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Main Review
Whisper of the Heart is about a girl named Shizuku, who falls in love with a boy named Seiji, who wants to become a violin maker. His passion inspires her to try her luck as a writer, and she writes a story about a girl and an English-accented cat named The Baron, which is also shown at times.
Comments
This is another one of Ghibli's more "quiet" titles. Because it's a drama, it will probably bore young children, which is why "5" is the age rating I selected, rather than "any". I found this film to be enjoyable and poignant, and consider it among Ghibli's best. The only reason I don't really call it a romance is that, to me, there's no obstacles that stand between Shizuku and Seiji getting together. Both their families seem to approve of their relationship, which is handled very innocently. The parts concerning the Baron are surreal and beautiful. The music is a pleasant surprise (see music), and I think it'd make a great live-action piece, although I doubt anyone'd be able to find a clock like the one in the movie.
Music
The John Denver song, "Take Me Home Country Roads", appears in the film.
Sub vs Dub
The dubbed version has a great singer for Shizuku. I don't really know how to compare the two since I didn't watch the sub, but I found it among the best Ghibli titles of all time.
Manga
耳をすませば; Mimi o Sumaseba, literally "If You Listen Closely", by Aoi Hiiragi. Also, "The Cat Returns" features The Baron as well.
Related Movies
The Cat Returns, which also features The Baron.
Violence Details
None.
Language Details
None.
Nudity Details
None.
Sexual Content Details
Shizuku's older sister takes off her shirt, revealing her bra. This scene isn't particularly procavative, but it was worth mentioning, in my opinion. Additionally, the ending for this movie may surprise many Western viewers, but a study of Japanese culture will reveal that the ending is not so odd when viewed through the lenses of the native culture.
Religious Material Details
None.
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This is by far and large the most down-to-earth of all Ghibli’s films to date (barring having seen On Top Of Poppy Hill, which may be the exception). Normally these are filled with magical worlds, wondrous creatures, and incredible adventures. This has an adventure and the magic of everyday life- the random chance encounters that can lead to happiness that we never even dreamed of.
Taking its cues from the country song “Country Roads” by John Denver, Shizuku discovers that taking a route that she’d never been on before leads her to an unusual antiques shop, with a strange doll that instantly captures her attention and imagination. A boy that had first gotten her attention simply by having his name on all the library cards is there, and their friendship and feelings grow for one another.
How it all happens feels so natural and believable- like whoever wrote this story knew someone that it happened to. It retains a vaguely fairytale-esque feel to it, with everything falling into place and finding a ‘prince’, though he rides a bike instead of a horse! It mirrors Shizuku’s determination to write a story herself, a fantasy story that has to do with the doll that got her attention in the first place. Nothing is truly out of place. The characters feel like they are actual people. The relationship between Shizuku and her parents, to Shizuku’s older (bossy and somewhat oblivious) sister, they feel like a real family. The old shopkeeper is entirely endearing. And the love that blossoms between her and Seiji seems genuine.
It manages to mix the love story thoroughly with the idea of following one’s dreams. Seiji has had dreams from the beginning, and knows exactly what he wants to do. He inspires and drives Shizuku to find her own. She becomes obsessed with it, to the frustration of her family, but with a little negotiation and true-to-life discussion, Shizuku is given the freedom to pursue her ambition. The one flaw I do find in the film is how they both decide to continue to high school after being decently successful with their respective endeavors- it seems like the natural course after this would be to continue on as they were. Even so, they have no plans for abandoning their dreams, but merely refining them until they’ve graduated. As her older sister says a few times during the movie, education is important!
Overall, this was a beautiful love story and a great film.
Violence/Gore- The only violence is where, in a dream, Shizuku pulls a stone from the ground and it turns into a dead duckling.
Nudity/Sexual Content- The only nudity is a non-sexual scene where Shizuku’s older sister is taking off her top to put in the laundry
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