Not long ago, Indian anime fans had the absurd yet amazing idea of getting a Japanese animated film to the home ground and give it a regular box office release. This wasn’t something that has ever happened before and the prospect was exciting enough to get thousands of anime movie-lovers to petition for it. Desi otakus came in unsurprising numbers and made a noise loud enough for two big brands to back up the idea and release the one film the fandom was collectively dying to watch- Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering With You (Tenki No Ko).

Anime films don’t release here in India. We have the occassional small-scale film festivals, private screenings (mostly kids getting their stuff off the internet, the illegal way but anime films just don’t release in India. All of that was about to change when a petition started doing the rounds of the internet to have a Japanese animation feature film get its first theatrical release. For anyone familiar with Shinkai’s filmography, Weathering With You came with the promise of a beautiful story told in glorious artwork and animation. Let’s talk about why this is a pretty big darn deal:

Producers CoMix Wave Films, Genki Kawamura, and Story Inc had no plans to release the film in India. So whatever set the proceedings between Japan to India in motion was created by the fandom. Fans’ petition was the kickstarter for the whole deal and boy did it work. Netizens got their demands heard the old school way, a petition on change.org (because how else does anyone get anything done?). What failed to get pop culture junkies a reworked final season of Game of Thrones, worked out for anime fans. Multiplex giant PVR in partnership with vkaao got in on the deal and finally, Tenki No Ko, a title most cinema-goers wouldn’t get was in Indian theatres, at least, in the metro cities. And the hype was real. I was in Chennai, at Jazz Cinemas where it premiered for the city late in September and the fanfare was real with cosplayers (I was one of them), international guests and fans populating the lounge and sharing what they know of the piece of cinema they’re about to witness. You’ll be surprised at the sheer numbers.

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On October 11, the film made an official theatrical release in metro cities across India. The packed auditoriums mimicked those from the premiere it was evident to see that getting a Japanese made animation hit was nothing short of an international feat. But, was it all worth it?

Let me level with you here, Weathering With You is not a great film. Sure, it has it's moments. There are scenes supercharged with the most beautiful artwork, the water fish teased in the trailers are amplified in glory when traslated to the big screen and the hooks that got you in are there. You have Tokyo in all its animated glory and you'll love it as much as our islander protagonist Hodaka Morishima loves it. The story's initiation has everything to foreshadow the adventure Hodaka is about to share with sunshine girl Hina but, it also has everything Your Name had with a side of repetition. The story arcs at the core are pretty much the same and the tropes are all there. To make the fact that Shinkai is capitalising on the massive success of Kimi No Na Wa more obvious, there are also Easter Eggs from the film. Needless to say, it got more than a few hoots out of the audiences. This isn't to say the film isn't a good watch. It is a beautiful commentary on climate change with Tokyo facing the threat of being submerged underwater. Tenki No Ko has beautiful moments and serves up a lot of feel-good material for a subject so bleak. Weathering With You is still a necessary film for Indian fans.

By the time the film is done, you will wonder if it really was overhyped or is it worthy of an Oscar submission but you will have no doubt, considering the packed theatres you will most likely be sitting in, that it’s a historic win for the desi anime fandom. For a bunch of torrent downloaders, we’ve come a pretty long way.

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