Review of Whisper of the Heart

It's a lovely romance movie full of color and detail. Even the weaker, ho-hum portions of the movie are elevated by the beautiful color, storyboarding, and attention to details such as seasonal changes and supplementary scenes or changes in the background that illustrate the passage of time. It's a pleasure to see the main character Shizuku interact with her environment and live in the space. Now, it's possible this is less rewatchable than others and has fewer highly memorable moments, but the experience is certainly still worth it, and the production quality is undeniable. One strength is the validity of the relationship and how thetwo characters inspire one another. There is one particular moment when the boy says something that validates the girl's romantic dream. That drew me in and made me feel like their relationship should be supported. And then the doll subplot that mirrors everything... if you're weak to this type of romance like me, then it will appeal to you too.

Of course the musical scene is a major highlight and very memorable even among the entire Ghibli library. And personally I've had moments like Shizuku, pausing for a long time in an unfamiliar or 'wrong' place. I like those moments. Furthermore she learns about herself in a tangible way, which was something I also liked about Alice in Wonderland.

The movie's weakness is mostly about quantity rather than quality. You want to be in Shizuku's jewel-encrusted imagination more and you want to be cramped into the apartment building less. And if you're like me you might accidentally conflate it with The Cat Returns.