The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Friday, January 24, 2020 — 5

There are no Kinks in The Kinks, no Smiths 
in The Smiths, not a stroke in the The Strokes 
to be found. Perhaps then, to some surprise, 
front woman María of The Marías seems 
anything but out of place. María (who leaves off 
her surname in press) is the focal point of the 
band’s aesthetic, supplying the velvety vocals 
to the songs she co-writes, wearing the bob of 
black hair recognizable on the album art of all 
of their EPs, releasing singles and song-snippets 
with clips from Goddard’s “Vivre sa Vie” and 
Almodovar’s “Los Amantes Pasajeros.” A Puerto 
Rican LA transplant who grew up in Atlanta, 
María sings in both English and Spanish in her 
songs, the band somewhere along the border 

of indie-dream pop and Latinx, though I don’t 
see any reason to force a distinction on them — 
The Marías are comfortably, necessarily, multi-
faceted. 
In the band, María is joined by drummer, 
boyfriend and co-writer Josh Conway, as well 
as Jesse Perlman on guitar, Edward James on 
Keys and Gabe Steiner on Trumpet. Conway 
recruited Perlman and James to join on after he 
had already approached María about working 
together. Steiner also functions as the band’s 
touring manager. 
The band’s platform has grown steadily since 
they released their second EP, Superclean Vol. 
II, in the fall of 2018. Their debut single “I 
Don’t Know You” recently topped thirty million 
hits on Spotify, they played festival shows and 
venues across the country for the better part of 
last year; they’re the type of band that you’re 
indie-attuned friend has already added to a 
playlist, the type of band they’ll claim finders-
fee-dibs over if their next album breaks big. All 
to say, there’s many sets of eyes and ears waiting 
eagerly for what comes next.
Last year, I met up to talk with the band at 
their show in Detroit.
***
The Marías’ day-to-day has steadied between 
projects. They were on and off the road from 
March until August, embarking on a set of three 
tours throughout spring and summer. These 
were their third, fourth and fifth tours, their 
travels taking them through some two-dozen 
cities, onto a Coachella stage, altogether playing 

in five countries across three continents. The 
great irony of an artist’s sophomore project has 
nipped at The Marías’ heels too: So busy with the 
promotion and maintenance of the work that’s 
made their name, any time or inspiration needed 
to build toward the next project pinched.
“All our growing pains we felt touring have 
already happened,” María said, “it’s been a lot 
easier on this tour than previous tours.” 
Their final summer tour, a docket of fifteen 
domestic shows, was their first with a band bus. 
The four Marías were in agreement that having 
a known space to come back to every day had 
helped them settle into those weeks on the road. 
“Since we used to drive, just the stress of 
getting to shows in the past was very draining – 
leaving on time, sometimes driving eight hours 
the day of the show,” James said.
 They told me their free time before and after 
shows was split equally between streaming 
shows and movies and playing badminton 
outside on Hotel lawns. 
***
When asked “who’s the best badminton 
player,” the band (with a shifty-eyed James) 
answered unanimously:
Conway: “Derone (the band’s touring bass 
player), he’s by far the best, he brought the set. 
María: “Then Jesse, probably.” 
James: “No way, me! I think I’m definitely 
number two.”
Perlman: “I think I’m number two.”
James: “I’m not gonna let this slide, like I — 
definitely Derone and I are neck and neck.”
The four of them all talk at once.
María: “I just heard you like to…” She mimes 
whipping the badminton birdy back and forth.
James: “No no — yesterday we were hitting 
it straight at each other for like thirty-five 
minutes.”
María: “Oh, well I missed that.”
James: (to me) “I’m not gonna — that’s the only 
thing I’m not gonna let up on.”
They all laugh.
***
From what I saw, they’re a pretty tight-knit 
group. It was interesting to see María, Conway, 
Perlman 
and 
James 
organize 
themselves 
for the interview. Immediately Perlman and 
James separated themselves from the leading 
couple, though, on all questions apart from 
those considering writing, Perlman and James 
weren’t at all hesitant to jump in. Sometimes 
the questions would sort of default back to 
María, probably coming from the fact that most 
interviews they have are very focused on the 
singer.
At some point, when I was asking the band 
about their current music tastes, we got into 
a 
conversation 
about 
avoiding 
repeating 
something that’s already been done – essentially 
the awareness (and, hopefully, the avoidance) 

of writing a song that sounds too similar to 
something else. To my ear, The Marías have one 
of the most unique sounds right now. Hearing 
them voice their fears about being unoriginal 
made me think this need for novelty might be 
exactly the reason for this style. I wonder if this 
also plays a part in their patient approach to 
recording and releasing new music.
Early last year, fighting a bout of writer’s 
block, María and Conway left the city to get some 
fresh air. They spent a few weeks in Joshua Tree 
National Park, thinking the change in scenery 

would help spur them on. 
“We’ve been there many times. Up until that 
point we’d recorded everything in our living 
room,” María said, “we wanted to just get away 
to somewhere peaceful and open – and get 
ourselves into a different mindset because we’d 
been touring so much last year. We needed to 
get away from people and clear our heads. It 
definitely did that. It was just fun; it was a good 

time.”
***
Both María and Conway were upfront about 
the difficulties they found writing while on the 
road. 
María: “The mindset of … before we went on 
tour, the mindset was all about the songwriting, 
it was all about the songs. Once we started 
touring it became, just, a different journey of 
those songs. When we weren’t touring, there was 
so much more to draw inspiration from. Like our 
heads were in a better, more creative space –”
Conway: “Sort of in the clouds.”
María: “Yeah, and then when touring, it’s 
definitely more difficult to find inspiration. 
We’re in a bus. We drive to a city. And even 
though they’re different cities, we don’t get 
to explore as much as people think. It’s pretty 
monotonous.”
***
The band has turned down offers from record 
labels, deciding to remain independent. Last month, 
they released a single under their own Superclean 
records. 
At first listen, I was disappointed. “Out for the 
Night” doesn’t separate itself from the rest of the 
band’s discography. The single could be slipped into 
either of the Superclean EPs, without much effect, 
which makes sense when you learn that it’s not a 
new song at all. “Out for the Night” was the first song 
María and Conway ever wrote together. They didn’t 
think they were ever going to release a studio version, 
so they decided to share the rough cut they’d already 
had done.
Regardless of the confusion “Out for the Night” 
supplied, I can’t help but feel weary about the The 
Marías’ next steps. The band hasn’t released any of 
post-Vol. II music since, well, Superclean Vol. II, in 
September of 2018. I hope the time off toward the end 
of 2019 has given them a chance to return to their lives, 
to their inspirations, and has given them a chance to 
bring it to our ears into a satisfying new light.

MUSIC INTERVIEW

The Michigan Theater debuted Makoto Shinkai’s 
“Weathering With You” last Thursday. The director’s 
name alone made the screening an event. 
The Theater’s main auditorium seats over a 
thousand, and by 8 p.m., when the showing was set 
to begin, there were hardly any seats left. It was the 
most packed I’ve seen the theater for anything that 
wasn’t “The Room.” My co-reviewer and I shoved 
ourselves up against the balcony railing. There was 
nervous chatter throughout the theater as anticipation 
grew, one that was well-warranted. “Weathering” 
is Shinkai’s follow-up feature to his 2016 record-
breaking “Your Name,” which beat “Spirited Away” to 
become the highest grossing anime film and Japanese 
film of all time. I’d venture to guess that everyone in 
the auditorium had seen it.
Since before I started going to school here three 
years ago, the Michigan Theater’s featured themed 
months based around famous directors, movements 
or time periods. They’ve also had quite a few anime 
nights. Their recent series, titled “Icons in Anime,” 
will show international anime staples like “My 
Neighbor Totoro,” “Ghost in the Shell,” “Akira” and 
the aforementioned “Your Name” spread out through 
the entire semester. 
The theater’s host made a point of mentioning all 
of this before the start of “Weathering” on Thursday, 
which, while an understandable move, struck me 
as being a bit funny. “Your Name” is the highest 
grossing anime film of all time, and it felt as though, 
by screening its follow-up “Weathering” to a crowd 
of 1,400+ anime fans eager for its first Ann Arbor area 
screening, they were pushing their anime slate in the 
hopes that the crowd will adopt a new tradition of 
Michigan-Theater-Anime-Showings on Thursday 
nights. But it’s not like they were advertising their 
slate of anime debuts in the upcoming semester. It 
seems like anyone in the audience who wants to has 
probably already seen “Spirited Away.”
A hush fell over the crowd when the opening 
credits began. A short burst of applause broke out at 
the title. One hundred and eleven minutes later, a hush 
fell over the crowd when the title came back on to end 
the movie. A pause. Waiting for something more. Then 
something of a patronizing rumble of cheers from 
around the auditorium. With “Weathering,” Shinkai 
isn’t going to break the record for highest-grossing 
anime film again.
Unfortunately, “Weathering With You” fails, in 
almost every measurable (and immeasurable) way, to 
live up to the astronomically high expectations set by 
the success of “Your Name.” Its plot structure is less 

elegant, with a tepid love story, irrational characters 
and forgettable ending. Its supernatural elements are 
strangely institutionalized and unimaginative. Its 
politics on climate change and rising sea levels are 
subdued but problematic. Its animation is lacking. Its 
one saving grace is its humor, but even that might not 
be enough.
It’s hard not to see the film as riding the coattails of 
the massive success of “Your Name.” Both of the main 
characters from “Your Name” show up in little cameos 
at different points in the movie. Moments before I even 
knew who had just appeared on the screen, sections of 
the auditorium were bordering on hysterics. We won’t 
see that type of love for “Weathering”s protagonists 
if they ever make their way back up onto the silver 
screen.
— Stephen Satarino, Daily Arts Writer
Regardless of one’s opinion on the quality of “Your 
Name,” its meteoric rise to the top of the box office and 
the unstoppable phenomenon it has become, both in 
Japan and abroad, is undeniable. Teenagers flocked 
to the multiplexes to see it once and then see it two, 
three or even four more times. Comparisons to Studio 
Ghibli maestro Hayao Miyazaki were inescapably 
abound for director Makoto Shinkai. My friend saw 
it with his parents, who had no idea what an anime 
was, and they all loved it. Though I missed the boat to 
see it in theaters, after watching it on a sleepy winter 
night with my girlfriend, sharing laughter and tears, I 
immediately understood the hype.
So, scrolling through my social media feeds one day 
sometime last year and seeing a trailer for the new 
movie “from ‘Your Name’ director Makoto Shinkai,” 
I was sold. I didn’t even need to know what it was 
about; the trailer’s lovely visuals were the only pitch 
I needed. On Facebook I responded “Going” to the 
Michigan Theater’s special one-night only screening 
of “Weathering.” The months passed and the seasons 
changed. Suddenly I found myself hurrying down the 
stairs from the balcony seating to grab some napkins 
(the Dr. Pepper Stephen bought me exploded upon 
opening) as to not miss the start of the movie.
Whereas “Your Name” told a fantastical body-
swapping tale in the guise of a love story, “Weathering 
with You” is a love story hiding under its fantasy 
drapery. It’s more direct in intertwining the lives of 
its two leads: Hodaka is a high school-aged runaway 
who’s come to Tokyo to make a new life for himself, 
and Hina is a teenage girl struggling to provide for 
herself and her kid brother after their mom’s passing. 
Tokyo is swamped with unseasonable summer rains 
when Hodaka arrives, so strange and lasting that its 
citizens find comfort in myths and legends to explain 
this freak weather. 
The film quickly brings those legends to the 
forefront as we learn Hina is a sort of “weather 
maiden,” a girl who is able to briefly control the 
weather through her prayers to the heavens. Just as 
Hodaka begins to find stable footing thanks to the 

kindness of a man who runs a small pulp publishing 
company with his niece, his life becomes intertwined 
with Hina’s by chance. After learning of her secret 
miracles Hodaka convinces Hina to start a business 
clearing the rainy weather for people on special events 
with him and her brother Nagi.
From there the film wanders into a story as tragically 
downcast as rain itself, but like Hina’s power, it still 
allows for pockets of sunshine and rainbows, humor 
and levity. In these moments “Weathering with You” 
shines. The film knows exactly how long to sustain a 
joke without it becoming stale, and recurring bits like 
Nagi’s exploits as an elementary school Casanova or 
Hodaka’s reliance on Yahoo Answers for help with 
his most pressing questions never failed to make the 
theater laugh.
But the theater was laughing too much, as the 
greatest flaw of “Weathering with You” is its failure to 
let the audience sit with its most solemn moments. The 
romance is engaging and had me rooting for Hodaka 
all the way through, but it peters out in the most 
contrived (and, with the questionable stance it meekly 
takes on climate change, confusing) fashion possible, 
so much so I had to look up the specifics of the ending 
again while writing this because I thought I had 
forgotten something beyond “guy finally ends up with 
girl.” I didn’t. The film just ends. It introduces these 
heart-rending backstories and arcs for its characters, 
but never seems concerned with delivering on them.
We don’t learn the circumstances of Hodaka’s home 
life that drove him to run away in the first place, and 
the death of Hina’s mother seems more like a scripted 
afterthought than a defining moment of grief. Though 
“Weathering” could have suffered by directly fleshing 

out these points of the narrative if executed poorly, the 
best movies are like mystifying pools of water, with 
stories that expertly glide over the surface. They give 
the audience glimpses of what emotional intensity lies 
below but never outright plunge underneath.
The rains of “Weathering with You” leave behind 
tons of these tiny, shimmering (and delightfully 
animated) pools. They’re alluring at first, with an 
intriguing depth unknown to the audience, but at the 
end of the day, they’re just puddles. The movie walks 
straight through them without even making a splash.
Perhaps the saddest thing about “Weathering” is 
how strangely relatable it ended up being, not only in 
how the main character (uncannily like me) sort of 
finds a career in writing after leaving his (assumedly 
shitty) family behind, but with how the film plays out. 
It puts such lofty expectations on itself, under the 
weight of which it can’t help but struggle. “Weathering 
with You” tries to soar over “Your Name” yet fears 
even the slightest tiptoe outside of its shadow. I’ve 
been there, wanting to one-up the popular kid at 
school by becoming the class clown, but attracting 
attention that is ultimately shallow and at the cost of 
shoving down my emotions. “Weathering with You” 
could be and at times almost is a gorgeous film in its 
own right, but its beauty is diminished because it can’t 
stop trying (and failing) to one-up its predecessor.
The worst part is that we see all this unfold in real 
time, and we can’t stop the movie from imploding 
on itself in pursuit of this conceited dream. “Your 
Name” was a brilliant spark that lit a towering flame. 
“Weathering with You” doesn’t understand why you 
can’t build a fire in the pouring rain.
— Cassandra Mansuetti, Daily Digital Culture Editor

Two takes on the second-rate ‘Weathering With You’

FILM REVIEW

STEPHEN SATARINO
Daily Arts Writer

CASSANDRA MANSUETTI
Digital Culture Editor

TOHO

In The Marías, careful composition meets new age

The Marías are comfortably, 
necessarily, multifaceted

To me, the Marías have one 
of the most unique sounds 
right now. Hearing them 
vocalize their reticence to 
sound overdone made me 
think this need for novelty 
might be exactly the reason 
for this style

AUDIAM

STEPHEN SATARINO
Daily Arts Writer