Just watch the movie to be swept away by the artistry. Or buy the manga to display.

Because really as a story, it's more of a concept than an actual plot. So many plot armors to drive the story forward that Shinkai wants to tell. No matter how unbelievable the circumstances are. For example: a kid without any special talents or pre-planning just waltzing out from a police station to escape. Nobody dies when they should have because death exists in this but the characters are NPCs with unkillable tag.

The story actually doesn't go anywhere. The issue was still unresolved. There are plot holes that are never given light. And the main characters are card board cutouts.

So just watch the movie. The Shinkai movie sheen will be enough to distract you from how mediocre the story actually is.