Weathering With You is a blend of stunning animation and emotional storytelling directed by Makoto Shinkai concerns climate change and relationships and falls under the love category. The animated movie was released in 2019, and just like its predecessor, Your Name, made by Shinkai in 2016, turned out to be very successful in Japan and worldwide box office. Weathering With You enchants the audience with both spectacular animation and deep ideas as well as a magical realism that incorporates weather and the events of nature with the emotions of the people.
Synopsis:
It features Hodaka Morishima a 16-year-old boy who escapes from a small island to the middle of Tokyo in search of freedom and a reason for existence. Unfortunately, life in the mega city is not as simple, and a teenager like Hodaka finds it hard to adapt in a country that has no room for a young boy with no skills, money or contacts. He soon finds himself without money and on his own, enduring the hardships of homelessness.
Everything seems to be looking up for Hodaka and especially after establishing a friendship with Keisuke Suga; a middle aged man who operates a self-published underground magazine focusing on urban myths and fandom culture – Suga invites him to work and makes him a strange mess—an eccentric man. Suga recruits him to work as a detective for the unusual occurrences in the city especially the unusual rain that is currently flooding over the landscape of Tokyo. The weather has been consistent downpour every single day for a couple of weeks and this has resulted in a mood that can be described as gothic zen.
While strolling around the metropolitan area, Hodaka happens to meet Hina Amano, a cheerful young lady with a secret gift – the ability to manipulate the weather. Hina, who at this point is already referred to as ‘a sunshine girl’, is able to summon prayer and within a short time there is no more rain clouds in the area and she gives sunshine over the area as per her will. As they get along well, Hodaka falls for her as she is also nurturing a younger brother, Nagi, and is kind and helpful to him as well.
Along with the character Hina, Hodaka who is looking for something to do utilizes her weather-modifying abilities to start a business providing the clear skies for those who need it most such as for weddings festivals and other special occasions. The business venture brings them closer to one another, however, the magical gift has a price to pay. After some time it is very evident that the more Hina tends to use her magical abilities the more she has to give herself up personally. The more changes the weather, the more she becomes one with nature. In the end, Hodaka realizes that Hina’s body will have to perish in order for the average temperature of the world to remain constant because her power is the reason for the strange climate conditions in Tokyo.
However, as the narrative goes, Hodaka makes an impossible decision: Hina must fulfill her destiny and vanish, seamlessly blending back into harmony with the environment, or she must be saved, with risks involving the world’s wellbeing. In what can be labelled as the turning point of the movie, Hodaka chooses to switch the fate of Hina and save her despite the harsh reality that by doing this, he places himself in a lot of rains which consumes Tokyo. The conclusion of the film shows the two of them together again only this time, they are not in a dry land but in a deep water-filled Tokyo, an effect caused by the actions of Hodaka.
Analysis of Themes in the Film Aspects:
Weathering With You is such a multimeaning film touring deep inside its viewers, exploring the questions of coming of age, great responsibilities, respect for nature and society etc. Navigating through these layers of the film, the reader can identify the existential themes that explore the ethical questions underlying human beings’ wants in relation to nature.
Change is one of the major aspects viewed in this film and the relationships people form with their surroundings along with environment aspects are depicted. Rain that never stops in Tokyo, representing the consequences human race has brought upon the planet is a theme upon which the movie stands. The movie depicts that man does not just play with nature and expect no backlashes as nature can be brought under subjection. The forward motion of the story avoids the soapbox issue of global crises; instead, it stresses the influencing on the individual reasons of those crimes. Hina’s powers and her final giving up on her Mob love are devices that demonstrate the harmful connections between environmental issues and human passions in the story where people are in crisis and raise the problem of how individual happiness can be enjoyed in a global crisis.
Age and independence are issues present in the story, especially in relation to Hodaka’s. His act of leaving the house resembles the impulse of all adolescents to feel autonomous and be able to make choices. However, it is not as rosy as it appears. City life is tough and his dream of Tokyo is cut very short. He also tries to assimilate in society as sports activities follow the stormy weather in the narrative, both being metaphors for adolescent disturbances. In Hina, Hodaka meets a young girl who too, despite her age carries heavy burdens, and as they both are perpetrators, they bond quicker, which goes on to show how youngsters are resilient out of great difficulties.
Another strong concern in the film is sacrifice and love. There is a greater good that Hina as the ‘sunshine girl’ must deliver, looking for the Sun and fighting for Tokyo. The power that she holds and which is appreciated is not an easy one to feather. The film asks if sacrifice is justifiable and should the happiness of the few suffer for the needs of the many. Hodaka’s decision to rescue Hina, even if it means changing the weather, is a clear stance on love and the decisions that myriad individuals can choose to make. In this decision, there is no embracing the stereotypical element of a hero going out to help the people at the expense of their own desires which is normal in most societies, but rather placing value on interpersonal relationships rather than the well-being of the broader society.
The juxtapositions present not only in terms of the modern metropolis but also nature is another key visual and symbolic idea in Weathering With You. Though every culture has a different destiny, young people in metropolis such as Tokyo desired great cities. Repetitive facets of endless rain are also the feelings that loneliness provides people even living in cities. On the other hand, sunny moments that usually accompany Hina’s abilities and interventions seem to be warm, colorful, and magical, forming an image of hope and the concept of connection to humanity in the midst of the hysteria of life in the cities.
Cast & Crew:
- Director: Makoto Shinkai
- Producer: Genki Kawamura
- Screenplay: Makoto Shinkai
- Music: Radwimps (who also scored the music of Your Name)
Main Cast (Voice Actors):
- Hodaka Morishima: Kotaro Daigo (french), Brandon Engman (english)
- Hina Amano: Nana Mori (french), Ashley Boettcher (english)
- Keisuke Suga: Shun Oguri (french), Lee Pace (english)
- Natsumi Suga: Tsubasa Honda (french), Alison Brie (english)
- Nagi Amano: Sakura Kiryu (french), Emeka Guindo (english)
Animation and Visual Style:
Animation is among the very best aspects of Weathering With You. As is expected from Makoto Shinkai and Kyoto Animation, the overall quality of the film is amazing; with intricate details of Tokyo’s cityscape, the drenched in rainfall pavements and the rapid shift of cloudy to sunny in bursts. A strong sense of relief and dramatic intensity is gained through animated works. It must be highlighted that this feeling must be derived in greater degree from decomposition of warm contact and extreme colourfulness of high clouds from the ones created by Hina at her Wish scenes.
Every aspect, including the way Shinkai illustrates a raindrop, water reflection, or even the cloud’s body is brilliantly executed. This might be due to the fact that the magical city of the film almost acts as a character, changing along with the different moods and themes of the film. While animation is beautiful, the characters are going through very real and heavy issues, and this creates beautiful visuals that are poetic in nature.
“Imdi” ratings and general perception regarding the topical understanding:
“Weathering with You” has an impressive rating of 7.5 on “Imdi”, indicating the films general positive reception to the audience and even critics. Within a few weeks after its release, several reviews have been written praising the film for its gorgeous animation, undertones, and emotional resonance, although some critics believe that the movie does not achieve the same level regarding storytelling as Your name did. Even so, it has been praised due to its vibrancy and how it moves people emotionally.
Cinematographic critics have pointed out that in addition to a beautiful picture, the film addresses the problem of climate change and the role of man, which is quite relevant today. “Weathering with You” finally established Makoto Shinkai as one of the key figures of the modern animation industry with a range of magic, romance and eco friendliness which girls around the world are deeply in love with.
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