Conference Paper: “Wielding and Caring for the Weather: Individual Agency and Reactionary Care in Makoto Shinkai’s Tenki no Ko”

I had a great time participating in the conference Reflections on Asian Eco-Culture: Audiovisual Portraits of Ecology Thought, held at the Carlos III University, in Madrid. Being a literary scholar, it was my first time collaborating so closely with colleagues from film studies, but the thematic connections (and textual interpretations of many of the analysis) are happily strong.

I presented a paper on how Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering with You (2019) examines individual agency and interpersonal care in the face of climate crisis. While the film initially promises fresh perspectives on human-nature relationships and environmental responsibility, it ultimately retreats into conventional narrative patterns.

Kudos to the organizers, the keynote speakers (professors Ursula Heise and Sean Cubitt), and my talented panel lecturers!