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Studio Ghibli

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Whisper of the Heart: A Story of Promises by Seiji Amasawa and Shizuku Tsukishima

2025-07-15 Sifr

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A dejected anime boy identified as Sugimura, with a baseball glove on his left hand and wearing a baseball cap and jersey, holds onto a chain-link fence. The text "You were a background character from the start" is overlaid on the image.

Whisper of the Heart: A Deep Dive into the Tragic Man, Sugimura!

2025-07-15 Sifr

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Speaker 1: Today, we're going to be talking about a slightly lesser-known but deeply cherished Studio Ghibli film, "Ocean Waves." Speaker 2: That's right. This was a 90-minute TV special that aired on Nippon TV back in 1993. It was produced by a "young team" of animators who had been hired as full-time employees at Ghibli, starting with "Kiki's Delivery Service." Speaker 1: And when we say "young," the director was Tomomi Mochizuki and the animation director was Katsuya Kondo. By today's standards, they'd be considered masters in their own right. Speaker 2: According to producer Toshio Suzuki, the idea was to see if they could create excellent works that weren't under the direct control of the studio's giants, Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata. It was an experimental project for the future of Ghibli. Speaker 1: But it seems Hayao Miyazaki himself wasn't a huge fan of the final product. He apparently criticized it, saying that "Ocean Waves" only depicts how young people 'are,' whereas a work of art must depict how they 'ought to be.' Speaker 2: That's a very Miyazaki-like critique. But despite that, many people, including the author of the article we're discussing, consider it one of their favorite Ghibli films. So, let's start by walking through the plot for our listeners. Speaker 1: The story is told as a flashback. The protagonist, Taku Morisaki, is a university student in Tokyo. As he heads back to his hometown of Kochi for a high school reunion, he starts reminiscing about his high school days. Speaker 2: He particularly remembers his best friend, Yutaka Matsuno. They became close in junior high after they were the only two students brave enough to protest the cancellation of a school trip. This shared moment of defiance bonded them. Speaker 1: Their friendship is central to the story. In their second year of high school, a transfer student from Tokyo named Rikako Muto arrives. Matsuno, as the class president, is asked to help her adjust, and he quickly develops a crush on her. Speaker 2: Taku isn't thrilled about this. He feels like he's losing his best friend to a girl. The situation gets more complicated when Taku gets roped into Rikako's secret plan to visit her father in Tokyo. Speaker 1: This trip to Tokyo is a major turning point. Taku gets a taste of the city life that Rikako represents, but he also feels guilty for accompanying the girl his best friend likes. Speaker 2: After they return, things escalate during the school festival. Rikako gets confronted by other girls for being uncooperative. Taku watches from a distance, and when he casually says "You're amazing" to her afterward, she slaps him and yells, "You're the worst!" Speaker 1: And right after that, Matsuno shows up, hears what happened, and slaps Taku as well, agreeing, "You really are the worst!" This incident causes a rift between the two best friends, and they become estranged. Speaker 2: The flashback ends as Taku arrives in Kochi for the reunion. Matsuno is there to pick him up. They finally talk, and Matsuno reveals why he hit him: "I hit you because I knew you liked Muto." Taku's hidden feelings were exposed. Speaker 1: Rikako doesn't show up at the reunion, but they hear from a classmate that Rikako had said the person she likes is "someone who falls asleep in the bathtub." This was Taku, who slept in the tub during their Tokyo trip to give her the hotel bed. Speaker 2: The film concludes with Taku returning to Tokyo and seeing Rikako on a station platform. He looks at her, and in that moment, he finally and fully acknowledges his own feelings for her. Speaker 1: It's a really subtle and emotional story. So, let's get into the analysis. One of the most interesting questions the film poses is: when did Taku and Rikako actually fall for each other? Let's start with Rikako. Speaker 2: It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment she fell for him, but it's clear when she realized her feelings. It was during that school festival incident, the very moment she slapped Taku. The look on her face afterward says it all. Speaker 1: Why then? Speaker 2: Because she wouldn't have cared if it were anyone else. The fact that she was so hurt that he just stood by and did nothing shows that he was already significant to her. Her anger was a sign of her disappointment in someone she had expectations for. Speaker 1: And when did the initial feeling start? Speaker 2: The article suggests it was likely during the trip to Tokyo. Specifically, when they met her ex-boyfriend. The ex made a comment about her mother, and Taku surprisingly defended the parent's feelings, retorting, "You guys are so pathetic." That act of defending her family, even based on something his own mother had told him, must have made Taku "different from other people" in her eyes. Speaker 1: Okay, so what about Taku? When did he fall for Rikako? Speaker 2: His case is much simpler. The film suggests he fell for her pretty much at first sight. There's an early scene in gym class where he's completely mesmerized watching her play tennis. The way the animators draw his gaze is completely different from the other boys. Speaker 1: But he spends the whole movie acting like he's annoyed by her, especially when Matsuno is talking about her. Speaker 2: Exactly. That's the core of his character and the film's central theme. He had already fallen for her, but because his best friend confessed his feelings first, Taku tried to suppress his own. He was lying to Matsuno, to the audience, and most importantly, to himself. Speaker 1: So the entire narration, which is Taku's inner monologue, is essentially a lie. He frames his jealousy as "dissatisfaction with Matsuno being obsessed with a girl," when in reality, it's just plain jealousy. Speaker 2: This leads to a fascinating comparison made in the article: "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya." The protagonist of that series, Kyon, also serves as the narrator, and his monologue is constantly cynical and negative towards Haruhi. Speaker 1: But it's a total lie. He's been in love with her from the beginning, which is something that becomes clear later in the series. Speaker 2: Precisely. Both "Ocean Waves" and "Haruhi Suzumiya" are stories about a protagonist "lying to one's own inner self." Taku is experiencing that very specific, and often painful, part of youth where you can't be honest with your own heart, usually for what you believe are noble reasons, like friendship. Speaker 1: It's that struggle that makes the story so relatable. It's not about grand gestures, but about the quiet, internal battles of growing up. By understanding that Taku's narration is a mask for his true feelings, the film becomes an even more profound and interesting work.

Ocean Waves: Characters, Voice Actors & Analysis

2025-07-14 Sifr

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Anime scene featuring Taku sitting in the foreground looking contemplative, with Matsuno standing behind him looking towards the distance, and the text overlay 'He knew everything, but...'

Ocean Waves: A Story of Self-Deception (Synopsis & Analysis)

2025-07-14 Sifr

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A collage of various scenes from the Studio Ghibli animated film 'Pom Poko.' It depicts the tanuki characters gathered in a group, standing in a line in the forest, disguised as humans, and in other expressive moments from the movie.

Pom Poko: Characters, Voice Actors & Analysis

2025-07-11 Sifr

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Pom Poko: Full Synopsis & Analysis (Spoilers Explained)

2025-07-10 Sifr

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Pom Poko: The Hidden Protagonist Ponkichi and Porco Rosso

2025-07-10 Sifr

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The Fun of "Pom Poko" Part 3: A Story of Defeat and the Spirit of "Somehow, We Go On Living"

2025-07-10 Sifr

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A Theory: "Princess Mononoke" Is Hayao Miyazaki's Version of "Pom Poko"

2025-07-06 Sifr

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A split-screen style image from Princess Mononoke, showing the snarling wolf god Moro on the left and a composed Lady Eboshi on the right. A small, tilted picture of San is placed between them, with the text "Eboshi and Moro fighting over San" overlaid in the center.

Princess Mononoke: The Mystery of Eboshi's Sympathy for San and the Contradiction of Moro Raising Her

2025-07-06 Sifr

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