“Your Name. Another Side: Earthbound” is truly a wonderful compliment to the beloved story of Kimi no Na wa. / Your name. I’ll admit, I was hesitant to purchase both volumes of this side story without having read them online first (this seems to be quite niche, with the second volume being impossible to find in PDF format, but I digress), but I am ultimately so glad I did. I cannot describe much without spoiling both this and the original story, but Earthbound does an excellent job of contextualising past events, as well as elaborating on the motives and actions of supporting characters such as Teshi, Sayaka,Yotsuha, and Toshiki (Mitsuha’s father). The first volume is a lot more lighthearted, sharing a lot of the same comedy with the original, while the second volume honestly made me tear up a little towards the finale.

While still focusing on love like the main story, Earthbound takes a particular interest in also showcasing familial love instead of purely romantic, depicting the history of Miyamizu shrine and the women entrusted to carry its legends, traditions, and history into the future.

The only minor flaw is its somewhat strange pacing and sudden tone shift from volume 1 to 2, but that can be excused given its merely filling in space which was not covered in the movie.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend picking this up if you enjoyed Your Name as a movie, manga, or both!