Weathering with You (2019)

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Stars: Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Shun Oguri
Runtime: 112 minutes

Synopsis: A high-school boy who has run away to Tokyo befriends a girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather.

Animation: 9/10

Screenplay: 5/10
Editing: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Verdict: With "Your Name" being one of my favorite animes of all time, Makoto Shinkai's follow up project became naturally one of my most anticipated films of 2019. I didn't know much about it, but it very much seemed similar to its predecessor in terms of concept with it being a love story between two teenagers brought together by some kind of supernatural connection. This time, it wasn't a body switch that served as the basis of their relationship, but rather a direct link to Tokyo's unnatural and intense rainy weather.

I found "Weathering with You" to be a very cute watch overall enhanced by a beautiful score and impressive work in the animation department (the way the weather is captured is gorgeous), but also one that didn't resonate with me as much as I was expecting it to. The reason? Well, there are two of those. First of all, I found the relationship between Hodaka and Hina to lack a little intimacy due to the scale of the supernatural element, as opposed to the one depicted in "Your Name". In the latter, it served as a reason to bring the two leads together and make them connect spiritually, while in the former it only served as a plot device that didn't add anything interesting to the relationship. Another thing that made the film a little less enjoyable to me was how reliant on conveniences the narrative was. Most of the time, it wasn't even necessary and only served as a lazy way to progress the story or provide exposition to the audience. It was laughable at times and impossible to take seriously, which is a shame considering how they could've easily been removed to give the story more ground.

Despite its imperfections, I'd still recommend "Weathering with You" for fans of animes. It may not be one of the best in the genre but it's cute enough to check out if you ever are in the mood for something light to watch.

FINAL GRADE: 6/10