Weathering with You

Makoto Shinkai chose a supernatural frame this time rather than the science fiction of Your Name, prompted by how much heavier Japan’s summer rain had become. The rain is built from computer generated and hand drawn layers, with Hiroshi Takiguchi as art director; RADWIMPS scored it again. Taki and Mitsuha from Your Name each appear briefly; Shinkai wanted to see them once more before they met. The second half is closer to a manhunt than a romance. Hodaka is a 16 year old runaway, he fires a pistol he has found, and the police come after him. Hina’s power is paid for by the city rather than the couple, and the ending refuses to treat a drowned Tokyo as a mistake. In Japan it took over 14 billion yen and sold more than 10 million tickets in 75 days. It won animation of the year from the Japan Academy and best animated feature at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Japan entered it for the international feature Oscar, but it missed the Academy’s 10 film shortlist. A good fit if you want the fantasy element billed to a city and left uncompensated at the close. Not for viewers who cannot square Hodaka’s gun and fugitive status with Shinkai romance, or who need a clear moral verdict.