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Weathering with You (2019) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Weathering with You (2019) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2019 · 112 mins · Japanese
Echo score 78
JustWatch #10,153 8
Directed by
Makoto Shinkai
Starring
Sumi Shimamoto, Chieko Baisho, Kotaro Daigo, Mone Kamishiraishi, Sakura Kiryu, Yuki Kaji
Budget
$11.1M

During his freshman year of high school, Hodaka leaves his hometown and moves to Tokyo, where he struggles to make ends meet. The city is plagued by constant rain, mirroring his own difficult circumstances. He finds work for an occult magazine and unexpectedly meets Hina, a spirited young woman with the extraordinary ability to control the weather and bring sunshine. As they navigate their newfound abilities, they discover a secret that connects them and threatens to upend their world.

On this page (8)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (3)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like Weathering with You
  8. 8 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Weathering with You (2019)

Where can you watch Weathering with You? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on HBO Max, Hoopla and Amazon Video: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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3 main characters · contains spoilers

Weathering with You Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Weathering with You (2019), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Hodaka Morishima

    A resourceful high schooler who runs away from home, Hodaka is courageous yet impulsive. His discovery of Hina’s power and his determination to protect her reveal his caring nature and willingness to confront dangers for love.

    • 🏃‍♂️ Brave
    • 🎒 Young protagonist
    • 💡 Determined
  • Hina Amano

    A kind-hearted girl with the ability to stop rain, Hina is brave and selfless. Her physique gradually turns transparent as she uses her power, symbolizing sacrifice and vulnerability, yet she remains hopeful about her future.

    • 🧚‍♀️ Empathetic
    • 🌦️ Rain-controller
    • 💖 Sacrificial
  • Keisuke Suga

    A pragmatic mentor figure who offers Hodaka guidance and support. Suga’s involvement with supernatural phenomena and his efforts to help Hodaka underscore his role as an experienced and compassionate adult amidst chaos.

    • 🤝 Mentor
    • 📜 Investigator
    • 🌟 Supportive

Last updated: August 19, 2025 at 04:41

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Setting

Where and When Does Weathering with You Take Place?

The setting of Weathering with You (2019): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

June 2021, spring 2024

The events unfold over a period starting in June 2021, during a summer marked by an unusual rainy season, and extend into spring 2024 when the story concludes. The movie captures a contemporary setting with an extraordinary weather phenomenon affecting everyday life, blending present-day Japan with a near-future scenario influenced by climate anomalies.

Location

Tokyo, Yoyogi Kaikan, Kōzu-shima

The movie is set primarily in Tokyo, a bustling metropolis known for its modern skyscrapers and vibrant culture. Key scenes take place at Yoyogi Kaikan, an abandoned building with a shrine, highlighting Tokyo's mix of urban decay and spiritual sites. The story also references Kōzu-shima, an island in Japan, emphasizing the protagonist's rural origin and connection to nature amidst city life.

  • 🏙️ Urban
  • 🏞️ Tokyo landmarks
  • 🏝️ Island setting

Last updated: August 19, 2025 at 04:41

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3 major themes

Weathering with You Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Weathering with You (2019) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Weather Control

    The film explores the theme of weather manipulation through Hina's ability to clear the sky, symbolizing hope and sacrifice. It also reflects on humanity's reliance on and impact on nature, highlighting the power and consequences of controlling natural elements.

  • Love and Sacrifice

    Hina and Hodaka's relationship is central, emphasizing love amid adversity. Their willingness to sacrifice personal happiness for the greater good underscores the film's focus on selflessness and the costs associated with their powers.

  • Urban Isolation

    Set against Tokyo's expansive cityscape, the movie illustrates themes of loneliness and the desire for connection. The characters' navigation through social and legal challenges highlights the tension between individual needs and societal expectations.

Last updated: August 19, 2025 at 04:41

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Character & theme questions

Weathering with You Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Weathering with You (2019): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is Weathering with You set?

The movie is set primarily in Tokyo, a modern metropolitan city known for its skyscrapers and vibrant urban culture. Key scenes take place at Yoyogi Kaikan, an abandoned building with a shrine that reflects Tokyo's mix of urban decay and spiritual sites. The story also references Kōzu-shima, an island in Japan, highlighting the protagonist's rural origins.

  • tokyo setting
  • yoyogi kaikan
  • kōzu-shima
  • location
  • japan
Q2

When does the story take place?

The events begin in June 2021 during an unusually prolonged rainy season and conclude in spring 2024. The film presents a contemporary Japan dealing with climate anomalies, blending present-day reality with a near-future scenario affected by extraordinary weather patterns.

  • 2021
  • 2024
  • time period
  • japan
  • rainy season
Q3

What does the film say about weather control?

The film explores weather manipulation through Hina's ability to clear the sky, which symbolizes hope and the consequences of altering natural forces. Her power reflects humanity's complex relationship with nature, showing both the desire to control the elements and the profound costs that come with such manipulation.

  • weather control
  • hina
  • sky clearing
  • nature
  • sacrifice
Q4

What is the movie's message about love and sacrifice?

The central relationship between Hodaka and Hina emphasizes love amid adversity. Both characters demonstrate willingness to sacrifice personal happiness for the greater good, revealing the film's focus on selflessness and the emotional costs associated with extraordinary powers.

  • love
  • sacrifice
  • hodaka
  • hina
  • relationship
Q5

How does Tokyo's setting reflect the story's themes?

Set against Tokyo's vast cityscape, the movie explores themes of loneliness and the deep desire for human connection. The characters navigate social and legal challenges while living on the margins of society, highlighting the tension between individual needs and societal expectations in a massive urban environment.

  • tokyo
  • urban isolation
  • lost
  • city
  • connection
Q6

Who is Hodaka Morishima?

Hodaka is a resourceful high schooler who runs away from his rural hometown to Tokyo. He is characterized as courageous yet impulsive. His discovery of Hina's weather-controlling ability and his fierce determination to protect her reveal his caring nature and willingness to confront dangers for love.

  • hodaka
  • protagonist
  • high schooler
  • runaway
  • courage
Q7

Who is Hina Amano and what makes her special?

Hina Amano is a kind-hearted girl with the extraordinary ability to stop the rain and bring sunshine. Her physique gradually becomes transparent as she uses her power, symbolizing vulnerability and sacrifice. Despite this, she remains hopeful about her future and demonstrates brave, selfless character throughout the story.

  • hina
  • weather powers
  • transparent
  • sacrifice
  • kindness
Q8

What role does Keisuke Suga play in the story?

Keisuke Suga serves as a pragmatic mentor figure who offers Hodaka guidance and support. Working for an occult magazine, he has experience with supernatural phenomena and helps Hodaka navigate the dangerous situations that arise from Hina's power, acting as a compassionate adult amidst the chaos.

  • keisuke suga
  • mentor
  • support
  • occult magazine
  • guidance
Q9

What does Hina's transparent body represent?

As Hina uses her weather-controlling power, her body gradually becomes transparent, symbolizing the physical cost of her abilities. This visual representation embodies the theme of sacrifice, she gives parts of herself away to bring sunshine to others, making her vulnerability and selflessness tangible.

  • transparent body
  • sacrifice
  • vulnerability
  • disappearance
  • cost
Q10

What is the emotional tone of the movie?

The film maintains a firmly bittersweet tone, balancing youthful optimism and romance against the melancholic backdrop of a flooded city. The emotional weight comes from themes of sacrifice, separation, and societal collapse. The ending exemplifies this, while the lovers reunite, Tokyo remains permanently flooded, showing that their personal happiness came at a significant cost to the world.

  • bittersweet
  • emotional tone
  • sacrifice
  • ending
  • optimism

Movie threads

More Movies Like Weathering with You, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Weathering with You tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Bittersweet urban fantasies like Weathering with You

Where wonder and love come with a heavy, world-altering cost. Explore movies like Weathering with You where magical abilities intertwine with young love in a modern city, but happiness is tempered by a heavy price. If you enjoyed the blend of romance, fantasy, and sacrifice in this anime, this thread features similar bittersweet stories that balance wonder with emotional cost.

  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • hopeful
  • yearning
  • atmospheric
  • dreamlike
  • Tone: bittersweet, melancholic, hopeful
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories typically follow a protagonist who discovers or encounters a magical element or person that brings light into their life. As they embrace this wonder, they uncover a hidden rule or consequence that demands a significant personal or global sacrifice, forcing a choice between individual happiness and a greater good, resulting in a bittersweet resolution.

Why they belong together: They are grouped by their core formula of mixing everyday urban settings with supernatural elements to explore themes of love, sacrifice, and consequence. They share a specific emotional palette that balances hope with melancholy, creating a uniquely resonant and thoughtful experience.

Atmospheric coming-of-age stories like Weathering with You

Young characters find love and purpose as their environment undergoes a dramatic shift. Find movies similar to Weathering with You that feature young characters coming of age in a world undergoing dramatic change. If you liked the rain-drenched Tokyo setting and the theme of youth confronting larger-than-life problems, this thread collects films with strong atmospheres and moving relationship stories.

  • hopeful
  • yearning
  • atmospheric
  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • dreamlike
  • Tone: hopeful, yearning, bittersweet
  • Pacing: steady, atmospheric
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative centers on adolescents or young adults who run away from or feel alienated by their circumstances. They find solace and purpose in a new relationship while grappling with a large-scale environmental or societal issue. Their personal journey of growth is intrinsically linked to understanding and responding to the world's transformation.

Why they belong together: These films share a focus on the emotional perspective of youth facing global-scale problems, using atmosphere and setting to enhance the emotional weight. They combine the intimate scale of a coming-of-age romance with the epic scale of a world in flux.

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Movies Like Weathering with You

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Every angle

Weathering with You (2019) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Weathering with You in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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