Weathering With You (2019)
Makoto Shinkai’s back again with his impressive dramatic animation of 2019 “Weathering With You.” Many of the animation fans remember Makoto for his 2016’s “Your Name,” which was the highest grosser of all time and here, he’s shining through the same form in the same turf and the afterglow.
So much to his passion for manga, creation of anime, for his immaculate narrative, breath-taking imagery creating the mood mixing memory and desire. Deluge through the surreptitious score, breaking in soft fires and wildflowers into the bursting clouds, wash out of the lush raining fields and weathers out the sky, blend into the beautiful 110 minutes of unwinding lyrical extravaganza of the cinematic experience stirred by the magical intoxication as there’s no tomorrow.
Weathering with you is the Japanese entry for the 92nd Oscar Awards. This sci-fi anime film set into the liberating tone, mordant, mocking and more grounded fare than Makoto’s earlier films. His imagination is an instant grab and engaging from the word go.
Interestingly the plot takes us to the near future Japan, experiencing an unprecedented summer storm. The characters are introduced swiftly with the teenaged High school fresher Hodaka Morishima in his home on an isolated island, plans to move to the urban landscapes of Tokyo.
On his ferry to the city, he almost gets thrown off when a freak rainstorm hits it. Howbeit, saved by a man named Keisuke Suga, who gives Hodaka his business card in case he ever needed help.
Living his rough days of solitariness of Tokyo’s weather which is exposed to the rush of gushing rains, howling winds and icy drafts. Not much of money in his pocket to manage his existence, and Suga to his rescue again, lands up at shady esoteric publishing company for an intern as a writer. Hodaka meets Suga’s niece Natsumi, the chic dapper editor who’s full of weird tales at work. They associate over their investigation binge relating to the unusual weather-beaten Tokyo , hear about the urban legends who can control the weather.
Hodaka carrying out interview with the people who have strange experiences worth writing about. Then one day in the midst of the crowded streets run across Hina Amano, the novice girl his age with pigtail working as a hostess daunted by the club owner and rescues her. She takes pity on the starving Hodaka and two quickly become friends. To his notice, he discovers her uncanny ability to clear the sky by praying.
Hodaka and Hina partner into the venture of selling the clear sky events. She instantly becomes his sunshine girl and in every given occurrence, the thunderstorm clears away and rays of bright sunlight break through bringing people to joy as their business flourish, which brings enough food for herself and her cute little brother Nagi.
The teenage pre-eminence and the reverie around her are refute of a mystical warning, which Hodaka learns that Hina’s potential are those of the legendry fables and the ritual powers of weather maiden from the ancient times are truly a sacrificial sufferer and intuits seriously to get away from the situation.
Apparent to his fear, the policemen come in search of Hina and her brother Nagi to their quarters, because they are living without a guardian. Policemen reprimand that the social services will be called in to take away Nagi. Hodaka, on the same day is fired from his job, thus decides to run away with his sunshine girl and her brother and land up at a hotel the same night. Hina reveals that her body is slowly being turned into water. She explains that her existence is the cause of the abnormal weather and her disappearance would return it to normal. Hodaka refuses to let this happen and promises to protect her.
The next day, Hina goes missing, and as a consequence the rains stop to the sudden hilt. The policemen take Hodaka and Nagi into custody before they can leave the hotel. Hodaka in his throbbing daredevilry backed by Suga’s assistance to help him escape from the cops. The pulsating motorcycle action sequence through the streets of Tokyo driven by Natsumi captures the gorgeous cinematic experience of a dark frightening chase that outlines the fantasy to the evident realities the world shake the vulenrable people.
Makota’s story interpret to choose between the weather or his love. The metaphor that has far reaching implications for the way humans see the natural world and their role in it are tucked away of disturbance and fluctuation drawn deeper and the shift in thinking has not yet produced a coherent new ways to deal with their defects. However the life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about something that exists well in us of learning, living to dance in the rain.
Ryōsuke Tsuda’s cinematography captivates the cityscape with spotless detail. The love story resonate the backdrop considering how grounded his fable are immersed. The dappled layers of the delusional skies with the contrasting clouds of thunder and ruthless rains hanging with an aura explains the sense of observant and exactitude in the making. The interlaces are crafted in an extremely beautiful and delicate manner packed into every shot that
Weathering With You is a fine film that captures the pulse of any modern city landscapes, especially considering Tokyo in its ever turbulent change and so is the fast moving story charging the screen with a splendid colours. The excellent production design reflects the obsessive care Makota Shinkai along with Hiroshi Takiguchi has always displayed and on many such depiction of liquids and radiance is conspicuous and everlasting verse.
The film imposes a unique experience, a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. A very soul wedded to the earth seeking under the unfavourable conditions.