TOKYO -- Nearly a year after its theatrical release, "Kimi no Na wa" ("Your Name") from director Makoto Shinkai is still on a tear. As an estimated 1.2 million DVDs and Blu-rays were shipped on July 25, theaters were still showing the powerfully riveting anime.
It is unusual for a distributor to release the disc version of a movie before theater showings end, but this was no accident. Toho, the movie's distributor, knew it had a hit and came up with a clever marketing strategy to gain -- and maintain -- a huge fan base.
