Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Jxbinha
Honestly, I barely remember this anime, and that probably says everything about my experience with it. I remember losing interest somewhere along the way and eventually just skipping through parts until I reached the end.
Maybe it wasn't bad enough for me to completely hate it, but it definitely wasn't interesting enough to keep my attention either. The story and characters simply failed to leave any lasting impression on me, and now I can barely remember what happened.
I gave it a 5 mostly because I didn't feel like giving it an even lower score. It was just... there. Not something I would personally recommend, especially considering how forgettable the entire experience was for me.
Score: 5/10
Read at the sourceSpider-Mate_MSA
Ripples
First of all, fuck Rikako.
Second of all, I don't think this movie is as bad as everyone thinks it is. People look at this movie as if it's a romance, and while you could see it that way, it does take away from what I believe is a beautiful disaster movie.
Rikako being this absolutely hateable figure throughout the entire movie isn't exactly meant to develop her romance with Taku, it sure as hell isn't there to make you like her. You're simply made aware of the kind of person she is. She's a person who thinks of herself constantly time and time again and you develop a hatred for her. But after some time, I believe her actions are much easier to understand when you look at her past. You see a person go through so much that it makes them into something they never wanted to be. It…
Read at the sourceunpocolocoMe
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 sourcejay_quelin
Movie is too short and romance doesn't make any sense. This film is supposed to be a love-triangle. Unfortunately, it's just a 1-hour nostalgia-bait where three people occasionally give updates about the other person. The story follows two highschool friends in Kochi, Japan. After a Tokyo girl transfers to their school, Taku needs to sort out his feelings for the sake of his bestfriend. Atleast, that's what the movie is supposed to be about. In reality, the film centers on this stuck-up chick with family issues. She tricks Taku into lending her money, then Taku realizes he's in-love with her. What? Just an fyi, this girl has no other endearing traits besides being stuck-up and manipulative. She takes advantage of people, then she ignores them. There was nothing in the movie that indicated…
Read at the sourcebergars
Is it me, or does this get worse when you think about it?
This is supposed to be a love triangle movie, but only the two dudes have chemistry as small-time friends. Both do not work with the girl at all, regardless of how much time they spent with her. Each scene just seems so hollow, more than the last.
For a moment, that was working towards an actual good point. Sometimes we’ll meet strange people that we like in a superficial way, and we won’t achieve anything with them. They enter and exit our lives and become almost a good memory. The biggest issue; the movie isn’t going for that.
The movie believes in itself to a motivational degree. It never convinced me for a second, and it leads to one of the worst romance movie endings I’ve seen. Somehow, this guy had a limitless crush for…
Read at the sourcemaya_kotori
This honestly wasn’t a movie that completely won me over. The story felt a bit slow and I never fully connected with the characters the way I hoped I would. Still, even though it didn’t really match my taste, I decided to finish it, and I’m glad I pushed through because I wanted to see how everything would come together in the end. It definitely has that classic older Ghibli atmosphere, which is charming in its own way, but overall it just didn’t leave a strong impact on me. So in the end, I’d give it a 7/10 not terrible, not amazing, just a decent watch.
Read at the sourceelumizu
Ocean Waves feels like secretly flipping through someone’s old high school memories. The movie unfolds with the slightly awkward rhythm of youth where emotions are confusing, friendships become complicated overnight, and sometimes nobody really understands why. The story follows Taku Morisaki, a university student who begins reminiscing about his high school years in Kochi. Those memories revolve around two people who shaped that period of his life. There are his easygoing best friend Yutaka Matsuno, and the transfer student Rikako Muto, whose arrival disrupts the balance of their small social circle. Rikako enters the story with a certain distance around her. Smart, beautiful, but emotionally guarded, she immediately stands out from the rest of the class. Even though many admire her from…
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 sourceelenemy
'The Ocean Waves' is a meandering story that never goes anywhere, with a bad structure and two "romantic" leads with zero chemistry. And yet, I don't feel as if it wasted my time; the atmosphere and visuals were on point most of the time, and the great soundtrack helped in making this an OK experience. If you go in with no expectations, you might be pleasantly surprised. If you want something as good as the average Ghibli movie, though, you should look elsewhere.
'From Up on Poppy Hill' and 'Whisper of the Heart' also nail the rural Japan summer aesthetic and the serene atmosphere, but with great chemistry between the leads and plots that are much more interesting and engaging.
This isn't a bad movie; but it's not a great one either, and there are similar stories that will make better us…
Read at the sourceUmekigo4
Great movie, I think i will find myself returning to it in a couple of months or so. I like the characters, some may say they aren't the best cast but I think otherwise. I was expecting a different side to the ending in all honesty, I felt satisfied with its conclusion unlike other films I have previously watched, then again I don't watch many films due to the fact that I drop most, this one just caught my attention somehow. It is definitely going in my favorite list and would recommend. I was not recommend to watch this movie i simply found it out as I was digging and it so happened to catch my eye, believe it was worth the watch, I may consider purchasing the novel even if it costs me a kidney 🥲
Read at the sourceZeoguri
Umi ga Kikoeru (aka Ocean Waves) is a real oddball amongst Studio Ghibli's nostalgia-infused critically acclaimed children's movies. A made-for-TV teen drama set in a contemporary rural Japanese city, Umi ga Kikoeru has been described as a slice-of-life drama, a teen-romance, and a coming-of-age story but in truth I don't think any of these labels are actually accurate.
The story follows a college student's reminiscence of a high school love triangle (if you can even call it that) between himself, a proto-tsundere type girl who transfers in from Tokyo and can't help standing out from the other girls, and the close male friend who 'saw her first' that the MC would never betray. Now, at this point you probably think you have this story all figured out, its got all the familiar teen-romance…
Read at the sourceCentralUnplan
Ocean Waves works as a piece of non-narrative simplicity; it isn't about telling a story of a romance or anything like that. Sometimes in life you meet someone, ~events~ without connection happen, and they generate feelings in you that you only realize much later. Also sometimes someone is a jerk but they are hot enough that you forgive them for it. Both of those work to let this film make an impact if you are in the market for that level of realism; and the muted colors and restrained artistry synergizes very well with that. And now that we are past the early-90's Hisashi Eguchi era, this style is also rare to find to at this level of polish.
It should have ended ~15 minutes earlier, alas, as what is subtext because text with too much repetition. But you can look past that misstep and ge…
Read at the sourceWildflower3
It’s not a bad movie, it simply has bad characters – and that’s basically the same thing…
Story 5/10
The story itself is rather short and uneventful. Unfortunately, what can make a good story (namely characters) can also be the reason to tear it down… In itself I don’t mind the premise of the movie. While I’m not a fan of love-triangles in general, it’s not entirely unrealistic that a person could come between a friendship if both friends fall for him/her. And maybe it could even help their friendship once they overcome it. I also didn’t mind the way the story was told by means of flashbacks. The movie was clearly going for nostalgia feels and with the atmosphere they managed this aspect well. Also it screamed the 90’s (which of course is not hard given it’s a movie from the 90’s) and I…
Read at the sourcejjrocks24
Umi ga Kikoeru is not your typical Ghibli film. The premise is very straightforward and its characters might rub you the wrong way. I believe this is what threw a lot of people off. But not enough people realize and appreciate the simplicity of this movie. Compared to romance you see in anime nowadays, we aren't being forced down our throat what each character is feeling at every twist and turn. There aren't any crazy explosions and bgm that cue when the moment is just right. That is this film's charm. It perfectly captures the awkwardness of being an adolescent in love.
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 sourcePhaatStakz
The aesthetic of this film is its strongest feature. The late eighties/early nineties realistic depictions of Japan are amazing. If you liked the style of Only Yesterday, trade the countryside for Tokyo and you have a sense of what this film is.
Everyone's main complaint is obvious. There is NO romance in what is supposed to be a romantic drama. Honestly if I had gone into this movie with just that expectation, I would have been horribly disappointed. It makes narratively no sense with what is happening. Would have been a 4/10 at best.
However. I had heard someone say this was Ghibli's unofficial "gay movie". Didn't really know what to make of that until I actually sat down with that predisposition and watched the movie. If you watch (or hopefully rewatch if you did not like the movie/…
Read at the sourceWarinnn
A simple, nostalgic, and comforting film. Ocean Waves manages to portray a realistic high school experience and the (both desirable and not so desirable) things it entails. The characters are written in a way that makes them feel like actual high school students, each with their own flaws and imperfections. They experience new things together and support each other, but at the same time act childishly and get into overblown arguments. It is these elements that work together to convey the nostalgia of high school memories – the characters make mistakes, but are able to later look back fondly on the memories they've made. The relaxing music and simplistic art style complement the movie's slow, laidback atmosphere. However, I will say that the film isn't necessarily romantic, nor does it incl…
Read at the sourcefetishgguk
It is about the school, love and drama life of a group of young people living on the beach in Japan. I liked the anime. I read the comments about this anime. Many have disparaged the anime. He said, "It was a waste of time, it was pointless, the last was missing". But seriously, it wasn't a bad anime as they say. Judging by the script, the story goes straight. It does not contain any fantasy. Such a lot of action, events do not develop. True, it's a bit like a soap opera and the ending seemed incomplete. But the mood and nostalgic feelings of the anime were so good that I want to watch it again. It feels like I was in Japan in those years. The illustrations and animations are really good.
The characters typically appear Ghibli, but the design is quite different. It doesn't reuse the same…
Read at the sourcejagexes
Great Movie. Nothing extraordinary to talk about when it comes to the plot, just a wholesome, heartfelt movie that leaves you satisfied and feeling romantic. However, I must say the art is just 11/10 if you are into the older anime vibe you will love this part. It shines so much, I would recommend watching this just to appreciate the animation, also watch it on a big screen like tv if possible. Before I forget, the soundtrack is the perfect fit for the animation. Both elements go hand in hand so well tgh it just brings so much more to the show. Lastly not forgetting the harmonic, voice acting, on point great film loved it. If I have one criticism it would be, the show left me feeling nostalgic abt my sch days and v single. Other than that amazing. 7 massive erections out of 10.
Read at the sourceattidzh
Oh my god this movie infatuated me; I don't normally write reviews on MAL but I feel like I have a fair bit to say on this.
Firstly, the animation. It's not as visually incredible as Ghibli's other works (e.g. Only Yesterday and My Neighbour Totoro came out before and take place in a similar style but have slightly nicer backdrops), and this is because with this film, Studio Ghibli let it be animated almost entirely by young new animators, which in my opinion I think is great because it gives them fantastic experience early on in their careers without hurting the animation too badly, since I still think it looks great. Moments like the scene with Taku and Yutaka wistfully looking at the sea from the pier is one of my favourite parts of the film. The entire vibe and aesthetic of moments li…
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