So yeah, he announced his new film, titled Weathering With You, along with basic plot and characters/voice actors.

Based on how excited I was to see Kimi no Na wa and the visuals for this one, I'm already super excited.

Release date: July 19, 2019.

Full article: https://soranews24.com/2018/12/13/your-names-makoto-shinkai-announces-new-anime-film-reveals-title-plot-details-release-date/amp

 

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ne...ith-you-film-for-early-2020-screening/.147022

It looks as though most of the US will get to watch the film early 2020. That summary plus Shinkai's own tweets suggest that this movie is just going to aim right for the tear ducts.

 

Second trailer is out. The Radwimps music is gonna get to me again.

 

Oh my fuck.



Shinkai really isn't fixing what isn't broken eh?

 

Apparently Shinkai thinks it might be controversial.

https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-n...film-that-might-divide-the-audiences-opinions

He simultaneously says he wants to play it safe so the movie doesn't flop, and that he's making a story that doesn't follow an easy/classic plot. Not sure what to make of that.

 

I went to see it today. My first and strongest impression - it's Shinkai. You know him, you know what you want from him and you're getting it. Really good overall.

Normally I'd post details in a spoiler, but it seems it'll take quite some time for the movie to be released overseas, so I don't want to just put up a spoiler box that could lessen the enjoyment of the movie for others. Instead, I'll adress what Shinkai said in the interview above in a very general manner.

Simply put, yes, at the end of the movie, a question remains - is it really okay how things went and that they ended up like this? The movie comments on it in roundabout ways, but it's hard to say it got fully adressed. I can see it being divisive.

I would say though, that both the setup and the plot can be called "classic" in a way. Basically, when reveals come, they're not some huge, completely surprising, earth-shattering twists.

The movie is set in Tokyo and includes a lot of product placement (websites, noodles, various drinks etc.). One can be rather cynical about this, some people on the Japanese internet already are, but I viewed it mostly positively. It gave the movie a sense of realness, one that helps to support the story. It did include one element that really surpised me, together with one scene - these are already divisive.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing reactions when it comes out overseas.

 

I'm glad to hear that it's not a disappointment at least. I've watched all the trailers and they've brought my hopes up quite a bit. It looks amazing and I'm just glad to have something to look forward to after the KyoAni tragedy.

 

The KyoAni thing is indescribably horrible.

I still don't know how to react to it. KyoAni is one of my favorite studios, their (and Takeda Ayano's) Hibike! Euphonium my favorite series. Relatively recently I got a chance to visit Kyoto, so I took time to wander around areas relevant to KyoAni. It all was the very picture of peaceful, not a place where something like that could happen. Yet it did.

 

I loved Violet Evergarden (obviously) and Hibike! ranks highly as well. I really wish there was more I could do, but all I managed was a small donation and some tributes.