Mimi wo sumaseba
Tags: inspiring, psychedelic, romantic

Plot synopsis:
Shizuku Tsukishima is a junior high school student, living in a cramped apartment with her father, mother, and sister. As she returns from an errand to the store, her father who is a librarian, mentions how they're converting their check-out system, so that the check-out cards at the front of the books will now become obsolete. Pondering this, Shizuku goes to read a book that she checked out, and is drawn to the name Seiji Amasawa on the card. Checking her other library books, she's amazed to see that his name also appears on their cards as well!The next day, Shizuku gets up and goes early to school. Shizuku gets one of her teachers to allow her to check a book out from the school library, since the local public library does not have a copy. Looking over the book, she notices a dedication inside, that mentions the name Amasawa. While she is pondering this, her friend Yuko appears, and the two go off to talk.Shizuku has been working on a translation of the American song, "Take Me Home, Country Roads." While Yuko likes it, Shizuku still feels it's 'trite.' She also reveals a parody she wrote titled 'Concrete Roads,' the lyrics of which amuse them both. After a little bit, Yuko becomes serious, and secretly reveals that she got a love letter, but her feelings are torn, as she actually likes someone that she and Shizuku know: a boy named Sugimura.Shizuku then accompanies Yuko to her cram school lessons (important high-school entrance exams are a short time away), but then realizes that she left the book she checked out back at school. Going back to where she was sitting, she finds a boy there, reading it. He mentions her name (which he found in the check-out card on the front), and makes a mention that 'Concrete Roads' needs some work. This infuriates Shizuku, who stews over this critique of her writing all the way home. Later on that day, her older sister returns from visiting relatives, and begins critiquing Shizuku even more, much to her consternation.The next day, Shizuku plans to go to the library where her father works. Her sister makes a lunch for her to deliver to him as well. Getting on the train, Shizuku is surprised to see a large cat board the train. Curiously, she follows it out and into the city. After some time, the cat leads her to a small shop in a quiet neighborhood. Entering the shop, she is greeted by its owner, an old man named Shiro Nishi. Seeing her admiring a statue of a humanized cat in a suit, he then shows her a grandfather clock he has been restoring. However, realizing how late it is, Shizuku runs off to the library, but overjoyed at the wonderful little shop. Upon reaching the library, she suddenly realizes she left her father's lunch at the store. However, the boy she met previously who 'critiqued' her work appears, and gives it to her. He makes a little joke about the lunch being pretty big for her, and leaves singing 'Concrete Roads.' This just infuriates Shizuku even more with the mysterious boy.After some time, school finally starts up for Shizuku. During a break period while talking with Yuko, Sugimura appears, and Shizuku (knowing of Yuko's crush) hints that the two should study together. Yuko grows upset and drags Shizuku away, chastising her friend for her 'playful help.'Still curious about the dedication in the book she checked out, Shizuku goes to the teacher's lounge, where someone informs her that a Mr. Amasawa donated it, and that he also has a son who goes to the school. Shizuku bolts from the room, feeling that somehow, the boy she saw is Mr. Amasawa's son. While heading to lunch, she and Yuko pass by the boy again, who passes without a word. For some reason, this seems to upset Shizuku.At lunch, Yuko regales two of their classmates and a teacher with this news, and the girls tease Shizuku that 'springtime has finally come for her.' Shizuku vehemently denies any feelings for the boy, and holds back showing the latest work on her translation of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" unless the girls apologize. Doing so, they read the new translation, and admit to really liking the newly translated lyrics.On her way home from school, Shizuku stops by the little shop, only to find it closed. Later that night, she gets a call from Yuko, whom she meets at a nearby park. Yuko is in tears after she met with Sugimura, who was relaying a message from another boy about asking her out. The fact that it was Sugimura who made this requests upsets her so much, that she decides not to go to school the next day.The next day at school, Sugimura meets up with Shizuku, and they discuss what happened. Sugimura is not sure what he did to make Yuko run off and cry. Shizuku chastises him for not understanding that Yuko has feelings for him. The surprise on Sugimura's face is soon reflected in Shizuku's, when he reveals that he actually likes her! Shizuku rejects this idea, saying she just wants to be friends with him. Later on that evening, Shizuku sobs about how 'dense' she is about love as well.Later on, she gets on the train and goes back to the little shop. Still closed, she notices the cat, who sits down next to her. She begins to talk to it to get her mind off things. As she does so, the boy she saw the other day appears, and begins to have a conversation with her. He notes to her that he knows the cat, and calls him Moon ("Because he looks like a full moon"). However, the cat has no actual owner, and he's heard other people have their own names for him. The boy then reveals that his Grandfather owns the little shop, but that he's away at the moment. However, he allows Shizuku to enter the shop from the rear entrance.Bringing her onto the main floor, Shizuku is surprised to see the Grandfather clock is gone. The boy explains that his Grandfather had just completed fixing it the day she forgot her lunch. Still upset over that joke, Shizuku is then surprised when the boy shows her the cat statue, which the boy dubs 'The Baron.' A cleaning accident to the statue, resulted in the eyes on the statue sparkling brilliantly in the setting sun from the nearby window.Afterwards, the boy shows Shizuku a workshop in the basement, where violin-making lessons are taught. He reveals that he wants to make this his profession, but admits that he still isn't that good at it. Overjoyed at such a creative venture, Shizuku asks him if he can play a violin. When he affirms this, she begs for him to play for her. He agrees on the condition that she sing. He begins to play "Take Me Home, Country Roads," and Shizuku begins to sing her translation. As she does, Grandfather and some of his friends come home, and join in with their own instruments. At the end of the song, they are all introduced, and Shizuku finds out the name of the boy: Seiji Amasawa. The same Seiji that had been checking out the same books as her.Later on that night, Seiji walks her partway home, as they discuss his plans to go to Cremona, Italy, where he wants to study violin-making. Grandfather is all for it, but Seiji's Father is against it. As Shizuku takes leave, Seiji mentions that he actually did like her song parody, "Concrete Roads." This leaves Shizuku in a good mood as she heads home.The next day, Shizuku sees that Yuko is back in school, but a rumor has circulated that someone saw Shizuku walking with a boy. Shortly afterward, Sugimura appears to chat with Yuko, telling her that he will tell his friend (whom he relayed the message from the other day) that she turned down his request. As Sugimura leaves, Yuko smiles in a relieved fashion. When Seiji comes by the room asking to see Shizuku, the classroom erupts into a raucous cheer that Shizuku (finally) has a boyfriend! Shizuku angrily storms off, and takes Seiji to the roof where they can talk.Seiji informs her that his Father will allow him to go to Italy, and the two have an intimate conversation, where Shizuku reveals that she seems to be developing feelings for him. However, some of her classmates have been spying on them, and she chases them off. For the rest of the day, she is very quiet, deep in thought.Later on that evening, she goes to Yuko's house to talk to her. Shizuku feels distraught for a number of reasons. One is that if Seiji goes to Italy, he'll be gone for several years, and she won't see him for quite some time. Another reason is that she feels that Seiji is working towards accomplishing a goal...something she doesn't have. Yuko points out that Shizuku does have talent, given how well she translated the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Yuko's observation energizes Shizuku, who vows to write a story. On her way home, she happens to see Moon leaving a person's house, and a little girl in the doorway calls him 'Muta.'Shizuku then begins to write her story, and consults with Seiji's Grandfather, who applauds her determination. On one visit, he shows her a rock that had been chipped away, revealing some lapis lazuli inside. This helps to inspire Shizuku even more in her writing, as she uses the lapis lazuli and the statue of the Cat Baron for inspiration. Sometime afterward, she meets up with Seiji again, who is going off to Italy. They say their goodbyes, and Shizuku continues to work on her story.However, her determination soon begins to get in the way of other things, such as her schoolwork. After her Mother is called to the school, and her sister sees the grades from a 'mock quiz,' Shizuku's Father sits down with her to talk. Shizuku reveals that she does care about her studies, but also needs to do what she is doing to better herself. Her Father shows sympathy, and allows her to continue what she is doing.Finally, Shizuku finishes the story, titled 'Whisper of the Heart.' She goes to Seiji's Grandfather, requesting he read it and let her know how she did. Once he finishes it, she panics, admitting that it is not perfect. However, he admits while it was not perfect, she can still keep refining it. The wave of exhaustion and realizing that it is not perfect, causes her to break down in tears, as she admits that she feels so far behind Seiji in achieving something. Seiji's Grandfather realizes how much she cares for his Grandson, and treats her to dinner to calm her down.After dinner, Seiji's Grandfather tells Shizuku that her story had some interesting points, notably that the Baron had a wife. In real life, the Cat Baron statue did have a partner. He had found the two statues while living in Europe, but the Baron's wife was being fixed at the time. It was then that Seiji's Grandfather decided that he would take the Baron statue, and his girlfriend would join him later, bringing the Baron's wife. However, this was during the war, and he never saw her or the Baron's wife again. Before Shizuku leaves, she is given the chipped rock with the lapis lazuli center as a gift.Very early the next morning, Shizuku awakes to find Seiji waiting outside! She rushes down to see him, and gets on his bicycle, as he peddles her towards a hidden place. When they arrive on a hillside, they are just in time to see the sun rise over the hills. It is then that Seiji reveals his true feelings, and that he is willing to wait for Shizuku, if she will wait for him. She agrees, and he embraces her, declaring his love for her.

Review: Whisper of the Heart has none of that fake, self-indulgent crap that permeates Hollywood, movies about teens that pander to clichés and don't give a damn about real characters or love or true feelings.
You don't cringe watching these, you don't say to yourself "Who talks like that?" and you don't hear schmaltzy music all of the time to let you know what emotion you are supposed to be feeling.I'm bringing all this up to make the point to any guy who is reading this that "Yes, there are good romance movies you will like." Whisper of the Heart is a movie like that, and BOY is it a good one.
The movie also makes one remember that dreams do come true, even when you least expect it, and that sometimes reality can be better than your greatest dreams; and in light of the times we're living in, it makes you appreciate the smaller but more important things in life..
Nowadays, I'm afraid the older boys (over 12) would lack the patience to enjoy the film because, frankly, it bears no relation to high-action animation from Japan or the U.S.I found this film by accident on Turner Classic Movies, and viewed it the English-dubbed version.
This film sparked off all kind of memories I thought I had buried for life.My 10 year old daughter also loved this and demanded to know when the sequel (based on the Manga story "Happy Time"?) will be made.
A Studio Ghibli film, 'Whisper of the Heart' differs from most anime produced by the company in that it is not about cute creatures or other-wordly adventures.
Instead, it is a bittersweet tale of a normal teenage girl and the trials of growing up.The film follows Shizuku, a girl in her mid-teens, who lives for her love of books and writing.
But as she comes to know him properly, discovering he is a boy with firm ambitions to be a great violin maker, he leaves her yearning to find her own path in life as well as tasting love for the first time.What makes 'Whisper of the Heart' so beautiful is its honest depiction of what it is to be an adolescent on the cusp of adulthood, avoiding pitfalls like descending into sap, depicting teenagers as being perpetually stroppy and difficult or sexing up characters in a vain attempt to make them more appealing to the shallow.
It also offers an interesting insight into the Japanese culture as we get a close-up look of everyday family and school life in Japan, which in itself is as fascinating as the actual story.'Whisper of the Heart' is much more than just a teenage love story.
The interaction of characters - be it between junior high friends, between the young and the elderly, between family, or between two teenagers gradually falling in love  feels very honest and real, whether it's interaction important to the story or merely incidental scenes.
Often times Japan is the backbone to these worlds, whether it be a mythological Japan as seen in "Spirited Away" or a very realistic and contemporary Japan as seen here in "Whisper of the Heart." I must say, having lived in Japan, this film captures a very realistic vision of the city, countryside, and over all feel and atmosphere of the country.
It's world is painted so richly that you almost forget that you're watching an animation.Along with a heart warming coming of age story, a wonderful musical score by Yuji Nomi, and re-introducing the Baron (from the Cat Returns) comes a wonderful tale of adolescents, growing up, and love which brings us back to our nostalgic youth.
I know that a movie about a teenaged girl's issues with love, family, and her writing efforts doesn't appeal to everyone, especially since it is not action-packed in any way.
"Whisper of the Heart" (1995), animated coming-of-age story was scripted and storyboarded by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by the Yoshifumi Kondo.
As magical and beautiful as the rest of Studio Ghibli feature films I've seen, gentle "Whisper of the Heart" focuses on the dreams, feelings, insecurities, and search for life's meaning of two teenagers - middle school students Shizuku Tsukishima and Seiji Amasawa in modern Tokyo.
In the shop, Shizuku meets her first love and starts the long road on becoming the writer.The beauty of the film lies not in the mythical worlds or the fantastic creatures from the fairy tales.
It is in the little film's universal appeal, in the way all viewers, the children and their parents, can relate to one girl's search for place in life, for her determination to follow the dream , and for support, guidance, and approval she so desperately needs and receives from her busy but loving and understanding parents.
"Whisper of the heart" reminded me the films of the great Japanese film director, Yasujiro Ozu. While watching this new Tokyo story, I felt the same warmth, soft tenderness, power of human emotions and moving simplicity as in the Ozu's films from over than 50 years ago..
I think it's worth watching this movie again.To you who loves beautiful story and art, you may like it.
Spun around this simple premise with less than five minutes of the "Miyazaki magic" we're so used to expect from Studio Ghibli; this realistic little tale of suburban love and teenage life in Japan keeps you captivated through it's running time of less than two hours.
There are no straightforward answers, only whispers we follow intuitively, but it's a joy to watch these characters in the film struggle through that angst of teenage life of coming to identify with who they are and what they want from their life and career.
This constant touch of outer elements intruding Shizuku's private life - cars on the thoroughfare regularly threaten to run over the lovers - creates such a holistic experience of the bustling Japanese urban culture that Studio Ghibli should separately take a bow for creating an animation film so vividly realistic.
In any case, this movie, like much of Ghibli's work, is a love story.
The films story starts slow paced and very unpretentious in the first couple of minutes, but it's made to be this way, so you can really start to get in love with the young Shizuku, a school young girl that loves to read dozens of books at the same time and it is in love with a boy that she doesn't even know, but she knows that this boy read all the same books that she got from her local library.
This is a very simple love story that you probably saw in a dozen of other films out there written in a slightly different way, but the distinction in this movie that makes it so special to millions of people around the world is that it was made in the Studios Ghibli, and they have something in that studio that makes even the simplest romantic film become a striking piece of art.
Everything is very centered in Shizuku, her day by the day at school, with her friends, and the series of coincidences that like destiny leads her to the love of her life, but this don't become such a letdown, because at the end the reason why the story works so well it's because we are discovering with Shizuku those beautiful things that we can see and appreciate, or the joy that is to share with our friends simple but unparalleled moments like singing together the same song (I bet that you don't do it that much, but you know that you would enjoy doing it too).So, it's a movie that starts without too many promises but little by little throws you good images with a few dialogs to not let you guess the characters intentions too much (or to avoid you start to anticipate the characters next lines)and then when you get used to the movies pace, you will be probably feeling the same feelings that this girl will be going through.
Every year, we are blessed (or cursed in most cases) with lots and lots of romantic films, that usually repeat the same formula: boy and girl meet, they don't like each others, find out they share something, spend more time together and ultimately fall in love.
So what then when Studio Ghibli made their own film about the subject?The plot, based on Aio Hiragi's one volume manga, follows a young girl named Shizuku, who reads a lot and has a hobby of making lyrics.
I enjoyed the translation, possibly because it was sang by Youko Honna, the voice actress who plays Shizuku with talent, and who had previously worked for Ghibli in another little movie called "Only Yesterday".This film was directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, a man who had worked as an animator in numerous previous Studio Ghibli films.
One can only guess what kind of films he might have made."Whisper of the Heart" is a warm little film from Studio Ghibli, that tells about striving to achieve dreams and finding love unexpectedly.
Recommended to those who want to see more realistic high-school romance or simply watch another great Studio Ghibli movie.As an interesting side note; the talking cat, Baron, who appears in Shizuku's dream later became main character in Ghibli's fantasy film "The Cat Returns" that hardly has anything to do with this film..
My Schooling days, way to inspire about our passion and working on it, the first love, home life, stereotype dad, feeling of leaving or missing someone, when we are passionate and interested and doing any stuff and the way you lose orientation to time place person, and that soul mate stuff like meeting your loved one unintentionally..
Which was an immense loss for animation and Studio Ghibli especially, because with this film he showed that he had the creativity, the depth of vision and the imagination to direct movies just as good as Miyazaki and Takahata.What I love about this film the most is how it inspired me when I was a teenager.
Hayao Miyazaki loves dreamers and artists, and it's telling that two films that he worked on - this one, Whisper of the Heart, as a writer, and then his 'last' film The Wind Rises - are about characters who want to achieve really great things, and have to find their own way to achieve them.
A want-to-be violin maker.Whisper of the Heart doesn't present itself as anything other than it is: a coming of age story where it's about someone going for artistic expression and following dreams, but in a more specific way.
It's not simply about someone being creative, but what happens when that someone feels they aren't good enough, or that someone they look up to - like Shizuku with Seiji Amasawa - is way ahead of them, and oh gosh, how can you show that other someone your work(?) This may sound specific but it's actually something many creative people go through, especially when first starting out, that feeling of wanting to tell something or express a feeling or a story through a narrative, and it just doesn't go up to snuff.
Expectations one raises for oneself can become so complicated that it doesn't matter if you're on your way, or you will get there - that feeling in youth of not being good enough is one sometimes of embarrassment, and of real struggle especially at an age when the rest of a lifetime seems so long and boundless.Some deep stuff is here in this movie, and yet on the surface it is still a wonderful movie for young people, adolescents for sure who can relate to feelings of young/first love, and the shyness that comes when you really like someone and can't say it - or if someone else likes you, and you think that person is really liked by someone else (or the paradox of the friend-zone or other).
Because of its real-world setting, it makes the few moments so precious that do go into fantasy (again like Rises, there with the dreams); Shizuku has this story she's working on, and we get to see it unfold in some parts.
The cat Baron and this magical other-world we see (and the evil 'other' car, who we see as the tubby gray cat throughout the film), is loaded with spectacular, colorful imagery, and if one has the English-language dub Cary Elwes does a fine cameo voice in aristocratic-voiced level.It's an interesting film in many ways, for the seeming simplicity of its story of young first-love and first-creativity and how crucial and heartbreaking it can be if it doesn't come out just right (or how, even if you get a compliment, it's still crushing on some level that it didn't come out even better, the thing of self-expectations), and how deep it goes into the soul.
Every once in a while, I like to pop in an animation to watch and this time, it was an effort by Studio Ghibli, most well known for its works that are written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Instead, one should think of it as a film like Tokyo Story, but it is about a 14 year old girl and is much more beautiful to look at and to listen too.The quality of the animation is near perfect, almost as good as Mononoke and Spirited Away, and the backgrounds have such detail that they look almost like photographs with highly enhanced contrast.Overall, it is one of my favorite films and should be watched by everyone who is capable of appreciating a good film..
Being a bit of a fan-boy for animated and thus Ghibli films, and quickly making up for the titles I've missed, I knew I had to see Whisper of the Heart, but was taken aback by the title.
You can really tell studio Ghibli cares for their characters, the story and put a real lot of heart in making films like Whisper of the Heart.
This movie has the same amazing atmosphere and beauty like any other Studio Ghibli movie.(And oh yea, saying that this movie is only about a little girl falling in love, is just not right.
Also The Cat Returns is based on the book that Shizuka wrote, therefore The Cat Returns is after Whisper of the Heart not the other way around.I enjoyed this movie, anything by Studio Ghibli is amazing.
Unlike other Ghibli animes "Whisper of the Heart" is a simple sweet daily life story.
I suggest you should definitely see this one if you already love Miyazaki's works but if you dislike animes which do not reek of magical elements stay away because this is just one of those sweet simple life stories..
I have always been a great fan of Hayao Miyazaki as well as Studio Ghibli.This film was directed by Yoshifumi Kondō and written by Miyazaki which is why I expected something special (which it is in its own right).The one disappointment I experienced was I expected a stronger love story.
I know I'm getting off-topic since this film is over 15 years old but, I still stand by with what I said about Studio Ghibli.I'm always finding anime movies to watch, but with school and the crazy amount of snow we've been getting over here has taken up a good portion of my time.
If you are looking for a heartwarming movie this is it.Whisper of the Heart is a great movie I liked it the first time I saw and then i saw it again a year later and i LOVED IT.If you don't like anime i think you will like this anyway.Whisper of the Heart is a love story about a girl named Shizuku who loves to read and a boy named Seiji who loves to make violin.I'm not going to explain the whole movie but i just want to say this movie in my opinion this the beat studio ghibli movie that is not directed by Hayao Miyazaki.This movie might not be the best studio ghibli movie to some people but this is my favorite by far.My favorite part is when Seiji plays the violin and Shizuku sings take me home country roads the scene is just so heartwarming and i just love it..
It is like so many other anime films I realize, but this one does it just a little bit better.The story has just enough fantasy elements but never too much.
Her path to self-discovery is unlocked when she finds out that some boy has read all the books she has chosen so far & attempts to find out more about him.Written by Hayao Miyazaki & directed by his protégé Yoshifumi Kondō who unfortunately passed away a few years later, Whisper of the Heart is crafted with immense care & told with great precision but the thing I liked most about it is its pure, unadulterated illustration of the time when life throws its first challenges at us.The story is very much grounded in reality when compared to the studio's other works, the images evoke a sense of warmth, its hand-drawn animation is extremely refined & detailed, the plot unfolds at its own pace & is never in a hurry, the various themes it tackles with are nicely presented and the background score manages to add its own charm to the narrative.The teenage years can be a bit frustrating but it's arguably the only time when every dream seems within our reach, when every passion gets our complete devotion, when life is less about success or failure & more about exploring the possibilities, and when our feeling for someone isn't contaminated by our own selfish desires.