Summary

• The characters in Whisper of the Heart are incredibly well-developed and bring a significant amount of charm and depth to the film.
• The story of Whisper of the Heart successfully combines slice-of-life and coming-of-age elements, with a focus on personal growth and ambitions.
• The masterful direction of Yoshifumi Kondo brings Whisper of the Heart to life with stellar animation, lively scenery, and a poignant musical score, making it one of Studio Ghibli's best films.

While the success of Hayao Miyazaki, one of the studio's best and most underrated movies was actually not the work of the iconic director. Films like My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away are some of the most popular and beloved films in anime and animation. Those films and others have defined Miyazaki as one of the greatest directors in animation, and that, in turn, has helped give Studio Ghibli such an enduring legacy.

The directorial works of Hayao Miyazaki are the Studio Ghibli films people tend to , but one of Studio Ghibli's most underrated movies, Whisper of the Heart, was only written by Miyazaki, not directed. Adapted from the manga of the same name, its story and character writing have an incredible amount of charm to them from start to finish, and the direction of the late Yoshifumi Kondo brings it all together for a film that easily stands among the best Studio Ghibli has to offer. Whisper of the Heart has more than withstood the test of time, and any Studio Ghibli fan would be remiss to skip it.

Whisper Of The Heart's Characters Make It A Beautiful Film

One of the biggest elements that makes Whisper of the Heart such an endearing film is how great the characters are. Shizuku and Seiji, for example, are both phenomenal leads on their own, as the movie does a great job of establishing their arcs of bettering themselves and making them endearing to the audience. They're even better when they're together, of course, as the way they play off of each other as they gradually fall in love and use each other as motivation for self-improvement is nothing but sweet and makes them one of the best-developed couples in any Studio Ghibli film.

The ing cast also adds depth to the film. The film perfectly sells Shizuku's family as kind people who only want the best for her, and equal care is given to depicting Seiji's grandfather as a wise and ive figure. More importantly, the Baron, despite just being a fictional character, receives an incredible amount of development to become a suave and heroic figure, and as such, it's easy to understand why Shizuku would be so obsessed with writing his story. Everyone in Whisper of the Heart has an amazing amount of depth and charm, and it works to add an incredible amount of life to the film.

Whisper Of The Heart's Story Is Studio Ghibli Doing Slice-Of-Life Right

Another strong point in Whisper of the Heart’s favor is, of course, its story. The plot is a combination of slice-of-life and coming-of-age elements, something Studio Ghibli is no stranger to, but Whisper of the Heart stands out because there's a far greater emphasis on the ambitions of the cast. Every major character is continually engaged in their personal growth, so there’s never a moment when it feels like the film is spinning its wheels, and that leads to it doing a much better job of selling the beauty of its mundanity and focus on personal conflicts than other Studio Ghibli films with similar ideas.

Yoshifumi Kondo's Direction Made Whisper Of The Heart A Masterpiece

Everything great about Whisper of the Heart, of course, was only as great as it was thanks to the masterful direction of the late Yoshifumi Kondo. Every scene is brought to life with truly stellar animation, and despite it being so down to Earth, it always makes the scenery and the characters feel incredibly lively. That being said, the daydreams Shizuku has about her story do show off the sort of fantastical settings Studio Ghibli is known for, and not only do they look just as great, but they’re shot in a way that perfectly illustrates the world Shizuku wanted to make, adding an extra layer of depth to them.

The music in Whisper of the Heart also adds a lot to Yoshifumi Kondo’s direction. While Yuji Nomi’s work with Studio Ghibli might not be as recognized as Joe Hisaishi’s, Nomi’s score always succeeds at capturing the emotion of every scene, and the use of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as a recurring motif works as perfect symbolism for Shizuku’s character and her relationship with Seiji, the scene where they perform it together, in particular, being one of the biggest highlights of the film. All of that, coupled with the animation and shot composition, makes Whisper of the Heart’s direction easily some of the best of any Studio Ghibli film.

Whisper Of The Heart Isn't Afraid To Have Its Heroes Fail

The place where Whisper of the Heart shines the strongest, of course, is with its theme of failure. Shizuku and Seiji spend the majority of the film working towards their careers and staking their futures on them, and Shizuku takes it especially seriously because she feels it’s the only way for her to be good enough for Seiji. In the end, however, neither one succeeds, and they have to accept that they still have a long way to go before they find success, but it’s made clear that their personal growth and dedication to their ions make up for it, and that’s easily the best part of the film.

It's easy for the heroes to come out on top, or at least for them to get some sort of reward for their efforts, but Whisper of the Heart doesn't go that route. Shizuku and Seiji both failed, but not only did that emphasize their growth as individuals and as a couple, but it also imparted the lesson that failure is okay as long as you try your best and aren't afraid to try again. That level of maturity and realism isn't always present in fiction, so Whisper of the Heart having it makes it highly relatable and easily one of Studio Ghibli’s most mature films to date.

It’s often been stated that Yoshifumi Kondo would have succeeded Hayao Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli had he not tragically ed away in 1998, and even if that wasn't the case, Whisper of the Heart makes it clear why people would think that. The story and characters are some of the most endearing to be featured in any Studio Ghibli film, and Kondo's stellar direction serves to make everything come together with coherency and maturity that its contemporaries don’t always succeed at replicating. Hayao Miyazaki still wrote the film, but if there's any film that proves how capable Studio Ghibli can be without him, it’s Whisper of the Heart.

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