I’m sure most of us have sang the little “Rain Rain Go Away” ditty at least one in our lives. While water is necessary to our overall ecosystem, precipitation can ruin our own personal plans…or at least put us in a bad mood. But would you pay to get clear skies temporarily?
Well, if the weather was anything like the Kanto region’s in Weathering With You, you might be willing to pay up. But while customers are paying Hina — aka the Sunshine Girl — for a sunny day, it might be Hina herself that ends up paying the most.
Like Makoto Shinkai’s your name. novel, the Weathering With You novel was written as the movie version was being developed. According to the afterword, this version includes several scenes the movie version lacks. That may be enough for some Shinkai fans to pick this up, but if it’s not, then the detailed and metaphorical descriptions will likely be. Quite simply, this is a well-written book.
Hodaka flees his island on a ferry to live in Tokyo, which is being continuously pounded by heavy rainfall. While he nearly falls off the ship on the way because of a storm, the high schooler’s days in the capital aren’t any steadier.
Eventually, though, his luck starts to turn. A kind McDonald’s worker gives him a meal when Hodaka is struggling, and the man who saved him on the ferry gives him a place to stay in exchange for work. Suga and his assistant, Natsumi, work on tabloid-style articles about urban legends. One of the pieces they work on is about a sunshine girl, someone who can bring clear skies. Hodaka realizes that the fast food employee from before, Hina, is one of those individuals.
Weathering With You has some aspects in common with your name., like the longing of a teen in the country for the big city and combining Japanese spiritualism with real-world fantasy. There are even a couple of shout-outs to it. However, according to Shinkai, Weathering With You was created to partially counter his previous work. I’m not going to turn this into a your name. versus Weathering With You comparison, but where Weathering With You stumbles the most is in its climax. Hina’s destiny is predictable, and the resolution feels rushed compared to the lackadaisical and relatively long epilogue. Some of this is probably on purpose to be oppositional to your name., but even without analyzing the two movies/novels, it just doesn’t have a big wow or uniqueness factor.
The setup is a bit long before Hodaka (and readers) are formally introduced to Hina, but once the novel hits the middle stretch, readers are cozy with this little corner of rainy Tokyo. Hodaka not only has trouble finding a job, but he gets a bit of culture shock. Suga and Natsumi, like Hodaka, have their own family issues despite often acting like drunkards instead of professionals. While most of the novel is written from Hodaka’s point-of-view, the narration touches base with the others on occasion, and their feelings are beautifully described.
Hina, who could have easily been painted as just as a divine figure, is first shown as a fast food worker — a respectable job but not something you usually imagine someone with special powers doing. So this gives it more significance when Hina starts using her powers more. The way that this is presented, as testimonials, is delightful. I’m guessing it’s a montage in the movie, but the reflections are so full of personality that they’re better than seeing Hina in the moment or via flashbacks. Which is saying something because the fantasy elements are short but full of wonder. It’s not just that Hina summons the sun, but I’ll let you experience the magic and mystery for yourself.
So even though Weathering With You may not be as intriguing as your name., it will still add a little sunshine to your day.