Whisper of the Heart

Ok first off if you are after a faced paced action packed white knuckles thrill ride viewing experience this is NOT your kind of movie. For the most part this movie offers its viewers what is for the most part an amazingly accurate picture of what it is like to be a family in Japan. The movie treats you as if you are a silent onlooker as this young ladies life unfolds before you. There are few if any fast cuts and action sequences designed to fast forward you into a basic understanding of what motivates the characters. Great time and effort was taken to allow the complexities of each character to unfold before you. As the movie played on I actually had the sense that I was being allowed to get to know each character. Another thing that makes this movie special is each character was crafted with amazing subtelty and attention to detail making feel real. The attention to detail and slow pace of character development in Whisper of the Heart made me want to invest myself in loving each character for the unique perspectives, joys and pains and insights they brought to the overall work. This is not the movie for someone who needs an action sequence every 4 minutes to stay interested and connected to the movie. This movie is for someone who enjoys people, love and the most awesome cultural aspects of Japan.I was impressed also with the quality of the animation. The sheens on the wood surfaces as light shines on them in rooms was awesome. The attention to detail in the look and feel of the fathers library workplace was astounding. As the young lady decended the stairs I could almost the crisp air heavy with the unique smell books have when collected together. The train stations and appropriate signage were also well detailed. True attention to detail during animation can be seen by looking out of the windows as the train goes from place to place. The scenery changes, the support poles for the trains electric power lines pass by as expected. It is not the same three to seven buildings passing by in cheap animation seen on the Flintstones and Jetsons for example.This is a love story between a adulescent young man and woman both on track to enter high school in Japan. I will say nothing more about the plot because; I do not want to spoil it for others. This is an awesome movie. It is slow in pace but if you care about cultural details and want to get a sense of what life in Japan is like this is a great beginning on your journey toward understanding and human enlightenment. There is One VERY unrealistic plot point in this movie I feel compelled to point out. At one point the high school aged young lady flirts with the idea of not entering or completing high school. Her grades drop off to a point that is totally worrisome and her parents eventually become very mellow and supportive of her plans. Unfortunately most typical parents in Japan do not reach with passive love when their childs grades fall and they express a desire not to continue school. In Japan the entire culture is geared to seek perfection in all things. In Japan school, college and job life is a never ending competition and everyone and I mean everyone is taught from birth to take the important competitions in life seriously. Few parents would behave as the young ladies parents did when her grades fell and she announced she would not be attending high school. That said this movie is worth owning. It is sweet light and wonderful and might leave a tear in your eye at its ending.PS hope you like the song Country Road's because you will be hearing it enough times during the DVD!

Whisper of the heart is one of the most sensitive, heartwarming and beautiful films ever made. Based on a shojo manga by Aoi Hiiragi, Written and produced by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, whisper of the heart is a tale of self discovery and coming of age of a high school girl Shizuku who is not sure what she wants in life. A series of dramatic events bring her closer to a guy Seiji from her own school. Together they embark on a journey which will help them find their inner potentials, realize their dreams and also love for each other. Also featured in the movie is an old man who runs an antique shop stocked with amazing treasures, including a magnificient porcelain figurine "the baron" (also featured in "The cat returns). Both of these characters play an important role in the film. Though "The cat returns" is kind of follow up to "whisper" yet for some reason it was released on dvd before "whisper".Rarely is a film as honest and realistic as whisper of the heart and that's what makes it amazingly special, charming and successful. Within its thin plot and realistic settings, whisper has its magic moments which are downright uplifting and strike a chord somewhere deep inside. The film itself is a breath of fresh air.Whisper of the heart, though slow in pace, draws you in from the very beginning and refuses to let you go. Its a heartwarming tale which makes you feel nostalgic and helps you relive the adolescence. Except for the Shizuku's dreamy fantasy sequence, the film relies heavily on dialogues and simple and real situations. The locales and the backgrounds shown in the film are as beautiful and breathtaking as in any other ghibli film. Open spaces, beautiful countryside, deep blue sky with summer clouds, a bicycle ride atop the hill, there are numerous things and moments in the film that set the mood just right, leaving the viewer spellbound and satisfied. After a while you forget completely that you are watching an animated film. Music plays an important role in the film and is soft and relaxing though we do get lots of those silent moments too for which ghibli films are famous. Also featured in the film is John Denver's song "country roads" which makes the perfect backdrop for the film. Not to mention here, the royalty disputes which arised later, making it difficult for the movie to see an American release.Be it character development, animation or background art of the film, attention to details is simply stunning.The incredibly detailed backgrounds of the fantasy sequences were done by Naohisa Inoue who was an established artist and a long time Miyazaki fan. Impressed by his fantasy work, Miyazaki himself invited him to work on the film. Whisper of the heart dvd released by Buena Vista in Japan includes a special documentary showcasing the dreamy artwork of the film.Director Yoshifumi Kondo had worked on many ghibli films such as Kiki's delivery service, Grave of the fireflies and Pom poko etc, as an animator. Hayao Miyazaki, who was looking for new breed of directors for ghibli, recognised Kondo's talent in no time and gave him a chance to direct this movie. Unfortunately, whisper of the heart remains to be the first and the only film directed by Yoshifumi Kondo. Just after the release of whisper, Kondo succumbed to aneurysm. It is evident from whisper of the heart how immensely talented and sensitive director Kondo was.Films like whisper of the heart are very rare and come once in a lifetime. Watching a film like this is an experience to behold and cherish forever. ----Blu-ray RELEASE UPDATE----Whisper of the Heart finally makes it to North America on the stellar format. The film is reported to have received a shiny new digital 1080P remaster for this Blu-ray release which will also feature English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 2.0 Dolby Digital Language Track, Japanese 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Original Production, English and French Subtitles. Bonus features on this release will include:4 Masterpieces of Naohisa Inoue - Watch the evolution of four different scenes by master artist Naohisa InoueOriginal Japanese StoryboardsBehind the Microphone--With voice talent from the filmOriginal Japanese Trailers and TV Commercials

There's little I can say that not already been said. I looked at some of the negative reviews and despaired at some of the comments. If you put forward a comment along the lines that "it's boring" with nothing to add, then you will only attract equally boring and negative comments in return. This is a film that encourages you to think about relationships and captures a moment of "Magic" when two young people realise that they are spiritually connected and subsequently commit to each other at an early age. The story is told in such a supple way that, before you realise it, you are completely hooked and care deeply about the characters (something that only the best films will achieve).My litmus test for any animation is, whether or not I forget that the film is actually an animation because I get caught up in the story so much. In this case I forgot within 5 minutes.

Yoshifumi Kondo was an animation director for Studio Ghibli, working alongside Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata on the films Kiki's Delivery Service, Only Yesterday and Princess Mononoke, all of which are some of the best the studio ever produced, he was Miyazaki's protégé.Whisper of the Heart is the first and only film directed by Kondo, unfortunately due to a sudden death said to have been caused by excess work.It's a real tragedy because I felt like the film has a certain purity, Kondo had some proper talent and we'll never get to see anything like it again.Whisper of the Heart is best described as a "slice of life" film, there's real people with ordinary lives.The story follows Shizuku, a hardworking teenage girl and bookworm who lives with her parents and shares a bunkbed with her sister at a cramped and cluttered apartment in modern Tokyo, I found that most interesting because it isn't often you see characters in anime living in such poor conditions.The first chunk of the film is a glimpse of her everyday life in school and home but it really starts going places when she follows a stray cat on a train to discover a beautiful antiques shop.Shizuku becomes attracted to a boy named Seiji who eventually leaves for Italy to follow his dreams of violin making, Shizuku is then inspired by Seiji to follow her own dreams of writing.It is just a fantastic and heart-warming masterpiece.

A Japanese anime featuring an American country soundtrack sounds like a strange idea indeed, but Studio Ghibli have pulled it off with one of their most touching animated adventures ever. But unlike Spirited Away and Laputa, the magic and otherworldly scenes are few and far between - Whisper of the Heart is very much an emotional drama, with the heroine contending with real life obstacles such as studying and boyfriends, rather than monsters and wizards.The song featured throughout the movie is Country Roads (Olivia Newton John's version plays during the beginning credits) and one of the most beautiful scnes in the movie is when the young girl performs her own personal version with the lyrics rewritten to suit her own experience, and the young boy who becomes her love interest backing her with his violin playing, and then his family joins in with their own instruments, and it swells into a beautifully performed folk track.At the start of this movie, Western audiences may be thinking that it will be an American style teen movie with a gradutaion scene at the end - there are references to the kids' graduation throughout the movie - but it does not even reach the end of the school year (sorry to spoil it) it simply takes place over a few weeks in which this young girl explores her talent for writing songs and stories, and finds that her passion can be a burden as well as a gift. She encounters many characters who have a different impact on the way she feels about her talent, and she finds that she must learn her own way and make her own mistakes before she can follow the right path that will determine her future and career. Whisper of the Heart contains many strong themes that can appeal and inspire viewers of all ages, and is a must for any anime enthusiast.

I bought this DVD for my granddaughter for whom I am collecting the Japanese Series of animated films. I have enjoyed them as much as she has. The entire production is terrific from start to finish whether it is the story; animation; colours - they are wonderful to watch - hence the collection. I would recommend this and many other stories to anyone who enjoys animated films. I have around 20 in the collection and all are different in their genre, but so interesting to watch. There are so many people involved in the production of each story but each is worth a viewing and enjoyment in doing so.I hope anyone who buys this DVD enjoys it too - it is a great little story

When it comes to the animation, characters, story and the messages, this is really one of their best films. I could relate and understand many of the characters feelings and motivations, especially the main character with her struggles. It's great to see more of a realistic approach to their films, even though their fantasy stuff is still amazing. Having said that, the fantasy aspect (when we see the Baron and Shizuku in the fantasy world) is visually stunning to look at, along with the rest of the film. It's a great coming-of-age film that I think many people can relate to, which is why this is such a strong Ghibli film. I highly recommend it.