Si tu tends l'oreille

A Studio Ghibli film, 'Whisper of the Heart' differs from most anime produced by the company in that it is not about cute creatures or other-wordly adventures. Instead, it is a bittersweet tale of a normal teenage girl and the trials of growing up.

The film follows Shizuku, a girl in her mid-teens, who lives for her love of books and writing. During her numerous visits to the library, she become aware that all the books she has taken out have been previously checked out by a boy named 'Seiji Amasawa'. It doesn't take long to realise that this Seiji is, in fact, a fellow classmate at her school who she finds infuriatingly arrogant. But as she comes to know him properly, discovering he is a boy with firm ambitions to be a great violin maker, he leaves her yearning to find her own path in life as well as tasting love for the first time.

What makes 'Whisper of the Heart' so beautiful is its honest depiction of what it is to be an adolescent on the cusp of adulthood, avoiding pitfalls like descending into sap, depicting teenagers as being perpetually stroppy and difficult or sexing up characters in a vain attempt to make them more appealing to the shallow. We've all been in Shizuku's shoes: feeling the turbulent tugs of first love, floundering over what do to with one's life when it seems everyone else seems to know their own dreams for the future and juggling the turmoils of school life and exams at the same time. Anyone who has ever been fifteen years old will be able to empathise with Shizuku and Seiji and that's what makes them such strong, concrete characters. It also offers an interesting insight into the Japanese culture as we get a close-up look of everyday family and school life in Japan, which in itself is as fascinating as the actual story.

'Whisper of the Heart' is much more than just a teenage love story. It's a charming, poignant tale about life and dreams. Another first class film by Studio Ghibli.

A very moving animé film from Studio Ghibli, as good as anything either Miyazaki or Takahata have made. It's a very simple and down-to-earth movie about a young teenage girl who is experiencing her first love, as well as doubts about her future. Whisper understands its characters as few films do, and I became quite intimate with our heroine, Shizuku. It also has a sense of mood unmatched by any other film I can think of set in everyday life. The way it feels to live in a cramped apartment, the emotions of the first day of school, and the way the sky looks after it has rained – so many generic memories of my life brought right to the forefront, as if they were the only moments that mattered. The film enveloped me so completely, I could smell the odor of the antique shop. The music is so wonderful, the score by Yuji Nomi. And I never could have imagined that John Denver's song `Country Roads' would make me weep. Well, it was in Japanese, but still. It's frightening. Each Ghibli film I see makes me think that the next one cannot possibly match it, yet each film inevitably does. 10/10.

This was on the TCM channel late one night, and I discovered it by accident, having just turned on the TV, which often helps me get to sleep. I didn't expect an anime movie to be this involving, but I stayed up for what turned out to be a very pleasant movie.

The story tells of a young girl named Shizuku who enjoys reading, and has a desire to write stories herself. She notices that many of the books she has checked out of the library show the same name of a boy who has checked out all these books. She becomes curious who this person with similar tastes to her own is.

It turns out to be a boy from her school; they meet, and almost like an old MGM musical, initially have friction, but it's obvious they are warming up to each other. The scene where they sing "Country Roads" together is charming and joyous. Their budding "first love" romance is sweet, but beyond that, has an extra dimension, in that they inspire one another to utilize their talents to pursue their dreams and ambitions.

The animation is exquisite; the backgrounds resemble paintings, almost looking like real places, not animated pictures. There's even quite a bit of attention to create a three-dimensional world.

Good, uplifting movie, with a lot of heart and optimism. Well written, and you can't help but love these appealing characters, and root for them that a happy ending comes their way.

Can an animated movie make you feel things? Can it conjur up emotions from the viewers? Not all can of course, but if you look to Japan and to movies like the one on hand here, the answer is yes. Generally speaking anything that came out of Studio Ghibli can be considered high quality. And I speak past tense, because it does unfortunately not exist anymore.

But they put out so many movies, you will have a good time (re)visiting them. This is one of them, with unlikely two leads ... well unlikely at first to actually be together. It feels so real relationship wise, it really gets to you. Even following the cat, is something you may or should be able to connect with curious wise. A very good movie, with colorful characters - no pun intended.

Fabulous. Extremely fantastic. I love the innocence in it, the love, and the friendship. You can feel all that just by watching Whisper, and the music! I've always loved Country Road by J.Denver, and after watching this movie, I like it even more. I actually fell in love with the characters, and felt like being in love again. The vibe is there, no doubt. The atmosphere, the artwork, it is fantastic. We don't really need a high-tech animation to make a successful one. Simple artwork like Studio Ghibli's is just wonderful for me. I'm not going to spoil anything, since most of you probably have watched it. Those who haven't, please do so! I'm going to watch it again and again! My sincerest opinion, it is a must see! 10/10 from me!