So I recently rewatched ‘Weathering With You’ which is so far the only Makoto Shinkai movie I’ve watched that I felt was completely deserving of the praise and attention it received. For anyone reading this who hasn’t yet watched it for some reason, it’s not the most complicated story out there. Hodaka, our protagonist, moves to Tokyo at the start of the story, and encounters Mahou Shoujo Hina who has the power to manipulate the weather and bring the sun’s warmth back to the unusually rainy city. The two work together to monetise her ability because we live in a capitalist hellscape, and over time they develop a close bond with each other, which complicates a difficult decision they both are confronted with in the last part of the movie.
What makes the story special to me is that the protagonist is shown to be fairly selfish, and that selfishness is not framed as some great flaw to be overcome or as an inherently negative thing. In the midst of magic and hidden worlds, the movie keeps our protagonist focused squarely on the life and people in front of him rather than any duty to this world’s unseen gods. The message it ultimately gets across is that the world’s existed just fine without us and it will continue to long after everyone is dead, so there’s no shame in living for yourself and the moment you find yourself in. It’s a breath of fresh air in a sea of stories where people are expected to sacrifice themselves for the sake of something greater, some grand goal or dream. And beyond just being refreshing, I believe it’s an important message for people to contemplate. Obviously I’m not trying to suggest that you completely abandon friendship, compassion, love or community – the movie itself doesn’t advocate for that. Instead, it’s as simple as living your life for yourself, and not for the sake of fulfilling other people’s expectations. It doesn’t have to involve breaking an ancient oath between the gods and humanity like Hina and Hodaka ended up doing, it can start off with something as basic as how you choose to dress, and scale up to the career you choose. Anything you find fulfilment in has a value unto itself.
I suppose the one-liner I want to cut this post off with is “it’s not a sin to be powerless.” Being upset about or fixating on things beyond your control will inevitably burn you out. I know from my own experience that it’s not as easy as just Getting Over It, but I figure just having someone present that idea may offer a measure of affirmation, and spotlighting a movie that presents that idea is even better. That said, I’ll probably need to do this story justice and give it a full review at a later point. For any Shinkai skeptics like myself who haven’t yet seen it, maybe give it a try, and definitely give Yourself a try as we march further on into 2022.
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