By Ankita Chandra
It is that time of the year, when the grey skies and essence of petrichor are puting us all in a cozy, ruminative mood. If you have found yourself staring outside the window, getting lost in some faraway world of your own as the raindrops splash onto the panes and create a musical backdrop, it is time to bring those imaginative worlds closer. Here is a t2-curated watchlist of anime films and series to keep you company on these rainy days, with stories full of warmth, emotion, and the monsoon mood.
A romantic fantasy film by animation director Makoto Shinkai, Weathering With You paints an ethereal world full of dreamy skies and picture-perfect rain scenes, focusing on how the change of weather reflects our changing moods and emotions. The story follows Hodaka Morishima, a boy who escapes his home on a remote island to come to Tokyo. There, he meets Hina Amano, a girl with the mysterious power to stop rainfall and bring sunshine to the skies. The contrast between the warmth of the sun and the raindrop-covered visuals of Tokyo creates a mesmerising backdrop to the sweet romance developing between the protagonists.
Another rain-soaked masterpiece by Makoto Shinkai, The Garden of Words follows the gradually developing bond between a teenage boy named Takao and a mysterious woman in her late twenties, named Yukino. The two only meet on rainy days, which makes the film a perfect monsoon romance. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and its verdant, lush surroundings, where the two come together to find some respite from the struggles of school, work and personal conflicts. Rain becomes a character in itself in the film, acting as a manifestation of the characters’ inner worlds in the external world. Varying levels of showers, from heavy to gentle, add to the emotional weight of each scene.
An anime series based on a popular comic that sold more than 1.85 million copies, After the Rain follows the workplace romance between a high-school girl and the manager of a restaurant where she works part-time. On a rainy day, the protagonist Akira is seen sitting in this restaurant, when the manager brings her a hot cup of coffee she has not ordered. Telling her that it is “on the house” and served so she can spend some time until the skies clear up, the manager leaves, and that is the moment Akira feels an instant connection with the kind stranger. A former ace on the field but compelled to quit sports due to an injury, Akira now works part-time in the same restaurant, and her bittersweet, banter-filled workplace bond with the manager quickly turns into a passionate romance.
A feature-length anime production by Hiroyasu Ishida, who directed the picturesque rainy short-film Rain Town, Drifting Home is a story of friendship and togetherness against literal and metaphorical storms, where six children see each other through a tumultuous adventure. A mysterious boy named Kosuke and his childhood friend Natsume enter an apartment complex with their friends. But there is a fantasy twist, for the complex is suddenly seen drifting on an ocean. The children face a number of challenges, both physical and emotional, as they navigate the storms and turbulence of the ocean and attempt to find their way home. Thunder, overcast skies, heavy rainfall and rushing winds make up the thrilling atmosphere of the film, perfect to watch on a rainy day.
If you have a soft corner for lasting bonds with pets, this story is definitely a perfect pick for you. The series follows a lonesome, reclusive novelist Fuji, who meets an unusual dog-like creature on a day filled with heavy rain. Moved by the longing stare of the animal, and the way it reaches out to hold her hand, Fuji takes it home, little knowing that the newly acquired pet would bring light back into her gloomy and isolated life. As they eat, go out and spend time together in the successive episodes, the reclusive Fuji slowly comes out of her shell and learns to appreciate life and its small joys a little more. The pet, which comes as a stroke of good luck and a rescue to Fuji’s life, also helps her connect with her neighbours and form meaningful bonds outside her closeted existence.
Are you in for a heartwarming, cosy high school romance full of yearning and longing? Then Iroduku: The World in Colours is just for you. If you miss the nostalgic times spent in high school and the first butterflies of a teenage crush a little more on the moody overcast days, then watching this futuristic coming-of-age drama will be intensely relatable to you. Set in the year 2078 in Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan, the story brings to life a surreal world where magic is part of the everyday.
The protagonist in the plot is 17-year-old Hitomi Tsukishiro, who hails from a family of wizards, but has lost her colour vision following the tragic demise of her mother, and only sees the world in dull monochromes. Hitomi’s grandmother sends her 60 years back in time to the year 2018, hoping that she would be able to restore her ability to see colours. There, she meets Yuito Aoi, an introverted young artist, and it is only in his paintings that she can see the whole spectrum of colours. A story where love brings colour back into one’s life, both literally and figuratively, Iroduku: The World in Colours will bring you warmth even amidst the gloomy, monsoon-like mood of the story.
K-star Spotlight: How Kim Soo-hyun’s unforeseen return proves his unmatched star-power
17 Jul 2026, 12:00AM
More Stories
