Whisper of the Heart: Characters, Voice Actors & Analysis

“Whisper of the Heart(Official Studio Ghibli)” is a 1995 animated feature film directed by Yoshifumi Kondō.

In this article, we will look back at the characters and voice actors of “Whisper of the Heart” and explore their individual charms and stories. What kind of people were the characters in “Whisper of the Heart”?

Please be aware that the following text contains unexpected spoilers.

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “【耳をすませば】登場人物＆声優情報一覧とキャラクター考察そして人物相関図“

“Whisper of the Heart” Main Characters & Voice Actors List

   

Name	Age	Voice Actor
Shizuku Tsukishima	14(3rd year junior high)	Brittany Snow
Seiji Amasawa	15(3rd year junior high)	David Gallagher
Moon	?
Seiya Tsukishima	45	James Sikking
Asako Tsukishima	43	Jean Smart
Shiho Tsukishima	18(1st year university)	Courtney Thorne-Smith
Baron	?	Cary Elwes
Shiro Nishi	80	Harold Gould
Yuko Harada	14(3rd year junior high)	Ashley Tisdale
Sugimura	14(3rd year junior high)	Martin Spanjers

[1]

Although various theories exist, no clear age setting has been officially released.

Character & Voice Actor Profiles and Analysis

Shizuku Tsukishima | Voice Actor: Brittany Snow

Basic Information about Shizuku Tsukishima

I like this character!

The protagonist of the story. A 14-year-old third-year student at Mukaihara Junior High School.

She is an incredible book lover, to the point of borrowing books from the school library even during summer vacation. However, despite all her reading, she was completely oblivious to her nearby friend Sugimura’s crush on her.

Meanwhile, Shizuku herself grew closer and closer to Seiji Amasawa, whom she met through the “guidance of a cat.”

However, while it was good that she fell for Seiji Amasawa, the man named Seiji Amasawa turned out to be,

an ultra-high-spec individual.

She felt a little down about the gap between herself, who had only been thinking “it would be nice if we could go to the same high school,” but then she decided that she could also “test herself” and resolved to write a novel.

Although she was a student preparing for high school entrance exams, she devoted herself to writing her novel, neglecting her studies.

What’s important in the story is that Shizuku’s “self-test” also became known to her parents.

Shizuku also persuaded her parents and was able to get official permission for her time to “test herself.” As a result, Shizuku, just like Seiji, achieved the following:

If her parents hadn’t noticed Shizuku’s secret activities, the wonderful correspondence with Seiji would not have been realized. In that sense, the teacher who informed her parents about the decline in Shizuku’s academic performance did a good job.

In any case, it can be said that Shizuku Tsukishima has as strong a will and ability to act as Seiji Amasawa, the boy she fell for. I think this structure is one of the interesting things about “Whisper of the Heart.” I’ve written at length about this matter in the following article:

Whisper of the Heart: A Story of Promises by Seiji Amasawa and Shizuku TsukishimaDiscover a deeper meaning in "Whisper of the Heart." This analysis e...

Please read it if you have time.

Changes in Impression Towards Shizuku Tsukishima

For those of us for whom the “era of universal high school enrollment” has long been a reality, high school entrance exams were almost “common sense.” As one of those people, Shizuku Tsukishima, who neglected her exam studies, was quite a “crazy person” to me.

I even thought, “Run away, Seiji Amasawa! That girl is crazy!”

However, as I’ve gotten older and look back on her way of life, I don’t think it’s so bad, and in fact, I think it’s wonderful.

What is important is the fact that she “persuaded her parents.” Of course, the existence of a “too-understanding father” contributed to the realization of that fact, but that would be like Seiji Amasawa’s grandfather to him, and even so, it doesn’t change the fact that she fully expressed her own will.

Shizuku Tsukishima is a person who asserts herself.

It would be best to realize that wonderfulness at a young age, but I also feel that its splendor is something that seems more wonderful as you get older.

Seiji Amasawa | Voice Actor: David Gallagher

Basic Information about Seiji Amasawa

I like this character!

A third-year student at the same Mukaihara Junior High School as Shizuku Tsukishima. He had known about Shizuku even before the start of the main story and, in order to get the book-loving Shizuku to notice him, he himself diligently read a large number of books.

In other words, he had a crush on Shizuku Tsukishima.

However, Seiji Amasawa was planning a challenge that went far beyond his crush on Shizuku. He was making plans to study abroad in Italy after graduating from junior high school to realize his dream of becoming a violin maker.

Of course, his parents wouldn’t allow such a thing, and he battled with them almost every night.

What’s amazing about Seiji Amasawa is that he ultimately succeeded in his negotiations with his parents and secured a situation where he could “study abroad under a talented master before graduating from junior high, and give up if he was told he had no prospects.”

Although his grandfather’s help was in the background, it should be said that it was admirable that he made his parents make this concession.

On the other hand, “studying abroad in Italy” also meant parting with Shizuku Tsukishima.

After getting to know Shizuku one way or another, Seiji made a virtual confession to her after extracting the concession from his parents.

That confession was a very graceful and indirect expression: “When I go to Italy, I’ll sing that song of yours to keep me going,” but it seems to have been fully conveyed to Shizuku, and there the two became a “couple.”

That was more than enough for a page of youth, but at the end of the story, an excited Seiji Amasawa “proposes” to Shizuku Tsukishima.

It’s a somewhat embarrassing scene, but it was also a finale with a fresh beauty.

The Biggest Mystery in “Whisper of the Heart”

When I first saw “Whisper of the Heart,” I think Seiji Amasawa seemed like a rather unlikable character, but as I’ve gotten older, I simply think he’s “admirable.”

Therefore, the phenomenon of Shizuku Tsukishima falling for such a Seiji Amasawa is a very easy fact to accept, but the problem is the other way around.

Although he is a man who continued to read books next to Shizuku Tsukishima in the library to the extent that he is widely called a “stalker,” the problem is “what part of Shizuku Tsukishima did Seiji Amasawa fall for?” Of course, Shizuku Tsukishima as a person has her human charms, but Seiji Amasawa fell for her before he knew any of that.

I have yet to find a clear answer to this mystery, but one thing I can say is that it might be “that’s shōjo manga for you.”

There are works in this world that depict the opposite situation. There are countless works where a woman falls for a man who has no particular characteristics and is completely uncool.

In the end, the biggest fictional element of “Whisper of the Heart” may be the fact that “Seiji Amasawa fell for Shizuku Tsukishima.”

Moon

Basic Information about Moon

I like this character!

A cat that Shizuku Tsukishima happened to meet on her way to deliver a bento to her father who works at the library. Probably a cat.

He is the greatest contributor to “Whisper of the Heart,” as he ended up leading Shizuku to “Chikyuya,” the shop run by Seiji Amasawa’s grandfather, and created the opportunity for Shizuku to learn that Seiji Amasawa is Seiji Amasawa.

If it weren’t for Moon, Shizuku Tsukishima’s third year of junior high would have been extremely ordinary. Well done, Moon!

However, Moon is not Seiji Amasawa’s pet cat but a stray cat. It was Seiji Amasawa who gave him the name “Moon,” but Seiji himself confirms that he is also called “O-tama” and “Muta.”

And what we should pay attention to is Seiji Amasawa’s sense in giving him a name like “Moon.” No matter how much I think about it, I could never come up with a name like “Moon.” Doesn’t the fact that he came up with such a stylish name mean that the man named Seiji Amasawa was a man worthy of being Shizuku Tsukishima’s boyfriend?

Seiya Tsukishima | Voice Actor: James Sikking

Basic Information about Seiya Tsukishima

I like this character!

Shizuku Tsukishima’s father. He works as a librarian.

He is an admirable man who still maintains his status as a “father” in a family where everyone else is female.

Moreover, it seems that this was not achieved by force through a high-handed attitude, but through dialogue, as became clear in his handling of Shizuku Tsukishima.

His daughter, who was glued to her desk at home every night, was not studying for exams but writing a “novel.” And she was a third-year junior high student facing high school entrance exams.

Furthermore, the stark fact that her test ranking dropped by 100 places occurred, and her mother and sister were very upset, but only Seiya Tsukishima was calm.

In the end, he gave permission for Shizuku Tsukishima’s “self-test” on the condition that she would return to being an exam student once the novel was finished. He seems like an understanding father at first glance, but at the very end, he drove a wedge with the words, “If you do things differently from others, you can’t blame anyone for what happens.” I think if you translate this into normal Japanese, it would be “Don’t take life lightly!” but with a wonderful indirect expression, he may have planted a certain sense of guilt (guilt towards her father) in Shizuku Tsukishima’s heart.

I think it was a masterful move by a man living in that house as an overwhelming minority, a “man.”

Asako Tsukishima | Voice Actor: Jean Smart

Basic Information about Asako Tsukishima

I like this character!

The protagonist Shizuku Tsukishima’s mother. In the movie, she is attending graduate school as a mature student.

It seems that what she was researching was not revealed, but since I have also experienced graduate school, I can well understand that it is “extremely difficult.” Moreover, she has the essential “challenge” of having a “family” to worry about.

As depicted in the main story, she does not turn a blind eye to that “challenge” and properly responds to the school’s summons (of course, she probably handled other things as well). And she is genuinely worried about her daughter’s extreme changes. You might think these things are natural for a parent. However, you can well understand that she was not just focused on herself.

The things that parents did for us as a matter of course were not things that could be achieved as a matter of course.

You can see that Shizuku Tsukishima was raised in a rare and excellent family.

Shiho Tsukishima | Voice Actor: Courtney Thorne-Smith

Basic Information about Shiho Tsukishima

I like this character!

Shizuku Tsukishima’s older sister, an 18-year-old first-year university student. She is more like a mother than an older sister, but there is no doubt that her proactive nature supported her mother’s graduate school life.

Her attitude towards Shizuku is very powerful, but it seems she is trusted, as she is consulted about the embarrassing question of “when did you decide on your future path?”

Family can be annoying when they are close by, but at the end of the story, the large room without her sister felt somewhat lonely.

Baron | Voice Actor: Cary Elwes

Basic Information about Baron

I like this character!

A cat doll that Seiji Amasawa’s grandfather, Shiro Nishi, brought back from Germany. He has a cool, albeit imposing, real name, “Baron Humbert von Gikkingen,” but sadly, he is commonly called “Baron.”

Personally, I think he occupies a very exquisite position in the story of “Whisper of the Heart.” That is, the story of “Whisper of the Heart” could be established without Baron, but it is because Baron is there that it becomes “Whisper of the Heart” – I am driven by a feeling that is hard to put into words.

The catalyst for Shizuku meeting Seiji at Chikyuya was Moon, and even without Baron, Shizuku would probably have written a story with Moon as the protagonist.

Perhaps the biggest reason is the only fantasy element in “Whisper of the Heart,” symbolized by the image below:

In reality, “Whisper of the Heart” has no fantasy elements at all. The only fantasy scene is the one inserted while Shizuku Tsukishima is writing her novel.

However, that scene was shown in the movie theater trailers and also in the TV commercials.

Perhaps “Baron” was imprinted in our minds before we even saw the main story. I’m sure it was Toshio Suzuki who orchestrated this, but regardless of the truth, I think it was a clever method.

Shiro Nishi | Voice Actor: Harold Gould

Basic Information about Shiro Nishi

I like this character!

Seiji Amasawa’s grandfather, 80 years old. He is the owner of Chikyuya, the shop where Shizuku and Seiji have their essential meeting.

Baron, who provided the fundamental inspiration for Shizuku’s novel, was something Shiro found in a shop while studying abroad in Germany. Furthermore…

This rather sad story was told after he read Shizuku’s novel. It was reminiscent of the story in Shizuku’s novel, and Shizuku was thoroughly surprised.

Am I the only one who finds the existence of the woman named “Louise” and the fact that the story was reminiscent of Shizuku’s novel to be too convenient and suspicious?

Perhaps the woman named “Louise” existed, and Shiro may have had feelings for her, but I just can’t believe that such a convenient story really happened.

Well, I think it’s better to just believe it, but I guess I’ve become a jaded adult.

Sugimura | Voice Actor: Martin Spanjers

Basic Information about Sugimura

I like this character!

Shizuku’s friend and classmate. He belongs to the baseball club and his position is third base.

He appears from the beginning of the story, and everyone watching the movie probably noticed immediately that he has a crush on Shizuku. And the only one who didn’t notice his crush must have been Shizuku Tsukishima herself.

Such is Sugimura, but in his first appearance, he is wearing a glove on his right hand as shown in the image below.

For those who don’t play baseball, it might not be obvious, but it’s impossible for a regular third baseman to wear a glove on his right hand. I delve deeper into this fact in the following article.

Whisper of the Heart: A Deep Dive into the Tragic Man, Sugimura!Discover the hidden details behind Sugimura, the tragic hero of "Whi...

Please try to make your own guess before reading.

Other Characters

Yuko Harada | Voice Actor: Ashley Tisdale

I like this character!

Shizuku Tsukishima’s friend and classmate. From the depiction in the movie, she would be considered a “best friend” rather than just a “friend.”

She has a crush on Sugimura, but when that same Sugimura approaches her as a love messenger for another boy, she cries tears of anger and sadness. And she even skipped school.

As for me, I think she should just give up on Sugimura after this, but in the movie’s end credits, she is depicted walking home happily with Sugimura.

It’s a good scene, but this should be considered a miracle that happened to Sugimura. Sugimura should repay Yuko, who didn’t lose her feelings for him even after something like that happened.

Kita and Minami | Voice Actors: Walker Edmiston, Corey Burton

I like these characters!

Friends of Shiro Nishi. They were among the people who played accompaniment to Shizuku Tsukishima’s singing of “Country Roads” at “Chikyuya.”

The one playing the lute was Kita, and the one playing the tambourine was Minami.

Ms. Kosaka | Voice Actor: Vicki Davis

The school nurse at the high school Shizuku Tsukishima attends. At the beginning of the story, she handles the book lending procedure for Shizuku, who visited the school during summer vacation.

I have never once been taken care of in the nurse’s office, but were they usually at school during summer vacation?

Furthermore, there is a depiction of Shizuku Tsukishima having lunch with her friends in the nurse’s office. If you look at it from the protagonist’s perspective, it might not seem particularly strange, but the people who were there have the privilege of “having lunch in the nurse’s office.” Normally, you would think that other students would complain.

How on earth did that situation come about? I wonder if I would understand if I read the original work?

Kinuyo, Nao

Shizuku’s other friends, Kinuyo and Nao, were voiced by Mika Boorem and Abigail Mavity, respectively.

The images used in this article are from “Studio Ghibli Still Images“.