Weathering with You is set in Japan during a very unusual rainy season. The movie starts with Hina by her dying mother’s bed in a hospital when she sees a ray of sunlight in the distance. She leaves the hospital to investigate. When she reaches an abandoned building, she finds the light illuminating a shrine. After she prays, she is blessed with the power to alter the weather, particularly the capability to bring sunshine into the otherwise gloomy and rainy weather.
Hodaka is a runaway underaged teenager setting out to explore Tokyo. He tries to fit in but fails. Along the way, he briefly stumbled upon Hina and was touched by her generosity to provide him with food. He managed to find work with a magazine on urban legends. Not long after, he meets Hina again and eventually teamed up to start a business providing sunshine to people.
Hodaka’s status as a runaway catches up with him as the police start to look for him after his parents filed a missing person’s report. Meanwhile, both Hina (who lives with her younger brother) and her brother are about to be placed under social services. Left with little choice, the trio decides to run away. Amid all these, the weather worsens while the romance between the main protagonists blossoms. By now, most will be able to predict what’s coming next. There are little surprises here. However, accompanied by an excellent soundtrack, the movie managed to keep my attention on the screen with its beautifully done animation and artwork.
At the core of it all “Weathering with You” is a love story that feels tepid at best because there was not much avenue for the main characters to build their relationship. Besides that, the plot about weather control appears flawed. Fortunately, when combined, the movie, with its stunning visual and soundtrack, manages to build to an emotional climax that does not disappoint.
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