Makoto Shinkai's Disaster Trilogy
The Disaster Trilogy is a film trilogy consisting of three coming-of-age fantasy anime films, which are thematically-related to natural disasters set primarily in Japan, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai and produced with CoMix Wave Films:
Their central themes drew inspiration from the frequency of natural disasters in Japan, dealing with certain elements of love, personal growth, sacrifice, and the passage of time.
Despite being referred to as a trilogy, due to the similar theme, director, and style, the characters in each film are different, and Your Name and Weathering with You are set in the same universe, while Suzume is set differently. Furthermore, the first two of the trilogy were directly connected by Shinkai's 2013 opposite mid-length film The Garden of Words, which served as a precursor to the trilogy, via cameos of previous characters. The first film in the trilogy premiered at the 2016 Anime Expo in Los Angeles on 3 July 2016, and eventually released in Japan on 26 August 2016; the last two were theatrically released in Japan on 19 July 2019 and 7–11 November 2022, respectively.
Disaster trilogy received widespread critical acclaim from critics and audiences, with particular praise for its story, animation, music, visuals, and emotional weight. The trilogy was a massive commercial success, with each film in it being among the fifteen highest-grossing Japanese animated feature films, and Your Name becoming the third highest-grossing film on the list. It also received numerous accolades, including two Crunchyroll Anime Awards for Film of the Year to Your Name and Suzume, and six Japan Academy Film Prizes, in addition of nominations to thirteen Annie Awards and one Golden Globe Award. All of the films were adapted to novel and manga.
Premises
''Your Name'' (2016)
Your Name follows the story of high school students Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu, who suddenly begin to swap bodies despite having never met, unleashing chaos onto each other's lives.''Weathering with You'' (2019)
Weathering with You follows a 16-year-old high school boy, Hodaka Morishima, who runs away from his troubled rural home to Tokyo, and later befriends Hina Amano, an orphaned girl who has the ability to control the weather.''Suzume'' (2022)
Suzume follows 17-year-old high school girl Suzume Iwato and young stranger Souta Munakata, who team up to prevent a series of disasters across Japan by sealing doors from the colossal, supernatural worm that causes earthquakes after being released.Characters
Main characters
Characters from Your Name appeared as cameos in Weathering with You: Taki Tachibana, Mitsuha Miyamizu, Katsuhiko "Tessie" Teshigawara, Sayaka Natori, and Yotsuha Miyamizu.Two main characters from the precursor film The Garden of Words appeared in Your Name as cameo roles: Yukari Yukino appears in a cameo role as a teacher in Your Name, and Takao Akizuki, the protagonist of the film, also appears as a silent cameo appearance, albeit for a few frames.
Voice cast
- Ryunosuke Kamiki as Taki Tachibana in Your Name and Weathering with You, and Tomoya Serizawa in Suzume.
- Kana Hanazawa as Yukari Yukino in Your Name, Kana in Weathering with You, and Tsubame Iwato in Suzume.
- Mone Kamishiraishi as Mitsuha Miyamizu in Your Name and Weathering with You.
- Ryo Narita as Katsuhiko "Tessie" Teshigawara in Your Name and Weathering with You.
- Aoi Yūki as Sayaka Natori in Your Name and Weathering with You.
- Kanon Tani as Yotsuha Miyamizu in Your Name and Weathering with You.
- Kotaro Daigo as Hodaka Morishima in Weathering with You.
- Nana Mori as Hina Amano in Weathering with You.
- Nanoka Hara and Akari Miura as Suzume Iwato in Suzume.
- Hokuto Matsumura as Souta Munakata in Suzume.
Reception
Box office
Critical response
Accolades
Disaster trilogy received numerous awards and nominations largely for excellence in writing, directing, animation, and composing score. In Japan Academy Film Prize, the three films together won Outstanding Achievement in Music to Radwimps for his composing score, in addition of other films: Your Name won Screenplay of the Year and a juried Alumni Award for Best Film category, and Weathering with You won Animation of the Year.The trilogy also received accolades from international award ceremonies including Annie Awards and Crunchyroll Anime Awards, the former received thirteen nominations altogether and the latter received seven nominations, winning Film of the Year twice to Your Name and Suzume, respectively. In Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the trilogy received nominations for each, winning once for Weathering with You.
The trilogy submitted Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, along with Weathering with You selected as Japan's entry for Academy Award for [Best International Feature Film|Best International Feature Film] at the 92nd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film|92nd Academy Awards], but they were ultimately not nominated or make the shortlist.