Makoto Shinkai has his own style of interweaving his films, crafting subtle yet significant connections that please his fans. Although his films do not have a single, cohesive timeline like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they do provide interesting nods and references that imply an underlying interconnectedness. One of the most dramatic demonstrations of this is the presence of Your Name (Kimi no Na wa) characters in Weathering With You (Tenki no Ko).
The moment fans realized that Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu made cameo appearances in Weathering With You, watching the movie became a whole different experience. But what exactly do they do in the film? How does their presence fit into the timeline? And what does this tell us about the future of Shinkai’s films? Let’s explore these questions and more.
Taki and Mitsuha from Your Name: Their cameos and roles in Weathering With You
One of the sweetest moments from Weathering With You is when Hodaka, the main character, tries to purchase a ring for Hina. With guidance from Nagi-senpai, he enters a jewelry store where he’s helped by none other than Mitsuha Miyamizu herself. Fans of Your Name immediately knew it wasn’t just because of her character design that Shinkai included her in the film, but also because of the small details he added.
Mitsuha’s name tag clearly reads “Miyamizu,” confirming her identity. She is also seen wearing the red cord bracelet, the same one she gave to Taki in Your Name, which was instrumental in their shared destiny. This further solidifies the notion that Weathering With You and Your Name are set in the same world, even if they do not share a rigid chronological continuity.
Taki’s appearance is even more notable. During one of Hodaka and Hina’s weather-changing jobs, they visit an elderly woman who turns out to be Taki’s grandmother. When they enter the Tachibana home, we get to see Taki himself talking with the main characters.
Though his part is short, his presence matters for two reasons. One, he gives Hodaka some wisdom about life, giving him a moment of enlightenment. Second, eagle-eyed viewers picked up on the fact that Taki was sporting a shirt with a green collar, a detail reminiscent of his high school uniform in Your Name.
This suggests that at the time of Weathering With You, Taki is still a student, further supporting the notion that Your Name takes place slightly later in the timeline.
The beauty of Makoto Shinkai’s subtle interconnections
One of the largest questions posed by these cameos is where Weathering With You sits in relation to the timeline of Your Name. According to official statements, Weathering With You takes place in 2021, while the ending of Your Name occurs in 2022. What this then means is that during their cameos, Taki and Mitsuha haven’t yet met up on the staircase, and they still don’t remember the magical events that bound them together.
This revelation adds an emotional layer to their cameos. Seeing them live their lives independently, unaware of what the future holds, makes their ultimate reunion in Your Name that much more impactful. But it does create a rather large plot hole: If Weathering With You takes place in 2021 and Tokyo experiences three years of non-stop rain, how is Tokyo back to normal in the 2022 finale of Your Name?
While talking with Japan Times, Shinkai himself spoke about this, saying that he does not emphasize strict continuity between his movies. Rather, he emphasizes thematic and emotional continuity, permitting his tales to exist on their own while sharing familiar elements.
Meanwhile, given the positive fan reception to these interconnected cameos, it is very much possible that Shinkai will continue this trend in future films as well. And who knows, perhaps someday, he’ll surprise us by making a cameo of Weathering With You characters in one of his upcoming movies as well. Until then, we eagerly await the next masterpiece from one of anime’s greatest filmmakers.
Your Name and Weathering With You are currently available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
