Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
unpocolocoMe
I am rating "The Ocean Waves" as 8/10. Believe me guys... this storytelling and character building is not as bad as others are saying... I might be a slowpoke... but after racking my brains for a while I understood the story and I kinda appreciate the storytelling style now.
This story is sooooo damn hard for me to understand. LET ME EXPLAIN. Please note that SPOILER AHEAD.
This is a love polygon story which is NOT over-dramatic or over-the-top. It's a pretty simple slice of life story. I liked the animations, the 90s art style and audio (and good English subs ofc). But at some points in the story I just wasn't able to understand WHY a character is acting the way they are. I had questions like...
- "At what point did they start liking each other?"
- "Why are they not just telling each ot…
Read at the sourceSirBunting
I need to start off by saying the art style is phenomenal. It's even hauntingly beautiful at times. I'm a real fan of the whiteout effect that portrays a seaside environment. The music is also suitable, and so is the voice acting. My qualms with the movie are all centered around the "romance" and why the main character Taku supposedly falls in love.
Without getting into the weeds too much, you can expect this boy to get treated LIKE DIRT the entire time. People are always stringing him along, and the one who does this the most by far is the leading lady herself... yet why and how this evolves into a romance isn't communicated to the viewer in the slightest. I wrote in my letterboxd review, "Why does he have any obligation to do that? Rikako already said she hates Kochi boys, so it's up to…
Read at the sourceMr_Richards
Rikako is a petty arrogant child who treats both Taku with very little consideration, yet the viewers are supposed to believe there's a love going on and the moments they spend together were happy, despite Rikako's gaslighting, insults, manipulation and obvious contempt. It bothers me how our two protagonists hate each other, but the movie tries to trick you into believing the opposite, but to no avail.
89% on Rotten Tomatoes and 73 critic score on metacritic. WHY?!
Any romantic anime recommendations are appreciated. I need something to wash away the bad taste Umi ga Kikoeru left in my mouth.
Read at the sourcelisa_cap0b
This movie was quite difficult to watch. I was captivated at the beginning, truly enjoying the odd relationship that formed between this sweet, pushover of a guy and this horrible, manipulative bitch. I liked that he didn't seem even remotely interested in her, and I was genuinely hoping for the slight sexual tension between him and his male best friend to flourish into something more, but alas... they both fell head over heels for the saucy minx. I was utterly shocked and frustrated when he pulled these seemingly lifelong feelings out of his ass in the end and turned the personality I thought I knew into something much more impressionable and weak. The slap was SO WELL DESERVED and his actions at the movie's close completely undermine it.
I only have two positive things to say: (1) I gu…
Read at the sourceDesiSkorm
I've never thought a day would come when I would rate a Ghibli movie with such a low score. What happened here? What actually happened?? I was waiting an hour and 12 minutes for one huge nothing. It actually got a good start with the interesting friendship that formed between the two male leads. It actually had a bit of a potential, and that died not long after. Their friendship played a next to zero role in this huge disaster.
Now, about the female lead. Oh, how horrible the female lead was. There was nothing, and I mean NOTHING likeable about her. Everything she did was either rude or useless. And guess what? Both friends fell for her. But of course they did! Why wouldn't they?! That's the epitome of logic!
All in all, the movie was a complete waste of time. I have no clue what it was t…
Read at the sourcedeimos96
This show is what taught me to never judge an anime from its MAL score.
I think a lot of people get caught up with Rikako being an unlikable character or how the show feels so different to that of other Ghibli movies. In a way those statements are true but this show isn't about any of that. I believe in its heart, this show is a love letter to youth and nostalgia. I think Yutaka set the tone early in the show when he said he'll remember the school did something wrong if they canceled the class trip, even 20 years after graduation.
The peak of the show was definitely the class reunion. Its nice to see everyone just get past all the dramatic nonsense of high school and just be more adult.
Overall I enjoyed this movie a lot. I may not recommend it to anyone younger but for us older folks p…
Read at the sourcePicklePride
Looking upon the Ghibli filmography through the lens of an anime expert, Ocean Waves is a classic in its own right. It may not be optimistic and atmospheric like Miyazaki or symbolic and sad like Takahata, but in the process of being dwarfed by the famous Ghibli greats, it finds its own place. It’s bold in its honesty and simplicity, unafraid to diverge from the studio’s norm. Instead of a couple charming and heroic children, Ocean Waves is led by a couple confused and moody teenagers. Instead of a fantastical adventure determined by good and evil, they embark on an uneventful time lapse through young adulthood determined by life’s events. It develops a relationship with both mature and immature complexities that often leave the viewer—
That’s it, I can’t do it anymore. I need to address…
Read at the sourceayf99
The only notable thing about this is that it includes the WORST female love interest of all time. She’s a spoilt brat who complains about her life being so “sad” because her parents got a divorce and she had to move…Oh, boo hoo. And that she has no friends because she’s a snobby, whiney, manipulative, rude b*tch who makes fun of their accent and has absolutely no regard for anyone else but herself. She scabs money off of people instead of just getting a job, takes advantage of the main characters and is a huge hypocrite who purposely makes life hard for people who are nice to her. Not to mention she makes other people do everything for her and has no gratitude whatsoever towards them. In fact, she’s just plain mean.
When she gets confronted about her attitude (and deservingly so), she ge…
Read at the sourceOptigisa
Have you ever experienced that feeling where the manager for your favorite sports team decides to rest the best player for an important match? The team is performing well enough to stand on their own and keep the game leveled, but nobody is there to advance the score or awe the audience with their brilliance. The players are competent enough, performing what they are supposed to perform and following the tactics to a tee, but it all feels so pointless since their work does not translate into a total victory.
This is what this movie feels like. The two biggest players in Studio Ghibli history: Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, are not to be found here at all, and that of course decreased immensely from the quality of this film. So, what is this film even about? It is essentially a mundane…
Read at the sourceCheskoSebulba
Jesus. I thought the general consensus that this was one of Ghibli's worst features would be an exaggeration, but that description is spot on. Usually I only do reviews of anime when I care enough to do a full analysis, but that isn't the case here. I'm just disappointed enough to write a quick summary, especially after seeing a flurry of reviews claiming that this movie isn't as bad as other people seem to think.
Even though I respect your opinion if you think that this movie is "good" or maybe even "great", having that thought after watching this movie is something that I find unfathomable. I think that Ocean Waves rightfully deserves the reputation it has and is one of the most aggravating film experiences that I've had to sit through in a while.
ART:
Nothing to critique here; typica…
Read at the sourceAkagi-kun
They are not painted, they are alive!
"Umi ga Kikoeru", also known as "Ocean Waves" and "I Can Hear the Sea" - one of not very famous movies by «Studio Ghibli» and the most unsuccessful its project in terms of financial profitability.
However, this is a wonderful shot of the anime. Obvious its advantages - the lack of cheap soap opera effects, typical of many melodramas. The ability to dive into the world of perfectly adequate anime characters, that doesn't happen often. Unusually shown love triangle....
Someone might say: the plot of "Umi ga Kikoeru" undeveloped, but look back: do fifteen or sixteen years teenagers understand what they really want from life? Only fragments of relationships, lost connections, the first conflicts and stupid talks, unprofitable, but before the offensive t…
Read at the sourceStillwaters
Honestly, I think this was one giant, spectacular flop. You're constantly waiting for something to happen, and then its over. There is absolutely no plot at all, no arc. Stuff just happens.
The main character is a complete doormat, she treats him like a sucker and he KEEPS TAKING IT. Every encounter they have, she takes advantage of him and insults him, she's rude and condescending. Then, at the end, all of a sudden they have some sort of bond and he's wistfully thinking about her, realizing that he's "crazy" about her. Of course the movie ends right there though. Don't bother fleshing that out.
I honestly don't understand why people liked this. I can appreciate slow plots, but NO PLOT?? NOTHING EVER HAPPENS!!!
Read at the sourceNeverKnowsBest26
Ocean Waves is a rather obscure movie of the Studio Ghibli kanon. It is a made for TV movie with the younger generation of animators working at Ghibli at the time, so it really isn't surprising that it is little known. It is a departure from the norms of Studio Ghibli, not only because it doesn't involve Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata, but it also one of the movies more grounded in reality. So without the big talents that made the studio, where the movie stand? It's pretty good, but a far cry from Studio Ghibli at top form.
The story is one of young adults just a few years out of high school. This is funny to say because most of the movie is a flashback to high school. Majority of the movie is the protagonist Taku reflecting on his time in high school, specifically his relationship with…
Read at the sourcektulu007
Let's start by talking about the plot. A girl from Tokyo named Rikako moves to the far smaller town of Kochi with her mother after her parents divorce. She creates quite a stir with her high grades, athletic prowess, and general distant attitude. Morisaki Taku gets caught up in her affairs when his friend, Yutaka, tells her all about him. The story isn't bad, but it's not anything special. It certainly isn't one of Studio Ghibli's more imaginative or interesting tales. The main problem with the story is that the ending is very trite.
One of the big themes is divorce. Honestly, the fact that the story comes from Taku's perspective really helps with this. Seeing him as an outsider piecing everything together is more effective at showing the subtle impact of divorce than Rikako's more perso…
Read at the sourceAironicallyHuman
Waves in the ocean. Ripples in water. Occurrences that don't impact on the world as a whole.
Ocean Waves is a story of similar impact; impacting only on three characters locked inside their own small little world. It's a story covering the journey towards adulthood of three high schoolers, where the friendship of two is damaged by the one thing besides hate that can destroy bonds - love.
Often over-looked because the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli and the director of many highly regarded Ghibli titles, had no role in the completion of the film, it's by far the most under-watched and under-rated of the Ghibli films I've watched thus far. Ocean Waves was an attempt at giving the younger staff members of Ghibli a chance to shine - a chance to come from under the shad…
Read at the sourceace52387
Ocean Waves is a Ghibli production that tells the story of a couple of senior high school kids in a normal, magic-less world. It involves 2 old friends, and a girl that comes between them.
Ocean Waves is the only high school drama from Ghibli. It doesn`t quite feel like the other real-world Ghibli movies (whisper of the Heart, Only Yesterday), nor does it feel much like your run in the mill drama. For one, there aren`t any tear jerkers, which dramas swear by, and the cute-innocence of the typical pre-teen leads of Ghibli is also absent. To top it off, there isn`t much of a climax either. With the story being completely focused on the relationship between the guys and the girl, there isn`t much room to depict daily routines so it misses the slice of life genre as well. In the end, the movi…
Read at the sourceKurremkarmerruk
Ocean Waves is not trying to be anything more than it is, and what it is, is absolutely fine. The story moves very smoothly and the perspective of our young protagonist Taku is set lucid immediately, showing classic hero potential in challenging his school on a decision he finds unfair. He is rational, hard working and emotionally moral. He takes a sight of Rikako, a fiery, athletic beauty and childishly does not realise that he is mad about her, fine, however:-
As a strong upholder of ROMANCE, Ocean Waves is not critical enough in delivering the heart wrenching moments which it clearly builds up for, as the characters are endearing and well developed in emotional integrity. For me, it borders irritatingly on adolescent, as there are far too many missed opportunities for real love to blos…
Read at the sourcePessoa
An individual’s world is small, cramped. It can be very hard to understand the reason behind our own actions let alone know why others choose this or that path for themselves. What we do provides the best clues for explaining us, yet they are just the surface, little waves of the ocean that don’t necessarily reveal our deeper character and thoughts. There is always a distance between what we are and what we do. We cannot get rid of the occasional reflection that people’s behavior often appears silly, egocentric, and to be a bit harsh, meaningless. Nevertheless those tiny waves stay as the best source of understanding human beings. Ocean Wave is about those waves. Although the original title means "I can hear the Sea" I think "Ocean Waves" better suits this anime.
The anime does not have a…
Read at the sourceStrife91
This is one of the most underrated ghibli movies. It's certainly quite different from the other ghibli movies. It doesn't contain any fantasy and Hayao Miyazaki isn't involved in the production anyhow. It's just a slice of life/drama/romance story, a hell of a good one too. Ocean Waves may be one of the most natural animes I've seen. It doesn't throw in a load of super tragic drama or anything of that kind. It only tells the story of a group of teenagers as they walk the path to adulthood.
The story is takes place in Kochi, Japan, a small town by the sea. Morisaku Taku and Matsuno Yutaka are two ordinary high schoolers and best friends. In the middle of the semester a city girl named Muto Rikako transfers to Matsuno's class. As the class representative he has to show her around school and…
Read at the sourceNotARandomName
An interesting movie, but so filled with frustrating moments that for me personally the viewing experience wasn't particularly enjoyable. On the whole, it's similar to the Korean movie My Sassy Girl, minus the humour and well done ending of the latter.
Story
I have to admit the plot is quite unique for an anime. I was yet to see a love story start with the girl asking the guy to lend her money out of the blue. The fact that pretty much everything that matters happens under the surface is also a nice touch, but it leaves the viewer to reach a lot of his own conclusions, some of which I feel should've been enforced by the script writer.
Art
Generic 80s-90s anime style; blurry details, very similar-looking characters, colourless eyes, etc. Not at all impressive.
Sound
The background aud…
Read at the source