The Makoto Shinkai movies are famous for several distinctive features and thematic representations. His reputation as a masterful storyteller and animator is quite evident in the way he directs his movies. From stunning animation and aesthetic visuals to innovative concepts, his movies have it all. Hence, ComingSoon presents to you a list of five Makoto Shinkai movies to check out.
Weathering With You (2019)
Weathering With You is an award-winning film featuring drama, fantasy, and romance. Shinkai directed this film at the CoMix Wave Films, and it aired in July 2019. The narrative unfolds amid Tokyo’s rain, wherein a runaway high schooler called Hodaka Morishima arrives, grappling with financial woes. Meanwhile, orphaned Hina Amano seeks employment to sustain herself and her little brother.
Their destinies collide when Hodaka rescues Hina from troubles and prompts them to escape together. Hodaka is stunned as Hina unveils her remarkable ability to summon sunshine through prayer. He envisions her as a “sunshine girl” to clear the gloomy skies for others. However, the duo soon realizes that every power comes with consequences and that they would have to pay a hefty price.
Your Name (2016)
Your Name has the LAFCA Animation Award, Best Animated Film award, and the Grand Prize Award all to its name. The movie has a romantic subtext and contains a dramatic supernatural element in it. The plot unfolds as a high schooler, Mitsuha Miyamizu, dreams of city life in Tokyo. As it happens, this is a stark contrast to her rural reality. Simultaneously, Taki Tachibana manages school, work, and dreams of becoming an architect in Mitsuha’s dream city.
Their lives intertwine when Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s Tokyo life, and vice versa. In their quest for answers, their actions create a tapestry of fate and situations in this enchanting story.
Suzume (2022)
Suzume premiered on Crunchyroll and has a mythological air around its story – a story that is filled with a lot of adventures and fantasy! The narrative revolves around Suzume Iwato, who, through a twist of fate, encounters Souta Munakata. Souta is a young man who explores abandoned places. Curiosity leads Suzume to a mysterious ruin, where she stumbles upon a door to a dreamlike universe that she can observe but not enter.
She leaves the door open, but little does she know that doing so unleashes the “keystone”. This keystone allows evil from the alternate universe to run rampant in Japan. Recognizing her mistake, she goes on to team up with Souta. Together, they embark on a quest to prevent the spread of this menace.
The Garden of Words (2013)
Shinkai seems to love rain in Tokyo as it is featured in most of his films. The Garden of Words begins on a rainy Tokyo morning. This award-winning romantic film is famous for its visual arts and ‘tanka’ that put the audiences in awe. On a rainy Tokyo morning, an aspiring shoemaker Takao Akizuki chooses creativity over class, which is to say that he skips school. In a picturesque garden, he encounters the mysterious Yukari Yukino.
When Takao proposes to craft her new shoes, the two forge a bond throughout the rainy season. Moreover, they actually find solace in each other’s company. Despite easing hidden worries, their personal challenges linger. As the rainy season nears its end, the true test of their relationship looms.
5 Centimeters per Second (2007)
5 Centimeters per Second contains the perfect amalgamation of drama and romance, which is evident in the way the otakus love the movie. It deservedly won the 2007 Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Best Animated Feature Film. It is a tale of love and separation in which childhood friends Takaki Tono and Akari Shinohara find themselves torn apart by their circumstances. Despite the passage of time widening the gap between them, their promise to stay connected echoes through the years.
As such, the movie delves into the bittersweet reality of long-distance relationships, where the struggle to move forward leaves the protagonists trapped in the past. Additionally, they long for a reunion that seems like a distant dream. Amidst their daily lives, they navigate the challenges of holding on to memories. But, this naturally causes pain to them and their loved ones.
