74. Whispers of the Heart (1995) - Dir: Yoshifumi Kondo
John Denver's “Take Me Home, Country Road” may seem like an odd song to kick off a Japanese animated film. But then again, Studio Ghibli proves that not all Japanese animation is concerned with giant robots, saucer-eyed boys and girls with blue and green hair, tentacle porn, and ultra-violence. Further more, Whispers of the Heart proves that a Japanese animated film can, in fact, be just as touching, romantic, and moving as any live action film from anywhere in the world. Put quite simply, it showcases a phenomenally gripping portrayal of the young love between two dreamers, and is a hallmark of innocence and childhood friendship.
The story here is brilliant in its simplicity, and captures feelings of naivety, while displaying emotions not befuddled by an overly sarcastic or ultra-modern society. It is a simple story of “girl meets boy,” and follows the typical tropes and conventions such stories adhere to. It takes place in a small prefecture of Tokyo, a prefecture with a library just about to “update” to a bar code system, and the bulk of the narrative is focused around a middle school and a small shop that specializes in trinkets, curiosities and hand made musical instruments. Shizuku, a young girl, is fascinated with reading, and she soon discovers that a young boy, Seiji, has checked out all of the same books she has! With a little bit of detective work, along with a serendipitous meeting with a tubby cat, Shizuku and Seiji finally meet one another, and together they explore their dreams – Shizuku wants to be a writer, and Seiji wants to learn to make violins in Italy.
What's most fascinating about this film is how genuine everything feels. The emotions on display, the situational drama and comedy, and the characters themselves, feel authentic - no small task for a collection of hand painted cels. What is shown in Shizuku and Seiji is the full breadth of human emotion, as they struggle to make sense of their young lives while unearthing their first creative gems from deep within. It really is a marvel to behold, as the film engages at each and every turn. It is easy to laugh and cry with Shizuku and Seiji because what they are going through feels very real, and not like a simple plot contrivance crafted for a movie. The initial experience of “love,” no matter how innocent, is a strange and wonderful feeling, and this film captures this emotion like no other. All too often, in other romantic comedies, the entire affair seems so staged and synthetic – the kind of situations in these films just don't happen here in the real world.
Such is not the case in Whispers of the Heart. Even the art style employed does a wonderful job at strengthening the realism of the emotions and the romanticism of the narrative. The art itself looks innocent. The way the figures are drawn, the colors used on the backgrounds, and the soft textures on display, foster the themes of young romance and the imagination. The animation itself is a bit limited, often times not looking as fluid as one might hope for, but this fact never distracts from the overall experience. Studio Ghibli excels at crafting these kinds of films, and knows the importance of coupling strong images with equally strong music. Music that is not concerned with funny lyrics and catch-phrases to sell children's sing-a-long storybooks, but music that is just as emotional and mature as the art it accompanies. Together, the art and music used in the film continue to pull and tug at the viewer's emotions throughout, crafting a fully engaging experience that envelopes the senses.
Whispers of the Heart stands tall as a testament to the power of animation. There is no “action,” or violence involved, the humor is natural and not hokey, the narrative does not rely on pop-culture references or witty dialog, and the entire experience is just swimming in authentic emotions. Even though it is a “mere cartoon,” the characters are far more three-dimensional, and behave in a more realistic fashion than many of those found in live-action films with similar stories and themes. Whispers of the Heart is truly gripping, and encompassing, and instantly conjures up memories of childhood summers, first loves, and those lost times when we were all free to dream about this great and wonderful world, not burdened by the responsibilities and cynicism of adulthood.
