Whisper of the Heart

When I started watching this movie a couple of weeks ago, I kept trying to remember if I'd seen it before. Elements seemed familiar, like the thing with the library books, but could they be familiar from a *different* movie? I never figured it out. This coming-of-age romance just drifted along, not especially interesting, not especially not, always seeming *maybe* familiar. I watched about two-thirds, was never especially interested, and then stopped. And I still don't know if I'd seen it before. But I can say that much of it has already faded from my mind. I can see I'm an outlier here. People *love* this movie. But I think the main contribution this film made to the history of Studio Ghibli was as an inspiration for the -sort-of-a-sequel-but-not-really The Cat Returns, which is one of the few really good non-Miyazaki Ghibli films. As for Whisper of the Heart, it's perfectly watchable and that's pretty much it.

As an Anime lover this movies was on my list to watch. Didn't know at all what to expect at first but it turned really awesome. High school romance in the stile of the 80s lets say. Story is well developed from the beginning to the end. You can see how the characters are evolving and it is charming to see the m fall in love. The whole movie has a fascinating scenery even though its only an ordinary town. Music is also really good. I can assure you once watched it will leave a mark. And if you later on watch it with someone (i.e. girlfirend/boyfriend) I wouldn't be surprised if he/she asks you to watch it again. For me it is one of my favorites and deserves 10 stars (even more if they were available). I would rate it in my top 10 Animes together with Kiki's delivery service and My Neighbour Totoro. Enjoy :_)