Tenki no Ko, in its essence, is an urban story. Here we have two teenagers (and one precocious tween) trying to navigate the cold and damp everyday life that is Tokyo by literally sweeping off the cold and the damp. Blessed with the ability to control weather, Hina (the heroine) believes that she can catch two birds with one stone and as her loyal friend/quasi-business manager, Hodaka (the hero) only wishes for just enough money and reason for the two of them to stay together no matter what kind of storm that awaits. Predictably, not everything will go along smoothly and the storm in question may not be as on-the-nose as anyone (even the audience) can predict. However, it seems like that is exactly the narrative and the style that suit Makoto Shinkai the most.
His prior work --the forever celebrated Kimi no Na Wa.-- was a spectacular gem. However, what made that work spectacular was the fact of which it stayed true to its identity which was an anime. One couldn't help but notice the whole execution of Kimi no Na Wa. still revolved around that one-century-old formula. For Tenki no Ko, though, there is always this nuance of which the audience is missing something that may be of miniscule, but just as important. Using the layman term, for the first time ever, with this work Makoto Shinkai asks the audience to think-- especially how the overall narrative finally ends. No more blatant showstoppers and no more straightforward life lessons, either. While Kimi no Na Wa is about finding each other, these kids in Tenki No Ko are a bit smarter than that. It is not about seeking something new as it is more about protecting what is already here-- and the latter is always a more engrossing drama.
Ultimately, most otaku would definitely find Tenki No Ko as quote-en-quote 'divisive' but that may not be the case for the rest of (normie) audience. This is a work of a confident artist who had reached the top of the mountain and with Tenki no Ko, we got the answer whether he spent his time on the top by dancing and taking chances or simply putting up fences and playing it safe. Also, it is still too soon to judge either Kimi no Na Wa. or Tenki no Ko as Shinkai's magnum opus. After all, he's just getting started. We are still in the calm before the perfect storm, as it turns out.
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