I finally watched Weathering with You, after a series of incidents prevented me from watching on the day it’s released here. After watching it, I decided to write a simple review of the film. There are unmarked spoilers, so reader discretion is advised.

This film is written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, who is best known for the 2016 film “Your Name”. It tells the story of Hodaka Morishima, a teenager who has run away to Tokyo, which is experiencing rain every day, and meets Hina Amano, a girl who apparently can control the weather.

“Your Name” has set expectations for “Weathering with You” high, and after watching “Weathering with You”, I feel that it’s a bit different, but nonetheless the film is satisfying to watch.

Story: 8/10

The story of “Weathering of You” is simpler compared to “Your Name”, although it still retains Makoto Shinkai’s supernatural touch. Like “Your Name”, the premise of the film is rooted in legend, this time of a girl who can control the weather, and of a world above the sky. However, the main story is Hodaka trying to get Hina, basically. The story isn’t bad, it still has the defining elements that make it a Makoto Shinkai film, but of the variety that requires less thinking. While “Your Name” makes me watch while thinking, the simpler story of “Weathering with You” means that I can focus less on theorizing, and more on enjoying the visuals, which I will discuss later.

Visual: 9/10

CoMix Wave Films managed to bring out a comparable level of visual to “Your Name”. The landscape of a Tokyo that is raining everyday, the clouds, the upper world full of water creatures, and the “rotating camera” animation, they’re sure are really things worth to see. Especially of note is the animation of the “other world”. The sky is beautiful, the land is beautiful, the creatures are fluid. The “falling down” scene near the end also still amazes me until now.

Sound: 9/10

The voice acting of the two main characters are immersive, and enchances the story too.

As for the soundtrack, RADWIMPS, acclaimed in “Your Name”, delivers equally memorable soundtracks. Especially of acclaim for me is three of the vocal tracks, “Grand Escape”, “We’ll be Alright”, and “Is There Still Anything That Love Can Do?”. I linked the third track below:

Conclusion: 8.7/10

I would actually recommend this film first if anyone asks about my preferences of Makoto Shinkai films, because of the simpler story. After that, I can get them ready to watch the mind-boggling plot-twisting story that is “Your Name”. The visuals of “Weathering with You” are enough to make people amazed.