“Weathering With You” Storms Through Theaters
Director Makoto Shinkai returns to the big screen after three years with a climate-themed hit
By Catherine Dayton
Director Makoto Shinkai returns to the big screen after three years with a climate-themed hit
By Catherine Dayton
After director Makoto Shinkai’s smash hit, “Your Name,” entered theaters in early April of 2017 for American audiences, Shinkai had made it clear that he would not be producing another Studio Ghibli-esque movie.
Ironically, only three years separated his ill-fated promise from reality, as Shinkai’s latest movie, “Weathering With You,” takes up the mantle of being one of Shinkai’s greats. Beginning in the rural countryside of Japan, Hodaka Morishima (Kotaro Daigo), a 16-year-old runaway, finds himself in the ever-imposing Tokyo, a far leap from his island home. There, he meets Hina Amano (Nana Omori), a 15-year-old aptly titled the “sunshine girl of Tokyo,” who can bring joy to her city by getting the sun to shine through the rain. However, her power comes with a price — each time it’s used, the rain comes back harder than before. Centered around the pair and their series of unfortunate encounters with the Tokyo Police Force, “Weathering With You” follows the duo through their battles with a multitude of supernatural entities in the sky that have the devastating ability to control the weather.
In order to properly display this, each scene is dripping with subtle and complex emotions. The desperation that Hodaka shows towards the end of the movie displays how much he was willing to give up to be with Hina. This was captured in one scene perfectly, in which Hodaka returns back to a drowned Tokyo after his graduation to see Hina in a heartwarming moment where they meet each other’s gaze, standing in the spot they first met in.
This movie has the ability to keep you enraptured while it goes through its phases. One moment in particular stood out, in which Hodaka was apprehended for helping Hina out of a dangerous situation. Each individual raindrop that landed and slid down his face was animated by hand and it was done quite beautifully. Since the movie was based around the torrential downpour in Tokyo at the time, each scene was filled with that pristinely drawn rainfall — it didn’t take long for me to become a fan of Shinkai’s works due to the sheer beauty of the background stills and the amount of detail put into the animation.
The in-your-face rock soundtrack, produced by Yojiro Noda of the band “RADWIMPS,” conveys most of Shinkai’s theme — it also helps deter watchers from comparing “Weathering With You” to Shinkai’s previous works. Since the art style of “Weathering With You” is highly similar to that of “Your Name,” they tend to get compared but the truth is, they’re separate works with noticeably different tones.
“Weathering With You” presents its youthful characters in such a way that each scene is filled with the message that nothing is impossible and that every struggle can be overcome if you fight for it. In all, Makoto Shinkai has managed to create yet another breathtaking animation. The overall mood this movie sets leaves you thoroughly pleased, and wanting a sequel — perhaps more than any blue sky.
Ironically, only three years separated his ill-fated promise from reality, as Shinkai’s latest movie, “Weathering With You,” takes up the mantle of being one of Shinkai’s greats. Beginning in the rural countryside of Japan, Hodaka Morishima (Kotaro Daigo), a 16-year-old runaway, finds himself in the ever-imposing Tokyo, a far leap from his island home. There, he meets Hina Amano (Nana Omori), a 15-year-old aptly titled the “sunshine girl of Tokyo,” who can bring joy to her city by getting the sun to shine through the rain. However, her power comes with a price — each time it’s used, the rain comes back harder than before. Centered around the pair and their series of unfortunate encounters with the Tokyo Police Force, “Weathering With You” follows the duo through their battles with a multitude of supernatural entities in the sky that have the devastating ability to control the weather.
In order to properly display this, each scene is dripping with subtle and complex emotions. The desperation that Hodaka shows towards the end of the movie displays how much he was willing to give up to be with Hina. This was captured in one scene perfectly, in which Hodaka returns back to a drowned Tokyo after his graduation to see Hina in a heartwarming moment where they meet each other’s gaze, standing in the spot they first met in.
This movie has the ability to keep you enraptured while it goes through its phases. One moment in particular stood out, in which Hodaka was apprehended for helping Hina out of a dangerous situation. Each individual raindrop that landed and slid down his face was animated by hand and it was done quite beautifully. Since the movie was based around the torrential downpour in Tokyo at the time, each scene was filled with that pristinely drawn rainfall — it didn’t take long for me to become a fan of Shinkai’s works due to the sheer beauty of the background stills and the amount of detail put into the animation.
The in-your-face rock soundtrack, produced by Yojiro Noda of the band “RADWIMPS,” conveys most of Shinkai’s theme — it also helps deter watchers from comparing “Weathering With You” to Shinkai’s previous works. Since the art style of “Weathering With You” is highly similar to that of “Your Name,” they tend to get compared but the truth is, they’re separate works with noticeably different tones.
“Weathering With You” presents its youthful characters in such a way that each scene is filled with the message that nothing is impossible and that every struggle can be overcome if you fight for it. In all, Makoto Shinkai has managed to create yet another breathtaking animation. The overall mood this movie sets leaves you thoroughly pleased, and wanting a sequel — perhaps more than any blue sky.