When Marnie Was there (Omoide no Marnie) really blew itself out of the water with its art quality, story line and character development. I created an account on MAL JUST to review this movie. If you're looking for an emotional treat with that sprinkle of mystery, look no further.
Story:
The plot is built so that you're left feeling satisfied and wanting more. As with many Ghibli animations, it does have a sort of realistic underlining to it. It's generally a movie about family and the irreplaceable bond we have with them so it really touches home.
Art:
Studio Ghibli has really stepped it up in terms of art; the background is a beautiful watercolour style matched up with the classic hand-drawn animation. Towards the end you could tell they were running out of budget, but never-the-less I would watch the movie just to look at the art again.
Music:
The music was very well suited with the movie, however, nothing really too notable. The ending song really brings you back to the beginning of the movie though and wrapped it up nicely. A real sense of nostalgia :')
Character:
This is the best character development i've seen from Studio Ghibli in a while, it really is nice seeing the MC change and step out of her comfort zone. The back story of Marnie was well summed up at the end if you couldn't piece together the puzzle. The contrast between these two characters and seeing them come together is really heart warming.
I highly recommend this movie, so grab a box of tissues and go watch it!
