Je peux entendre l'océan

Fantastic. If you do not care for subtly or quiet reflection, do not see this film. If on the other hand, you enjoy seeing the inner workings of the human heart, this film is hard to beat. Illustrates remarkably well something that may be better understood by the Japanese, sometimes, the unspoken speaks with greater eloquence than words are capable of doing.

Highly recommended.

Ocean Waves is a Studio Ghibli's production for TV, made by the young artists in the studio, that tells a charming story of love and friendship during High School in the small town of Kochi. The main characters are Taku Morisaki and his friend Yutaka Matsuno, and the quirky opinionated newly-arrived-in-town girl they like - Rikako Muto.

The movie tells a simple story of growing up and becoming adults, and shows all of the dramas surrounding teenagers, but it is well narrated and animated. The animation is not as impressive and detailed as others Ghibli's movies, but it has Ghibli's quality stamp on it, and is very realistic and beautiful.

The mood of the movie is great and captures with great mastery the spirit of a small town and its people, and also the spirit of summertime in those years in High School, with all the activities, romances and friendships that we experience during our teen years; it really transports the viewers to their High School days. The characters are well drawn, psychologically and emotionally believable, and very likable.

A very enjoyable animation movie perfect for teenagers and adults, not for children.

First of all the animation is brilliant! Super impressive for an early 90's film. It reminds you of the Japanese shows you watched in your childhood like The gutsy frog, Kochikame, etc. The story is simple and sweet and nothing complex. It's a very 'feel good' kind of a film. Just sit back and relax and enjoy it. Despite not having any story as such, It didn't bore me for a second. I was hooked from the get go and just kept enjoying the scenes as they came on. The background piano playing also works very well with the film and keeps you hooked throughout. The plot of this film reminded me of a certain phase of my life. So I enjoyed it very much. It's definitely worth watching.

TV movie or not, this was an outstanding film. Terrific direction, animation, and writing. As others have stated already, it is a film with a great deal of subtlety, so if you think great acting is Julia Roberts screaming at the top of her lungs, then you might not appreciate this film fully. It ranks among the best animated films I have watched, at least in the top 15 or 20. It's not quite in the same league as The Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Akira, My Neighbor Totoro, Whisper of the Heart, Only Yesterday, or a few other excellent anime I have had a chance to see, but it is easily better than 99% of the rest of the animated films out there. Highly recommended. At least an 8/10.

I saw this anime after I had been introduced to some other, more prominent anime from Studio Ghibli. If you appreciate a fine subtle authentic slice-of-life story of high school romance, this is as good as it gets.

Its told from the point of view of a male student. A new female transfer student arrives from Tokyo and the plot moves forward in an interesting way. It never hurries, and feels very matter of fact. By the end of the film lessons are learned and the heart strings are pulled.

This movie doesn't try to do too much; it simply focuses on the main characters and tells their story honestly. You never feel manipulated as you do with many Hollywood films. The dramatic conflicts are real and interesting.

This is one movie I treasure.