Weathering With You

Looking back on Weathering With You - five years later.

 I can’t believe this film is five years old already. Six if you count its original Japanese release. But I ended up watching the English dubbed version of the film - since I’m lazy - and that was released in January of 2020. So here we are; Let’s talk about Makoto Shinkai’s movie Weathering With You - five years later.

Sixteen-year-old Hodaka runs away from his isolated island home to live in Tokyo. There, he meets a girl named Hina, who can seemingly manipulate the weather.And since they both need to earn some money , they decide to make a small business and cash in on Hina's abilities.Tokyo has been flooded with an abnormal amount of rainfall, so Hina helps create some sunshine in certain areas where people ask her. But of course, her abilities come at a cost and eventually put a strain on her relationship with Hodaka.

Now, what I loved so much about Shinkai’s previous feature, Your Name, was the fact that it felt like such a departure from the typical anime films that we've seen from Studio Ghibli. And I don't mean any disrespect to those films.

They are very well regarded and loved by fans from across the world , but to me, they always seem to be a bit old fashioned. Which, again, doesn't mean the movies are bad, but Your Name had this vibrant energy that wasn't present in any Ghibli production. Whether it was because of the use of color, or musical choices, or the settings and locations, Your Name just really popped.

There's a reason why the movie became so popular, it was different. It was relevant. It felt modern, but it still retained a wonderful sense of imagination. And I imagine that’s why it went on to become the second highest grossing anime film of all time. Which is quite an impressive accomplishment. One that helped Weathering With You  become the eleventh highest grossing anime film of all time. But Weathering With You also keeps the elements from Your Name that really worked.

Weathering With You also has this energetic youthfulness, which is exactly what Shinkai was going for when creating characters this young. Hodaka and Hina are clearly Gen Z kids, but the narrative treats them with the respect that they deserve.This isn't a cringey, made-for-kids-only kind of movie. This is a very mature film filled with adult themes. When you mix those themes with the energetic and youthful energy, the compelling narrative, the outstandingly beautiful visuals, and the wonderful soundtrack, you have all of the elements needed to make a really solid movie.

Weathering With You is easily one of the most beautifully animated films that I've ever seen. Every. Single. Frame. is absolutely gorgeous. Which is impressive , given that the movie revolves around the concept of how rainfall and cloudy skies having a dull and negative effect on our psychology. The scenes with sunshine are quite lovely, but even the rainfall looks stunning. I don't even wanna know how hard it was to animate some of these shots. And as I just mentioned, the weather in this movie is more than just an aesthetic choice.

The weather can and does have an effect on our emotions; it is easier to start your day when you wake up to beautiful sunshine and clear blue skies. But that can be harder to do since, you know, the earth's climate is changing. That's right! This is a movie about global warming and how severe the weather can be if we don't do anything to stop it. But I think the ultimate message of the movie is that the youth will be able to help prevent climate change in the future… if they so choose. And if they don't, the Earth will continue to spin on long after we're gone, just as it has kept on spinning long before we were even here.

Like I said, the film can be mature enough for an adults. But on a brighter note, I'd love to talk about the music for just a second. Shinkai brought on the same band from Your Name to compose the soundtrack for Weathering With You. And just as the music was excellent in Your Name, it is delightfully outstanding here.

If my understanding is correct, some of the tracks composed from the film were actually finished well before Shinkai started production, so the story actually builds around the music, and though that might not always be a smart idea when making a film, it actually works surprisingly well for this movie. It was a creative decision. I think there may be one, too many pop songs near the climax of the film, but eh, who cares? I understand the emotion that Shinkai was going for with his finale, and that’s all that really matters. So, as someone who doesn’t listen to a lot of foreign language artists to begin with, I would consider myself to be a fan of the Radwimps now. Because I can't deny that I love listening to the music from both Weathering With You and Your Name.

Shinkai also manages to slide in a few references to Your Name into this narrative as well. And though the easter eggs were amusing, I couldn't help but find myself wanting to watch Your Name as these scenes were playing. Weathering With You is good, but it just doesn't compare to Your Name. And I know comparing the two films isn't fair. Your Name transcended it’s supernatural romance genre and became this huge cultural phenomenon; Weathering With You is just a good movie within that genre.

I liked its editing style, but the pacing does drag a bit for me, as if the story meanders around the second act. And even though I liked Hodaka and Hina’s relationship, their connection didn't feel as real or as fleshed out as Taki and Mitsuha’s. And I know that comparison isn't fair either. Taki and Mitsuha are now iconic anime characters; but I'm just trying to say that some magical elements appear to be missing in Weathering With You, and I can't quite place my finger on it.

Maybe it's because Weathering With You was Shinkai's follow up to Your Name, so it was never going to do anything but live in the shadow of its predecessor’s success. But, even with all of that being said, I must admit that I think Weathering With You is a much better film than Shinkai’s latest feature, Suzume. Because, despite how fantastical that movie may be, it also doesn’t capture the same kind of magic that is present in Weathering With You.

So, despite all of my issues with it, or how much I can’t help but to compare it to Your Name, I can’t deny that Weathering With You is still a good movie, in and of itself. One that still has me looking forward to seeing future Makoto Shinkai's projects.

But just because I personally prefer Shinkai’s style, doesn't mean that there isn't a place for Studio Ponoc or Studio Ghibli in the modern era. Because competition is a good thing. It can only mean that we'll see more diverse anime feature films in the future. Which sounds awesome if you ask me. 

So even though I don't usually watch a lot of anime, I guess Shinkai's take on star-crossed lovers in a supernatural setting is just my personal cup of tea when it comes to anime films. And since I haven’t mentioned it yet, I should say that the English dub for this movie was also pretty solid. It included some recognizable names like Lee Pace and Riz Ahmed; and although their voices are pretty unrecognizable here, I was able to recognize Alison Brie’s voice from my love of BoJack Horseman. So I was delighted by her performance since the character she portrays here is much different from that of Diane Nguyen.

But overall, Weathering With You is a beautifully animated film, and I can't emphasize enough just how gorgeous the animation actually looks; even after all of these years. Hell, the story, the concepts, and the themes, are probably far more relevant today than they were five years ago. And none of those elements take away from the film’s youthful energy and optimistic tone. Which is exactly why I’m willing to watching whatever Makoto Shinkai produces in the future, even though I do have mixed-to-negative feelings about his last movie, Suzume. 

So, if you haven’t gotten the chance to see Weathering With You yet, I would highly recommend that you do so.