Review of Whisper of the Heart
High school has always been a popular setting for anime. Most anime associate high school with slice of life, comedy, romance, and of late, harem. This has worked out very well for most anime, but there was one little thing that always bugged me for some reason – it was all just a backdrop and never actually felt like one. The teachers are non-existent, the school is magically empty when the male and the female lead need to be alone and most importantly, the main characters were always a two-goody shoes or a precocious little punk, on whose shoulders the fate of the world rests.Even an anime called “School Days” revolved less around the actual school days. Very few anime actually use this backdrop to carve a story out of.
And one of them is Whisper of the Heart, an anime movie produced by Studio Ghibli in collaboration with Walt Disney studios. Released around 15 years ago, this movie continues to be entertaining to this day.
Whisper of the Heart is a relaxing two hour movie about the confused and enigmatic junior high student, Shizuku. Troubled on what to do after graduating, she finds solace in reading fairytales. On the way to the library, she meets a cat, who she follows to a quaint shop called “The World Emporium”. There she meets people and objects which help her listen to the whispers of her heart.
There’s not much to the story, really. This movie was primarily meant for children, so don’t go in expecting any complex plot with devious twists and turns. It is a very simple tale on how Shizuku tries to discover her true talents. That said, it does not mean that this feature is uninteresting. It was amazing how such a timid storyline kept me entertained for two whole hours.
The animation is trademark Ghibli style, with the chubby girls, detailed backgrounds and the smiling characters. But you know that when two heavyweights such as Ghibli and Disney come together, they sure aren’t going to fail on the technical aspect. Their previous collaborations (Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle) are testament to that fact.
The music is peaceful and fits the bill. The movie’s main song, Country Road, is a lovely number and very catchy.
The cast is pretty small, but it’s good. The protagonist is Shizuku, a spunky junior high student. Her good-humored family and friends comprise the rest of the cast, but I’m not going to go to deep into that. The casual voice-acting fits in well with the anime’s atmosphere.
The reason why Whisper of the Heart is so charming is because of its impeccable attention to detail. Just trust me when I say that the level of detailing to the characters’ unconscious actions and the constantly active background is ridiculously high. Things like a pencil lead snapping when writing furiously, pulling back of the skirt when sitting down, moving to the side of the road when an occasional car passes by, spacing out when looking out the window...I could go on all day. Long story short, this anime looks and feels very natural. The director and the storyboard artists have clearly put their heart and soul into making this anime, and it reflects on the quality of the movie.
But, when it’s all said and done, this movie does have its fair share of flaws. The start is extremely slow paced and I can already see a few people dozing off by the half hour mark. The show can be a bit melancholy at times and this is quite strange, seeing that it was meant for children. The ending was abrupt and could’ve used more build up.
All in all, Whispers of the Heart is a lovely movie that is sure to put a smile on your face with its realistic take on a girl’s junior high life.
[ THE WRAP-UP ]
Whisper of the Heart is your usual Studio Ghibli movie. Although aimed at a younger audience, this pleasant anime is a fun ride for kids and a nostalgic journey for adults. The show’s plot is simple, but it has a way of engulfing you into the picturesque world of the characters. The unimpeachable detailing to the characters’ actions adds on to the already realistic anime. The show takes its own sweet time to get off its feet and the ending was a bit off. But you can look past these shortcomings, because of the charming shojo elements that it oozes. Although the movie is 15 years old, it is able to hold its own in the audio visual department. Like the ore from which precious metals are extracted, this movie is rough, unpolished and natural. And that is exactly what makes it completely worth your time. Like, the MAL score of 8 says, Whispers of the Heart is a very good anime. No more, no less.