Weathering with You
Set during a period of exceptionally rainy weather, high-school boy Hodaka Morishima runs away from his troubled rural home to Tokyo and befriends an orphan girl who can manipulate the weather.
The film earned $187.0M at the global box office.
6 wins & 13 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Hodaka sits on a ferry during a violent rainstorm, fleeing his island home for Tokyo. He nearly falls overboard but is saved by Suga. The endless rain and his isolation establish his desperate, rootless existence before the story begins.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Hodaka witnesses Hina being harassed by men trying to recruit her for a shady job. When he intervenes, he accidentally fires the gun he found, shocking everyone. This violent act disrupts his attempt at anonymous survival and forces him to flee with Hina, binding their fates together.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Hodaka reunites with Hina and witnesses her power firsthand: she prays and parts the clouds, bringing brilliant sunshine to a small patch of Tokyo. He actively chooses to partner with her, proposing they start a "sunshine girl" business together. This decision launches them into a new world of wonder and possibility., moving from reaction to action.
At 56 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat After Hina clears the sky for a massive fireworks festival, Hodaka notices her body becoming transparent. She reveals she's gradually disappearing—each time she uses her power, she gives more of herself to the sky. The stakes transform from external survival to existential: using her gift will eventually kill her. False victory becomes false defeat., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 84 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Hina vanishes completely into the sky, sacrificing herself to stop the endless rain and save Tokyo. Hodaka wakes to sunshine but Hina is gone. The whiff of death is literal—Hina has offered herself as a human sacrifice to the weather gods. Hodaka has lost everything: his freedom, his found family, and the girl he loves., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 90 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Hodaka makes his definitive choice: he will bring Hina back even if it means Tokyo drowns. He escapes police custody, runs through flooded streets, and climbs the shrine building. "I want Hina more than any blue sky!" he shouts. He chooses love over duty, individual over society—the thematic answer crystallizes., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Weathering with You's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Weathering with You against these established plot points, we can identify how Makoto Shinkai utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Weathering with You within the animation genre.
Makoto Shinkai's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Makoto Shinkai films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 5.8, showcasing experimental approaches to narrative form. Weathering with You exemplifies the director's characteristic narrative technique. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Makoto Shinkai filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional animation films include The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots and Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll. For more Makoto Shinkai analyses, see Your Name.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Hodaka sits on a ferry during a violent rainstorm, fleeing his island home for Tokyo. He nearly falls overboard but is saved by Suga. The endless rain and his isolation establish his desperate, rootless existence before the story begins.
Theme
An elderly woman at a shrine tells the legend of the "sunshine girl" who can control weather but must sacrifice herself to the sky. She states: "Weather maidens have always existed... they pray and offer themselves to bring sunshine." This foreshadows the central conflict between personal happiness and sacrificial duty.
Worldbuilding
Hodaka struggles to survive alone in Tokyo during an unprecedented rainy season. He's rejected from jobs, runs out of money, and sleeps in internet cafes and on the streets. He finds a gun in a trash bin. He meets Hina briefly at McDonald's where she gives him free food. The world is established as perpetually gray and rain-soaked.
Disruption
Hodaka witnesses Hina being harassed by men trying to recruit her for a shady job. When he intervenes, he accidentally fires the gun he found, shocking everyone. This violent act disrupts his attempt at anonymous survival and forces him to flee with Hina, binding their fates together.
Resistance
Hodaka takes refuge working for Suga at his small occult magazine company. He debates whether to stay hidden or reach out to Hina. He learns about urban legends surrounding the rain, including stories of people who can control weather. Suga serves as a reluctant mentor figure, giving him shelter but warning him about police and his runaway status.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Hodaka reunites with Hina and witnesses her power firsthand: she prays and parts the clouds, bringing brilliant sunshine to a small patch of Tokyo. He actively chooses to partner with her, proposing they start a "sunshine girl" business together. This decision launches them into a new world of wonder and possibility.
Mirror World
Hina introduces Hodaka to her younger brother Nagi, revealing she's been living alone caring for him since their mother's death. The siblings' unconventional family mirrors and challenges Hodaka's escape from his own family. Hina's selfless devotion to Nagi embodies the thematic question of sacrifice for those we love.
Premise
Hodaka and Hina run their "100% Sunshine Girl" business, bringing clear skies to weddings, festivals, and flea markets across Tokyo. Montages show their joy as they help people and earn money. They grow closer as a found family with Nagi. The promise of the premise delivers: two outcasts finding purpose and connection through supernatural weather powers.
Midpoint
After Hina clears the sky for a massive fireworks festival, Hodaka notices her body becoming transparent. She reveals she's gradually disappearing—each time she uses her power, she gives more of herself to the sky. The stakes transform from external survival to existential: using her gift will eventually kill her. False victory becomes false defeat.
Opposition
The police close in on Hodaka as a runaway with an illegal firearm. Suga, pressured by detectives and his own custody battle, fires Hodaka and reports him. Child services targets Hina and Nagi. The rain intensifies into a historic deluge threatening to submerge Tokyo. Every external force conspires to separate the trio and end their found family.
Collapse
Hina vanishes completely into the sky, sacrificing herself to stop the endless rain and save Tokyo. Hodaka wakes to sunshine but Hina is gone. The whiff of death is literal—Hina has offered herself as a human sacrifice to the weather gods. Hodaka has lost everything: his freedom, his found family, and the girl he loves.
Crisis
Hodaka processes Hina's sacrifice in despair. The sun shines but he cannot accept a world without her. He confronts the impossible choice: accept Tokyo's salvation at the cost of Hina, or reject societal good for personal love. Nagi tells him the shrine rooftop is a gateway to the sky world.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Hodaka makes his definitive choice: he will bring Hina back even if it means Tokyo drowns. He escapes police custody, runs through flooded streets, and climbs the shrine building. "I want Hina more than any blue sky!" he shouts. He chooses love over duty, individual over society—the thematic answer crystallizes.
Synthesis
Hodaka passes through the torii gate into the sky realm. He finds Hina suspended among clouds and fish, becoming one with the weather. He reaches her, confesses his love, and pulls her back to the mortal world. They fall together as rain resumes permanently. Three years later, Tokyo is partially submerged but adapting. Hodaka finishes probation and returns to Tokyo.
Transformation
Hodaka reunites with Hina on a rainy Tokyo street. She prays briefly and sunlight breaks through—her power remains, but now she uses it freely without sacrificing herself. They embrace. The final image mirrors the opening: rain still falls, but Hodaka is no longer alone and desperate. He chose to "weather" the world with her rather than lose her to save it.