NAME: JOHN LESTER MOLINA SECTION: STEM101A

FILM REVIEW
(WEATHERING WITH YOU)
(DIRECTED BY MAKOTO SHINKAI)

Weathering with You is similarly ambitious. It is set in modern Tokyo, but a Tokyo where it has not
stopped raining in recent memory, something the city’s denizens have come to accept as an everyday
part of life. Even for the viewer, registering all the rain takes a while; the atmosphere is less
apocalyptic than emotive, a weepy backdrop for a story about young people trying to find their way in
an ever more harsh-looking future. Weathering With You takes place in a world ending so gradually,
people barely notice it anymore.

“Weathering with You,” an anime of love in a time of catastrophe, does not simply fall into rain, it
bubbles. The record-breaking torrent in Tokyo is implacable: It overflows with streets and houses and
wraps the town in a loud blanket of gray. Beauty exists here, however, in colorful shocks like the red
network of an Eiffel tower and umbrellas that look like flowers from above.

A sunshine pierce the dimness every time it illumines a small city patch. Every so often. It is with
Hina, the teenager, who rushes to the beam as if pulled by a magnet, when you first see sunshine
streaming. The beam rustles out. She finds her end at the roof of an abandoned building where light
stretches over bright green, nodding flowers and a red torii door incongruously placed. A typical
building found in or near the Shinto shrines, this gate is often an entrance to a sacred space.
Putting hands in prayer, Hina closes her eyes and steps across the door and changes the story and
herself. She is not exactly crossing the arch, she is sliding through a watered portal, landing in a
mushroom-shaped cloud on a green field. This image, which calls for the destruction of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki’s apocalyptic resound, floats like an omen. But for the time being, Hina finds peace
under a blue sky, where rain fish and rainfed fade like tadpole. She is bathed in light, but soon home
too, waking from a journey or perhaps from a dream.

After the meeting of Hina, a cute, friendly smiler with a younger brother without any adult support,
Hodaka’s story gets more complex. The two soon made a move to sell the mysterious gifts of Hina as
a so-called sunshine girl who can pray for the sun. The Sun goddess Amaterasu is a major deity in
Shinto, but the realm of Hina is a far better one. She and Hodaka begin to sell their rays at a
negotiated rate by creating a website, sharing precious light with the thankful people of the town.
Shinkai fills the “Weathering" with daring leaps, narrative complications and softly hued backdrops
that approach the photographic realist (story is about to jump in time and not always productionally).
In contrast, the character design is more generic, in accordance with a familiar anime (and manga)
styling appearance. Hina and Hodaka have heart-shaped faces that open broadly and comically wider
with large gemstone eyes, little noses, and small, ductile body. The personalities of these characters
are filled with modulated vocal performances, animation by Shinkai, the discreet and courageous
choices that pop their faces and physicality.

The story flows like all running water, especially in the fast, first hour. “Weathering With You” loses
its way with a diffuse finish that is very popular with a fatalist shrug and a romantic tear-drift. A late
node to climate change — a closer link to the Anthropocene — briefly leads the story to the dull now.
Invoking the environmental disaster puts the whole rain into a whole new, unmistakable environment.
It suggests also that many of the events of the previous story could have been dreaming of by two
impressive young people who felt sheltered and wished for the true world. You know how you feel
whether they did or not.

This film is by no means typical since our young protagonists must see the world, given their
circumstances, as adults rather than children. This film shows another side of adolescence where you
question where you want to be, whom you want to be, and who will be next to you as you pursue the
kind of happiness you can find. Their happiness was in Hadoka, Hina and Nagi through their efforts to
overcome adversity, and they were more strongly bound than any family might. It was truly a
wonderful movie that was made more realistic by unique knowledge and heart plot devices that made
the world of weathering with you all.

FILM REVIEW
(KIMI NO NA WA/YOUR NAME)
(DIRECTED BY MAKOTO SHINKAI)

Kimi No Nawa’s got a quite interesting story. It takes us to the plot of a girl and boy changing bodies,
doing activities basically in each other’s lives, and then adds to that in a time trip. Your name (Kimi
no Nawa), not only in geography and culture, but in all ages, has a vast crossover appeal. That is why
I wholeheartedly advise everyone to watch this, including those without any anime to watch..

Kimi no Nawa is a sort of film that has a complicated and profound narrative, combined with a strong
emotional turn that causes viewers who are extremely immersed in the story while effectively hiding
it from minor weaknesses. This is a kind of movie that with a single view, cannot easily be
understood. Although it is the main story immediately you could understand, it is difficult to
remember any detailed information this film gives, because it is extremely rich in detail, ranging from
smallest names, ambient objects, and the greatest event in the story.

The main characters are both extremely nice and the story is emotional and funny at times. Body-
swapping story is the most interesting and unique thing in the film. As soon as I began to watch this
film, I realized that this film is special. All in this film is lovely and, in my opinion, the best animation
that it has made is just breathtaking when you start to watch this film. Soundtrack is perfect and in
anime movies my favorite so far. But it is just perfect above all. I love this movie all about.

I had nothing but tears in the eyes at the end of this movie, and my heart was rather emotional, but the
end of the song filled me with joy, and I could hardly describe these feelings by words. I was very
happy that I saw this beautiful work and art. Makoto Shinkai made one of the best animated films ever
and now also his favorite.

Those plot holes are mostly filled up with the release of novel and manga to accompany this film but
did not change the fact that those plot details could be included in the film to enrich it even more with
slightly longer running time. But as I mention this weakness is hard to be seen when watching this
film for the first time. The film narrative and heavy emotional weight it gives successfully driven
audience senses and thought away from its weaknesses to feel only the film strong points.
Every scene, with great accompaniment was fitting and beautiful music. Not only that, the characters
with good voices, were quite realistic, emphasizing their personalities particularly after the young man
and girl switched bodies. I should applaud the Director who manipulated the voices excellently to
apply for their position.

Kimi No Nawa is without a doubt a great stimulator with excellent characters, motivating history, fine
art and a finally happy ending, the only factor being that the main plot devices were not too detailed
and that some viewers certainly were confused about their heads, but nevertheless enjoy the other
parts of the film.

FILM REVIEW
(SPIRITED AWAY)
(DIRECTED BY HAYAO MIYAZAKI)

Magical is a word used incidentally for films like this, fantasy, and childhood films. However, it
really deserves it: a charming feature by the japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki that makes me feel
lighter than air. It is a beautifully drawn and beautifully created work of art that takes us on a rocket
fueled flight, with tender and sloppily conceived characters on board – no other description will
actually do it.

You can see Chihiro’s growth journey from timid to triumphant in Spirited Away. Her strong
willingness and selflessness to help her parents when she puts others in need of her own. The building
of links between Chihiro, Haku, Kaonashi and Boh and the black bird leads to affectionate
relationships forever. Chihiro helps everyone to improve their life, not just their friends, but also, the
sorcerer who captured them first. The movie concludes as beautiful as the entire story. The part that
was most important to me was the forgetfulness of Chihiro’s parents and Chihiro’s trip was the focus
of this film. The plot looks easy to understand, but the longer you watch, the harder it gets. In the film
are many themes, including greed, loneliness and many more.

It is the most wonderful fantasy film in my whole life. It is amazing. The figures were rich and well
designed, the art was beautiful, the music was magnificent, and the complot was magical and unique.
It truly lets me believe that somewhere out there is a spirit world full of talkative frogs and wicked
spirits. It is excellent for every audience and there are plenty of themes and morals behind it.

A timeless masterpiece, made with all the love and effort it needs. The animation is flawless and
beautifully drawn, the music is heartwarming and unforgettable, and the story is perfect, like every
other famous fairytale out there. Hayao Miyazaki has done the absolute greatest, his magnum opus, an
anime film that will always be the best. Spirited Away will remain the greatest anime film to me, as it
has influenced my childhood as much as my parents did.

The company which created this movie is Studio Ghibli. They made many other warm-heart films,
like Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro and the Red Tortoise. Studio Ghibli creates a unique character, each
with various characters.