Mimi wo Sumaseba

The strength of Whisper of the Heart is the strength all films that have been touched by Miyazaki seem to have. That is, the details. In this film the things that have impressed me were the little extras that are contained in each characters movements. It's something that you very rarely get—at least this consistently—outside of Miyazaki films. Whether it be reaching for the lamp cord from bed, failing, and needing to sit up to do it properly, or whether it be the normal silences in conversation (as apposed to dramatic silences), everything just feels a lot more real, a lot more vibrant than most ... films.

Regarding this film in comparison to other films Miyazaki has been a part of, this one seems to by far have the fewest fantastic elements (that is, elements which contain impossible occurrences or imaginary creatures). If I could compare it to any other Miyazaki film, I would say that it is most like My Neighbor Totoro, in that they both focus on the more or less ordinary lives of their characters, rather than large, sweeping plots. It is something that needs to be watched with a mind set that is not waiting for something to move forward, or endanger the characters lives, or otherwise throw them into an absurd situation. Everything that happens in the plot is very believable, yet has its own magic about it because of the playful way it is presented.

One thing that was especially impressive about this film, although most Miyazaki films carry this trait, was the accuracy of the child psychology (and psychology in general). When you watch the characters of this film interact with each other, and when you see things happen to them and how it affects them, you get a feeling of profound truth. This film is dramatic, but it was not cinema dramatic, it was true dramatic. If a character is sad, that doesn't become their entire personality, it is something that affects their personality. The reason I ramble so long about this is because of how rare it is to see in any medium of art. It is something that if you are looking for it, it is truly beautiful and astounding. This quality of work is not easily imitated.

If you ask me why I rate the art a "9" I will tell it is because of its expressiveness. The landscapes are beautiful, sure, but the real reason I give it a 9 is because of the work put into the animations of every character. There is nothing lazy about it, and there is a uniqueness to the characters movements that takes serious attention. Most films will cut corners in this department, but even though you could call this movie's art dated, that doesn't decrease the pleasure gained from its attentiveness.

Still, I will hesitate to recommend this to everyone. If you want a plot that 'actually goes somewhere,' so to speak, this film will not give that to you. If you want a film with a tonne of weird and unbelievable things (such as you may be used to with Miyazaki), this film will also not deliver that. What this film delivers is a very detailed picture of its characters which is at times heart warming, at other times heart breaking, and at all times true.

Loved it.

Whisper of the Heart is unique with respect to its Ghibli film counterparts in that it seems almost mundane. Here we have our main heroine Shizuku Tsukishima and her life as a middle school-aged girl. While the film is essentially a slice-of-life with a hint of the "boy-meets-girl" rom-com trope thrown in, the way in which its characters are presented is not only relate-able to the audience but also endearing; an adult could sympathize with Shizuku just as much as a child could. As someone who values character development greatly, I feel that the creators efforts really pay off in showing how our main heroine ... develops over a short period of time, providing insight into her stream of consciousness with her full range of emotions on display. Combined with a diverse ensemble of a supporting cast, Shizuku's character really comes to life over the course of the film.

True to form as a Ghibli production, this film complements its character driven narrative with a slew of wall-paper worthy long shots and vibrant animation schemes which I have yet to see that often even in more recent large scale production anime ( there are several such scenes in the latter half of the film, but no spoilers here of course!). Not much else to say here, I recommend you watch the film and see for yourself.

Sound quality in the film was solid throughout. But what really won me over was the Japanese rendition of Jon Denver's country road. Not only was it an impressive rendition by itself, it was incredibly appropriate for the small town slice-of-life feel that the creators seemed to be going for. Even after hearing it on replay throughout the film, I did not tire of that song, which in my opinion, speaks volumes for how fitting the song was for the film's overall atmosphere. Sadly, the other background music did go relatively unnoticed, but upon re-watching the movie and listening to the original soundtrack again, the rest of the background music was quite good as well.

When we think of studio Ghbli we often times think of Hayao Miyazaki and sometimes Isao Takahata. In the case of Whisper of the heart, we have a tale with all the flavor and style reminiscent of these Ghibli greats, and yet was directed by neither Miyazaki nor Takahata but instead by a man named Yoshifumi Kondō, whose life was cut tragically short after the release of his 1st and only film. A darn shame too, because at the time he was considered a legitimate candidate to succeed Miyazaki as head of the studio.

As a film that seems almost forgotten among the plethora of excellent productions from studio Ghibli, Whisper of the Heart is a much watch as an entry level anime for people just getting into the medium and as a deeper exploration into the world of anime film for seasoned veterans out there. In addition, as with all Ghibli films, Whisper of the Heart feels like it was made with a general audience in mind, so you needn't be a fan of slice-of-life to enjoy watching it.


Even if you end up not liking this film I hope you found my review helpful. Of course I am always looking to improve, so feedback is always appreciated.
Just leave a message on my profile thread if you have any comments, criticisms, or just wanna talk about anime!!

Adolescence is among the most memorable phases in one's life. During this time, we tend to make decisions based on adrenaline instincts, work as we wish to, while repudiating any advice. Some of us even develop endearing feelings of love for someone, while also chasing our own dream or even remoulding them for the sake of someone else, often out of inspiration and seldom out of desperation.

Working on the themes of adolescence and infatuation giving rise to a wonderful journey of self discovery, Studio Ghibli presents us with Mimi wo Sumaseba also commonly known as Whisper of the Heart. The story mainly revolves around the ... female lead, Shizuku Tsukishima, a junior high school girl living in New Tama Town. The story progresses as Shizuku constantly finds a certain someone, named Seiji Awasama, always issuing books before she does at her town library, which leads her to grow a sense of respect while her imagination weaves together a personality of Seiji as one could only describe as the "Prince Charming of her life." Much to her disappointment, Seiji is any thing but the "prince charming" she had imagined him to be; but Seiji had a unique charm of his own. One thing led to another and soon, Shizuku starts facing typical teenage life problem ranging from the urge to rebel against her parent's wishes, unnecessarily squabbling with her siblings, while also realising she has fallen in love with the "not-the-prince-charming-she-had-imagined", Seiji. Hereby follows a movie about self discovery, presented in the most heartwarming way possible.

Now it may seem like any other teenage-romance on pen and paper, but Whisper of the Heart, has its own charm, specially due to the way it presents itself. The problem with most romance shows now a days is that they tend to be extremely dull or overly melodramatic and their predictable plot structure doesn’t help them much either. While being melodramatic, most also tend to be highly unrealistic with their character interactions, their behaviour, body language and much more which just brings their over all quality down. Whisper of the heart, throws all these out of the window and carves its path through this genre in a rather realistic and dramatic way, without crossing the dreaded line between the dramatic and the melodramatic. Character interactions are seamless and seem as realistic as it can get for a story of such sorts. Characters behave as a mere reflection of any other ordinary teenager, as they would to the shown circumstances and these strokes of realism are even more integrated into the movie with the help of detailed, subtle body language of the the characters through which many emotions are shown, rather than told through mere dialogue exchange.

The characters themselves are rather eccentric even though they are fairly ordinary people. The female lead, Shizuka, is a rather charming and adorable girl. Her relation with her family and her friends is well portrayed through meaningful dialogue. Her monologues of what she thinks about her sister, mother, her best friends and her general view of the situations she faces helps build up her base character along with her relationship with the side characters in a gradual and methodical way. The development that Shizuka goes through the movie, simply put, is phenomenal. From a naive junior high student, who didn’t know what she wanted to do with her talent, and on the bigger scale, with her life; Shizuka realises her field of interest and recognises her talents. Her love for writing also explores her vivid and colourful imagination. She comes to realise the importance of family and meeting up with family expectations, while chasing her individual dream too, but the main motivation behind most of her development is her love interest, Seiji.

Seiji is quite the character himself. He is shown as an ordinary boy, working at his grandfather’s small antique shop, while learning both, to build and play the violin. The development between Seiji and Shizuko’s romantic relationship, albeit a bit cheesy, was handled with great care. While Seiji doesn’t receive as much development as Shizuko on screen, most of his character development is rather implied. While maintaining Seiji’s lively manner, we see a sense of responsibility grow in him which we naturally see in most teens as they go through their phase of adolescence. His growth in sense of responsibility is established through his interactions with Shizuko, specially, the conversation they have on the school rooftop where they realise they have to work their way so that they could live and spend more time together in the future.All these character interactions which lead to their subtle development, was neatly woven together by the skilful hands of the director, Yoshifumi Kondou, who is known for his works in various other critically acclaimed works such as Omoide Poroporo and Akage no Anne as an animation director.

Studio Ghibli has always been known for sending the audience into another magical dimension with their various works, but sometimes, due to the lack of proper direction, the whole magical element backfires, and in the end, the movie tends to become a mess. Thankfully, Whisper of the Heart, is not one of these movies! Even though the movie is highly realistic at its core, Studio Ghibli didn’t stop from adding their key fantasy elements into the movie. And with the efficient direction, these were used to enhance the whole experience of the viewer. Shizuka’s main writing work is dynamically shown, rather than being simply narrated. These scenes range from talking rabbits wearing monocles to riding an air stream to an unknown mysterious castle. All these fantasy elements are integrated into the movie with great caress without leaving deep scars on the strokes of realism, the movie portrays.

The animation delivered by Studio Ghibli, as usual, is fantastic. Great detail is maintained in almost every frame and the movement of characters and the general motion is as fluid as it can get. The landscape scenes are pretty eye candy and the movie is completely devoid of any ugly CGI. There are some great camera angles used when necessary, sometime to show the overarching city while some soothing music plays to evoke a strange feeling of nostalgia. The artistic direction of the movie takes credits when the fantasy world is involved, as the colour palette becomes much more vibrant and animation becomes subtly smoother and camera angles range from the typical to experimental ones where Shizuka is shown riding the winds to the castle.

Along with the magical animation, the movie imbues a deep sense of nostalgia with its musical direction. The movie begins with Olivia Newton John’s cover of the famous song, Country Road, which itself evokes a warm fuzzy feeling in the viewer, making them feel right at home. Other than that particular cover of John Dever’s, country road, a japanese rendition is sung many times in the movie and their placement couldn’t have been more correct which added to the overall atmosphere of the film, whenever they were used. A personal favourite would be when Seiji plays the violin and Shizuka sings along and the elders join in with various other instruments, to create one of the most joyous and heart warming scenes in anime for me personally, but one could feel free to disagree, I guess. Other soundtracks just add to the magic of the film and its overarching, heartwarming atmosphere. To weave such a fantastic atmosphere, and evoke feelings of nostalgia with the music alone, credits must be given to the “music director”, Yuuiji Nomi who is also known for his quirky OST’s in Nichijou.

With all that said and done, I must conclude by saying that Whisper of the Heart is a wonderful coming of age film; and a journey of self discovery. This film has something for everybody to enjoy, whether it be seeing yourself as a teenager grow up in the movie, facing similar problems or for parents, who could see how to co-operate with their child when they’re in their rebellious phase of life and let them freely chase their dreams. The fantastic musical score coupled with the fluid animation has the right balance of drama imbibed into it. It may appear to some as a typical animated work at first glance but once the experience is over, many will quickly realise that Whisper of the Heart is anything but typical.

And yeah, Country Roads, will never be the same again, for me at least.

Story:
The story is based on a manga by Aoi Hiiragi. What I like about it is that it focuses on a problem that each of us go to at a certain point in our lives, what we want to be when we grow up. This is usually affected by our own capabilities, dreams, certain circumstances and people around us that either pull us down or help us keep going. I think students can relate to the plot better since they are going through similar to what the characters in the story are.

Art:
The characters are drawn in the usual Ghibli style. Although simple, the characters are ... able to portray the emotions needed to make the story believable. The background is very well designed and the little details like thrash on the street, pipes from the houses are all there. They make the environment the character moves in more real. I like these aspects bests in the movie.

Sound:
The music fits the story well, you can get the feel of the story right away and the translation of Country Roads is very amusing.

Character:
The main character responds to her problems immaturely at first but we can see her become more responsible as the story progresses.

Overall:
It's very inspiring once you relate yourself to the plot. It combines a little humor, determination, anger and a little bit of puppy love. A movie you can watch over and over again and pick up ideas from.

I have no idea why people enjoyed this movie. I have never been a very big appreciator of these Miyazaki stamped films, although I don't necessarily dislike them all, but this film is the worst of them I've seen. Lets go through the details.

The animation is in constant conflict. While the backgrounds have some fairly impressive detail, the moving parts of the animation are inconsistent and often poorly done and all movement is extremely choppy. The backgrounds and characters also don't seem to work very well together in some situations as if they exist on different layers. Another example of ... this disconnect between background and the moving pieces is Scooby Doo, where it seems as if they locked the animators for the characters and those for the background in different rooms and never showed each other the other's work.

The sound is downright annoying some of the time. I dislike the use of Take Me Home Country Roads as essentially the theme song of the movie and each time characters sang in the movie it proved more annoying than impactful in any way, and the rewrites the main character made were pretty terrible. Also this film takes one from many other Japanese films and employs the "roaring ambiance," the obnoxious cicada and other such random noises. Aside from that the miscellaneous background music is not noteworthy, although sometimes not very very well selected, and the voice actors are generally fine.

Finally, the story and characters have basically nothing going for them. The characters are generally not believable and flat, the randomness of dialogue is off-putting, the story is slow and boring.
First off, the "romantic element" of this movie feels artificial and forced. The initial romantic triangle doesn't make any sense because we don't even know the character's relationships with each other in the first place. When the female lead says she was friends forever with the dude, I didn't even know they talked. It's also extremely awkward and all the characters fill stereotypical roles, the shy girl, the mediator (main character) and the idiot guy.
As for the main romance of the movie, the proposal at the end was extremely annoying and I couldn't take it seriously at all. Checking out books to get someone's attention is the absolute dumbest thing I've heard, the most hilarious line of the movie being Shizuku wondering if he was handsome just seeing his name in the books.
Oh it's also a great romance when the girl doesn't even know who the guy is and he just inexplicably likes her.

So yes, in the end, all of these elements mix together to form a sub-par community "classic" that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.

I've reviewed a lot of Studio Ghibli films. In January of 2014, one of those films was The Cat Returns. During that review, I mentioned that it's a spin-off loosely connected to this film, Whisper of the Heart. Now, that film was pretty good with plenty of strong elements. Let's look at Whisper of the Heart and see if the same holds true for it.

Story:

Shizuku has a pretty easy life. Her parents are easy-going and she has plenty of friends and lots of time to read obsessively. One day, she notices that all of the books she gets from the library seem to have been ... checked out by the same guy before her. She's curious about what he could be like and, by sheer coincidence, meets a guy she doesn't know. I'm sure these two plot points are completely unrelated. The film follows Shizuku in her daily life with the focus on two major facets, her budding romantic interest in the boy she barely knows and her coming of age and learning what she wants to do and trying her hardest to follow it.

The biggest flaw with the film is the romance aspect. Our two leads are still in their pubescent stage and, frankly, they have about as much chemistry as Argon has with anything. Yet the narrative treats their barely started relationship as important and serious. I give them a couple months together at most before they break up. The coming of age element, however, is pretty well done and it elegantly illustrates what it's like for someone to discover their passion and immerse herself in it. Aside from those two elements, the film is pretty tedious with very little of interest happening. Honestly, it can be really mind-numbing to slog through.

Characters:

The characters in the film vary. Some of them are quite dull, having only a really basic purpose to fill before being banished to wherever trite characters go when they've done their bit. Shizuku is a pretty fleshed out and developed character. I will say, most of the characters have enough to them to have verisimilitude, even if they don't ultimately contribute to the narrative all that much.

Art:

The artwork and animation are the best aspects of the film. Both are really well done in classic Ghibli fashion. So, if nothing else it is a very pretty, nicely detailed film.

Sound:

The vocal cast and music are both pretty middling. They're passable, but not good. The stand out performance has to be from Honna Youko, who is coincidentally going to be featured in next week's series too. She does do a really good job, but you also have actors like Tachibana Takashi who just sound bored. The music is fine, unless you really love or hate the song Country Road. Which does get a bit over-used and could start to wear on your nerves, especially if you aren't kindly disposed towards it to begin with.

Ho-yay:

There really isn't any in this film.

Final Thoughts:

Whisper of the Heart is not a good film. It isn't bad either. It's just a film with a dull narrative, bland characters and excellent artwork. If you really like slow slice of life works, you might enjoy it. Otherwise, I can't really recommend it. Especially when Studio Ghibli has so many really strong films that are filled with intrigue and adventure. My final rating is going to be a 5/10. So, this month we've looked at Nuku Nuku Dash in honour of Hyashibara Megumi month, Yuru Yuri San Hai in honour of yuri month and now this in honour of Ghibli month. Next week we harken back to last year's magical girl month with a look at Futari wa Precure: Max Heart.

I saw this yesterday and literally felt hapiness during this movie. It may not have spirits and magic (like another movies from Studio Ghibli), but this movie shines because it's realistic. What a shame this movie isn't popular in general.

History/Character (10/10): The story starts simple with a girl who isn't much interested in anything other than reading books, and is still half lost with what she's going to do with her life, doubting from the opinions of others whether or not she's good for a creative work of being a writer. She never fell in love or showed to be passionate about anything specific, until ... in an apparently neutral life, a different event happens in the girl's routine: she realizes that from the books she reads someone has the same interest as her in the same books. So, with the "chance" of life, from another event that she shows interest in, she follows an interesting cat to another part of town, where there, she discovers more and more reasons to fall in love with life.

One of Studio Ghibli's best-constructed stories, with simplicity and delicacy at the same time, about the change in perspective that can change someone's life from beautiful situations in life. The film shows that you don't have to go far to realize that love may be closer than you think. The novel isn't the main thing the author wants you to pay attention to, but it's one of the ingredients that add beauty to the main character's construction. Giving her the courage to follow her dreams and not care what others think of her life. Bringing together art and music, in one of the most beautiful films in simplicity about how to see life.

Art/Sound (10/10): Almost every Studio Ghibli movie has an almost impeccable soundtrack in the background, with the delicacy of Hisaishi Joe, all were well constructed instrumentally. "Take me Home, Country Roads" was placed as a cover of the main characters through the violin and singing, and in a spectacular way, respecting the dynamics of the film and bringing more passion to the scene together with the whole transition context of the character's life main in history. Art is not left behind, even in simple everyday situations, like taking a train and in dream situations with magic and fun, they are very lively and fluid, being an important part of contributing to the growth of the entertainment of any one who is watching the movie.

"A lot of my movies have strong female protagonists - brave self-sufficient girls who don't think twice about fighting for what they believe with all their hearts. They'll need a friend or someone to support them, but never a savior." Miyazaki, Hayao

My experience with the film was gratifying, when I stopped to see it, I didn't expect it to be all that I saw. Quite the contrary, at first I thought it would be a slower movie compared to newer Studio movies. But it was a totally positive surprise that I would recommend for anyone to watch and feel their heart warm at the end of a day. Kisses from Brazil.

Yoshifumi Kondo's first and only film for Studio Ghibli (he died a few years after it was completed), WHISPER OF THE HEART, is an absolute delight. Gentle but not syrupy, this modern-day story about a girl and boy discovering that they have a lot in common is beautifully animated, compellingly characterized, and full of heart (pun intended).

Based on a graphic-novel by Aoi Hiragi with a script by Hayao Miyazaki, the movie centers on Shizuku Tsukishima, a somewhat absent-minded but sympathetic young High School student who would rather read books from the library rather than study for her school tests. Shizuku discovers that a certain ... Seiji Amasawa checks out the same books that she does, as detailed on the library checkout cards. When Shizuku first meets Seiji in person, she thinks he's a "stupid jerk" (he makes a somewhat snide remark about her supposedly "corny" writing abilities), but she soon discovers that he is a strangely gentle fellow who longs to become a violinist yet feels that his playing isn't as good as others say it is. Shizuku can relate to this, given that she doubts her talents as a writer. The story takes a dramatic turn when Shizuku discovers that Seiji will be temporarily leaving for Italy to train as a violinist. This inspires Shizuku to pursue her own talent, and she proceeds to write her first story.

At the surface, this would sound like a rather simple love story, but that's not all WHISPER OF THE HEART has going for it. Miyazaki's screenplay ingeniously allows the viewers to identify with Shizuku as she expresses the following emotions: frustration, disappointment, fear, joy, and vulnerability. This is displayed not only in her growing relationship with Seiji, but with her daily interactions with her friends, family, and her inner thoughts. We even see Shizuku deal with humiliation (and even guilt) when a boy reveals he had a crush on her all along, yet she only considered him a friend. Sometimes certain movies can delve a little too much on these angst-ridden elements, but in WHISPER OF THE HEART, this is handled in a way that is not so overbearing (or frustrating even) to the viewer.

The film also works in a subplot involving a captivating antique shop containing all kinds of sparkling treasures, including a charming statuette of a cat known as "Baron". The kindly owner, Mr. Nishi, is warm and supportive of Shizuku, especially when she decides to write her story based on the aforementioned "Baron" statue. He reminded me of Uncle Pom from CASTLE IN THE SKY, a similarly gentle old man who sadly only showed up for one scene; having this kind of character play an even bigger role in WHISPER is a delight.

Speaking of which, the scenes where Shizuku imagines her story are among the movie's most imaginatively animated moments. The film's artwork, typical of Ghibli, is top notch, but one particular sequence (one of the studio's first experiments with computer animation) is especially stunning. Here we see the Baron come alive and escort a fair young maiden (who strangely resembles Shizuku) across a graceful sky of floating islets. The character of the Baron is quite charismatic and one of the more memorable characters in the film; the only other notable feline we see is a pudgy furball known as Moon (aka Muta), who appears quite grumpy whenever Shizuku tries to talk to him.

Incidentally, both of these felines appeared in another Studio Ghibli production, THE CAT RETURNS, a pleasant but merely forgettable family flick considered by many (myself included) as an inferior spin-off. Not that Hiroyuki Morita's film doesn't have any charm, but WHISPER has something that THE CAT RETURNS didn't have, hence why it holds up better.

Interestingly, John Denver's immortal "Take Me Home, Country Roads" plays a crucial part in the story: the first half of the movie deals with Shizuku trying to translate the song into Japanese. This part of the story obviously gave Disney a lot of problems in terms of translation, hence why it was delayed from its English release for quite some time. Fortunately, their dub handles it in a way that remains true to the original intent, yet at the same time makes it easier for American audiences to connect with. Here Shizuku tries to write her own lyrics for the song, with each attempt improving as she learns to write from the heart. This approach works rather well, as I could sense little, if any, lost in the translation.

As much as I've heard people criticize Disney for the actors they've chosen to voice the characters in their dubs for Ghibli's works, I have practically enjoyed every one of their voice casts (save perhaps THE WIND RISES). WHISPER OF THE HEART is another one of my favorite dubs from them. As the insecure Shizuku, Brittany Snow speaks in a very expressive, believable way without being saccharine, and has an equally lovely singing voice. David Gallagher--no stranger to voice acting, given his work in KINGDOM HEARTS--provides an excellent contrast to Snow through his understated yet effective turn as Seiji. Cary Elwes reprises his role as the debonair Baron from THE CAT RETURNS. The person who takes the prize for best acting in the dub, though, is Harold Gould, who brings just the right amount of warmth, poignancy, and compassion to the kindly Mr. Nishi. Of course there will always be fans who prefer the Japanese version, but for me, the dub gets my vote.

However you choose to see WHISPER OF THE HEART, this is another winner from one of Japan's greatest animation studios. I never expected to love it as much as I did, and chances are you will too, if you allow yourself to be charmed by its warm heart.

Whisper of the Heart perfectly captures the anxieties of growing up and finding your place in the world, and the anxieties faced by any creator finding their creative voice, weaving the two into a spectacular coming-of-age story.

It's surprising that this is one of few Ghibli movies to not be directed by either Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata (although Miyazaki was heavily involved with other elements of its production). It possesses both Miyazaki's incredible skill at visual storytelling, and Takahata's subtle mastery of conveying plot through emotion.

It's almost redundant to say this of any Ghibli movie, but the production job here is incredible. The background art ... is incredible, even moreso than in most of their movies. Despite its urban/suburban setting, the movie manages to seem almost like a fairytale (which is certainly not accidental, as this is a common theme within the movie's plot).

More impressive is the characterisation. The leads, Shizuku and Seiji, aren't especially unique in their own right, but they're not intended to be. This makes them much easier to relate to. While that would run the risk of making them uninteresting, the way their thoughts and feelings are conveyed in this movie, through subtle details in expressions, or through subtext in dialogue, rather than through unique character traits, makes them seem utterly organic and real, like actual people with worries and doubts and passions like us, not like something a writer thought up.

The whole movie is rich in subtle nuance. For example, Shizuku is working on a set of lyrics in the first half of the movie. The first and second time we hear them, they're remarkably different - the second one is influenced by her first fairytale experience in the movie. It never feels the need to state it, but the way the new lyrics mirror her experience, it's clear how much it meant to her.

This nuance carries over to the main plot of the movie - Shizuku being impressed by Seiji's craftsmanship at making violins, and his passion for becoming great at it inpires an insecurity in her about her own ability to create things and her lack of purpose. Along a backdrop of teenage drama and angst, it parallels the same struggle of growing up that we all follow, but it's never spelled out.

Final Words: Whisper of the Heart is an exceptionally well-told story, and one that feels very much "from the heart". It easily stands as my favourite Ghibli movie.

Story/Plot: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Animation/Art: 10/10
Music: 8/10
Acting (Dub): 8/10

Overall: 10/10

For Fans Of: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Only Yesterday

It's no secret that Ghibli films often invoke that wondrous sense of childhood nostalgia that can't be replaced by anyone. From the gorgeous backgrounds to the expressive animation, to the incredible fantasy worlds or the down to earth slice of life stories they tell, it's hardly a surprise that they are still a beloved animation studio after all these years. However, this film takes a different approach. This film explores that kind of childhood wonder that so many of these other Ghibli films give by focusing on the perspective of a young girl who feels like she isn't doing enough. A girl who has a ... deeply relatable inferiority complex wants to be an author and desires to feel like she's good enough to both herself and for the boy she likes. This is the tale of Shizuku Tsukishima, a girl who's struggling to grow up.

Shizuku Tsukishima is a middle school student who loves reading fantasy books and getting lost in the stories that she reads. She often doesn't focus on what she's supposed to do because she's so wrapped up in her fantasies. She's known to often frequent the library and her older sister worries that she isn't focusing on her schoolwork because of her antics. What's interesting about Shizuku is that she starts as this cheerful but hot headed kid who butts heads with a boy her age who also reads fantasy novels named Seiji Amasawa and gets herself into awkward situations with other people, to a young girl who's revealed to has self-esteem issues and after seeing how incredibly talented Seiji as a violin carpenter. She feels like she is aimless with her life and she isn't doing enough with her life. As a middle schooler and still going through adolescence, she's not sure what she wants to do with her life and decides that she wastes too much of her time slacking off via reading books. It's hard not to see myself in Shizuku, as I feel somewhat lost as to what I should do going forward and end up comparing myself to those who are far more accomplished. Without going into detail, I love how the romance between these two has made her try to become more accomplished and write her fantasy novel. The ending, in particular, is tearjerk inducing because it's like she finally proved to herself that she is good enough. It's such an inspiring moment that it instantly got me teary eyed. Shizuku is such a well realized protagonist who grows and learns from her experiences that she feels like a genuine kid struggling to figure out what to do with herself.

Seiji Amasawa is the love interest and deuteragonist of the film. The very same man who checked out all the different fantasy novels she would end up reading. At first, he comes off as somewhat rude as he loves messing with Shizuku, but the film reveals he is a passionate young man who will stop at nothing to achieve his ambitions. As mentioned, he's a violin carpenter and plans to move abroad in order to improve his skills. I love the romance between Seiji and Shizuku because Seiji inspires her to work harder and try to improve herself. He helps her realize that writing is her talent and she should prioritize polishing her talent until it's able to shine brightly. I also just love the dialogue between the two, with their banter coming off as both charming and snarky. Shizuku can't stand him at first, but she realizes they're on the same boat. They're both struggling artists who want to be better at their craft, and while she may believe that he's just way ahead of her since he has an end goal in mind and she doesn't, he was the one to help her discover her own path in life and present her a motivation to write to prove herself and to the boy that she grew to love.

Then there's Nishi Shiro, Seiji's grandfather who owns an antique shop in Shizuku's town. A kind and talented elder figure who loves collecting unique items, such as a grandfather clock with a fairy tale story. One of the antiques that he owns is Baron, the anthropomorphic cat gentleman doll who got separated from his beloved Louise, another anthropomorphic cat doll. Nishi named the female doll Louise after his beloved since he left Germany before WW2. When he returned, he never saw her or her cat doll again. When Shizuku decides to use the Baron for her story and she's scared the story isn't going to be any good, he tells her that she can't expect perfection, especially when she's a novice writer. He has the best quote in the film: "When you become an artist, you are like that rock. You are in a raw, natural state with hidden gems inside. You have to dig down deep and find the emerald studs way inside you." He helps her see her true potential as a writer and inspires her to take action. When growing up, you need a parental figure like Nishi to guide you and make you see the potential that's deep inside you. Something you might not realize yourself because you might be drowning in self pity like Shizuku.

There are other characters like Shiho, Shizuku's older sister who's worried about her little sister and is wondering if she's actually doing the work she's supposed to. There's Asako, Shizuku's mother who is going to college and her father Seiya who works as a librarian. These three don't get too much focus, but they do try to make sure Shizuku is focusing on her work, especially her older sister Shiho. Last but not least, there's Shizuku's best friend Yuko, and she mainly has a crush on one of the boys at the beginning of the movie and grows concerns for Shizuku once she starts to focus on writing her book rather than her studies. They're more in the background, but they do bring a grounded sense of reality to Shizuku's delusions.

Finally, there's the audiovisual department, which is about as outstanding as you'd expect from Studio Ghibli. The vibrant and detailed setting, the expressive character animation, and the whole movie is beautifully hand drawn. Directed by the late Yoshifumi Kondou who sadly passed away at age 47 due to an aneurysm in 1998 caused by overwork. Hayao Miyazaki wanted him to be his replacement and his death is why he took a temporary retirement in the same year Kondou died. The movie's stellar presentation certainly helps explain why he was favored by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, as everything about it screams classic Ghibli. The opening song is probably my favorite opening song in the entire Ghibli line up. It invokes this countryside feeling while also being incredibly catchy. I also love how it's used in the actual plot to help Shizuku gain confidence through her writing as she's making her own versions of the song and even sings it a few times throughout the film. The voice acting for the dub is also great, as they fully bring out the emotions for the cast and bring their struggles to life.

All and all, this is one of Ghibli's best films by a country mile. It's such a heartfelt tale of self discovery, love, and hard work. Everything about it is so sincere and awe inspiring that I wish more people would talk about this film when talking about Ghibli's body of work. It's a charming and beautifully animated film that I would recommend to anyone.

Today this enchanting work of art is completing 21 years. A Studio Ghibli production directed by the late Yoshifumi Kondō, with Hayao Miyazaki on the screenplay, Whisper of the Heart takes us to the life of Shizuku, a 14 year old girl that lives her day-to-day without worrying about anything. She likes to read a lot of books, to write poetry and to translate songs in foreign languages. Her life changes when she meets Amasawa Seiji, a boy that has a dream of becoming a violin luthier and is already training to do so. By meeting him, she starts to think about things concerning her ... future that never got through her head and then her life starts to take a different direction. I should say that it isn’t only her life that changes, but also the one of those who watch this film with their hearts open.

At first sight, the movie may seem like a simple romance, but in fact it is about the search for inspiration and creativity, about the yearnings of a girl in expressing her feelings and her art by the means of writing and how the process to do this is long and exhausting. Then let me express my extreme affection and admiration for this masterpiece.


ART

The animation is set in a real life location called Tama New Town, Japan. The landscapes are drawn in such a perfectionist manner with a magnificent harmony between lines, shapes and colors that our eyes start to get watery. That’s how beautiful it is. There are certain parts that the drawing of the scenery is so gorgeous and similar to real life that you have to pause the movie and ask yourself how someone can draw something as wonderful and enthralling as that. The meticulous color distribution also has an extremely important role on the film’s visual, since they shape the atmosphere of several situations and make you feel comfortable. I may not understand a lot about painting, but I can recognize a wonderfully done work of art.

The director, Yoshifumi Kondō, unfortunately left us a lot earlier than he should. He's a master of character design. The gestures, expressions and how the characters act in any situation are represented in such a masterful way that only Studio Ghibli can do, especially with Kondō on the helm. The director is behind the key animation for several of the studio’s work from the period '88 – '97 and always makes his characters as expressive as possible, without using the cliché anime devices.

Besides, Kondō also has a unique approach in the world of animation where he shows the daily life to those who have the pleasure to be amazed by one of his works. He has a book called Futo furiekaeru to, literally “When I turn around”, which is composed of illustrations that shows what someone loses the opportunity to see when they turn around. In this beautiful work you’ll see children looking at their reflex on the water, a woman picking flowers, a mother helping her son to build a snowman, a casual conversation on a cold day, amongst other things in daily life. These “things” that seems to be trivial are also shown in this movie, 'cause they’re elements of the day-to-day that we don’t care about most of the times, but that can make us realize certain aspects of our life that go unnoticed.

Still following this genial line of thought that makes Kondō and his production completely singular, the film tries to show moments of our daily life that had a certain impact on us, but that we didn’t really notice when we lived them. A walk to school in a rainy day, the love declaration from a friend, the talk with your parents about your performance in school, the night conversation with a friend… These are the things that, when we lived them, would stay with us for some moments and then be forgotten on behalf of something else that would occupy our turbulent young mind. We just start to realize how these things were really important to ourselves with the reality shock this animation gives us.

I think we all got through some moments when we needed to stay alone and reflect on how our life was going. We still do. When you wander around without anywhere to go, get aboard a train, look at the scenery, stay still on a random place…just to have a time alone with yourself. Those “life reflecting pauses” are extremely faithfully represented in Whisper of the Heart. The way she looks at the landscape feels like we were there where she was, mesmerizing the view. These scenes aren’t rushed, so that the character has her time to think. Shizuku isn’t just a film character – she’s a people like everyone else and we’re watching her life. Moments of reflection like these are crucial to the development of her thoughts.

The landscapes from the fantasy sequences, product of Shizuku’s wonderful mind, are inspired by the fantastic works of the Japanese painter Naohisa Inoue, where magic transcends the screen and delights us with idyllic sceneries, flowing with colors and full of brilliance. For those interested in his work, there’s an OVA called Iblard Jikan, composed entirely by his fantasy paintings. I can guarantee that you’re going to relax, feel at ease and be enthralled.


MUSIC

In a movie where a violin maker is portrayed, it’s obvious the music wouldn’t be treated just as a simple soundtrack, as a mere accompaniment to the image we’re watching. No. The compositions here are like they’ve came straight from Shizuku’s mind, fitting perfectly her feelings into every situation of her life. By listening to these songs that represent her state of happiness or determination in my daily life, the same feelings she felt start to dominate and inspire me. I’m not ashamed to say I weeped a lot while I listened any of these wonderful compositions while I was on the train, 'cause they have this power of touching you deep in your heart.

One of the main plot points in the movie is centered on a song Shizuku’s translating as a way of expressing herself. This song is called "Take Me Home, Country Roads", by John Denver. Those who like country and folk music sure know this composition, especially who lives in West Virginia. The fact is that the 14-year old girl likes to express herself through music translations, adapting them according to her feelings. One of the versions she made is called “Concrete Roads”, where the natural landscapes from the original version are changed to concrete roads in the lyrics, reflecting the place she lives.

The difficulty to make music is represented in Whisper of the Heart in their two protagonists – Shizuku translates and adapts foreign language lyrics, like if she was rewriting them, and Seiji makes violins, the practice of which he notes “The quality of a violin depends on the quality of its luthier”. Doing so, the film explores a much deeper layer on the subject of music making, after all it doesn’t approaches only the sound of the art, but the full process, from the making of the instruments to the performance of a song, while also showing all the difficulty that revolves this process. After all, the music is the manifestation of oneself and the production team of this movie knew that they shouldn’t only scratch the surface – they knew they had to dig deep into the roots.

And with all that said, we reach the musical apex of Whisper of the Heart. When Shizuku finds out that Seiji is a violin maker, she asks for him to play the instrument. To her surprise, the boy says that he’ll only play if she sings together. And what would be the best suited song for the situation? “A song you know very well”, as he puts – Country Roads. The scene that follows is the most beautiful I have watched in my whole life in any animation or audiovisual production. With Seiji playing violin, Shizuku sings with fear and awe until her heart is taken by that magic moment in which an unequalled feeling of happiness overflows the small room where a completely spontaneous performance is happening. The natural way this happens puts any Disney’s musical act to the ground. I’ve watched this movie for the fourth time this Saturday and the feeling of overjoy and enchant this scene provides is so enormous that I found myself clinging to my pillow as I cried of happiness, with a gaping mouth that refused to close. What happens on this scene is real and unfeigned, you can FEEL that moment. I’m writing this with tears on my eyes. Thanks, Studio Ghibli, for providing such a unique experience as that.


SENTIMENTAL VALUE

Ever since I realized who I were, I was pessimist. Always complaining about everything even if the situation was great. I had an ideology that if something good happened, something bad would follow. Today I can say that I’m more than glad, ‘because I have finally left that flawed thinking that made it impossible for me to enjoy several situations in my life. But what could’ve caused this change of thoughts? This movie. This beautiful animation taught me how to appreciate the small things of life that are often considered trivial, and the most important of all, it has recovered my self-confidence. That lack of will due to not believing in myself simply doesn’t exists anymore, ‘cause this picture teaches that we have to show our art not just to the world, but mainly to ourselves.

Just as the protagonist Shizuku, I have started to “put myself to the test”, to test my abilities and to believe in them, something I didn’t do. I must admit that sometimes I still get reluctant about my own capacities, but then I remember that I have created a bond with the character of this movie. By looking at her, I can see myself, because her yearnings are the same as mine’s, her difficulties are the same as mine’s. Once again I say that she’s not a simple anime character – she’s a real person. Her life story is portrayed with such faithfulness that I can feel what she feels. Every cry, every smile of joy, every determination moment expressed by Shizuku touches me in a way that it’s like she was a part of me. It’s with her that I get the strength to go onwards.

There’s something Seiji’s grandfather said that served as inspiration for her just as it did to me and I hope it does to everyone else that gets through the same difficulties concerning lack of self-confidence:

- Look inside this rock. It’s a beryl mineral, there’s an emerald inside.
- Emerald, the precious rock?
- Yes. You and Seiji are like this rock. A raw, unpolished mineral. I like this kind of thing. But making violins and writing stories isn’t the same thing. You must find the jewel inside you and have time to polish it. It’s an exhausting task. Can you see the big jewel that is hidden in this rock? The truth is that once you have polished it, you won’t get nothing big. The small fragments, hidden deep inside, are even more pure. In fact, there are better crystals there, where you can’t see them.

Do as Mr. Nishi says - search for the jewel hidden deep inside you.

A dream I have the urge to fulfill in the future is to visit the setting of this movie, New Tama Town. I’m sure I would fell in tears just to think I would be following the same steps Shizuku took, looking to the sides and recognizing the places of a city I’ll be visiting for the first time.


IN THE END...

If there’s an inspiration that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life, it is Whisper of the Heart. An animation that does exactly what the title says and that’s why it will always have an enormous place deep in my heart. All these words I have written still aren’t enough to express my gratitude towards this piece of art that changed the direction of my life from the darkness of insecurity to the dawn of positivity, but I couldn’t let the anniversary of this masterpiece go unnoticed. If everything to me before were bad omens, now all I see in front of me are auspicious times.

I hope that the masterpiece of Yoshifumi Kondo and Studio Ghibli continues to fascinate and inspire anyone who likes to express himself through any means of art, be it through music, writing, drawing… This is a timeless work of art that will never age due to the love the production team has deposited in it and that has been absorbed by me the best way possible.

Whisper of the Heart is unusual for a Studio Ghibli film in not featuring any magic, or at least nothing supernatural. That said, it is at least as much about magic as many of their films full of witches and spirits and demons. Rather than the usual fantastic adventure stories which are merely facilitated by magic, this is a celebration of story-telling, music, creativity and love - all the sorts of things that make real life magical.

Our heroine is Shizuku, a girl of around fourteen who dreams of being a writer, and like most aspiring writers she reads heavily. Borrowing book after book from the ... library, she keeps noticing one name re-appearing as a previous borrower in them - a boy at her school, who shows some interest before being unreasonably mean to her, in the way that boys usually are when they're attracted to a girl, at least in Hayao Miyazaki films.

Their paths cross again after she befriends the owner of a wonderful antiques shop, where her imagination is sparked an old statuette of a cat with glowing eyes. The owner turns out to be the boy's grandfather, part of a welcoming clan, and they bond over music sessions and the telling of stories. The boy dreams of being a master violin maker, his ambition mirroring and inspiring her own.

Whisper is sometimes described as a prequel to the equally lovely The Cat Returns, but this is a very different sort of a film with little in common by way of plot, characters or atmosphere. The Cat Returns might be better described as a sequel to the story Shizuku writes here about 'Baron, the Cat Baron' - perhaps it's an example of her more mature work. In contrast to the later film, a swashbuckling romp mainly set in the magical Cat Kingdom, Whisper is low-key, mundane and understated. I don't mean to make it sound boring - it absolutely isn't - but it lacks the hyperactivity of so many films aimed at kids, though with its simple charm and moral lessons I assume they really are intended to be its main audience.

Miyazaki, who adapted the screenplay from a graphic novel but did not direct this, is not someone who feels the need to steer clear of sentimentality. Some people might find it cloying at one or two points, but I have to say I feared much, much worse from a film with a name like 'Whisper of the Heart' - which is perhaps unfair, since the original title translates as 'if you listen closely'. On the whole it manages to be sweet without being sickly, and I love the animation and the quiet way the characters develop. The only fault I could find is for me, I was expecting, I don't know, more from a Miyazaki film. After all, this is the franchise which brought us movies such as Princess Mononoke or Porco Rosso.

I'm not a great fan of Studio Ghibli's films, but this one is definitely worth seeing.

Story

The main plot is quite simple but its plain beauty makes it endearing rather than dull. The pacing is very relaxed, fitting with the general nostalgic atmosphere of the story. Of course there're a few flaws, such as a few very cheesy scenes (ie ending) and a side plot which feels somewhat out of place and is almost separate from the main storyline (the couple at Shizuku's school).

Art

The backgrounds are excellent. Not only are they detailed, but also have a certain artsy charm that makes them stand out among the ... sea of look-alike anime depictions of urban landscapes. The only thing that could be improved about these are the colours, as they feel a bit faded. The characters, however, in classic Ghibli traditions are mediocre at best - overly round faces, unnatural movements, ever-open mouths, colourless eyes - definitely the lowest point of this review.

Sound

The sound in this movie (both voices and background audio) is strikingly great. I was very surprised to find a 15 year old movie with such quality audio - it has probably the best channel distribution I've yet to hear, so that even with my badly arranged (all on one desk) 5.1 system it sounded as if I was sitting right next to the characters. The theme song Country Roads fits very well with the rest of the movie and completes the atmosphere without being in-your-face.

Characters

Both main characters are extremely generic - to me they felt identical to the ones in Laputa and the heroine of The Cat Returns, and very similar to the rest of Ghibli's movies. Nonetheless, they're likeable and go through enough character growth during the movie to be more than skin deep. There's also the fact that they seem to act a bit too childishly for their age.

Enjoyment

This is the best thing about this film. Its depiction of an innocent childhood and puppy love is very realistic and brings on a sweet sense of nostalgia. My own childhood was much closer to what's depicted here than any other anime I've seen (or any live action movie, for that matter), so it strikes close to heart with me. The little slice-of-life details are a nice touch, though that does keep the main story in the background for most of the movie's length.

Overall, despite the few flaws it has, Whisper of the Heart is a classic that I would recommend for anyone who can appreciate a nostalgic laid-back love story and doesn't mind the occasional bit of naivete and cheesiness.

Finally, even though the average of the 4 separate scores is closer to an 8 than a 9, I do think that in this particular case the total is much more than the sum of its parts so it does deserve a 9 overall score.

"Whisper of the Heart," is one of Ghibli's hidden treasures. It's a delicately crafted coming-of-age tale that still makes room for that mystical Ghibli wonder while also creating time for quieter, more thought-provoking moments. Oh, and there's a romance too. And some cats. So what's not to love?

Perhaps I hold this movie so dear to me because it felt specifically catered to my fourteen-year-old self the first time that I watched it. Like our lead, Shizuku, I, too, wanted to become a writer, and watching her struggle in her desire to achieve her career goals was relatable to someone like me, who was also starting ... out as a new writer.

"Whisper of the Heart," is a bit quieter and less fantastical than other Ghibli films. it is more mature in that sense, but especially through Shizuku's writing, and her desire for adventure, that Ghibli-wonder still comes through. While I first watched this movie when I was around the same age as Shizuku in the film, I don't find that the message is lost on me, even now that I am well-beyond junior high and am now an adult.

The romance, which comprises the second plot in the movie, is also fantastically done. It develops slowly and gracefully, and there are a few moments at the end that will surprise you. All in all, I would rather characterize this film as coming-of-age rather than a romance, but the romance compliments the material well and is the driving force of Shizuku's motivation to better understand her self and her skills.

I am surprised to find that many Ghibli fans are well-acquainted with the spin-off of this movie, "The Cat Returns," instead of its predecessor. I could go on and on about my personal negative feelings for "The Cat Returns," but instead, I encourage you all to see this movie if you haven't. I assure you it is much more entertaining and impactful than its spin-off, and there will be some reminder of your younger days that you might have forgotten.

It is a shame that Yoshifumi Kondo passed away not too long after this film's release, as I would have loved to see what else he would have accomplished as a director for Studio Ghibli. Once again, please give this film a view. It is my favorite Studio Ghibli movie, and I believe there's a lot of merit in it that deserves more attention than it receives.

A beautiful story that is so true-to-life and poignant...

The characters have the depth to give what might have been merely another daily life story that magical twist that has made Studio Ghibli so iconic.

With the honest depiction of the struggles teenagers encounter when facing "growing up" and the obvious thought put into every scene, the whole film moves the characters from nondescript children to young adults destined for something more. A coming-of-age that is anything but ordinary.

There's really no more to say for it. Simply outstanding.

Whisper of the Heart is an undermined cute, dorky movie of Studio Ghibli. (Similar to Only Yesterday)
It's a very simplistic, yet intriguing plot of adolescence that inspires young girls & imagination.
I'm VERY picky with movies, even with Ghibli FIlms (No matter what I've watched, I've always & only favored Howl's Moving Castle & Spirited Away), but this definitely changed that!
This is definitely in my Top 3 Fav. Ghibli films.




[STORY]: 9.5 MINOR SPOILER
The story can definitely stand on it's own without the minimal love drama that happened between her & her friend's crush, BUT I think that little add on built the story.
It built the ... MC & how she is as a person.
Could her person have been built without it? Yes.
Is it a interesting add on? Yes. It genuinely surprised me lol
It isn't supernatural or fantasy as most people relate Ghibli too, but it finds a way to fuel your imagination through the MC's daydreams of a story she is writing :)


[ART]: 10
For it's time, it's a very well animated film! I find it to be very beautiful.
I'm not sure if it's just the time it was made (my birth year actually haha!) or on purpose, but the subtle blue coloring of the entire film is very nice!


[SOUND]: 8
I adore Ghibli soundtracks, but eh. The voices lol


[CHARACTERS]: 10
I actually really LOVE how quirky the main characters are to each other.
I'm not going to lie, they are SO cheesy with each other...BUT I LOVE IT.
I think there's a difference between "stupid cheesy" & "cute cheesy" & this is definitely cute!
It made me think "ah youung love~"
There's an old man that encourages the MC to follow her newfound dream & it's very inspiring.
And the side characters are just normal side characters. They're not annoying, but them being there builds up the MC.


[ENJOYMENT]: 10
I felt like a schoolgirl while watching this.
I paused on the cute moments & just took it all it. Played them over again.
I had a lot of fun watching this movie haha
It was just so cheesy & cute xD
Take me for me word when I say it's cheesy & cute!


[OVERALL]: 9
Docked off a point for the VA's lol
But honestly this is a actually 10 for me.
Would definitely watch it again just for fun or inspiration.

I was shocked that this was as good as it was. This stands apart from other Ghibli movies by being more adult-oriented, yet still having realistic middle-schoolers as the main characters. To me, this is the definition of a what slice of life should be. Not a true slice of life, but one that tells a narrative that mirrors that of Chuhiro in Spirited Away. Well, vice versa, as this came first.

Story: 9
I had no idea where this story was going to go. I thought I did, but this is so much more meaningful than I thought it would be. I can imagine watching this ... over and over and pulling out different themes and meaning from character interactions. The best part is that nothing hits you over the head, saying "This is symbolic of..." It will take me many watches I think. The ending is odd to have in a G-rated film, and I wish there was a bit of an epilogue there.

Art: 9
The art was so ahead of its time. This looked at many times like a Shinkai film with its displays of city life. There are some more creative sequences that blow me away, but they are not the highlight for me. The highlight is how realistic every building in Tokyo is. This feels so lived in, despite the extras not having as much detail as say, Mononoke-hime or Spirited Away, but that's a nitpick.

Sound: 10
The renditions of Country Roads (not a spoiler, it is the first scene) are great, and something I knew about before hand. The orchestral score is good too. What really got me is the weird techno music that plays sometimes. I did not expect to hear that, but it always made me chuckle and make a big smile. The voice acting in Japanese is so good. The actors all sound their age and fit their characters' personalities. The emotion especially in the main character is so raw. This movie does not hold back.

Character: 10
This excels over A Silent Voice, which I thought had perfect characters, who fit the themes well. They have nothing on this film. One thing I like is the surprisingly small cast. Everyone gets well fleshed out that needs to be. Everyone feels like a real person, and much moreso than a Silent Voice.

Enjoyment: 10
Although probably one of the slowest paced animes I've seen (besides Totoro), I was never bored. I am impressed with their ability to make a two hour movie with no filler (unlike Howl's Moving Castle), and without a world-ending story (like Kimi no na wa). The scene right before the ending had me in tears, and the ending (although odd) suited the characters well.

A 10/10 movie. Would reccommend to anyone who feels they don't fit the mould of the traditional life. The dual themes here can help anyone on their journey in the story. Watching this, the DVD skipped, and I accidently passed by 15 minutes of story. I realized after that there was something missing. I went back, and that 15 minutes I skipped made this my favorite movie I have ever seen. Love it.

What can I say about Studio Ghibli's Tenth Film, Whisper of the Heart?

Well, let's start with the story. The film focuses on a love story between two middle-school students, and their unexpected meeting. It goes in a few different directions from there, changing focus to the everyday trials and tribulations of a person's life. Anyway, the tale is told wonderfully, with each scene presented in a joyful almost fantasy-like nature. That's not to say the characters or their interactions are fantastical, quite the opposite, everything comes off as incredibly realistic. I guess the story just has a sort of dream-like quality to it, having heartwarming ... scenes that are strung together, while still being able to come off as genuine and not cheesy.

I feel like part of that has to do with the characters. The characters are presented in such a realistic fashion that any of the moments that would otherwise be cheesy or corny end up feeling natural and lifelike. All of the characters, even the supporting ones, all feel incredibly authentic, like they have a life that they're living, and have real emotions to them, real joy, real troubles.

Part of that emotion certainly comes from the wonderful voice cast. I watched it in Japanese, and all of the actors did a magnificent job, splendidly conveying their characters, and making the script really shine.

The film also has a wonderful score, composed by Nomi Yuuji. Each scene is accompanied by a piece of music that perfectly fits the mood, and really adds to the overall feel. The main theme, "Country Roads", also shows up as a reprise throughout the score, and because the song has such a significance to the film's narrative, it paints a wonderful picture, and fits impeccably. I couldn't imagine any other score accompanying this film. It's absolutely beautiful.

The art gives us some really beautifully crafted scenes, as well. Colors are bright and vibrant when they need to be, and desaturated and melancholy when trying to set a specific mood. Everything moves fluidly and animates wonderfully, and there are even moments where the art and animation took my breath away. However, there are also moments where the art just feels serviceable. Still, even in these moments, the art was well-crafted, just not quite as gorgeous as it is in some of the other scenes. The art is definitely dated, but it still holds up, even when compared to modern day animated films.

Overall, Whisper of the Heart tells a simple tale, one of joy, one of sadness, one of life. It's a realistic story that I think anybody would be able to relate to, with some fantastic moments that shows just how beautiful life can be, even with all of it's adversity. On top of that, it also has some beautiful art, and a wonderfully crafted score.

This is definitely a 10/10 for me.

Warning - may be quite long to read and can contain light spoilers

Mimi wo sumaseba (or Whisper of the Heart) is one of my favourite anime movies and movies in general for several different reasons. It's a wonderful movie that's almost 2 hours long yet doesn't feel anywhere near that length. It's not a movie you watch. It's something you experience. Ghibli have set the standard for great, classic anime but this one in particular is somewhat a special little gem among their archive. Directed by the deceased, taken-to-soon director Yoshifumi Kondou, Mimi wo Sumaseba is a coming-of-age story on par or even better than ... their more well-known classical movies like Spirited Away or Kiki's Delivery Service. But honestly never mind the comparisons to other Ghibli films. This movie stands well on its own.

Lets talk about the setting first since its the first thing that the movie hits you with. This anime starts off deviating from Ghibli norms by being set in a very unconventionally Ghibli setting - simple suburbia in a large city. It's a setting I don't believe Ghibli have explored much if at all and the movie makes full use the powers of animation to bring it to life. This sort of setting has only recently gotten attention with Makoto Shinkai's Your Name. Throughout the movie we get fantastic scenes of the suburban environment and how it all blends together. There are several scenes of our characters simply walking through town and everything is immaculately detailed not just in aesthetics but also in the unique aspects of urban lifestyle. From the cramped and messy but homely apartment our main character Shizuku lives in to the crowded trains and streets during rush hour, to the empty streets of residential areas when everyone is out working. It's all fantastically rendered in Ghibli's animation. Who needs a fantastical setting or a rural setting when you can have equally breathtaking shots of a bustling city from on top of a hill? Early on Shizuku even jokingly writes "Concrete Roads" in the tune to the famous song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" to poke fun at the setting. Ghibli had a great opportunity to showcase city life and its absolutely beautiful. Most people, including those who make anime/manga/light novels/any stories don't appreciate the details that go into making a setting but if you're watching this movie I implore you to take it down a notch and enjoy it at the pace the movie sets because you'll find so many little details even on re-watches. It's kind of what you can expect from a studio the caliber of Ghibli but this movie is especially great and works with a suburban setting like very few other modern or classical anime do.

I love not just the unique setting but also the themes of the movie. If there's one word I can use to describe the movie it would be the word "timeless". This anime very early on dates itself as being set in the booming early 90s with references to the introduction of early computers, electronic notebooks, and bar codes. Yet, this anime will still be enjoyed for ages into the future. At its core this anime's story is about a sweet, quick-blooming love and growing up and discovering yourself and what you want to do. The anime perfectly excecutes these themes by simply giving us a very strong cast of characters. It's time we talk about them and our heroine Tsukishiro Shizuku is the best example to show. Light spoilers for the beginning bit of the show.

Tsukishiro Shizuku is a middle-school girl who has a lot of personality. She's quick-tempered, moody, snarky, and somewhat thick but she is also someone who is perceptive, naive in a good way, an avid reader of fiction, and can self-reflect. All these little qualities that Ghibli shows us are perfectly utilized to develop her as a character in a way few other anime can. She is initially quite closed off in her own world reading plenty of books and acting as an observer to others stories while having the sense of wonder to be in her own story. This allows her to find a rustic little wooden antique store (Ghibli can't let go of those even in an urban setting it seems) in a neighborhood she never visited previously after impulsively following a cat. This opens up a whole new world for her. After finding out that she was unintentionally caught up in a love story she believed she was only observing, she retreats to the store out of a shared sense of disappointment in love with the story of the clock she previously heard from the kindly elderly owner of the store. There she bonds with whom she thought to be an arch nemesis Amasawa Seiji and the two begin the coming-of-age story proper.

Shizuku begins to hold great admiration for Seiji's work and effort and begins to have a struggle many people can relate to and it's a contributing factor to the movie's staying power. She starts to learn the meaning of craftsmanship and has a shared sense of camaraderie with Seiji who desires to be a violin maker. The anime makes a large point that it takes effort and a lot of patience to find out your talents. It's an endearing tale where I fully supported Shizuku all the way. The story follows her starting to learn the worries of being someone who creates, someone who puts themselves up for others, and someone who can test themselves. I don't want to spoil but the entire point of her struggle (to the point where she neglects her health and studies, all detailed in the film) was an act to test her patience and resolve towards a longing love and admiration and damn was it adorable. At the anime's zenith it's almost a rapture to see all the culmination of her work being put forward.

Amasawa Seiji, the other main character, himself is pretty great. He starts off somewhat snarky but is very down-to-earth and fairly easy-going yet has his worries and vision as an artisan. This combined with Shizuku's previously-mentioned quirks and traits makes for some pretty great chemistry. It is to note that this movie does have "romance" on as a label and it is one but that's never really the main focus and the movie mostly draws towards the coming-of-age aspects where both characters share a strong sense of fellowship with each other. Seiji doesn't actually do much in the story but he drives Shizuku to test herself and develop as a person. It's a sweet tale that is reflected in the song Shizuku herself wrote when she still didn't understand what it meant which is a very nice detail I appreciate. Shizuku's development throughout the movie is one that moved me since it was subtle yet powerful and the movie bothered giving its first half up to building up its characters and making me care for them. I love all the little traits given to the characters and stuff like Shizuku's defensive body-language during her first meeting with Seiji, or how Shizuku's mother is working on her thesis in the background, or Shizuku and her sister's sibling squabbles and interactions are details Ghibli scatters about to allow us to take in these characters as humans with their own lives outside of what is shown in the movie.

I hope I didn't leave things too vague but in summery- the details this film provides and its quirks allow us to genuinely care for the characters. Shizuku journey of self-discovery starts from someone who seeks out a story which is nice and happy yet by the end of the film finds herself in a bittersweet-to-sweet one instead and she knows it and accepts it. The urban setting helps since Ghibli wants to show us that these sort of stories don't need to happen in fantasy worlds or classical, detached-from-reality literature and Shizuku even comments and notes it when she's down. Of course, the fantasy and classical feel of such a story is the foundation for this movie and the Mimi wo Sumaseba has small allegories of fantasy and classical yearning to juxtapose the situation our characters are in (the clock story being one and the doll Baron's bitersweet story of seperation being another). It's poignant and, as our heroine describes - "nostalgic". This anime has a powerful nostalgic feel to it which adds to its timeless nature. It's one that makes you think "I've been there" not only with the main drama but also with all the other small details.

Now that's my main thoughts on the story and characters done with phew. Moving on to the aesthetics. Mimi wo Sumaseba is beautifully animated as expected of Ghibli as I've said in my second paragraph. Not only does it look good with plenty of relevant details but there's a lot of tidbits of character animations to appreciate. The direction is wonderful and turns simply walking from one point to another in suburbia into a superb showcase of animation power. Seriously some of those shots are really difficult to draw and I love them for breaking up the pacing of the show and slowing it down to take in the urban atmosphere. They would be nowhere near effective though if it weren't for the brilliant music score accompanying it. The music brings a sense of fantasy to the world and its rustic feel perfectly contrast the setting it is in. The song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is, of course, country music but it fits in very well with the tone of the film. It's literally the introduction song so it probably confused and would confuse plenty of people seeing it opens up to an aerial shot of dense metropolitan but as the film goes on it starts to make much more sense and the end song is simply sublime to listen to. There is a lot of pleasing-to-listen, playful music in this anime that perfectly captures the whims of youth as Tsukishiro explores the wide city she has ever seen before. It's overall just perfectly balanced. The voice acting was very strong. Shizuku's seiyuu was top-notch and perfectly expressed herself and was especially outstanding. All the other voice actors performed well too with no notable mistakes. Lots of love went into this movie.

This film is a gem of a masterpiece that more people should know about. It's a timeless movie that can be appreciated at any age by anyone. I love the details this anime has and it makes me all the sadder that the director passed away too soon. But this as his legacy will continue. Thanks, Yoshifumi Kondou and all who worked on this. This is my favourite film from Ghibli.

Thanks for reading!





It is just past 12am GMT+2 on January 1st 2020. Happy New Years to myself I guess.

Honestly, it was really boring to me that I almost fell asleep. Also the ending just came out of no where. Idk is this is a spoiler but I don't care because this movie is like 22 years old, but when the 2 main characters were like, "We should get married someday."..."Yeah! We should!"... then the credits just roll up. I was like..."Wait....That's the ending?" It caught me by surprise.

The Story was boring, I couldn't get myself into it. It's just about this nerd girl who loves to read and she learns new things and she hangs out with this kid who she has ... a bit of a crush on later on. Idk, there just wasn't much too it.