‘Weathering with You’ Blu-ray Review: Visually Impressive and a Powerful Metaphor
I am not really into anime or Japanese animation. It’s not something that really ever got my attention or spoke to me. I know that it is immensely popular, and it’s really just a matter of opinion. So when I received a copy of Weathering with You from Shout! Factory, I was not sure what I was going to think about it. It turns out I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a very entertaining watch.
Weathering with You is the story of a young man (teen) who runs away from his home in the countryside to live in the big city of Tokyo. During this time, the weather is doing a lot of crazy things. A huge rainstorm hits his ferry, and he almost dies. He meets a few interesting characters along the way and makes a couple of connections. The bizarre weather continues (and has been happening for the longest time in Japan’s history). He takes a job investigating the legends surrounding the weather and its cause, and then one day, he meets a girl who is a real-life “sunshine girl.” She can actually control the weather. For a while, they work together running a business to control the weather. For example, if you want no rain on your wedding day, she can make sure it doesn’t happen. However, we soon learn that she is responsible for all of the bizarre weather that has been happening all over Japan, and she must sacrifice herself to bring the weather back to normal. I don’t want to give away too much, but it does go in a direction I didn’t entirely see coming.
Weathering with You is a very lovely story. At its core, it is a love story, but it does have other levels. While the weather is a great metaphor for love and romance and works well, it also (in my opinion) serves as a metaphor for climate change. I do believe that is the underlying theme. Does one sacrifice themselves (metaphorically) in order to restore the natural weather, or does one continue living for themselves regardless of what happens? It is not super “in-your-face” in this message, but it is there nonetheless.
Weathering with You is visually impressive, and even if you are not into the story, the visuals alone make it worth the watch. It’s like a moving piece of art. The world created around the central characters, especially in Tokyo, is amazing. Every detail from the ground to the sky gets your attention.
As far as the quality was concerned, I found no issues with sound, and the video quality, as I say, was amazing. It’s definitely worth a watch even if it’s not the kind of movie you’re usually into.
Weathering with You is available on September 15th from Shout! Factory!
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