Weathering with You Review – Sunshine Girls and the Makoto-Verse

Are you ready to cry and be a hapless sap for almost two hours again thanks to the brilliant Makoto Shinkai? Well then go ahead and read my Weathering with You Review! The film features the voice of Kotaro Daigo as Hodaka Morishima and Nana Mori as Hina Amano. Its still showing in theaters!

Weathering with You had so much hype locally when it was released in the Philippines and got a bit of controversy too but that’s then and this is now. With a good presence in theaters, its nice to know that Pinoy fans and movie buffs are able to see the film and enjoy it, because thats what it really is, an enjoyable film that’s well-made with outstanding music and visuals.

Characters 

The movie’s well-written and tightly packed and in the short span, we get everything we need. Much of the real meat for all the main characters are then revealed slowly but surely. Hina is adorable and is waifu-material despite her age (and her real age). Hodaka is a relatable mess too. And even with such a headstrong character, we get to see his weakness and it affects us deeply. Just like Shinkai’s previous film Your Name, the female protagonists aren’t specifically damsels in distress. So out you go, silly anime trope. There’s trouble alright but they make their decisions and just kinda stick with it.

Even other characters like Suga  gets some catharsis in this film; hell even Nagi gets some sort of closure by the time we get to the third act. It’s not that heavy, but its still something good especially since we start investing our attention and emotion to the characters.

Hina Amano’s character arc was so nice. We’re painted a strong and determined woman, willing to sacrifice everything she has to be able to make people happy.

Visuals

Leave it to Shinka and CoMix Wave Films to develop a great looking anime film. They definitely raised the bar in terms of effects and follow this now distinct look and aesthetic that you know is uniquely Makoto Shinkai. Tearsa and rain are beautifully animated and in some cases, you can actually consider as a characters. Silent characters but characters nonetheless. The landscapes are visually appealing come rain or shine and there are even freaking dragons and whales or was that just a really great animated whale.

Just check the screenshot below featuring Hina and the sky…

And also because this is a Shinkai movie, you can’t ignore how gorgeously animated their Tokyo is. I won’t be surprised if some of the locations here becomes tourist attractions, much like what happened post-release of Your Name.

Music

RADWIMPS are back here to score the film. And I’d like to say that they managed to reach the same level as they did with the last movie. There’s a ton of memorable scores here including the film’s main theme.

It’s still the same magic when you see hear the music and the visuals. It helps facilitate with getting the feels in, whether its kilig or elation or that sadness. One segment that really stood out was that sweeping track at the beginning, with the title card making an appearance. That was super beautiful. There’s something with the way they expertly crafted the “falling” scene towards the end that helps set the mood, the fear, the resolve. I can’t fully explain it but the music did help the feeling of plummeting.

Familar Themes

There are some familiar themes in this movie that new and old fans of the director can spot. Here’s a list:

• Trains
• Shrine Maidens
• religion
• The-One-That-Got-Away-vibes
• Floodings
• Destruction of a part of Japan

Dark

The film can go dark from time to time in Weathering with You. Subjects like working in bars, actual use of guns and several times where Hodaka gets beaten up badly is here. But, it does make for important turns for the film. We can’t discount the fact that these things actually exist though. Not offended or anything, but I am giving you guys a heads up on this. This could be a surprise so yeah.

Weathering with You Review – Verdict

9/10

I have to bar my biases here but I want to say that it almost hit the same level of Your Name. On its own, its sooo good. I plan to watch the film again soon (hopefully, they don’t take it out from cinemas soon). But it falls a little short of the bar. Again, on its own, its an awesome movie. Go and watch the movie.