Review of Whisper of the Heart

I was shocked that this was as good as it was. This stands apart from other Ghibli movies by being more adult-oriented, yet still having realistic middle-schoolers as the main characters. To me, this is the definition of a what slice of life should be. Not a true slice of life, but one that tells a narrative that mirrors that of Chuhiro in Spirited Away. Well, vice versa, as this came first. Story: 9 I had no idea where this story was going to go. I thought I did, but this is so much more meaningful than I thought it would be. I can imagine watching thisover and over and pulling out different themes and meaning from character interactions. The best part is that nothing hits you over the head, saying "This is symbolic of..." It will take me many watches I think. The ending is odd to have in a G-rated film, and I wish there was a bit of an epilogue there.

Art: 9
The art was so ahead of its time. This looked at many times like a Shinkai film with its displays of city life. There are some more creative sequences that blow me away, but they are not the highlight for me. The highlight is how realistic every building in Tokyo is. This feels so lived in, despite the extras not having as much detail as say, Mononoke-hime or Spirited Away, but that's a nitpick.

Sound: 10
The renditions of Country Roads (not a spoiler, it is the first scene) are great, and something I knew about before hand. The orchestral score is good too. What really got me is the weird techno music that plays sometimes. I did not expect to hear that, but it always made me chuckle and make a big smile. The voice acting in Japanese is so good. The actors all sound their age and fit their characters' personalities. The emotion especially in the main character is so raw. This movie does not hold back.

Character: 10
This excels over A Silent Voice, which I thought had perfect characters, who fit the themes well. They have nothing on this film. One thing I like is the surprisingly small cast. Everyone gets well fleshed out that needs to be. Everyone feels like a real person, and much moreso than a Silent Voice.

Enjoyment: 10
Although probably one of the slowest paced animes I've seen (besides Totoro), I was never bored. I am impressed with their ability to make a two hour movie with no filler (unlike Howl's Moving Castle), and without a world-ending story (like Kimi no na wa). The scene right before the ending had me in tears, and the ending (although odd) suited the characters well.

A 10/10 movie. Would reccommend to anyone who feels they don't fit the mould of the traditional life. The dual themes here can help anyone on their journey in the story. Watching this, the DVD skipped, and I accidently passed by 15 minutes of story. I realized after that there was something missing. I went back, and that 15 minutes I skipped made this my favorite movie I have ever seen. Love it.