Weathering With You: A hidden theme other than “weather”. [Discussion]

[The gloomy sky of Tokyo depicted in the movie seems to represent not only climate change but also a world of confusion.]

The theme of Weathering With You is not just about climate change.

There are other important themes.

『トランプはAI』
"Trump is AI".

There is one thing I would like to add before we start. The main purpose of this article is not to critque President Trump.

President Trump is a patriot and is elected as dictated by the democratic system.

But to tell you the hidden theme of Weathering With You, I have to mention President Trump.

Weathering With You is the prayer of Director Shinkai to people all over the world.
I want the world to know this hidden theme.

If you look at this interview with Director Shinkai, you may find that it is rather serious.

Quote source
https://www.jiji.com/sp/article?k=2019080800951&g=soc

From the above article

He（Director Shinkai）said that he was worried that "populistic leaders were born in each country, and we could see a slightly different picture of the future than we reasoned for."

“I felt that harmony, including climate change, was unlikely to be easily regained." The gloomy sky of Tokyo depicted in the movie seems to represent not only climate change but also a world of confusion.

“I felt that harmony, including climate change, was unlikely to be easily regained." The gloomy sky of Tokyo depicted in the movie seems to represent not only climate change but also a world of confusion.
(Excerpt from the above article)
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The keywords are the following:

[populistic leader] in the above article.

[the sky of Tokyo seems to represent not only climate change but also a world of confusion] in the above article.

And I will tell you what this is later ...
[Trump is AI] and [The Catcher in the Rye]

Weathering With You was our story of fear, and most of all, hope.

Some of you may say that is delusional.

However, if you read the entire article you will understand what I said.

Please read it all.

I've often lost my mind trying to spell short and easy-to-understand sentences.

But I've stopped.

I was very particular about the word choice in this article. As the message could easily be misunderstood.

In fact, I did not intend to talk about this.

This article was a article prior to the release of Weathering With You.

I wrote this prediction article in a really casual way.

'This can't be right, it couldn't mean that.' was what I felt.

If you've already seen the movie, don't blame me that it is different. Please read through this in its entirety

Please read till the end!


Although this is a long article, please, please.

The following is an article I wrote with a light feeling for Weathering With You before it was published.


Finally, I wrote about the result. Although it is a long sentence, please let me give you the last word.


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Everyone, it's almost time for the release of Weathering With You.


It will be released this month, on July 19th (Fri)! Just two more weeks!

I can't wait!



I think everyone has many questions!
Is it more interesting than Your Name.?

Why are they shooting guns in the trailer?

Are Hodaka and Hina going to be a couple?


The director and Yojiro talked about the pros and cons, but...

And …,

What's this time’s "Magnificent Distance between Attracted Men and Women" of Makoto Shinkai's "Feature"?




The voices of a distant star→ Distance in light years.



Garden of words → stand distance



Your Name. → Time is off by three years ………

How far is the distance between Hodaka and Hina this time?



If I start to worry about it, I can not stop worrying.

I’m so worried ...

I guess you have many questions, things to worry about, but I am particularly interested in the theme of Weathering With You.

Of course the weather is an important theme.

However I have noticed some strange points the writing in.

To explain some strange points ...

What was the director thinking when creating his work?


I would like to create a timeline of interview articles and videos after the immediate release of the movie.


First, when was the movie poster of Weathering With You made? Let's start here.

This is a story about the secrets of the world that only I and her know.

Director Makoto Shinkai’s latest work.

Weathering With You

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Urgently decided LINE LIVE! ‘Your Name.’ special number



You can see it on Niconico! Infact in this video the director touches on this key visual.

Part 1 https://sp.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm29644878


Part 2 https://sp.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm29644917



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It seems he got the image on September 10th 2016, which was soon after the release of 'Your Name'.

'Your name' was released on August 26th so it was 15 days after the release!


In this program, they used the message function of LINE LIVE to ask questions to Makoto Shinkai. There was a question, “What's next?”

Chiaki Matsuzawa, the moderator
“There’s a comment ‘what's your next work?’ already ... “


Director Shinkai
"I haven't thought of the next film yet, but yeah ... well, it's almost the end of summer now.

The cumulonimbus at the end of summer is neatly over the sky, the tropopause ... the cumulonimbus is growing, it's always growing, and it's flattening straight where it hits the troposphere. A very high cumulonimbus ...

The flattened part looks like a vast dozen kilometers of grassland, above the tropopause of the clouds ...


A few days ago, I felt like somethings happens there and I wanted to see such image ...

But I don't know if it will be the next one.”

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Even though he said he didn't know if it'd be the next work, it fortunately did end up being the next work.

The director caught a cold at this time and looked very ill.

Good job, Director!




Next, I will introduce ...

The next interview was on September 20th 2016, by Ayaka Ogawa at News Station.
　

You can see it on Youtube!

The video will start when you click on it below.

He didn't directly bring up the new work, but he did say it like this.

(start from the above video, 03:44)

Director Makoto Shinkai x Ayaka Ogawa
Great Hit “Your Name.”
Director talks: "Hope in despair"

Announcer Ayaka Ogawa
"Do you watch the news usually?"


Director Shinkai
"The thing I care about in a news program is that I want to feel the whole big air change through the press.”

"Because the difference between what the audience wants, and what I can do as the director is very large."

The director may want to make a work that reflects the atmosphere of the present age, and also to present it to the audience.



That's why he wants to feel the atmosphere of the world from the news ………….


By the way, a typhoon was coming to the Islands of Japan on this day. In this interview, the director mentioned that too.


As for Weathering With You, “weather” is an important theme, as expected …


... But is that really all there is?"



I feel like that's not what the movie is all about.



The next time the Director touched on the new work, as far as I am aware, was during this program. According to the Director's Twitter it was on March 7th.

March 11, 2017

[TBS special program "3.11 Truth in the 7th Year"]

The interview video has been uploaded to YouTube


To start the video, click the image of Announcer Zenba below.

From 16:49 he mentions Weathering With You.

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Advertising Video

3.11 Truth in the 7th Year

To be broadcasted 14:00 March, 11(Sat)

Highlight

Director Makoto Shinkai will reveal the truth of the blockbuster movie, "Your Name." for the first time!


◆ Director Makoto Shinkai, who has the blockbuster movie, “Your Name.” which became a social phenomenon, walked on the disaster area four months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and drew “one picture.” Six years have passed and earlier this month he visited the same place again.

What is “the fact that he could not talk to anybody until then,” which Director Shinkai told a caster Zenba?

The truth of "Your Name." is revealed for the first time.

In this program, the announcer Zenba asked him a question, “Finally, what is the next work?”


【Announcer Zenba】
“This is the last question. I think that you have often picked up the atmosphere of that era, what everyone in that era thought and made it into a work. What kind of work would you create next? ”



【Director Shinkai】
“I haven't found anything that I can really talk about yet, but ... us, adults, think that we were not like this or maybe the world is just getting worse, I guess.

……… But, on the other hand, I wonder if I could create a story about young children who can jump out of our gloom and far beyond our imagination. The next step might be to do that, maybe.”

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By the way, this was on a magazine called "Nikkei Entertainment" released on July 4th this year.its been around for a while

On page 14 of this magazine, there is a statement that says “the plot was completed in late February 2017.”

And, also that "The first plot has just been written as it is."

The recording of the talk program between the announcer Zenba and Director Shinkai, which was introduced earlier, was on March 7th, 2017.


By the time this talk took place, the outline of the story had already been set in stone.

If so, wouldn't the words of Director Shinkai in this interview be directly reflected in the story of Weathering With You?


I will present an analysis based on this assumption.


Director Shinkai says in this program like this;
"us, adults, think that we were not like this or maybe the world is just getting worse, I guess."


What does this mean?

First, let’s start with the part,
"Think that we were not like this"

I won't go into details because it deviates from the main subject, but I guess it's poverty or disparity.


↓ This is an article recently uploaded on June 17th.

Genki Kawamura revealed in France the secret story of the production of the “Weathering With You”

June 17, 2019 12:30

After that, it was about the production of " Weathering With You". Here, the work is explained from three parts, "theme", "character", and "background". According to Kawamura, there are three themes for "Weathering With You". One of them is "weather" in the title. “Weather” is relevant to everyone in the world and is something that everyone always cares about. This will create a universal story.

The second is “in the clouds”. The cloud drawn in the first key view holds the key to the story. The third is “Survival of boys and girls in Tokyo”. Contemporary themes such as urban poverty are likely to be involved in the work.

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”Contemporary themes such as urban poverty are likely to be involved in the work.”



Well, let's get back to the story.

Then what do the words “maybe the world was getting worse”? mean?


In fact, two years ago, when I watched the talk between the announcer Zenba and Director Shinkai, I felt that the international situation was worsening from the expression "the world is getting worse."


At that time, the global news was Trump's victory in the US presidential election and his inauguration rather than climate change. (The victory in the presidential election was on November 8, the previous year, and the Inauguration took place on January 20, Inauguration about a month before the recording of the program by Director Shinkai and the announcer Zenba.)

I felt incredibly depressing as Trump won the US presidential election and was officially appointed as President.


And, to be honest, I couldn't imagine climate change or global warming from the expression "the world is getting worse."


In the previous year, the heavy rain disaster was in rural areas, but it was not very familiar to me, living in Tokyo.


The climate of Tokyo in March 2017, when this talk was held, was not so different.

There is actually another reason I came to think of the worsening international situation in the words of the director.

It might be because I checked Shinkai's Tweet ...



Director Shinkai's Tweet on November 9, 2016 (resulting from the US presidential election)
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Shinkai Makoto @shinkai ... November 09, 2016

I'm going to Hong Kong today. "Your Name." promotion. I’ll board after drinking beer. See you.

Shinkai Makoto @shinkai ... November 09, 2016

Hong Kong now. I heard the results of the presidential election in an in-flight announcement. Seriously?

He said, “Seriously?”


It seems like Director Shinkai heard the news of Trump’s winning on the way to Hongkong to promote “Your Name.”

I was very surprised at the time, too.

Trump's rant at the presidential election was terrible.



And, in the trailer of Weathering With You......

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『トランプはAI』
"Trump is AI".

… But, if it was all this, then it’s like, what’s the matter?


It can be said it was just a coincidence.

Or, even if it's purposefully done by Shinkai, it will be a leap in logic to say that it is related to the theme, the main theme of a new movie.

…, but I feel like I'm stuck.


Now, a little different story. After the release of Your Name., there was one more thing that made me feel depressed in international affairs.

September 2016 North Korea nuclear test

February 2017 Missile launch test in North Korea


In fact, there is an interview with Director Shinkai that mentions the missile launching test, which is actually just a word, though.




Interview on October 21, 2017

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Movie news

Director Makoto Shinkai looks back on the journey so far--the compelling thoughts in his everyday depictions

October 21, 2017 09:00

Commentary with feelings at the time



[Movie.com News] The first TV broadcast of the hit animation movie “Your Name”, which domestic box office revenue has exceeded 25 billion yen, will be broadcast (on WOWOW from 8:00 pm on November 4). WOWOW will broadcast a special program from October 21st, as well as the past four works directed by Makoto Shinkai. Furthermore, from November 11th, " Makoto Shinkai Exhibition" will be held at the National Art Center, Roppongi, Tokyo. Before the broadcast and the exhibition, Director Shinkai talked about his style.


A major feature of Shinkai's work is the realistic and detailed images of everyday scenes that people usually see. He efficiently uses natural motifs such as the sun, moon, and stars, wind, clouds, water, and rain, and uses artificial objects such as trains, buildings, and convenience stores to enrich the scenery that everyone has seen. He has sublimated those into a unique scene and has captured the hearts of many people. Why did Director Shinkai want to describe every day?



“From the very beginning, I wanted to make my own work digitally because I was a salaried worker,” said Shinkai, who said, “After getting on a crowded train, doing the work until the last train, coming back in the middle of the night, going to a convenience store, buying a lunch, eating, eating up in the morning and continuing the life for years and years, I repeated the same thing all the time and wore away. Then I felt like I was missing something important. So I wanted to make a movie that takes place in the living space that I send every day,” he revealed his seriousness.




What emerges from the words of Director Shinkai is the real anguish of people living today, which has been described in previous works, as well as a feeling of blockage and loneliness. “Specifically, trains and ticket gates come out, convenience stores, vending machines, bicycle storage places, etc. I wanted to affirm this world, I remember feeling like that and started to make them into a movie.” The extreme personal thought aroused a lot of sympathy through the work, and Director Shinkai quickly climbed up to become Japan's leading filmmaker.




Director Shinkai self-analyzes the keyword "everyday" using his initial masterpiece "5 Centimeters Per Second" as an example. "When I made "5 Centimeters Per Second", I thought everyone had the feeling that Tokyo's everyday life would continue as it is. It was just before the earthquake (the Great East Japan Earthquake), terrorism was not as large as it is now, and economically Japan may taper off, but I felt that the same everyday life would continue as it was, and it would be a very detailed work of everyday life in such an era. I wonder if a movie that brings out meaning from a good place is a good thing, such as a train crossing a train that blocks between two people and there is no girlfriend after the train passes, so it can happen in everyday life I thought we needed a story that would bring out the meaning of living from something small. "



His style that accurately captured the scent of the times changed from "catch up" to "pull up". ""Garden of Words" and " Your Name." are post-earthquake movies. We can’t think that Tokyo's everyday life is going to continue as it is now any more. In a time when I don't know when missiles will come down, when you do not know when earthquakes and typhoons will come, as a movie that customers will watch, you strongly grasp what you could not get by yourself. Or maybe you want to fulfill what you've always wanted, or accomplish something big on your own, and the current audience wants to see a story that catches on something big, and I myself wanted to make something like that."



The culmination is "Your Name." Director Shinkai said, "I made "Your Name." because I wanted to make a movie that would allow the audience to leave the theater with a very happy feeling from the beginning , because of the unstable times after the earthquake. It's a movie that moves a lot of emotions including emotions and sadness, sadness and loneliness while I'm doing it, but when you finally left the theater, I want you truly think it was good.'' He put his strength in.




I can tell that Director Shinkai feels that the audience and himself are on the same line instead of being separated. That's why drawing everyday life is inevitable. Director Shinkai said, “I have a change in my mind, but it seems that myself is being changed by the change of the audience watching the movie, the change of the atmosphere of society, the change of what everyone thinks. That kind of feeling may be stronger,” he concluded.

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It's just a sentence, but he said, "I don't know when a missile will come down."

By the way, do you have any concerns with these interview articles?



Such as earthquakes, typhoons and rain do not stop, I did not feel uncomfortable with these words.



The earthquake is a word that links to the Great East Japan Earthquake of 3.11, and Your Name.

Don't you feel it’s strange?

Typhoon and rain are words that match with Weathering With You.

But,

"In international affairs, terrorism has never been as large as now."



"I don't know when a missile will come down"

Don't these phrases just seem unfitting?

As a matter of fact, this is what he said in that interview one month ago.


Interview on September 7, 2017

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‘Your Name.’" held at the National Art Center, Roppongi, Tokyo on Thursday, September 7. According to the interview after the meeting, he talked about the next work, following "Your Name.", saying “it is currently under construction."


――Please tell us about the current situation of your next work.

"Thanks to you, ‘Your Name.’ is a long run and the promotion settled down in February this year. After that, I’m currently setting up a script and art setting”

――What kind of theme will it be?

"I've been thinking about what kind of movie to make in the current era for the past six months. Every day I'm very worried. Of course, that's exactly the theme of the next work. I can't tell you now, but I still want to make a movie for young people, just like ‘Your Name.’

--What is the "young person" for you, whom you want to deliver your work?

"Earthquakes will occur, rain will not stop, missiles will fly fiercely... but that's not their responsibility. They have to grow up in harder times than when we were young. How do they move into the future in an ‘imposed’ environment? How do they get over or break it ... I'm making a story from that perspective. ”

―― Then, what kind of work do you expect to be?

"Although adults are generally useless for children, what kind of movie can I make for young people, when I’m middle-aged? (lol) It is very abstract, but I want to make a work, which young children today will think, ‘This is a story about us’ and ‘It's a story that tells me something.’"

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‘missiles will fly fiercely’...


…, are you worried about something?


In a conversation between the announcer Zenba and Director Shinkai, which I raised earlier, the announcer Zenba said,

‘ I think that you have often picked up the atmosphere of that era, what everyone in that era thought and made it into a work. '

I think the announcer Zenba's point is right.

In the interview with the announcer Ayaka Ogawa, the Director also mentioned about such a thing.


Think about it, Your Name. was also such a movie


After all, from these points, I feel that Director will make the theme of Weathering With You to be like the international situation.


By the way, it seems that the script was completed on August 26, 2017, when the above article was published, “before” September and October.


In August of the same year, he gave the script to Yojiro.

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And this is a magazine that has not been released yet, but it will be a notice of a magazine called Da Vinci, which will be released on August 6, 2019 ...

Since the character is small, I enlarged it.
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『“世界”の調和が狂うとき、少年と少女は何を選ぶのか』

"What do boys and girls choose when the harmony of the "world" goes wrong?"

Why should it be the “world”?

If you look at the description of the movie, the stage should be limited to Tokyo, not the world... right?

Of course, a catastrophe on a global scale may occur during the movie.


From that point, I guess it could be like Your Name, which was a spectacular and unexpected development like at the time.


But why is the harmony of the world going wrong?

Why not say "Weather harmony"

From such a point, I wonder if the theme will be connected to the international situation.

Of course it is possible that I am wrong with my predictions.

What do you think?


Also, Director Shinkai, please tell me what kind of thought you had when you made the movie in an interview someday!

I’d like to check whether my predictions were correct (^^)

Thank you very much for reading this long article. m(_ _)m





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Below, spoiler alert!!

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[The following has been added on July 26, 2019 or later]



Well, that was my prediction before the movie was released.



Everyone, after watching the movie, what did you think of it?



I can hear Natsumi's voice, played by Tsubasa Honda,

“That’s hilarious!”
“Your delusional, I’m really put off!”
(lol)



I have no choice but to laugh ......



Excerpt from [Weathering With You Theater Pamphlet]

Comment from Director Shinkai.
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I want to create a story that creates something new in the world, where harmony cannot be restored.

The most underlying pillar of this work was the feeling that this world itself was going crazy. In the world situation, In this situation and environmental issues, the change in the world is accelerating, and the bodily sensation is changing in a strange direction.

I feel that many people think so. But we did not stop it. The world today is also the result of our own choice.

“The most underlying pillar of this work was the feeling that this world itself was going crazy. In the world situation...,”

Please see below.

This is a comment from Yojiro of RADWIMPS singing the theme song, which was tweeted on July 23 in the movie “After Release”.
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