Review of Whisper of the Heart
What a heart-warming Studio Ghibli movie! Shizuku is not your average middle school teenager. She’s a book worm who loves adventure and seeks out any opportunity to be whisked away to an unknown place in her city. When she decides to follow a cat riding on the train with her, she ends up at a shop selling strange objects with a magical vibe and she finds a cat statue in a tail coat called the baron which inspires her. Little does she know that the shop belongs to the grandfather of the same guy, Seiji whose name always appears on the same library books thatshe reads. Drama and romance follow.
This movie makes you wish life was as tranquil and was conveniently coincidental like the events in the film. With Shizuku’s carefree spirit, we kind of have to put aside our inner sceptic as she walks around the whole neighbourhood and pays no heed to the stranger danger saying. It makes you want to throw caution to the wind because if you spend life over-cautious then you may miss out on meeting the most amazing people and getting the most remarkable opportunities.
The way in which Shizuku and Seiji get together is so adorable. He plays the song that she arranged on violin, whilst she sings and later his grandpa and his friends join into the musical jam session. It just makes you want to go down that cool looking hidden path in the park, because who knows what magical opportunities you can create! The light teasing and deep moments between them help stray from the overbearing relationships which are becoming way too common.
The romance of this film is well created as it is used to create a bigger and more substantial meaning. Seiji has great aspirations to become a masterful violin maker which inspires Shizuku to try hard to find and cultivate her passion. Shizuku’s hard work shows that you can’t make much progress towards finding your true potential unless you’re willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears. The romance is also really light and not nauseating. It’s filled with a slight hint of natural shyness, but both characters have such strong personalities and desires, that their ideas kind of bounce of off each other and end up creating a cool dynamic.
The Innocence and light hearted nature of the events and side characters is exactly what creates the unique feel of this movie that makes you want to do more, be more, explore the world, cultivate your passions. Though you may get exasperated by how coincidental some events are, maybe it’s just that in real life, we aren’t as aware of the many opportunities that can result in strange but extraordinary circumstances that occur throughout the film.
Though the art style is simple, as the movie is from 1995, it is charming and detailed. The soundtrack also fits the atmosphere of the film quite well.
Shizuku’s family shows a very realistic yet desirable quality. One of acceptance and giving Shizuku the right to determine what’s important in her life for herself. Though they give their opinion on what she should be doing and they don’t completely understand her goals and aspirations, they support wholeheartedly which is so elusive, yet important to allow someone’s true potential to flourish in the right direction. Her classmates in this movie are hilarious, especially when they collectively tease and spy on Shizuku and Seiji, when they’re having a moment on the school balcony.
It’s a very fun and relaxing movie, but it does inspire thought and gets you thinking about the truly important things in life!