Whisper of the Heart
by Yoshifumi Kondô
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Kazuo Takahashi, Shigeru Muroi, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi, Takashi Tachibana, Youko HonnaDirector: Yoshifumi Kondô
Brand: DIS
Producer: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: Ned Lott
Producer: Rick Dempsey
Writer: Aoi Hiiragi
Writer: Cindy Davis Hewitt
Writer: Donald H. Hewitt
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-03-07
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Model: 02535000
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Whisper of the Heart
Movie Review: A Synopsis: HEAVY ON THE SPOILERS
Summary: 5 Stars
I first became a Studio Ghibli fan when I saw Spirited Away. As I have fallen in love with numerous films from this studio, I have no qualms purchasing films they offer without previously viewing them. Such was the case with Whisper of the Heart and I was not disappointed. This film is perhaps one of my favorite offerings from Studio Ghibli. It is down to earth and presents relatable characters in a beautifully written storyline.
Synopsis:
Our story starts out with Shizuku who is determined to read 20 books during the summer. Her father works in the local library and she can be constantly found there as well. She reads loads upon loads of books, particularly fairy tales. In fact, she reads so much that she cares for little else, friends and writing lyrics excepted, and her grades are suffering as a result. Apparently in Japan (or just in this movie) your entrance tests to high school are a huge deal. The High School you go do partly determines your success in life and the oppertunities available to you (something like that). Instead of being caring particularly about the exams Shizuku is instead facinated at solving a mystery revolving around her library books. It seems that every book she has checked out a "Seiji Amasawa" has checked out before her. She can't help but wonder who this boy is like.
Meanwhile, Shizuku figures out that her best friend, Yuko, likes a fellow classmate of theirs, Sugimura. After her friend leaves her this valuble piece of knowledge, Shizuku figures out she left her library book somewhere and races off to retrieve it. In the process she bumps into a boy who proceeds to insult the lyrics she had been working on (and incidentally had left in the library book that he found). Calling him a jerk all the way home, Shizuku ends up revising said lyrics, and showing them to her friends at school who are deeply impressed. Later, Shizuku is on the subway to the library to drop off a lunch for her Dad when she spots a cat on said subway. Intrigued, she follows the cat to an antique shop, leaves the lunch in the shop and once again runs into the rude boy.
Later, at school, Sugimara tries to convince Yuko to go out with a friend of his. Yuko blows up and him and leaves crying. Sugimara is crestfallen at what he could have possibly have done wrong and Yuko decides not to go to school the next day, telling the whole story to Shizuko. At school, with pleading from Sugimara, Shizuku tells the boy that her best friend has a crush on him. Sugimara then admits he's been in love with Shizuku for years. This is bad. Shizuku realizes that this is a horrible situation to be in, turns Sugimara down because she doesn't return his feelings and also would never "steal" her best friend's crush, and rushes over to the antique store for some solice. Who should she run into but the rude boy? The rude boy lets her into the antique shop and Shizuku finds out that the boy's dream is to be a violin maker. She also finds out that he is none other than Seigi Amasawa! But the time they spend together, between talking about a cat, an antique, and violins proves to smooth over any past rudeness and they become friends.
However, everything can't stay peaches and cream. The next day at school Seigi tells Shizuku his dream is coming true! His parents have allowed him to apprentice himself to a violin maker in Italy for 2 months. If he shows promise he will be allowed to stay, after his Jr. High graduation, but if he doesn't show promise he must go to High School. In the same conversation, Seigi admits to checking out so many books in hope that Shizuku would notice him as she always seems to have her nose stuck in a book. (Make no mistake though, Seiji still has read the books he has checked out!). Shizuku realizes that she has developed a crush on Seigi but it is all for naught as he is going away for two months. Despondant, Shizuku has tea with her best friend, Yuko, and tells her how inadaquate she feels compared to Seigi, who not only has read a lot of books, but puts his talents to use and knows what he wants to do with his life. Shizuku, determined to proove herself worthy of him, decides to use the two months to write a book, as she has been told she's a gifted writer. Inspired by one of the antiques in the store, Shizuku starts writing constantly, staying up at least once until 4 am., to the detriment of her grades. Her parents, however, say that she must follow her heart. The two months rolls along and she finishes her book. She still feels so inadaquate to Seigi and believes that she can never catch up with his "greatness."
This is when Seigi's grandfather, owner of the antique shop, tells her this valuable lesson. Artists are like geodes; there are valuable gems inside an ordinary rock. Now these gems can be overshadowed by the showy crystals inside, and you can waste your time polishing those. But the real gems are uncut and rough, needing not only to be unearthed but polished. You can't tell just by looking, what valuable stone a geode may contain, but that doesn't mean there isn't one inside of the rock. He also tells her that we have to keep polishing, and yes, her initial story is good, but she needs to polish it. That is when Shizuku realizes she still has a lot to learn and decides to buckle down and study for her entrance/High School exams.
Meanwhile, Seiji has returned from Italy. He too, shows promise in his craft of choice. He decides to go to High School and then pursue his dream of making violins. Seiji and Shizuku share a touching romantic moment before the film ends.
Summary help with jogs in memory by: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/mimi/synopsis/ (I highly recommend this sight as it pertains to all Studio Ghibli films).
Whisper of the Heart is certainly delightful, containing many a poignant lesson on love, friendship, success, imagination, and goals. I highly recommend it!
Summary of Whisper of the Heart
From the creators of the Academy Award(R)-winning SPIRITED AWAY (Best Animated Feature Film, 2002) comes a tale based on the screenplay from the legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki. During summer vacation, a schoolgirl named Shizuku, who longs to discover her true talents, observes an ordinary-looking cat riding by himself on the train. Intrigued, she decides to follow him. This chance encounter leads her to the mysterious Seiji, a boy who is determined to follow his dreams, and The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers in her heart. Soon, Shizuku's exciting adventures carry her far beyond the boundaries of her imagination. Featuring extraordinary storytelling, enchanting animation, and an all-star voice cast, this 2-disc set will inspire dreams and warm hearts of all ages. (c) 1995 Aoi Hiiragi/Shueisha ? Nibariki ? GNHSimilar DVD Movies
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