Watch it for the animation. But if you've ever seen a Shinkai film before, you knew that.

I'm guilty of allowing major holes in my familiarity with Makoto Shinkai's films. I've seen _She and Her Cat_, _Your Name._, _The Garden of Words_, and _5 Centimeters Per Second_—which leaves the majority of his work unseen. However, those cover enough of a time range that I can see Shinkai both has and hasn't always made movies like this. (I know: "What does _that_ mean?!" Keep reading.)

By that, I mean that he's basically always had a certain focus on three things: Stunning visuals, beautiful music, and teenage romance. If I was allowed one _and only one_ critique of _Weathering With You_, it would be ~~the awful English title translation~~ that the film feels a little too much like _Your Name._ On the most basic, structural level, it goes through a _very_ similar "false resolution" before getting into the true conflict. Both stories ultimately hinge on old legends made manifest, though in different ways. And if we get into the details a bit more, things like Taki and Hodaka both chasing after their respective love interests through physically demanding journeys across the landscape stand out.

Actually, I have to modify some of that. _Weathering With You_ is not "too much like _Your Name._" as much as it is "not enough like _Your Name._ where it counts". The writing in this latest release feels insufficiently edited. It doesn't flow quite as well.

None of this is to say that the movie isn't worth seeing! It _very much_ is. Just do your best not to get lost, and pay attention, because lots of things are only ever mentioned (or shown) once and you'll miss them if you so much as blink at the wrong time.