As Studio Ghibli finally begin to release their immense catalogue onto Blu-ray, the first of 2012 is a quaint and lovely tale that isn’t helmed by the magnificent Miyazaki, even though he pens the script. Yoshifumi Kondô directs his first and only Studio Ghibli feature, and did so just three years prior to his death.
TITLE – WHISPER OF THE HEART YEAR – 1995 DIRECTOR – YOSHIFUMI KONDO CAST – YOUKO HONNA, KAZUO TAKAHASHI, TAKASHI TACHIBANA WRITERS – HAYAO MIYAZAKI, AOI HIRAGI AMAZON – DVD / BLU-RAY
Whisper of the Heart is a story about love: specifically first love, as the narrative focuses on Shizuku: a young schoolgirl who conditions herself to academia, often visiting the local library in an attempt to read as many books as she possibly can. Lacking solid direction in her life, she becomes fascinated and rather infatuated with a person by the name of Seiji: a boy she notices has previously borrowed all the same books she has. She becomes emotionally invested in this name alone, imagining who it is, who it could be and what type of person they are and embarks on a personal mission to discover the identity of her soul mate-of-a-bookworm.
Distancing from the familiar fantastical settings of Ghibli tales gone by, the life of Shizuku and this mysterious boy, Seiji, is just as magically captured both tonally and visually: beautifully simplistic in its storytelling and animation style, it’s hard not to adore at times. Whisper of the Heart feels grounded in reality as any out-of-world sequences tend to take place in the imagination of our protagonist, yet still feels special. What we are rewarded with is a beautifully told story about young love and the heartache of separation and adolescence as we follow our lead as she goes through an important stage of her prepubescent life: getting through school.
Visually, it looks sharp, bright and pleasing to the eye, yet isn’t as striking as other animated transfers to Blu-ray such as Fantastic Mr Fox, but still has a rich, graceful aesthetic synonymous with the studio’s work. The animation that dates back to 1994 is lovingly crafted and in keeping stylistically with the award-winning manner, as it encompasses a refreshingly simple narrative that is void of twists and elaborate set pieces, instead focusing on the humanistic nature of the characters and their day-to-day lives.
The John Denver classic ‘Country Roads’ is a recurring theme throughout as during Shizuku’s quest for self discovery and direction in life, she rewrites the lyrics to the song as one of her musical projects. Whilst it isn’t used sparingly, it is done so to good effect: present in the title and credit sequences as well as at various points to further the plot, it becomes a warm and likeable occurrence.
The ending is in keep with the general flow of the film: low key, sweet and delightful, but does conclude slightly abruptly, whereas a little more exploration of the conclusion wouldn’t have gone a miss.
On reflection, Whisper of the Heart is an engaging and heart-warming tale. Bound to a believable reality, the characters exude charm, wit and genuine appeal as events modestly unfold. Shizuku’s good nature drives proceedings as we sympathise, laugh at and partake in a charismatic film that doesn’t quite capture the imagination as perhaps Spirited Away or My Neighbour Totoro might, but engages nonetheless. Not as accessible as such aforementioned titles, it is still a beguiling exploration of naive romance and adventure.
The Extras:
- Storyboards
- Background Artwork
- 4 Masterpeices of Naohisa Inoue: From Start to Finish
- Behind the Microphone
- TV Spots
- Original Japanese Theatrical Trailer
- Studio Ghibli Collection Trailers
These are somewhat basic and don’t amount to anything substantial besides the usual trailers, TV spots amongst a couple of other bits. Some insight into the artistic process is nice, but ultimately fails to offer anything particularly interesting with any depth into the production process of the movie.
FRC Rating
WHISPER OF THE HEART IS RELEASED ON BLU-RAY AND DVD IN UK ON MONDAY 9TH JANUARY 2012 BY STUDIOCANAL
Mike Williams is a free-lance writer who resides in Liverpool, UK. As well as writing here for us here has his own blog, The Littlest Picture Show you can also find him on twitter @littlestpicshowHave you seen this film? Are you a fan of Studio Ghibli? Comment below…
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16 comments
January 6, 2012 at 9:43 am (UTC 0)
Saw this a while ago and it was pretty good. Not totally crazy about it, but a nice Ghibli movie to watch.
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January 6, 2012 at 12:05 pm (UTC 0)
Yes, I enjoyed it, but wasn’t as encapsulating as some other Ghibli title.Still very charming and pleasant nonetheless!
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January 6, 2012 at 11:40 am (UTC 0)
I have not really seen any Ghibli films so I found this read interesting.
Thanks Mike
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January 6, 2012 at 3:12 pm (UTC 0)
I’ve only seen Spirited Away but I’d love to get into more Ghibli films. I love the title of this, kind of romantic. I might give this one a shot.
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January 6, 2012 at 3:49 pm (UTC 0)
SPIRITED AWAY is wonderful, as is MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO, POM POKO, HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE and PRINCESS MONONOKE. Those are the ones I would recommend as a way in.
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January 7, 2012 at 9:59 pm (UTC 0)
You really should Ruth! I have a feeling that you would fall head over heels in love with Ghibli. I would recommend Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Grave of the Fireflies (heartbreaking but a must watch) and of course Whisper of the Heart. Having said that, I’m yet to see a Ghibli film that I didn’t love so you really can’t go wrong with any of them Ruth. Enjoy!
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January 8, 2012 at 12:43 am (UTC 0)
Well I trust your judgment Ronan so yeah I’ll be checking out more Ghibli films in the future, starting w/ this one and Princess Monokone next.
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January 6, 2012 at 3:48 pm (UTC 0)
No problem
You should get into Ghibli, your kids might enjoy them, too! The whole family could watch them together.
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January 7, 2012 at 9:55 pm (UTC 0)
Mike, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to see FRC featuring one of my all time favourite Ghibli films. This is a bone fide animation classic and a near perfect masterpiece of unhurried direction, charming nuance and heart warming sentiment without being sentimental or wishy washy. This is a cartoon for grown ups and children alike. I remember watching this and just being floored by its contrasting sense of maturity and its over powering feeling of childhood wonder. It’s like watching a hand drawn live action film. It’s at once very grounded in the reality of the situation it present but also has the imagination and creativity to express the dreams and ambitions it encourages us to aspire to. I am a huge Ghibli fan and this is right up there with Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service as the very best from the Japanese Disney. Great review!
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January 8, 2012 at 2:49 am (UTC 0)
Thanks, Ronan!
The more I think about it, the more I like it! I think I will definitely revisit it in the coming months, as I do regularly with my various other Ghibli films.
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January 8, 2012 at 10:12 pm (UTC 0)
I must start dropping early Birthday present hints to my wife so that I can complete my Ghibli collection (though September is a long way off, don’t think I can wait that long). Still need Pom Poko, My Neighbours the Yamadas, Tales from earth sea, Ponyo and really want to get the new one, Arrietty. Here’s the trailer. Looks fantastic. A Ghibli take on the Borrowers story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeoKCQUDE-k I look forward to reading more Ghibli reviews on FRC. Thanks again Mike.
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January 11, 2012 at 4:32 pm (UTC 0)
Oooh, POM POKO is a good one =D
ARRIETY is high on my LOVEFiLM list, can’t wait to see that one!
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January 8, 2012 at 11:21 am (UTC 0)
Great review Mike
I looove Ghibli but haven’t seen all their movies yet.This one is one of them. It is not because I don’t want to see it but because I couldn’t find it.
Spirited away is my number 1 fav Ghibli movie.
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January 11, 2012 at 3:32 pm (UTC 0)
Thanks!
You have great Ghibli taste there
This is a great little film well worth seeing!
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January 9, 2012 at 10:31 pm (UTC 0)
You’ve inspired me Mike, I might just do a Ghibli related list…eventually!
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January 11, 2012 at 3:36 pm (UTC 0)
Haha, I aim to inspire =)
Myself and Tom will have a top 5 Ghibli list up very soon so keep an eye out!
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