Weathering with You - 01/16/2020

Weathering with You is a very good movie. I was a little late to the party on Your Name, but when I first rented that on a weekend a year or so ago, I ended up watching it three times before the rental period was up. So I was excited to see whatever Makoto Shinkai did next. This follow up film was better in a number of ways, some that I probably didn't fully appreciate on my first viewing in theaters, but didn't quite have the emotional impact that Your Name did. These are my initial thoughts that I jotted down right after I saw the movie. I will most likely listen to the reviews of people smarter than me and watch it again looking more closely at the visuals and themes and come out with an even better appreciation of this film's quality.

First thing is that the film obviously looks great. If you haven't seen a top tier anime movie before, this one will probably blow your mind with how good it looks. There might not be better depictions of Tokyo that the way it is depicted in Shinkai films and it is on full display in this film. This combined with the focus on the weather and specifically the rain make for some gorgeous shots.

I also liked the relationship that builds between the main couple Hodako and Hina. The montage of Hina doing the sunshine girl job was a lot of fun and I just really bought into the chemistry that they had together. There were actually a lot of funny interactions between them and with her little brother Nagi too. Personally, I'm a sucker for the "On the run together" sequences and this one made me hope that they would somehow find a way to make their happiness last just a little longer. The climax scene where Hodako and Hina are reunited in the sky, falling upside down, hands clasped, with the clouds and city in the background while the music hit a crescendo was a spectacular moment that they really nailed.

The main thing that holds this film back in my mind was just that it didn't have a huge emotional impact for me, even though it's hard for me to put my finger on way. I liked that the characters got to spend more time together building there chemistry compared to Your Name, but despite that, when they were separated and Hodako was fighting desperately to get her back, I didn't feel quite as invested in his struggle as I should have My gut reaction was that I really didn't like anything that had to do with finding the gun or being chased by the police. I get that it created drama, pushed them out of where they were and gave Hodako obstacles to overcome to get back to Hina, but I just didn't like it. Also, a more minor thing, but the music didn't really feel that memorable either.

Ultimately, I'm judging this movie based on how it made me feel emotionally rather than on what a quality film it was. When I watch it again, I think I'll get a better appreciation of the things it does well, but when walking out of the theater, it didn't quite give me that emotional reaction that I was hoping for.

Verdict: it's a very well made film that didn't have the emotional impact I was hoping it would.