Arriving in the middle of a seemingly endless rainy season in Tokyo, "Weathering With You" feels like it's benefitted from an ingenious stealth marketing campaign. Little has been left to chance with Makoto Shinkai's follow-up to "Your Name." The film raked in nearly $360 million globally, turning its creator into the most commercially successful anime maker since Hayao Miyazaki.
Some people would be overwhelmed by the pressure to repeat such a feat, but Shinkai barely flinches. "Weathering With You" doubles down on a lot of what made its predecessor such a hit with audiences, from the maximalist visuals to the Radwimps soundtrack, without feeling quite so much like it was focus-grouped to be as addictive to 16-year-olds as bubble tea.
Once again, the story centers on two teenagers who appear destined to become more than just good friends. Hodaka (voiced by Kotaro Daigo) arrives in Tokyo after running away from home, for reasons that are never explained, and soon finds himself sleeping on the streets of the seedy Kabukicho district.
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