“Who cares if we don’t see the sunshine ever again? I want you more than any blue sky.” – Hodaka

And such is the premise of Makoto Shinkai’s latest entry, Weathering With You. One brimming with moments of disaster, evenly met with that of love and tranquility. A sense of balance is what this masterful piece of art instills in the hearts of those which it graces. And by the way, I’m definitely using that line.

By now, it comes as no surprise that Anime has become a part of the Japanese Culture. It is the medium through which I, same as many others, got acquainted with Japan and its history. And with releases like Your Name and Weathering With You, this bond grows ever deeper.

This yet another masterful tale of Teenage Love by Makoto Shinkai, aka Miyazaki in the making, is one that takes from the Japanese culture, and through his adroit storytelling, transforms into something more….something fulfilling….something magical.

Morishima Hodaka, a young, lost boy, to find his purpose, sets out on a journey whose end, and as a matter of fact its beginning, is unclear to him. And like most runaways, he too finds himself stranded, clawing to escape from the pit of loneliness and make a stand for himself. But as fate so deemed, this perilous journey had brought him to the one he was destined for.

Hina Amano, the other side of this tale, is a young woman living in a not so different situation. Orphaned at a young age, she finds herself struggling to provide a decent lifestyle for her kid brother, Nagi, taking odd jobs to do so. But, she has a secret. A secret she has kept locked within since the day of her mothers passing. Hina possesses a power that allows her to influence the weather, bending it to her emotions. And so it began.

One moment, one fated encounter is all it took for a chain of events to commence that would ultimately lead to the partial sinking of Japan (the things we do for love, eh). Weathering With You is a tale of loss, love, hope and redemption. It is a tale of two incomplete soul, of whom the strings of fate intertwine and complete one another.

It is amazing how soon it evolves from a simple Love Story into a Thriller, always keeping one guessing. And accompanying all that chaos is one of the most masterfully done animations. From entire frames filled with clouds and structures to the tiny rain droplets, CoMix Waves Films has done a most wondrous work in honing the most minor of details. A most splendid work indeed.

Lastly, I feel compelled to urge each and every one of you to watch this movie, if you haven’t already. And praise be where it’s due, Makoto Shinkai is a true genius when it comes to making teenage love stories. Your Name being the peak example. And with the next Makoto Shinkai Movie in works, I can only imagine what he has in stored.