A (mostly) spoiler-free look at the best Studio Ghibli movie you’ve never heard of.
You hang out with enough nerds (non-derogatory) and the conversation inevitably always steers its way to the Oscar-winning Japanese anime company, Studio Ghibli. As everyone goes around saying their favorite Ghibli movies, you’ll hear several bangers repeated, like Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle or Princess Mononoke. Unless you’re hanging out with me. Because unfortunately no one ever knows what I’m talking about when I announce my favorite Studio Ghibli movie. Maybe because it doesn’t have any magic or ghosts or spirituality or fairy tale elements. It’s just about a boy and a girl living in modern-day Japan. Today, we’re talking about Whisper of the Heart (1995) and why you HAVE to watch it. Tonight.
Shizuku is a 14-year-old girl who has a passion for books. She’s always reading and dreams of a day when she can be like her favorite authors, toiling away to create masterful stories. And because she’s such a big fan of books, she’s always checking them out at her local library. Annoyingly, whatever book she chooses has always inevitably been checked out before her by a boy named Seiji. She has no idea who he is, but all she knows is that he’s annoying.
Also, if Shizuku seems familiar, that’s because she was used as inspiration for Lofi Girl.
Unlike pretty much any other teen boy in existence, Seiji Amasawa just wants to make violins. Well, he already makes them, but he wants to train in Italy to become a world-class violin-maker. That’s not his only passion, though. While Shizuku had no idea who he was, he’d already noticed her, and maybe him checking out those books wasn’t a coincidence.
John Denver’s 1971 hit song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” features prominently in this movie, whether it’s as the modified lyrics to a song Shizuku is writing for her school or as the adorable scene when Shizuku sings the song with Seiji’s violin and his grandpa’s buddies accompanying her. The song plays throughout and there’s a good chance you’ll be a diehard fan by the time the credits roll.
Aside from one of Shizuku’s stories playing out on-screen for a scene (which would later spin-off its own Studio Ghibli movie you might have heard of, The Cat Returns), there’s no magic in Whisper of the Heart. Unless you consider the magic of two young teens falling in love and encouraging each other to follow their dreams. In that case, it’s magical as hell. Ultimately, Whisper of the Heart is a cute slice-of-life anime that’ll make you want to write or make violins or just finally listen to your own whispering heart.
You can watch Whisper of the Heart on Max, along with the rest of the Studio Ghibli catalog.
