Makoto Shinkaithe acclaimed anime writer and director known for films such as “Your Name”, “Weathering with You” and “Szume”, praised the highest-rated romantic comedy anime of summer 2024. During a special event for the fifth anniversary of the Grand Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro in Tokyo, Japan, a screening of “Weathering with You” was held from July 20 to 27, 2024. Shinkai participated in a special event on July 20, 2024, where he answered questions from attendees.

Among the many doubts about his trajectory in animation, Shinkai acknowledged the favorable comparisons between his work and “Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!”, an anime that is becoming one of the most popular titles of the summer 2024 season. A fan asked Shinkai about a scene in “Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!” where Anna Yanami, after being romantically rejected by a boy she had a crush on, desperately grabs the straw he used to drink from and drinks from it when he is no longer around. The assistant described the scene as “Shinkai style“.

In response, Shinkai commented: “I don't know about that (laughs), but I thought it was a good scene. I think scenes that give a feeling of fetishism and eroticism in general are necessary. I still include them in my work despite facing opposition (laughs). The last one was to have Suzume Iwato sit on Souta Munakata like a chair. I think those scenes are wonderful.».

In addition to discussing comparisons with other works, Shinkai also answered other questions during the event. When asked what the most beautiful thing in the world was, Shinkai replied in Nagano Prefecture, Chubu region, Honshu. He also confirmed that the scene in “Weathering with You” where Hodaka Morishima runs on the train tracks while being booed by others was intended to symbolize moving forward in life despite being looked down upon by others. (I also wanted to do a scene that couldn't be done in live-action).

With this sentiment in mind, Shinkai expressed his desire to travel to the future if he had access to a time machine. «I like science fiction. When we were kids, we read about space travel, which is a common thing in the 21st century, and we thought we might visit Mars or Jupiter in our lifetime. I want to go to Mars in the future. If you were on Mars and looked at the sky, what color would it be? I don't think I can go right now, so I'd like to see», commented Shinkai.

“Makeine: Many Heroines Lost!” focuses on Kazuhiko Nukumizu, a simple, boring and friendless boy, who witnesses something completely disconcerting: the popular Anna Yanami has been rejected by her childhood friend and crush! In fact, all the popular girls around him are being rejected by the boys they like. Without realizing it, Kazuhiko gets caught up in the relationship drama where all the main heroines are falling in love. Will he be able to keep these girls' spirits up and help them find happiness?

Source: Mogura Manga