Hodaka's choice! The realistically grounded characters of 'Weathering with You' (Analysis)

***Spoilers for 'Weathering with You' ahead***

'Tenki No Ko', also known as 'Weathering with You', is the director Makoto Shinkai's next big movie after the worldwide phenomenon 'Your Name'. The movie is a stunning coming-of-age story that has touched the hearts of fans all over the world. But there is a scene at the end that has a lot of fans divided. The final decision of the male protagonist, Hodaka Morishima might seem a bit unlikable at first but underneath lies a deeper message about life and acceptance, all thanks to the incredible character writing in the movie.

The Overview

I would argue that the male protagonist, Hodaka Morishima is one of the most dynamic and well-rounded characters Shinkai has ever written. He was beaten up by his parents countless times which resulted in his runaway. From the very beginning of the movie he was shown to be kind-hearted and caring, this is shown very early on when he gifts Mr.Suga for saving his life even though it was very expensive. Hodaka at his core is a teenage boy trying to find a place in this big world. In the first music montage of the movie, we get a glimpse of Hodaka's new life and a newfound sense of belonging amongst Natsumi and Keisuke. Here we are introduced to the hardworking side of Hodaka.

He is also shown to be extremely impulsive at times and take decisions without thinking too deeply about the consequences. He finds a gun in the street and keeps it with him without thinking what it may result in. He was even willing to a gun at anyone without thinking about the consequence. This also eventually results in the police finding out the whereabouts of Hina and Nagi. Even when the police found out Nagi and Hina were living without an adult, Hodaka suggested running away with him yet again without thinking too deeply about the consequence of it. Hina and Nagi accepted it as the two were afraid that the police would septate the two siblings. If they didn't run away with Hodaka, the police might have arranged for anyone to look after them and Hina wouldn't have to be the sunshine girl anymore. But this can be also justified based on the circumstances. Every time they ran away the situation got even worse similar to the weather. Every time Hina used her powers the weather got even worse.

The symbolic meaning behind the Weather

In the movie, the weather is brilliantly used to symbolize the obstacles we face in life. We can run from these obstacles but we can't escape. Rainfall is in the hand of nature. You can't escape the rain, you can just delay it. Similarly in real life, you can run away from problems and escape the consequences for a short moment. But you will have to face it eventually just like the weather. So it is better to accept the mistakes and move on instead of trying to hide from them.

The Side Characters and the society

The character writing of the two main characters and important side characters are spectacularly linked with one another. Natsumi was determined to do hard work but she still didn't get a job as determination alone isn't enough to get a job. In every interview, she mentioned how hardworking she was but there was a clear disconnection between her hard work and her passion. This is finally resolved when Natsumi realizes her passion lies in bike riding and she should do something related to it.

Keisuke is an interesting character. He lost his wife in an accident and got very depressed and started to lead an unhealthy life. This prevented him from taking charge of his daughter. Keisuke is also shown to be more practical-minded. When Natsumi was charmed with the tales of the sunshine girl, Keisuke was thinking about making money. But his softer sides are also shown in the movie especially when he offers Hodaka his visiting card without asking him anything.

Keisuke finds himself in tears when the detector informs him about Hodaka and that he was willing to throw off his life for Hina. Keisuke initially tries to stop Hodaka as he didn't believe in those fantasies just like the society but upon seeing how determined Hodaka is he lets Hodaka go showing that underneath that depressed soul he still has that golden heart. Keisuke sees his younger self in Hodaka and helps Hodaka so that Hodaka doesn't suffer the way he had. Keisuke's redemption is made more satisfying just by the fact that he was previously willing to have the sunshine girl killed. But in the end, he becomes a crucial person to help Hodaka save Hina.

In an interview with Japan times, director Makoto Shinkai said that Keisuke was meant to reflect the entire society and also the struggles Shinkai faced as an adult.

The society and their worldview

A redditor also pointed out how the movie shows the way, society views the problems and actions of an individual. Society rarely goes deep into any individual's problems and they make their judgment based on what they see from the outside. In the eye of society, Keisuke was a messed up person but society didn't feel the need to know the reason behind this unhealthy lifestyle. The scene where Hodaka is running on the railway is the best demonstration of this. We as a fan know why Hodaka was running relentlessly but the people in the road didn't know what Hodaka was going through. For them, Hodaka was a crazy kid who was running through the tracts.

Hina

In contrast to Hodaka, Hina is shown to be more mature and willing to take responsibility. She is established as a person whom everyone can rely on. Hina even lies about her age to get a job and earn living for herself and her younger brother. They were eventually connected with a sense of compassion and care. The second music montage highlights it nicely. It is not only the celebration of Hina's newfound purpose of living and the joy she brought as a sunshine girl but also the demonstration of the growing bond between Hina and Hodaka, as she slowly starts to open up to Hodaka. But unfortunately, every time she used her powers the weather got worse.

When Hina gets informed about the sacrifice, she starts to question herself and takes a mental toil but doesn't let anyone notice it. When Hodaka gives her the ring, she asks him if he wants the blue sky. Without thinking too deep into it Hodaka says yes again showing his immaturity. This leads Hina to finally decide to sacrifice herself for the contentment of everyone else. That's why she asks Hodaka to take care of Nagi as even though Hodaka was impulsive at times he was very reliable. When she disappears in the sky and loses the ring, the last physical memory of Hodaka, she emotionally collapses.

The revelation of Hina's real age is a pivotal moment for Hodaka. This is the moment where Hodaka realizes how much responsibility Hina was shouldered with. This is also when Hodaka finally starts to be more responsible as until that point he was to some extent relying on others. This is also evident in the 'We will be alright' song:

"The world rests on your small shoulders

I'm the only one who sees that"

Hodaka's Choice

The world is always changing. Also, we can't determine what's normal. So the movie questions whether it is worth sacrificing your desires to delay something sure to change later on.

Hina's existence might not mean much to society and it is also wrong of society to expect a teenage girl to sacrifice herself for their good. Hina's purpose in life was always dependent on others which made her think others were more important than her and her existence was insignificant. So when Hodaka chooses her over the blue sky, she is reminded that her existence does really matter. In a grander scheme, the scene symbolizes the importance of each and every individual.

The thing is humans can adapt to a new situation but they can't bring back the dead to life. Tokyo faced the consequence and Keisuke and Natsumi were arrested. Hodaka was sent back home and couldn't even contact Hina for two years. Previously in the movie, Hodaka didn't think much before deciding anything and if it leads to any problem, he would try to find a way to somehow prevent the consequences. But this time Hodaka was aware of what his decision would cause but he accepts it demonstrating his growth.

Many of us are taught that “self-sacrifice = being a good person.” It's not completely right. Self Sacrifice is good until it drains your own self. According to many

Psychologist Self Sacrifice is good when it fills you up too but it isn't particularly the case when your sacrifice for others cases harms yourself and the ones you care about. This is why the sacrifice between Tony Stark (Iron man) is different from the one in the movie.

The Ending

Then the movie fast forwards three years and Hodaka is seems to still reflect on their decision. Even though Taki's grandmother and Keisuke say that their decision was insignificant, upon seeing Hina; Hodaka finally embraces their decision to live in this hard ever-changing world with Hina. They didn't fly away from the problems of the world, they decided to face them. The movie then ends with Hodaka announcing that they and the entire Tokyo will be alright.

Conclusion

To conclude, 'Tenki No Ko' reminds us that sometimes it doesn't matter if your decision is right or not, you just have to accept your decision.

Most people usually associate their goal as the only way of being happy. But it's not a guarantee that achieving your goal will result in ultimate happiness, we should rather appreciate every moment whether it's good or not. People also think if they successfully overcome any problem (in this case the rain) they will be the happiest alive. The movie is also a robust reminder that even though life is hard, you can overcome the bad weather in life and when you are with the people who care about you, you will be able to feel the presence of the big blue sky even in a rainy day.