It doesn’t happen all to often, but every now and again our local theaters will pick up some anime movies. That one Dragon Ball Z movie, that I don’t remember, Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale, and now Weathering with You.
It really doesn’t matter what the movie is, my wife and I have made the decision that we will support anime screenings the best we can. After all, if we show support, maybe the theater will get more anime movies in the future. One can hope.
Going in, I had no idea what Weathering with You was about. The only thing I knew was that it was created by the same guy that did Your Name. I liked that movie, my wife was indifferent about it, so we figured this one should be decent/good.
The Movie Itself
The movie was good, I enjoyed it. My wife also enjoyed it. I’m going to tell you right now that we aren’t the kind of people that dig into the meanings of every little detail. We enjoy anime mostly at face value, not reading too deeply into things.
So, at face value, it’s a love story, right? Yeah there are some supernatural phenomenon going on around it, but it’s a love story. This young boy falls in love with this young girl who happens to be a Sunshine Maiden. We can argue about the meaning behind it all, whether that be global warming or something else, but the main factor is it’s a love story.
Characters
I loved the characters. We got to see the struggles that each were going through and how they were overcoming them, even sometimes in the wrong way. The interactions were great, and I found the comedy timing to be spot on. My favorites were, of course, Rain, the kitty cat, and the absolute PLAYER of a younger brother, Nagi.
I still don’t really understand why Hodaka ran away in the first place, besides “chasing the light”, but kids do the craziest things. What I want to know is how he got enough money to survive as long as he did, I mean dang! Anyway, back to the movie.
Animation
I loved the art and animation. It was a beautifully animated movie. Every scene was absolutely stunning, and some of the effects they did with the rain was great. Not to mention the audio was top notch going along with it. I really was a fan of the panning of the entire city whenever Hina was on the top of the tower. Just the variety of angles from which you got to see the city was incredible.
Ending
As the movie wrapped up, the ending of the story went real crazy, real quick. My boy Hodaka ran for who knows how long and far, and pretty much every supporting character became a criminal to help him. It was a very emotional ending, and I think it encapsulates the emotions felt over the entirety of the film very well. Each character had to make a choice, and you felt for them when they made it.
Warning – Slight Spoilers Ahead
I would of liked to see more details after the time skip, but I’ve come to expect to be left wanting more just from anime in general. Time skips are usually thrown in at the end, and leave you wanting (I’m looking at you, Toradora).
Random Thoughts
I guess it’s basically assumed that Suga got custody of his daughter AND adopted Nagi?
I wonder how Suga and his niece settled all of the charges? Ya know, assaulting an officer, kidnapping, aiding and abetting…
I really would’ve loved to see Hodaka give Hina the ring back, that would have been a nice touch. But, it is what it is.
The Atmosphere
I wanted to take the time to note the “feeling” of this movie in the theater. Usually, when an anime movie hits the big screen, nerds from all over come running. The Dragon Ball Z movie I mentioned earlier, and SAO, both of those theaters were not just full, but buzzing with people talking about various nerdiness.
We had maybe ten to fifteen people with us for Weathering with You. It was the last show time on the last day, but it still sucked to see so few people. Also, unlike the previous times, no one was really talking, well, besides the group of boys in the front row.
It felt like we were watching a movie, not an anime movie. Do with that what you will.
We did get posters, which was cool. Even though they are on the small side and not full bleed, but beggars can’t be choosers.
All in All
I enjoyed the movie. My wife enjoyed the movie. It was money well spent. We got a nice date night out of it and got to see an interesting story.
Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I re-watch it sometime? Probably.
8/10 on MAL.
Thanks for reading!