‘Weathering With You’ Novel Tops Japanese Light Novel Sales This Year

Makoto Shinkai’s recent work Weathering With You, has not only topped the box office worldwide but has also made it as one of the most top sell-selling light novels in Japan by volume this year.  The list officially covers sales of the mentioned book category from November 19, 2018 until November 17, 2019.

According to the Oricon’s overall bunko ranking chart, the Weathering With You novel sold around 511, 159 copies in Japan alone. This is the second time that Shinkai has topped the charts in this category, with his first one being the your name. novel that was released three years ago.

Aside from the light novel version, the children’s book version of Weathering With You has also ranked in #1 in the children’s book category last Summer.

The Weathering with You anime film premiered in Japan on July 19 and immediately conquered box office charts in its first three days, earning US$15.22 million. It had a special North American premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival as part of its Special Presentations Category with screenings on September 8, 10, 14. Weathering With You was submitted for consideration for the Best International Feature Film category for the 92nd Academy Awards. It was announced that the film would have its official North America opening on January 17. The film was also screened in Anime NYC this month.

The film recently won the Best Animated Feature Film award during the 13^th Asia Pacific Awards, which was held Brisbane, Australia. The other nominees in the said category were the following: Penguin Highway by Hiroyasu Ishida, Mosley by Kirby Atkins, Underdog by Oh Sung Yoon, and The Unseen by Behzad Nalbhadi.

Here is a synopsis about the film as described by GKIDS:

The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong­willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky…

You may check the film trailer here: https://youtu.be/9N1gmaD499k

Here is the complete list of light novel titles that made it to the ranks this year:

Source: Oricon, Anime News Network