Weathering with You

During his first year of high school, Hodaka leaves his remote island home and heads to Tokyo, where weather mirrors his sense of isolation. Struggling with money and companionship, he takes freelance work for a mysterious occult magazine temporarily. On a crowded street, he meets Hina Amano, a fearless girl who commands attention and possesses an uncanny ability: she can halt the rain and bring sunshine. As their unlikely partnership grows, Hodaka and Hina discover that changing the weather has real consequences for the city and for their own futures. The film follows their choices as they chase connection in a city saturated with rain, neon, and hidden pressures, balancing hope with the costs of their fragile power and quiet hope.

Directed by Makoto Shinkai and produced by CoMix Wave Films, Weathering with You arrived in 2019 as a major anime feature. It is an original screenplay, not adapted from a preexisting novel or manga, and showcases Shinkai's distinctive visual approach.

The film earned approximately 192.7 million dollars worldwide on a production budget of roughly 11.1 million, marking a strong financial showing for an anime release and helping cement Makoto Shinkai's reputation for large scale successes on the global festival circuit.

Culturally the film reinforced the appeal of Tokyo as a dreamlike stage where everyday life intersects with supernatural possibilities. Its imagery of rain and sun became instantly recognizable, and the effort of two young leads left a lasting impression on anime romantics and city-dwellers alike, inspiring fan art and conversations.

Critics praised the film for its stunning animation, emotional honesty, and balance of romance with a larger sense of responsibility. Themes of connection, sacrifice, and the costs of altering nature run beneath the bright city lights, giving the story a thoughtful, grounded resonance that resonated with audiences worldwide and beyond.