Club Ghibli #9 - Whisper of the Heart (1995)

[Diddy]

Sorry for the delay, but the Ghibli juggernaut rolls on - This time back to the 90s, with neither Miyazaki nor Takahata at the helm.

"Whisper of the Heart" (Mimi wo Sumaseba, lit. "If you listen...") is the only Ghibli movie directed by the late Yoshifumi Kondo, who was hoped to carry the torch of Ghibli after the founders' retirements. But sadly he passed away from an aneurysm at 47 years old. But his place in the Ghibli canon is probably unmatched outside the big two directors, with this film being another biggest grossing movie of the year in Japan.

We've actually covered its spiritual successor "The Cat Returns" already, but the throughline is almost inconsequential story-wise. It is also an adaptation of a manga by Hiiragi Aoi, though.

It covers the story of Junior Highschooler Shizuku, who repeatedly crosses paths with mysterious schoolmate Seiji. Will their shared interests draw them closer together? And what does the cat have to do with it? Or Olivia Newton-John, for that matter?



HOW THIS WORKS

In a semi book club format, the films will be announced, and over the course of about 2 weeks we can watch it and let everyone know what we thought. I'll nominate someone to pick the next film each time, but maybe let's try not to blow all the famous ones first!

I was thinking 2 weeks should be enough time for most people to fit in a viewing at some point, but it's not strict so please come back when you have a chance, no pressure!
@Christian @Gangsta Nancy Lam @jivafox @COB @Haiku @ZenGiraffe @Lucille @KindaCool @Queen of the Bay @RaspberrySwirl @RJN @Beverley @big ron @ButterTart @Mats (let me know if you don't want to be tagged any more)

 

[Peekaboo]

I can't believe we are moving on from one of the best films of ALL TIME so swiftly Did only Queen of the Bay watch Nausicaa? Bunch of HEATHENS!

 

[Peekaboo]

with neither Miyazaki nor Takahata at the helm.

Miyazaki wrote the screenplay (based on a popular manga I believe) and you kind of can see his fingertips all over this film IMO. It's very HIM!

 

[Diddy]

Miyazaki wrote the screenplay (based on a popular manga I believe) and you kind of can see his fingertips all over this film IMO. It's very HIM!

Well isn’t that always the case? I’m sure he’s lurking in the shadows most of the time

 

[Diddy]

I can't believe we are moving on from one of the best films of ALL TIME so swiftly Did only Queen of the Bay watch Nausicaa? Bunch of HEATHENS!

Well quite, but we got a decent post count at least (mainly us ) and QOTB is USUALLY the only one watching for the first time
I’m topic poison

 

[big ron]

I can't believe we are moving on from one of the best films of ALL TIME so swiftly Did only Queen of the Bay watch Nausicaa? Bunch of HEATHENS!

I’ve had zero time

 

[COB]

I've just not been in the mood for any of them, sorry

 

[Diddy]

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft and also Ghibli fans and potentials

Make time, bitch

 

[Marina Salty]

Started this today but then i fall asleep. Nothing to do with the film though, it was lovely, i was just exhausted from trying to teach puppy to understand "leave it" all day long.

 

[Diddy]

Started this today but then i fall asleep. Nothing to do with the film though, it was lovely, i was just exhausted from trying to teach puppy to understand "leave it" all day long.

Btw “make time bitch” wasn’t aimed at you, you are always very supportive and I love you.

Here’s me usually watching in a few days before I want to change the movie…

 

[Eyes]

I don't know this one so I'm planning to watch it in the next few days. Definitely need to fill in the gaps in my Ghibli knowledge.

 

[Eyes]

Cute film. Not as magical as some of the other Ghiblis but I know these themes a lot from watching coming-of-age anime and it wouldn't surprise me if those influenced some of them. Definitely I recognised more things that this film has obviously touched than I expected to. And there were little, very beautiful bits all over that confirmed what I was watching.

- forgot that library cards were ever a thing for a moment, it's a cute way of getting the main couple introduced to each other.

- I did have this vague recollection of a Japanese cover of Country Roads being a significant thing in Japanese pop culture, certainly knew it was popular for a Western song over there, guess that that in part stems from this film(?).

- HEY ITS THE LO-FI GIRL (or at least the model of it, had to stop and gasp because I'd never really looked into the origin of my favourite study method).

Spoiler

- the scene where an impromptu violin singalong of Country Roads turns into a full band singalong is really cute and heartwarming

- the central concept is really good, a lot of this is just chill in 90s Japan as a young girl worries about her future but the underlying encouragements from the Amasawas to find something creative inside you is a message I always love seeing, encourages me to keep trying to inject creative thoughts into the things I do. Good sense of self-worth from the main character too (like in that moment where she gets off and pushes the bike because she doesn't want to be a burden).

- the story about the grandpa and his doll getting separated from a lover because of the war was rather unexpected but pretty emotional in that I tend to place a lot of attachment on things and especially if they are as beautiful as that cat statue pair

 

[Christian]

One of my all time favourites. And the fat cat is amazing!

 

[Eyes]

One of my all time favourites. And the fat cat is amazing!

That long scene of her following the cat off the train as it just plodded along entirely unbothered by the many obstacles small-town Japan puts in its way was fantastic, forgot to mention that!

 

[Diddy]

Oh I don’t remember the fat cat, I thought that’s from the Cat Returns it might have been surprisingly long since I saw this

 

[Marina Salty]

I've watched this on Sunday night, with the bf, which was a distraction cause he was really unimpressed in what was going on and constantly made critical remarks. But I can say that I pretty much enjoyed the film, despite him. There's a lot to love on this, the nobility and the naiveness of the romance, once again the goodness of these characters, the animation, and that it's packed with references from other Ghibli films, ie the Baron, or the fatty cat that some people called Muta! The story of the cat reminded me of the cat that we are looking after every time we go to the island, who we assume must have other families that look after her too. And how I imagine that everyone uses a different name for her. And how much she seems to like to be independent and continue this hippy life of hers. Anyway lovely film, but I think it's not a 10 cause in comparison with other Ghibli this is a little simpler and perhaps am a little affected by bf's remarks and criticism. OH also the music! The song that the film starts with, and is recurrent throughout the film, has been covered here too, but I didn't recognize it at first. So after watching the opening scenes and thinking to myself omg what a beautiful song this is, but couldn't tell what song it was, I found myself humming the local cover of it a few minutes later, unintentionally, so I assume my brain kept on working to identify the song without me realizing and then sent the answer to my mouth in a subconscious mode.

 

[Peekaboo]

A boyfriend who is not into Ghibli and will TALK THROUGH THE FILM POINTING OUT FLAWS?

 

[Diddy]

Yeah he has to die

 

[Diddy]

RIGHT! I finally watched it - why do I always leave it to the last minute?
Anyway as I said, this is probably my least familiar of the ones I HAVE watched a number of times, so it was nice to refresh my memory.

I'd say it's not an all-time classic in the Ghibli canon but it was a lot more charming than I remembered. In my head it was a fairly melodramatic high school but without the nostalgia aspect that "Only Yesterday" had. But the irony is that I saw this when the film was only 7 or 8 years old, but now it IS nostalgic!

It's tempting to get excited about all the fantasy world movies like Laputa and Spirited Away, but this was a GORGEOUS representation of suburban Tokyo, those beautiful panoramas really sent me. It reminded me of an experience I had several years ago that I probably don't need to go into (but ask me if you want to know, I like the attention). It felt so lived-in, what a joy.
Even funny little details like Shizuku reaching for the light switch but not getting it and sitting up to turn it off - why did anyone need to animate THAT, and yet it is such a natural sort of action. That really is Ghibli's strength, adding details that don't serve the narrative at all, they're just there to make it more real.

The story itself - I thought "oh this last bit is dragging" but actually the last 30 minutes flew by. I wasn't particularly invested in their relationship but their interactions were really sweet. The ending was a bit of a WTF moment... but the themes of feeling adrift and wanting to find your passion was interesting, and not something I think I've seen approached head-on in other movies.

Shizuku was a good heroine - again in Western movies the lead character would always have some flaw like laziness, selfishness or whatever, and the purpose of the story is to fix them. Ghibli is always a bit more subtle and I found Shizuku a very sympathetic character. She wasn't broken or wrong at the start, she just found out something new by the end, and that was enough. (Her story looked like total dogshit though). Loved Muta/Moon's appearances, and Seiji's hot long legs.