocked Jing Yu's box office numbers by saying, "Well, yeah, there were no real contenders."
But now?
That excuse didn't fly anymore.
'Your Name' hit 210 million.
The second-place film — 'Glacier' — earned only 105 million.
To be fair, 105 million isn't bad. That kind of start usually means a final total of 700–800 million, and with strong word of mouth, possibly even 1 billion.
But next to 'Your Name'?
The gap was massive.
The production team behind 'Glacier' immediately held emergency meetings to come up with a strategy.
After all, the more 'Your Name's screenings increased the next day, the more 'Glacier' would be pushed out.
That initial 2x revenue gap?
It would only widen over time.
And that staggering Day 1 performance?
All thanks to Jing Yu's fans, who not only watched it but also promoted it relentlessly and bought second and third viewings themselves.
Jing Yu spent the entire night watching box office trends and fan activity.
So far?
Exactly like his past life.
The early reception was all praise.
And back then, 'Your Name' wasn't about big numbers on a single day —
It was about longevity.
A month after its release, it was still topping the daily box office — something that rarely happened.
So now Jing Yu wondered:
Would the same thing happen in the Great Zhou?
As for the rest of the film industry?
They were stunned.
Jing Yu's success…
It was becoming downright absurd.