Weathering With You Review: A Runaway Boy Meets a Girl Who Can Stop the Rain
by Makoto Shinkai / Nikki Asada
Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.
Buy Weathering With You (Tenki no Ko) on Amazon →*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Quick Take
- Asada's art translates the film's rain-soaked Tokyo atmosphere to the manga page with warmth
- The central choice — world or person — is sharper here than in most manga romance
- 2 volumes complete; companion piece to Shinkai's film
Who Is This Manga For?
- Fans of Makoto Shinkai's film who want the story in manga form
- Readers who enjoy romance with supernatural atmosphere
- Anyone who wants short complete romance with a genuine ethical dilemma at its center
- Readers coming from Your Name looking for Shinkai's next work
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: Teenage runaway in urban survival situation; supernatural sacrifice themes; romantic content between teenagers
T rating — appropriate for most readers.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★★ |
| Character Development | ★★★★☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★★ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★☆ |
Story Overview
Hodaka Morishima has run away from his island home to Tokyo. The city has been raining continuously for months. He is underage, nearly broke, and struggling to survive.
He meets Hina Amano — a girl working multiple jobs to support her younger brother. She has a secret: she can pray to the sky and stop the rain, temporarily. The sun follows her.
They begin using her power commercially, as a "sunshine girl" service. The city needs her. Hodaka needs her. The sky has plans of its own.
Characters
Hodaka — His desperation and his attachment to Hina are the story's emotional engine; his final choice defines the story's moral argument.
Hina — What she is — a "sunshine girl" — and what that designation ultimately means is the story's central supernatural mystery; her warmth under precarious circumstances makes her loss feel real.
Art Style
Asada's art renders Tokyo in continuous rain with atmospheric precision — the grey skies against moments of sunshine have visual impact, and the city's urban density is present in the backgrounds in ways that establish setting.
Cultural Context
Weathering With You engages with Tokyo's actual weather history — the film was released after several unusually rainy summers — and draws on Japanese folklore about girls who could influence weather (teru teru bouzu, the fair-weather dolls).
What I Love About It
The ending's argument. Most romance manga choose the relationship. This story makes the choice explicit and then refuses to apologize for it. Shinkai asks whether it's right to save the world at the cost of one person — and gives a specific answer.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Western readers describe Weathering With You as the Shinkai work that divides audiences the most — specifically noted for the ending being either the story's greatest strength or its most frustrating element, for the rain-soaked atmosphere being the most distinct visual identity of Shinkai's works, and for the manga adaptation being more compressed than Your Name.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The rooftop — Hodaka's decision about what he's willing to sacrifice for one person versus an entire city — is the story's moral center.
Similar Manga
- Your Name — Shinkai's prior film adaptation in comparable format
- A Silent Voice — Japanese drama with comparable emotional depth
- Erased — Romance with sacrifice/time elements in longer form
- Iroduku: The World in Colors — Supernatural romance in anime-adjacent format
Reading Order / Where to Start
Volume 1 — Hodaka's arrival in Tokyo.
Official English Translation Status
Yen Press published the complete 2-volume English series.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Asada's art captures the film's atmosphere
- Central ethical choice is genuinely interesting
- Short and complete
- Beautiful rain-soaked visual identity
Cons
- More compressed than Your Name manga
- Film superior to manga adaptation
- Short at 2 volumes — pacing is dense
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Individual Volumes | Yen Press; complete 2 volumes |
| Digital | Available |
Where to Buy
Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.