Being a Makoto Shinkai film, this story is not complete without bringing a few tears out of his followers.
- Hodaka, the film's Woobie protagonist, can't seem to catch a break. He's alone, he has difficulty finding a job with no ID card to speak of, he's broke, he's afraid of going home, he's on the run from the police for possessing a gun that he discovered accidentally of all things and he's clearly in love with a girl whose magical abilities of changing the weather may cost her own life.
- It's even sadder when you connect the dots of his backstory together using visual clues (one of Makoto Shinkai's trademarks), dialogue, behavior patterns, nutritional status, the light novelization, the manga and other official sources: he was being abused by his father and his school was chaining him down. Some fans have even theorized that he was bullied by his own classmates. Poor kid.
- Hodaka’s everlasting love for Hina is wrenching, especially in the flashback where he’s following the light he saw on his home island, which led him to her. Even though you know he’s escaped since he’s the one telling the story, he just seems so lost and scared — he’s trapped in this life that he has no chance of breaking free from until he decides to run away. The scenes where he’s on the boat, with three bandages plastered on his face and the scene where he runs the length of the island on his bike gasping and panting, looking like a complete trainwreck is very sad and almost kind of scary. Reading the novelization makes it clear that this is his father’s handiwork.
- Then you remember that he was 16. He probably couldn’t do much at his age as he soon found out the hard way.
- It may even be because of this difficult life that he may be an ame-otoko, a person who always brings rain.
- This photograph of Hodaka and his father
◊ further reinforces the notion that he was not happy living with them. - The last chapter of the manga has Hodaka sitting alone after his graduation under a picnic shelter◊, which further suggests that, given his strict upbringing or simple disinterest, he had no friends on the island.
- After graduating, Hodaka left the island for good and lived a new life on his own in Tokyo. His parents, after an apparent change of heart, had to live the rest of their lives alone. Presumably, depending on one’s interpretation of the events, Hodaka has severed all ties with them forever. It’s not hard to imagine their son going off on his own after running away because of their selfish actions.
- An added bonus: If you interpret the possibility of Mr. and Mrs. Morishima filing a missing persons report after realizing the error of their cruelty, you could say that they loved Hodaka a little too late.
- Hina's responsibilities as a weather maiden and her own personal life in a nutshell, including the death of her mother and her ultimate fate as a Human Sacrifice. Fortunately for her, Hodaka prevents that from happening.
- The fact that Nagi might be left all alone if Hodaka did not save his sister. Also counts as Fridge Horror.
- It is also likely that he would have been put into a children’s home away from Hina had law enforcement caught up with them.
- Suga can't seem to get over the death of his wife and drinks too much as a result.
- When Hodaka asks around for advice on Hina's birthday present, Natsumi told him she wants "Hugs and Kisses. Money. A decent boyfriend. And a job." She has been out doing job hunts for a long time and still has nothing to show for it. For anyone who's been unemployed for a long time, it hits too close to home.
- When Hina is on the verge of disappearing, in the hotel bedroom. She knows she’s not going to make it, but keeps an optimistic attitude as she slowly turns into liquid. The next time you see her on the cloud, she is clearly distressed and is ready to cry, yet she still tells Hodaka not to feel sad.
- Arguably the most tear jerking moment was Hodaka trying to find Hina the morning after. He immediately freaks out when he realizes that she is gone.
- In the manga, Hodaka was holding on to Hina’s hand when she disappears.
- Although Hina comes back from the world of the sky, her disappearance is a major pull at the heartstrings. She noticed Hodaka when he was at his most vulnerable (trying to survive in an unfriendly city) and was willing to listen and care about how he felt when no one else would. Just the thought that someone you need most comes into your life and just as quickly leaves it, yet they became so important to you and left such a lasting impression that you have changed for the better and will never forget them is a sad enough concept. This is not helped by the fact that Hina is one of the kindest, noblest, and good-natured characters in the movie.
- The simple fact that the city is going to sink, there's nothing anyone can do about it, over a million people will probably die, and it all happened over the course of three years.
- The mood of the film is particularly gloomy if you interpret rain as symbolic of sadness.
