Few anime movies have enthralled the world in the same way as Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name (Kimi no Na wa). A huge hit in 2016, it turned into an instant cultural phenomenon and brought together stunning animation and an emotionally powerful tale of love, destiny, and time itself.
Your Name is frequently praised as Shinkai’s masterpiece due to its powerful and heartfelt storyline and beautiful visual storytelling. Despite its overwhelming success, Your Name does have its flaws, especially where character development is concerned. While its emotional impact is undeniable, certain plot points feel underdeveloped or rushed.
In contrast, Weathering With You (Tenki no Ko), Shinkai’s 2019 follow-up, excels in an area where Your Name fell short: character depth and development. While Your Name remains Shinkai’s most beloved work, Weathering With You surpasses it in crafting complex, multi-dimensional characters.
The flaws of Your Name: A story that moves too fast
One of the biggest criticisms of Your Name is its pacing. The film rapidly cuts between crucial scenes, sometimes leaving character motivations underexplored.
Consider, for instance, Taki’s sudden awakening in Mitsuha’s body, which is an intriguing start, but the film rapidly returns to Mitsuha, preventing a deeper exploration of their initial confusion and adaptation to the body-swapping phenomenon.
Similarly, during the pivotal Kataware-doki sequence, Taki, who is trapped in Mitsuha’s body, puts all his faith in the supernatural forces to reunite with Mitsuha. He leaves Tessie and Sayaka behind, trusting them to carry out the evacuation plan by themselves.
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by from discussion
inKimiNoNaWa
While the scene is emotionally powerful, it sacrifices character development for dramatic effect. Taki’s strong belief in Kataware-doki feels more like a plot device than an actual moment of his growth. Another thing fans always mention is how Taki chooses to write ‘I love you’ rather than his name during that climactic scene.
I mean, if he knew they would forget each other, it would have been logical to write his name, no? But to be honest, this was absolutely crucial to the feels of this movie, with emotion taking over logic.
Weathering With You: A more refined approach to character development
In contrast to Your Name, Weathering With You is more grounded and character-oriented. Hodaka and Hina, the protagonists, receive a lot more development as individuals before their romance truly takes off. Hodaka’s struggles as a runaway and Hina’s responsibilities as a young girl raising her younger brother showcase their personalities beyond their relationship.
So, while Your Name is all about the body swap mystery and that looming disaster, Weathering With You prioritizes personal stakes. Hodaka and Hina’s motivations, fears, and sacrifices are explored in greater detail, making their choices feel more impactful.
Hina as the ‘sunshine girl’ has some real consequences, and her struggle with her powers is so much more developed than Mitsuha’s family struggle in Your Name. Another aspect in which Weathering With You surpasses Your Name is its cast of supporting characters.
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by from discussion
inKimiNoNaWa
Tessie and Sayaka in Your Name are likable but underdeveloped, used mainly as narrative tools to aid Mitsuha and Taki. In contrast, Weathering With You has a more fleshed-out ensemble. Keisuke Suga, the struggling journalist who takes Hodaka under his wing, and Natsumi, his secretary, bring depth to the story through their own character arcs.
Even Hina’s little brother, Nagi, is a memorable character and plays a large role in the story. These supporting characters are not just plot devices but are complete characters with conflict and resolution of their own.
Keisuke’s subplot of losing custody of his daughter makes everything more emotionally impactful, making his interactions with Hodaka more meaningful. This kind of character writing makes the film more realistic and emotionally rich.
In the end, the debate between the two films comes down to what you want out of a story as a viewer. If emotional impact and spectacle are important to you, Your Name remains unmatched. But if more nuanced character studies are what you’re after, Weathering With You stands as a testament to Shinkai’s evolution as a filmmaker. Either way, both films solidify his place as one of the most influential anime directors of our time.
Your Name and Weathering With You are currently available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
