Weathering with You – Learning to Embrace Freedom

Few pieces of cinema or media manage to delve into a theme’s depths and keep it thrilling. Fixating solely on one facet can result in either a boring encounter or a presentation devoid of substance. Makoto Shinkai‘s 2019 film, successor to ‘Your Name,’ had me anticipating its release, and upon watching it, it surpassed my expectations. This film, ‘Weathering with You‘ or ‘Tenki no Ko,’ also added more to my experience as I rewatched it recently. Let’s explore what this movie is trying to tell.

Weathering with You – Story

Weathering with You follows the journey of Hodaka Morishima, a high schooler who escapes to Tokyo to seek a better life. The city is plagued by constant rain, and Hodaka encounters Hina Amano, a girl with the mysterious ability to control the weather through prayer. Together, they start a business to bring sunshine to special events. As their bond grows, challenges arise, leading to sacrifices and consequences that impact not only their lives but also the weather patterns of Tokyo. But there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Weathering with You – Main Theme

The film revolves around the theme of weather and explores how one’s self-sacrifice can become a lifeline for many. On a deeper level, it shows the intricate connection between nature and the human heart. The narrative suggests that the human mind operates mysteriously, energized by the morning sun that fuels enthusiasm for the day’s work. Conversely, rain is portrayed as melancholic and dampening. The movie introduces the concept of “rain maidens” and “sunshine maiden”, each embodying their namesake through their assigned tasks. Protected by a dragon god and a fox god, initially perceived as a joke, it cleverly alludes to Natsumi & Keisuke and Hina & Hodaka. This clever connection fits their roles well: Kei excelling in his job and leading, where Hodaka lacks those qualities. While Hina personifies the literal sunshine maiden, capable of invoking sunshine through prayer, Natsumi’s actions towards the film’s conclusion imply her metaphorical role as the rain maiden. Her assistance to Hodaka in bringing Hina back is intricately linked to the return of rain. The contrast in their personalities further supports these symbolic roles.

The major theme of Weathering with You I found is fighting against the laws and rules. Hodaka constrained by the society around him made him leave his town to Tokyo, only to find himself grappling with more rules. He can’t get a job as a highschooler, can’t stay at hotels without ID and constantly somersaulted around by the bustling city. Hina as well who’s lost her mother, lives alone with her grade-schooler bother, constantly being bothered by the child support. Kaisuke, Hodaka’s boss and also his life saver, also facing legal hurdles, preventing him from seeing his daughter following his wife’s passing. Even Natsumi has to put up a face and formality so that she can get a company job.
The prominent rule that plagues and causes disaster in everyone’s life is the weather itself: a demand for a human maiden’s sacrifice to restore it. Hina, cherishing the joy that sunlight brings to people, willingly offers herself as the sacrificial maiden. However, in the end, Hodaka and Keisuke come to the realization that it’s the world that’s crazy, making excessive demands on humanity. In the end, Hodaka, Natsumi, Nagi, Keisuke, they all push against the odds to bring back Hina. This all coincides with the songs of the film: Is There Still Anything That Love Can Do?, Grand Escape, and We’ll Be Alright that exudes the raw emotions. Unfair laws that only convenience the authorities can screw themselves.

Another apparent theme is chasing the light or sunshine. The essence of sunlight is essential for a normal life, and it holds significance in medical aspects as well, contributing to a person’s overall health. In the film, it connects people with one another and helps them get along. Hodaka’s journey to Tokyo is driven by his pursuit of a ray of light and he puts everything on the line to find it. Despite uncovering the source of the sunlight he sought, he ultimately rejects it in favor of the sunshine within his heart, embodied by Hina. Even Nagi says that anywhere is fine if he can remain with his sister together. This all alludes to that if you follow your heart and embrace the freedom, you’ll always find the light.

What to like and not like

Let’s delve into the intricacies of Weathering with You. While some aspects may appear predictable, its strengths overshadow any such moments. The animation and art, typical of Shinkai’s films, are visually stunning. The story resonates emotionally, conveyed through its masterful narrative, cinematography, and equally compelling soundtracks that keep you hooked all throughout. The characters are well-explored, and their voice actors, including minor ones in both Japanese and English dubs, give their all. Emotion is the keyword here, used effectively to tell the story.

About Weathering with You

Weathering with You, 天気の子 (Tenki no Ko) in Japanese that translates to ‘Child of Weather’, was released in 2019, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, produced by CoMix Wave Films and distributed by Toho. The animation direction is done by Atsushi Tamura, character design by Masayoshi Tanaka, and its orchestral score & soundtrack composed by RADWIMPS. The film grossed US$193.8 million worldwide, becoming the highest grossing Japanese film of 2019 and the tenth highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. The film’s production originally began in 2017 and was announced by Makoto Shinkai in 2018.
In an interview, he said, “I thought, ‘Should I make my next film so that I don’t anger more people, or should I make a movie that angers them further?’ And I chose the latter.” He also added that he was influenced by the impact of climate change on Japan, particularly the increase in rainfall during the summer months. He revealed that both CG and traditional hand drawn animation is used to depict the rain in the film. The writing process of the story includes getting feedback from the production team, he revealed that he took around six months to write his previous film, Your Name, and another six months for Weathering With You. Shinkai chose a more “supernatural” approach on this film. When asked for the reason of including the characters from Your Name, Shinkai said, “Personally, I wanted to see Taki and Mitsuha again before they met.”

Fun facts, Taki and Mitsuha from Your Name made a cameo appearance in Weathering With You. Keisuke Suga’s name is inspired from a Japanese musician Shikao Suga.

After Thought

After watching this film, there’s not much to say. This kind of cinema always leaves me speechless. I could discuss my likes and dislikes about it all day, but, you have to experience it yourself to fully grasp why Weathering with You is universally praised. Personally, the music stood out the most, highlighting RADWIMPS’ amazing work. The subway line, which was just a part of the background, eventually weaves into the story as Hodaka runs along it to save Hina. The film is laden with easter eggs and details alongside its narrative prowess. Irate this film 8.5 out of 10 due to how freeing it felt watching it.

Thank you so much for reading ♡. Check this out if you need more anime recommendations. Hang out at our Discord server & Telegram chat. Until next time, take care 👋.