Umi ga Kikoeru

It's another heartwarming, coming-of-age story by Ghibli. Like Ocean Waves, It's also one of the few Ghibli films not directed by Miyazaki.  

Youth with big dreams in a small town. Growing up and growing apart, flittering back to those memories of the past that grow ever fainter. Art styles that find beauty in the small details of everyday life.  

These anime feel very similar to me in terms of the way they are structured and developed. Ocean Waves felt lacking only because of how short and fast paced the movie was and I feel that I want to eat your Pancreas is a more complete version with a different ending to the roamnce. There is a trip in both of these movies between the main characters and I like this idea very much in both!  

Both stories deal with youth, time and romantic relationships. Make sure to watch 5 Centimeters Per Second right after Ocean Waves.  

Both main characters reminisce about their pasts 

Both are slice of life, coming-of-age stories about young teenage males. They both involve drama and romance, though it is more of a main focus in "Ocean Waves". "BECK" focuses more on music. 

Both are drama/romance movies with somewhat similar setting and a lot of dramatic elements. 

• Our 2 main lead in Zuori Qing Kong have similar kind of dynamic as the 2 main lead of Umi ga Kikoeru. The both share strong feelings for each other but afraid to admit that. • Both the anime explore love hate relationship and misunderstanding. • Both kinda give same feeling at the end. 

Slow-paced 90's slice of life anime about school life, friendship, unrequited love and romance with seaside setting. Lesson XX is BL, Umi ga Kikoeru isn't but has BL subtext as per other viewers since the pair of friends has better chemistry than the main pairing/couple. 

Studio Ghibli movies that just feel similar to me, not sure why but it might be the strong connections the characters have or the drama aspect ( and also because both movies feels like queerbait-) 

Slice-of-Life character study featuring college students having ambiguous romantic feelings for each other. Totally different feel, though. 

Both movies involve a cast of high school characters who live in Kochi prefecture. They showcase real-life places in Kochi, both in the city as well as nature such as the ocean and countryside. Belle has more of a fantasy/technology kind of vibe to it, but they both have slice of life moments with splashes of romance and comedy 

Both anime follow a similar story where the boy is in a kind of near the girl, but both are silent and there is a silent bond between them and both have an end with a positive hint. 

Both stories contain a girl who find the school that they are in boring and is of no real challenge to them. Rikako Muto and Haruhi are amazing in sports and in studies and are considered the 'perfect girl' for any guy but are really hard to come close to. They also have an air of arrogance which other school student notice and dislike to an extent of being jealous of them. They both eventually meet an average guys whose within thier same year that don't really have interest towards them but soon find a deep profound love for each other without realizing it. 

The first half of TPPiOED is a lot like Ocean Waves. There's a love triangle, where two guys (one with glasses, one not) get involved with a girl. The girls in both differ greatly, Ocean Waves' being very selfish, but you'll watch both and have similar feelings. Unlike TPPiOED, Ocean Waves doesn't turn into a sci-fi mess half-way through. That's why I rate Ocean Waves a lot higher. In terms of other Ghibli titles, Ocean Waves is very similar in execution and 'feel' to Only Yesterday and Whisper of the Heart; two of the more mature Ghibli releases. 

There's a similarity in the relationships between the guy and the girl in both of the anime. Both of these anime have the dramatic touch. 

Both of the movies focus on the interaction between the main characters. 

Ocean Waves has a more mild and believable Tsundere lead who ropes in a similarly earnest guy, with the same context of high school melodrama and family problems. While these essential elements are the same, the plot and the characters are aimed at a completely different target audience. It's not a sure bet that Ocean Waves will be to your liking just because you enjoyed Toradora, but it provides an interesting and more realistic look at a tsundere romance that's worth checking out.