In the earlier sections, especially the parts where Mochizuki-sensei had finished the illustrations, the three of them didn't read very quickly.
Because such exquisite artwork was hard to just skim through; the background of almost every frame was so pleasing to the eye that it made one want to stop at every step to carefully appreciate and savor it.
However, after browsing through the finished chapters, the reading speed for the remaining storyboard sections became much faster.
The 16-year-old boy Morishima Hodaka runs away from home to Tokyo and encounters Amano Hina, a girl with the ability to control the weather.
Hina's prayers can clear the sky, so the two decide to run a 『Sunshine Girl Service』 online, bringing sunlight to people in need of good weather.
However, Hodaka gradually discovers that every time Hina prays, it comes at a personal cost—her body slowly becomes transparent, and she will eventually be consumed by the sky.
After Hina disappears, Tokyo regains its sunny days.
But Hodaka, learning the truth, resolutely chooses the latter between saving the world and saving his lover.
He struggles to break through all obstacles to bring Hina back from the world in the sky, and with her return, the torrential rain falls once more. Tokyo suffers three years of continuous downpours, leaving large areas submerged.
Three years later, the two meet again on a street corner in Tokyo.
Looking at the areas of Tokyo submerged by the heavy rain, Hodaka deeply realizes that the world truly has been affected by their actions.
The End.
...
"What a great story!"
After finishing it, Hayato couldn't help but exclaim:
"Going against the whole world just to save the person you love is simply too cool!"
On the other side, however, Shota said with some hesitation:
"But, was all of this really worth it? In the end, the rain actually submerged so many places..."
"Huh? Then do you think Hina should have been sacrificed?!"
"Of course not, but isn't the price a bit too high?"
"I don't think so."
Hayato countered seriously:
"The manga already mentioned that Tokyo was originally a vast ocean, and this heavy rain has existed since long ago; it's nature's way of reclaiming the land."
"On the contrary, isn't it even stranger that we've been relying on sunshine girls like Hina to constantly sacrifice their lives just to delay the arrival of the rain?!"
"Hmm... when you put it that way, I guess you're right..."
Shota had no rebuttal for this. Recalling the plot of Weathering with You, some new thoughts began to form in his mind.
It's just that being reminded by a guy like Hayato makes me feel a bit unwilling!
"Furthermore, I think Mochizuki-sensei might be trying to express some other issues."
Daisuke spoke up while thinking:
"The male protagonist is a minor who ran away from home after domestic violence, and Hina and her brother are orphans who lost family protection. As minors, they are all marginalized groups not accepted by mainstream society."
"For Hodaka and Hina, who huddle together for warmth, compared to Tokyo—a 'world' that doesn't belong to them—each other's existence is their entire world, isn't it?"
Considering these circumstances, it becomes even more rational for Hodaka to choose to save Hina.
"So there's actually that layer to it?"
Hayato and Shota both had a moment of realization upon hearing this.
As expected of a reliable adult man, he thinks a bit more deeply than they do.
However, Hayato said with some surprise:
"So Tanaka-san is also on the 'approval side.' I thought Tanaka-san would be more like Uncle Suga in the manga before his awakening."
"Are you looking down on me?"
Daisuke gave him a sharp look, then couldn't help but smile:
"You know, I have my own 'Hina' too."
"..."
This sentence was a direct critical hit, completely sinking Hayato and Shota.
Fine, fine, showing off your relationship, are we?
You win!
But just as he said, Daisuke could indeed empathize with the male lead Hodaka's choice because he did have a wife he loved.
If it were him making the choice, he would definitely choose to save his wife.
This is probably a matter of personal stakes.
That aside, even putting the plot and artwork aside, many settings in Weathering with You allow one to appreciate Akira-sensei's brilliant imagination.
The main body of Weathering with You tells a love story between a boy and a girl, yet it simultaneously integrates fantasy and sci-fi settings without feeling out of place at all.
Needless to say about the fantasy elements, Hina's ability to control the weather and the mysterious world above the sky feel less like superpowers and more like the power of gods, mystery, and the laws of nature.
The presentation in this aspect vaguely has the feel of a Hayao Miyazaki film.
However, what is even more intriguing are the sci-fi elements.
Mochizuki-sensei set the story's timeline in the near future ten years from now. The vast majority of landscapes and buildings in the manga remain the same as they are now, giving a sense of familiarity.
At the same time, there are mobile phones that have completely eliminated buttons, map navigation on phones, denser urban surveillance, computer screens as thin as phones, and networks that can smoothly stream video...
These sci-fi elements are just improvements on existing things, giving a wonderful feeling that is both familiar and slightly alien, even making people think 'maybe it really will become like this in a few years.'
Particularly the brilliant idea of transforming a phone into a single solid screen where everything can be operated directly on the display is absolutely masterful.
And being able to integrate two completely different elements into the story, using them to drive the plot without any dissonance, and finally bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion...
They truly didn't know how to describe Akira, who possessed such abilities.
In the end, they could only say, "As expected of Mochizuki-sensei."
...
After the lunch break, Akira came out of the bedroom. Seeing him, Hayato immediately said excitedly:
"Mochizuki-sensei, Weathering with You is drawn so well! May I ask when it will be finished?!"
The other two also deeply agreed with Hayato's question.
The biggest regret after this reading was that Akira had not finished drawing the manga; the crude storyboard images at the end were too far removed from the exquisite artwork at the beginning.
"Thank you."
Facing the praise, Akira accepted it with a smile.
As for the question, he said somewhat helplessly:
"It's still early to finish it. I'm afraid it won't be until the end of the month."
After all, the workload for Weathering with You was much higher than for Fsn, and since he was drawing alone, the progress was bound to be much slower.
He wanted to ask his three assistants to help, but they had their own other work at other times, so he had to let it go.
However, on the other side, the assistants were once again speechless.
217 pages of high-precision backgrounds, drawing alone, and estimating to finish within a month...
You don't actually think you're drawing slowly, do you?
Unfortunately, Akira couldn't hear the assistants' inner complaints. Anyway, he felt that drawing alone was not only a bit slow but also a bit tiring.
Perhaps he had grown accustomed to having assistants help, so now it was 'hard to return to simplicity from luxury.'
So he was considering—
Was it possible to kidnap a temporary assistant from somewhere to help?