Weathering With You is a movie that finds itself endlessly compared to the records-breaking masterpiece that was Your Name, its own spiritual predecessor, and understandably so. As the latest work of Makoto Shinkai who was the man behind the likes of 5 Centimeters per Second, The Garden of Words, and Your Name, it has to face an almost impossibly high bar which has been set for it. But is it a great movie? How does it compare to Your Name? Should you watch it?
First things first: don’t go in expecting Your Name 2, because it isn’t, wasn’t supposed to be, and shouldn’t be. This is
...
a movie that should, can, and does stand on and be judged for its own merits as much as possible (but of course it’s interesting and fun to compare it with previous works).
Minor spoilers for Weathering With You and Your Name ahead!
The story revolves around Morishima Hodaka (voiced by Kotaro Daigo), a high school boy who runs away to Tokyo from his home on a remote island, and Amano Hina (voiced by Nana Mori), a girl who has the power to stop the rain and bring sunshine.
Story - 9/10
In comparison to his previous works, Weathering With You has a simpler story that everyone can follow and enjoy. Simple doesn’t mean simplistic or shallow; this is a Shinkai movie after all. With each of his works, he explores a theme and has a message. If you try to read between the lines and look underneath the surface, you’ll find that despite its simple façade it is a deep and thought-provoking work of art. Hint: one of the themes here is how powerful nature can be.
But what about the plot itself? Each and every Shinkai work builds upon what came before it, and Weathering With You builds upon Your Name. The story is beautiful and well-written. It is at its heart a story about something which Shinkai knows best: connection. Weathering With You is a heartwarming love story between our two protagonists. Every moment is a treat as you see these two develop their relationship from two people who didn’t know each other into something much more. The story is told so well that you’ll find yourself fully engrossed in this world that’s so similar yet different from our own and in the experience, journey, and life of Hodaka and Hina.
You get caught up in the atmosphere. From the get-go, there’s this feeling of foreboding and mystery that permeates the entire film even with its more upbeat tone. The storytelling sucks you in, captures your attention, and makes you love every single scene and moment. And I’m not exaggerating when I say this is Shinkai’s funniest movie yet. The theatre erupted in laughter several times during the movie, and there was even laughter after laughter as the movie gave us comedic scene after scene. Despite that, it never really distracts from the dramatic and emotional style Shinkai is so well-known for.
What I like about this movie is how it portrays modern life so well. Phones have been ubiquitous in Shinkai’s works, but here he really shows how it’s become an integral part of our lives. There’s this one scene where the protagonist doesn’t know where to go. So, what do you do? Open your phone and find the way.
But there’s an important question. After I watched the pre-screening, a lot of my friends asked: does it have a happy ending? Looking at Shinkai’s previous works, that’s an understandable question. Shinkai is known for his open and seemingly sad or tragic endings (I for one prefer to call them bittersweet). Your Name did not have such an ending, but it did have an open ending that ended on an optimistic note. But Weathering With You has the most satisfying ending of any Shinkai movie yet, even more so than Your Name’s.
But as Shinkai himself has said, it is potentially controversial. I can’t explain exactly why as that would be a major spoiler, but it’s safe to say that it doesn’t have a traditional ending. For me personally, it seems it would be most controversial for people who live in Japan and less so for those who don’t, because it goes against the Japanese concept of shakaijin or “productive member of society” for being non-conforming and not doing your proper duty to society instead of to yourself. It is also because of natural events that have shook Japan in the last decade. Controversial or not, the ending is a veiled reference to something that’s less fictitious and more urgent and real, a part of our own world.
It’s not without its faults of course. There are some potential plot holes that I think might be explained in the manga or novel, and some might find parts of the movie too simple although I personally don’t share that view. But none of that detracts from this movie at all. In fact, on my first and second viewings, I didn’t realise any of them. They only became apparent on my third and fourth viewings.
All in all, it has a great and beautiful story. It doesn’t have the shocking plot twist of Your Name, but this is a story that proves Shinkai has mastered his own style of storytelling. Is the story better than Your Name? I honestly can’t say. I think they’re two different stories, although both are love stories. But I think the love story here is far more developed and nuanced (in Your Name, Taki and Mitsuha do not actually meet until later in the movie after all). But here, from early in the movie our protagonists meet, and you see them together.
Art and Animation - 10/10
Well, it is a Shinkai movie. He is probably the best animator in the industry right now, especially when it comes to combining traditional 2D animation and CGI. His cinematography and composition are unparalleled, his sceneries take your breath away, so much so that it’s even worth watching the movie just to see the artwork and visuals, and his attention to details is always mind-blowing. But really, some of his scenes were just so stunning that I got goosebumps several times throughout the movie.
I want to talk about four things: colour and tone, comparison to previous works, camera movement, and transitions.
The colour and tone of this movie is noticeably different from Your Name despite taking place in the same city of Tokyo. In contrast to the latter’s bright colours and lively atmosphere, Weathering With You’s Tokyo is dominated by greys and rain. It’s a much darker and more mature Tokyo, and the settings shown within clearly showcase that such as the Kabukicho red-light district showing the harsh reality of the dark side of Tokyo beyond the shimmering lights. The constant rain and grey colour also gives off a cold vibe and it’s something that you’ll feel throughout most of the movie. You feel as though you’re there: cold and wet.
Nobody does weather animation like Shinkai. The rain immediately conjures up associations with the still undefeated visual masterpiece that is The Garden of Words and some scenes in the movie hearken back to the cold and lonely feeling that the weather in 5 Centimeters per Second’s first part brings. The trailer also showed us some breathtaking sun scenes which you really should experience directly in the theatres. This movie really feels like it’s showcasing the full capability of Shinkai and his team’s skills in that aspect.
Camera movement. Okay, I don’t actually know the technical term for this. What I’m referring to is how the camera moves around as if it’s in 3D space. I counted at least four scenes like this, combining 3D and 2D animation so seamlessly that you might just question whether you’re really watching a 2D animation at all. Think the ending scene of The Garden of Words on the stairs but multiply that by ten. Two of my goosebumps were during such scenes, and from my second viewings onwards, I looked forward to them.
I have to mention the transitions. They are something I just love from his movies. From early on in his works, Shinkai has shown how transitions can really add to the story (think Mitsuha suddenly disappearing as she was writing her name). Weathering With You does it even better. Sometimes when transitioning from one scene to another, it would just go black, but you’ll still hear the sound of the next scene. The transitions are well-timed, sometimes with overlaying monologue or the sound of the weather, and they signify and signal to the audience that the scene and tone is changing. I really loved this touch, I think it really added a lot to the movie.
Sound - 10/10
RADWIMPS has returned and once again, we are given a mesmerising and beautiful soundtrack. There’s just something about RADWIMPS that fits the tone and style of Makoto Shinkai. Weathering With You just solidifies that further. To watch this movie without sound would be to not watch it at all. The sound effects, voice acting, and music are so integral to the experience that they ARE the movie too.
Your Name received critical acclaim and that was also due to its fantastic soundtrack that even today I still remember. Expectations were high for Weathering With You after knowing that RADWIMPS was working on it again. I’m not disappointed, but I can’t say it trumps Your Name’s. There’s just something about the latter’s music that brings you back to the moments they were played so vividly.
Despite that, I have to say I personally think Weathering With You’s soundtrack is on par with Your Name’s after watching the movie, which is an opinion that is not shared by a majority of people. I say this because the songs fit perfectly well with the movie and I can’t imagine the scenes without them at all. The songs are even better once you understand what those songs mean to our characters and the related feelings and emotions.
That’s also one more thing I want to talk about. These songs were really specifically written for the movie, as in these songs depict the thoughts and feelings of our protagonists as they progress, even more than Your Name’s soundtrack did.
I’m not saying Your Name’s soundtrack is inferior in any way. I’m just saying it’s my personal preference, but I can’t ignore the fact that it is more immediately memorable.
Also, sound cuts. The sound also suddenly gets cut in some scenes and they do wonders. This has a lot to do with the transitions that I talked about in Art and Animation.
Characters - 9/10
Characters deserve a round of applause. Most of Shinkai’s works focus solely on the protagonists with underdeveloped side characters, which is even true for Your Name (all were justifiable because that’s what fit those stories). But not here. Here, Shinkai has brought to life not just his protagonists, but all the characters around them.
Each character is unique. None of them feel one-dimensional. Instead, they all feel like real people and this is solidified by their flawed personalities. People aren’t perfect. What really defines people are their small quirks and flaws. Each of the characters here exhibit that, and so much more. They feel less like side characters and more like your actual friends: people around our protagonists who go through the journey with us.
But Hina is on a whole other level. In my honest opinion, she might just be one of Shinkai’s best written characters ever. Every time she came on screen, she would shine. I enjoyed every moment she was there and was looking forward to seeing more of her. She was such an enjoyable and realistic person that I might have fooled myself that she wasn’t fictional. The voice acting by Nana Mori deserves special praise because the emotions and tone she brings here are excellent, making Hina really feel alive. Hina is definitely one of the highlights of this movie.
The chemistry between Hina and Hodaka also take the spotlight here. Every time these two are on screen, I just couldn’t help but rooting for them. They’re just so sweet and innocent. They have a great dynamic and their interactions really make them even more endearing to the point where I kept wanting to see more, wanting to see them together.
I couldn’t give it a 10/10 because of some flaws. I think the protagonist Hodaka is underdeveloped. Looking back on his previous works, Shinkai has always had slightly underdeveloped male characters (with Taki being the least underdeveloped for me personally). Hodaka is naïve and reckless, but that’s about it. There’s nothing that really makes him special or stand out. And the story of one of the side characters, Keisuke Suga (voiced by Shun Oguri), is also underdeveloped, even though it was integral to a part of the movie. But I suspect this will also be clearer in the manga and novel.
In summary, these are Shinkai’s best characters yet. I’ve never felt more connected to the characters in his movie than I have in Weathering With You. They have never felt more real and more grounded, alive with all their flaws and quirks. And Hina is his best girl yet! (Sorry, I just had to). I wish we could see more of Hina.
Enjoyment - 10/10
It was such a fun ride from start to end that I didn’t want it to ever stop. It commands every bit of your attention and you don’t want to look away. I enjoyed it so much that I had to watch it more than once, and in the end, I watched it four times. Even now, I still want to watch it again.
Every moment and scene were fun and a visual treat. It was always interesting, pulling you in. None of the scenes felt wasted and the comedic scenes I just couldn’t get enough of. I enjoyed every moment of Hodaka and Hina on screen together. I honestly wouldn’t change a thing, despite its flaws, because after all I completely enjoyed it. And seeing from the audience’s applause when it ended, I wasn’t alone.
Overall - 10/10
Overall, I give it a 10/10 and a definite, don’t-waste-any-time must watch, and in the theatres if you still can. It really is a culmination of all of Shinkai’s past works. You are reminded of plot beats from Your Name, the visual aesthetics and rain of The Garden of Words, the snows of 5 Centimeters per Second.
It is a great movie, great enough that it doesn’t really fall short of Your Name at all. It won’t be breaking records like its predecessor did, but it’s in no way inferior. I would never be able to make a choice between Your Name and Weathering With You, but if you want a more well-developed love story with breathtaking visuals and sound, Weathering With You is definitely the way to go.
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Aug 31, 2019
Tenki no Ko
(Anime)
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Weathering With You is a movie that finds itself endlessly compared to the records-breaking masterpiece that was Your Name, its own spiritual predecessor, and understandably so. As the latest work of Makoto Shinkai who was the man behind the likes of 5 Centimeters per Second, The Garden of Words, and Your Name, it has to face an almost impossibly high bar which has been set for it. But is it a great movie? How does it compare to Your Name? Should you watch it?
First things first: don’t go in expecting Your Name 2, because it isn’t, wasn’t supposed to be, and shouldn’t be. This is ... |
