Summary
A modern master returns with a wonderful bit of magical realism, with a bit more of an emphasis on the latter. With compelling leads and simply stunning visuals, this is one of the best animated films this year.
If Makoto Shinkai was already an anime hero for 5 Centimetres Per Second and Children Who Chase Lost Voices, then 2016’s crossover hit Your Name shot him into the stratosphere. Following one of the highest grossing anime films of all time is no mean feat, but WEATHERING WITH YOU (天気の子) is about no less a topic than changing the world.
Japan is going through a particularly rainy patch. Think: torrential 24/7. Teenage girl Hina Amano (voiced by Nana Mori, Tokyo Ghoul ‘S’) spots a patch of sunlight on the rooftop of a derelict building, and is transported to a sky world. Meanwhile, runaway Hodaka Morishima (newcomer Kotaro Daigo) arrives in Tokyo penniless, and their lives connect during a moment of kindness.
The grander narrative commences when Hodaka’s life starts looking up thanks to publisher Keisuke Suga (the legendary Shun Oguri), and Hodaka investigates the alleged ‘Sunshine Girl’ bringing literal light wherever she goes. Yet a scheme to make money reveals that all ‘magic’ has a price.
Shinkai’s original story is arguably one of his most complex and, at times, darkest to date. Much of the film deals with people living on the fringes, and the very real threat of homelessness, harm, and ‘club’ work that these vulnerable teenagers must face. This is magical realism with an emphasis on the latter, tackling issues of absentee parents, gun violence, and climate change within the broader framework.
Like Your Name, many of the locations were based on real places and the attention to detail shows. From the accurate neon-lit streets of Shinjuku to the wide shots of the Tokyo skyline, Shinkai and his animation team, including animation director Atsushi Tamura and art director Hiroshi Takiguchi, create a lived-in world that happens to cross over with ancient myths. They cut loose at key moments, whether it is the earth-bound magic of fireworks or those places where the real and unreal blur. It’s staggeringly beautiful in either place.
Masayoshi Tanaka’s character designs are grounded by the lead actors, who are both earnest and believable. The vocal range of emotion in Tsubasa Honda (Colour Me True), who plays Suga’s assistant Natsumi, is impressive and also hilarious at times. There’s also a great running gag with Hina’s little brother Nagi (Sakura Kiryū), who is so much of a ladies’ man that the older Hodaka calls him senpai. With connections to some of Shinkai’s other films, there are also two moments in the film where the (pleasingly full) cinema actually squealed in delight at the cameos.
What’s great about this film is that it follows many of the same tropes and basic structure of the filmmaker’s previous works – not to mention the music of Radwimps – but still feels fresh and immediate. Even with the elements of realism, and a tense Mexican standoff at the climax, the film is essentially about love and hope. WEATHERING WITH YOU might just be a contender for best animation of 2019.
2019 | Japan | DIRECTOR: Makoto Shinkai | WRITERS: Makoto Shinkai | CAST: Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Shun Oguri, Tsubasa Honda, Sakura Kiryū| DISTRIBUTOR: Madman Entertainment| RUNNING TIME: 114 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 22 August 2019 (AUS)
