Tenki no Ko: Weathering With You is the New Hit From Director of ‘Your Name’

Debuting in 2016, Kimi no Na Wa (given the English title, Your Name) not only became the film of dreams for teens in Japan, it proved to be a hit with audiences worldwide.

Your Name explores themes of young love against all odds.  When the two main characters, and , get caught up in some strange magic and find themselves switching bodies on the regular, this passage into one anothers’ lives becomes a passage into the heart, though the two are separated by time and space, and an impending natural disaster that might separate them for good.

The purity of the characters, the compelling story line and nods to nostalgic cultural practices of the countryside in Japan, made the film a huge hit. (Not to mention, the soundtrack for the film was composed and recorded by the hit J-Pop band, the Radwimps!) Some people predict the following of the film for today’s youth will place it in pop culture history the same way that Ghibli films have been.

Now, exploring a new theme relevant to the ever visible effects of climate change that appeared in 2019, is a film by same director, Makoto Shinkai. Tenki no Ko, meaning literally ‘weather child.’ The English title was donned the cute, Weathering With You.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6iK6DjV_iE

Shinkai Hits Us Again With Seemingly Impossible Love

Your Name, Mitsuha and Taki

Weathering With You, Hina and Hodaka

This film follows the lives of another young couple, Hodaka and Hina. Set against a near apocalyptic world where flood level-rain is a daily occurence. Hodaka meets Hina after running away to Tokyo from his home on a small outer island. Hodaka find work in Tokyo, and after stopping into a fastfood restaurant one day, he finds someone who piques his interest.

The heroine who appears behind the register is called Hina. After meeting and spending time with Hina, Hodaka soon learns she is a ‘weather child’ or ‘weather maiden’ who can summon blue skies and sunshine by simply wishing for them. The two begin a business to sell Hina’s talents. Hina uses her prayers to clear the skies for special events like weddings, and soon the two find their business to be booming. 

With the money they earn, they indulge in the simple things (and the occasional luxury): a nice place to stay, snacks they couldn’t afford. but they find the rainy skies will not back down without a fight. It seems the more Hina uses her gift, the more violently the weather retaliates. But Hina has a secret that might put her well being and the safety of those around her at risk. When all seems about to fall apart, will the affection found in Hodaka and Hina’s relationship be washed away with the rains? We won’t give out any spoilers here, so you’ll just have to watch to find out.

Growing Up in a World of Climate Change

It’s notable how Weathering With You, set in the near future, seems to capture some of the greatest anxieties of our time. Is it possible to watch a film of a world of extreme weather and not think of warming oceans, rising sea levels, and natural disasters like hurricanes, tsunamis, and wildfire? These things seems to appear in our news more and more each day. This has particular caught the attention of some top movie reviewers outside of Japan. While some reviews  might focus on the sweetness of the story (even suggesting it’s a bit too much) Mark Lieberman of the Washington Post suggests the film is a sign of the times. 

And yes, modern times do beg this question. If we are standing face to the face with a possible catastrophe due to climate change, what do we make of our relationships, of love, and of the small pleasures characters Hodaka and Hina fine amidst the gloom of their everyday? In a few years, perhaps we’ll see where the film stands in history, as an eery omen of true things to pass, or a sci-fi teen romance.

Weathering With You Too (Get Your Goods!)

For fans of Your Name who are trying to get ahold of the new film, we know of a great place where you can get special edition items of Weathering With You (Tenki no Ko). You can get ahold of all things Weathering With You by jumping into CDJapan’s comprehensive catalogue.

Looking for the Blu-ray? A full color 2020 calendar? A Tenki no Ko music box? Yes, better believe it, they have it all.

You can also take a look here at the CDJapan Team unboxing the Limited Made to Order Chara Fine Graph Illustration of this iconic image from the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGTjUGyp73I

For printing geeks, the high quality of the color and overall image will blow your mind.

And finally, look no further for those in need of a reliable proxy service. Buy exclusive items online at any of the listed vendors, and CDJapan will make sure your item gets to you safe and sound.

So how about it? Get all your Weathering With You (Tenki no Ko) items delivered right to your door with CDJapan. And no worries, they’ll leave the torrential rain out of your order.

Have you seen Weathering You (Tenki no Ko) ? Let us know what you thought, comment below!