Note: This has been released commercially! Please support anime in the US by purchasing the commercial version! Thanks!
REVIEW of:
Whisper of the
Heart
|
This movie centers
around the14-year old middle school student Shizuku as she finds her first
love. A bookworm whose favorite place is the library, Shizuku notices that
one boy's name, Amasawa Seiji, appears on all of the library cards from
the books she's checked out! While pondering this mystery, Shizuku stumbles
upon an old, eccentric antique store which, being the bookworm she is,
utterly captures her imagination. What follows is a major search for identity,
partly influenced by the search for her first love, and the movie accurately
captures and portrays the intense and confusing emotions at that stage
of life. Though Whisper of the Heart lacks much of a soundtrack of its
own, the use of John Denver's "Country Roads" is both professional
and very touching. Whisper of the Heart is a one hour and forty-five minute
long movie. - Kiwi Note: This has been released commercially! Please support anime in the US by purchasing the commercial version! Thanks! |
-Quick Scale-
(click
here for the details on scoring)
10
= EXCELLENT!!
5 = Average
0 = TERRIBLE!!
| Kiwi-san (info) |
Akito-san (info) |
Ataru-san (info) |
|
| Artistry | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Character Development |
9 | 10 | 8 |
| Clarity | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Plot & Storyline |
9 | 9 | 8 |
| Style | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Comments | I found this movie to be a VERY realistic, accurate, and moving portrayal of young adulthood. The problems Shizuku faces are ones we've all faced before, and she tries to handle them like any one of us might. The need for an identity and the search therein are well done and explore the very essence of who we are. I found many of the questions Shizuku asks herself are ones I am still asking myself, and probably always will be. Being a John Denver fan in the first place, I found the use of his "Country Roads" SUPERBLY done, and I will never look at or listen to the song the same way again. Even with the wealth of wonderfully detailed artistry (which at first looks rather plain, but upon closer look, is overwhelmingly realistic and detailed), the use of "Country Roads" is the main reason for such a high artistry score, as it fits the mood and flow of the story SOOOOO well! If you enjoy movies that make you think and that explore identity and reality and the problems associated with each (and the humor involved in everyday life), I definitely recommend this movie. An absolute MUST SEE!! <Teehee!> | I have to honestly say that Whisper of the Heart was the best piece of Japanese animation I had EVER seen. This is not a overstatement. Everything in this film was well done. The detail that went into the artistry is amazing. If you pay close attention you can notice the intricacies of the lace curtains in the shop or perhaps the darkening of the clouds in the background signifying rain in the future. And I thought I was a mecha fan... : ) Even though I am clamoring about the artistry it is definitely the story and characters that make this movie so great. The interpersonal relationships and conflicts that Shizuku deals with are so realistic. You sometimes get the sense that you are watching a a non-anime movie with real people. The dialogue flows smoothly and furthermore I felt emotionally attached to the characters and their ordeals. I'm begging you if you are a anime fan (or any type of movie fan) skeptical of dramas... WATCH THIS MOVIE! Just talking about the movie right now is making me nostalgic. "Concrete rroooaaadd..." Whoops I mean "Country roooaadd..." You'll get it once you watch the movie : ) ~Akito | This movie was very nice. It was pretty slow and kind of predictable but the storyline made up for it. It's one of those movies that are intended to make you think about your life and where it's going. It got me thinking (a rarity). I gave the artistry a 7 because I thought the animation was average though the backgrounds were nice; the music was definitely appropriate. The character development is an 8. I liked the characters very much but I think there is something I can't put my finger on that is lacking. . . The movie was so easy to understand. I turned around and talked to my roomie for a couple minutes, turned back and still knew what was going on (maybe because I predicted it). So that's why clarity is a 9. As for the other scores, I don't want to bother explaining them. Just take my word for it. In general, I haven't seen much anime, but I hope others are as high quality as this one. |
| OVERALL | 9 | 9 | 8 |
TOTAL OVERALL RATING = 8.67 (9-)
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