The coronavirus pandemic has already taken a toll on Japan’s youth, but there’s no telling what it will do to the nation’s youth movies. The seishun eiga genre — that ageless depository of cliche — is going to have an interesting time responding to an era in which many of the traditional rites of adolescence have been put on hold.
In the meantime, there will be stragglers like Momoko Fukuda’s “My Name Is Yours,” which was shot last year but already feels like a historical artifact. Adapted from two of the director’s own novellas by screenwriter Kosuke Mukai, its parallel tales of teenage ennui may leave even younger viewers in a nostalgic mood.
High school student Yukari (Honoka Matsumoto), known to everyone as "En," is at the top of her class, but she’d rather spend time hanging out with Kotoko (Seina Nakata), a tempestuous childhood pal who’s constantly clashing with teachers and sneaking off for cigarettes. While skipping class together, they encounter fellow student Narihira (Pei Omuro) having a quiet cry, and Kotoko falls immediately in love — too bad that he seems more interested in her bestie.
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