WEATHERING WITH YOU
Japan, 2019, 111 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Makoto Shinkai.
In recent decades, Japanese animated films, Japanese anime, have become more and more popular all around the world. Many Japanese directors and studios have admirers. The director of Weathering With You, Makoto Shinkai, is on the way up, with acclaim for this film and his previous film, Your Name.
Audiences will admire the animation, the characters, certainly, but more for the extensive backgrounds, a portrait of Tokyo, overviews and neighbourhood details, as well as characters being taken up into the sky, all the swirl of clouds and rain.
For those who admired Your Name, there are quite some thematic similarities here. Both are concerned with a boy and a girl, the relationship, years passing, timeshifting, love and rescue.
The title, of course, is unusual. The central character is the young Hodako, running away from home to Tokyo, getting a job investigating stories and urban legends, encountering a girl,Hini, who seems to have some kind of mystic control of the weather. And the weather, in this case, is continual rain.
The two have some adventures, even to exploiting Hini’s weather predictions but, she disappears, into the sky, into the cosmos – which gives permission for Hidako to go on a mission to find and to rescue.
On the one hand, Hidako’s story is initially rather mundane. On the other hand, he gets caught up in a somewhat mystical world that he does not understand.
There are overtones of global warming in this story of continued rain with scenes of the literal sinking of the city of Tokyo.
Weathering with you certainly must go on the list of must see Japanese animation films.
1. The world popularity of Japanese anime films? Animation? Narratives? Visual style and score?
2. The impact of the animation, the human characters, the background, the city of Tokyo, the cosmic elements in the sky and the weather? Action? The special effects?
3. The reputation of the director? His success with Your Name? The similarities with this film, the two protagonists and the relationship? Struggles? Resolution?
4. The focus of the weather, the visualising of the rain, the clouds? The unseasonable rain? The downpours on Tokyo? The glimpses of sun?
The effect of the water, the sinking of the city and the visualising of this, the emotional consequences for the Japanese audience, for others?
5. The story of Hokado and Hina? Young teenagers? Their lives intersecting? The bond between them? Love, crises, rescue?
6. Hokado’s story, his age, leaving home, his parents filing a search for him? Into the city, the rain, almost drowning, the rescue, the card from the employer, his later going to the office, his work on urban legends? Working with Natsui? The encounter with Hina, attracted, her work at the diner, the free meal, the younger brother? The police concerned about him and custody? Hokado and his rescuing Hina, the struggle, her gratitude towards him?
7. Hina, the rain, the sunlight, the prayer, her power over the weather, the explanation from the priest? With Hokado, the possibility of a business, altering the weather for people’s functions?
8. Hina, her disappearance, taken up into the clouds?
9. Hokado, Hina’s disappearance, his being sacked from his job? His continued search? The police and their suspicions, the pursuit? His employer, pursuing, then saving him from the police? The other helpers, the bike ride from Natsui?
10. The cosmic element, Hokado and his search, caught up in the clouds, the visual impact of this cosmic experience, finding Hina? Her dilemma? Responsibility for the weather?
11. The fine weather, the surprise, people’s reactions?
12. The return to earth, Hokado to his village, finishing his studies? Wanting to go back to Tokyo and finding Hina? And the continuing rain?
