Review of Whisper of the Heart

Slice-of-life is a difficult genre to pull off effectively, especially realistic slice-of-life, because while most stories are sold on the actions, climaxes, and character decisions, slice-of-life stories rely solely on the strength of having interesting characters alone, as you the viewer have to be intrigued enough to follow the story as it explore the everyday mundane moments of life of these fictious individuals. “Whisper of the Heart” is in my opinion one of the best slice-of-life anime out there, and this review will explore why. Produced by the famed Studio Ghibli, “Whisper of the Heart” can be at times one of their more overlooked films.Nowadays the film is better known more as a meme whose protagonists feature in LoFi music videos on YouTube or that one anime film where the characters constantly sing John Denver’s “Country Road”. Yet this movie deserves to be taken seriously on how it portrays with a great deal of realism the themes of coming of age.

“Whisper of the Heart” is one of the few Studio Ghibli films that was not directed by Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata. Instead it was the directorial debut of Yoshifumi Kondō. Something Kondō does amazingly well in the film is make the mundane moments of life beautiful and captivating. Everyday activities such as taking the train, reading a book, or following a cat are made intriguing by Kondō’s clever directing and use of color, camera angles, tone, and sound. Both Miyazaki or Takahata are great anime directors, but they (especially Miyazaki) tend to rely on more fantastical elements in their story telling, this would have been a much different film if they had directed it. It is a real tragedy that Kondō would die three years after “Whisper of the Heart” was released and this would be the only film he would ever direct.

The coming-of-age theme is one of the best parts of “Whisper of the Heart”. There really isn’t any antagonist or conflict that the main character, Shizuku Tsukishima, has to overcome. Instead, what she faces is far more daunting and relatable, nearing the end of high school and not knowing what will come next, with seemingly everybody else having their life plans set except you. This is a rather relevant theme, as we have all had major transitions in life where we were unsure what is coming next and how the familiar now seems unfamiliar, just as is happening to Shizuku. “Whisper of the Heart” is far from the only anime to tackle these themes, but it does so in a way that is refreshingly free of melodrama that I can appreciate.

Studio Ghibli is famous for its outstanding animation, and “Whisper of the Heart” is no different. In fact this film probably has some of Ghibli’s best animation. While there are no grand battles or dramatic encounters, Kondō and his crew did a great job in their attention to detail, and on rewatch I was struck by many of the simple elements such as the slight scale of rust on the guardrails or the texture of the pavement as Shizuku crosses the road. The animation also does a great job of making 90s Tokyo seem colorful and alive, such as scenes at the train station or school, or even how the sky changes color with the weather. While it may not be as outwardly impressive as some of Ghibli’s other films, for those with an eye for detail “Whisper of the Heart” can be a real treat.

One of the best aspects of “Whisper of the Heart” and something that lends to its sense of realism and its story telling narrative is the fact that all the characters have separate lives, goals, and ambitions independent of the protagonist. This might seem simple, but it is astounding how many anime (or stories in general) mess this up. Shizuku's mother is pursuing a advanced college degree, her sister has a job and is looking to move out, her father is a librarian, Seiji Amasawa is looking to be a violin-making apprentice in Italy and Mr. Nishi runs his antiques shop.

“Whisper of the Heart” isn’t perfect and I do have two minor qualms with the film: the first is that at the beginning the characters are constantly singing the American song “Country Roads”, however this ends up being rather irrelevant towards the end of the movie. I read recently that them singing & rewriting “Country Roads” was never actually in the original manga that serves as the source material, which explains why it sort of oddly peters out towards the end of the film. Secondly, the romance in the film between Seiji and Shizuku is far, far, too rushed. They go from being acquaintances to friends to lovers in what seems like an instant, and the ending of the film struck me as rather abrupt.

All that said “Whisper of the Heart” is still worth watching. While it may not be as good as “Princes Mononoke” or “Spirited Away”, it remains one of my favorite Studio Ghibli and anime films. For fans of more realistic slice-of-life or Ghibli films it well worth your time.