Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
MizunoYukiko
Whisper of the Heart (Mimi wo Sumaseba).. During the first half of the film, I kept telling myself that it was just an ordinary movie, and well, in many aspects, it is. However, the idea is executed really well, and the art style plays a big part in that. The world feels alive, full of colour and depth, making it genuinely comforting to look at.
However, when you look past the execution, the story itself is just a classic love story. It's predictable, and it's easy to see where things are heading. The characters aren't particularly extraordinary either, nor are they especially deep. But perhaps that's exactly what makes this film beautiful. It's comforting to watch, doesn't demand much deep thinking, and finds its charm in the simplicity of its story.
Shizuku's passion for books and writ…
Read at the sourceJxbinha
Whisper of the Heart is such a comforting movie. There are no huge battles, magical disasters or world-ending threats, and yet I found myself completely invested in Shizuku's journey. Sometimes a story about a girl trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life can be just as engaging as anything else.
What I really love is how realistic Shizuku's insecurity feels. Having a dream is easy; actually trying to pursue it and realizing you're not immediately good at it is another story entirely. Watching her struggle with that frustration made her feel incredibly human.
And of course, Seiji and Shizuku are adorable. Their relationship is sweet without taking away from Shizuku's personal journey, and honestly, the scene with Country Roads will forever live rent-free in my head.
The Baro…
Read at the sourceSpider-Mate_MSA
Take Me Home, Concrete Roads
Banger alert, banger alert. This is fucking peak.
Probably my favourite Ghibli movie so far? And probably gonna become my favourite slice of life romance movie with some reflection??? It's amazing how good and story rich this movie is when everything points to it being very bad. You'd think the simple and cliche story would make this a forgettable movie, but no. The movie still grips you with the believability of the sweet moments love can bring and how love can spark such an amazing inspiration for you to tackle anything in life. It's so amazing and I don't even care if it gets cheesy by the end, it earned the cheesiness 100%.
I know everyone's talked about this, BUT COUNTRY ROADS IS SO MASTERFULLY USED HERE AND IT'S THE BEST USE OF A LICENSED SONG EVER AAA…
Read at the sourceLaneron
When I first saw some stills of the movie I thought, the story was going to be a bit compelling and deep (like the artwork) but it's actually quite boring. It also tries a bit too hard to be sentimental (cloying). I wish they had focused more on the main character's family and how perhaps even how her relationship with them transformed as she did. I also didn't understand why it was animated. This could have been filmed live as it takes place in a real life setting. I feel like if a movie's going to be animated it needs to show that it couldn't have been done live.
Read at the sourcePresident_Megumi
From My Letterboxd review: “Miyazaki really said, ‘Girl, if you want to create, you can't just consume 😮💨.’”
“Whisper of the Heart” is, at times, a romance, but more of the time, it is a meditation on wanting to create and overcoming the feeling of not being good enough to get started. No matter what stage of your life you are at, I think anyone who has wanted to create in some way could relate to Shizuku; with so much beautiful art out in the world, it can easy to get lost watching and rewatching (or her in case, reading and rereading) instead of opening your own soul up to make your own art, but watching Shizuku overcome that feeling and do just that somehow captured that classic Ghibli emotional magic without delving too deep into the fantastical (though being able to complete writi…
Read at the sourcejay_quelin
This is one of those rarer Ghibli films where you finally have a satisfying romance plot. None of that "will they or won't they" schpiel that often paints the MCs as either platonic friends or ambiguously hinted as romantic (and the MC isn't an old grandma). Another thing I like about this movie is how it portrays lower-class poverty without actually focusing on the poverty. From the tiny apartment to Shizuku's Mom, and to the details about Shiho's job, the animators really flesh out the reality of living as a low-income earner in 1996 Japan. However, the lifestyle of Shizuku's family isn't the main focus here. The film teaches us the importance of following your dreams no matter how unrealistic they may seem. It teaches you the value of hard work and perserverance, and that there aren't a…
Read at the sourceAnime_Enjoyer_69
I loved it! I thought it would be boring but what I watched was very fun and wholesome. This is a feel-good anime coming of age love story about following your dreams. I watched the English dub and it was a pretty good dub. Since the story is about middle schoolers, I wasn't sure if the dub would be a good choice, but the voice acting was solid. The characters are all believable and (most importantly) likeable. There is some silly teenage love triangle and immature poutiness but overall it adds to the feel of the movie. It's a Ghibli movie, so you know the animation is going to be quality and the backgrounds are just gorgeous. I give it a solid 8. A must watch for sure!
Read at the sourcemaya_kotori
Whisper of the Heart is such an interesting and wonderfully original story. It has this quiet charm that slowly pulls you in, not with big dramatic moments, but with its gentle atmosphere and beautifully grounded storytelling. I really loved the way the film was crafted, the pacing, the emotions, the little details of everyday life that make the whole story feel so real and relatable. What’s surprising is how many people still don’t know about this movie, even though it absolutely deserves more attention. It’s one of those hidden gems that stays with you long after you finish it, and I honestly hope more people discover it, because its message and its warmth are truly special.
Read at the sourceKirazenin13
This movie resonates deeply with me. You would definitely relate to its core theme if you are worried about your future path and what you ultimately choose to become.
The film was calm and beautiful; the scenery was sublime. The quiet moments—the late-night walks, the early mornings, and all that silence—were, for me, deeply infused with anxiety. It is difficult when some people around us, like Seiji, seem to clearly find the best path for their future and are likely to succeed in their ambitions. Meanwhile, here I am (like Shizuku), still struggling to find the crucial first step toward my own goal
Read at the sourceelumizu
Whisper of the Heart presents a good coming-of-age story that explores creativity, self-discovery, and uncertainty of growing up. The narrative follows Shizuku Tsukishima, a curious and imaginative middle school student who loves reading and dreams vaguely of doing something meaningful with her life. During summer break, she begins to notice that many of the library books she borrows were previously checked out by the same person, Seiji Amasawa. Intrigued by this mysterious name, Shizuku’s curiosity leads her on a small but meaningful journey through her neighborhood, eventually crossing paths with Seiji himself, a boy who dreams of becoming a master violin maker. As Shizuku spends more time around Seiji and the antique shop owned by his grandfather, she begins to confront her own aspirati…
Read at the sourceSirBunting
It's a lovely romance movie full of color and detail. Even the weaker, ho-hum portions of the movie are elevated by the beautiful color, storyboarding, and attention to details such as seasonal changes and supplementary scenes or changes in the background that illustrate the passage of time. It's a pleasure to see the main character Shizuku interact with her environment and live in the space. Now, it's possible this is less rewatchable than others and has fewer highly memorable moments, but the experience is certainly still worth it, and the production quality is undeniable. One strength is the validity of the relationship and how the two characters inspire one another. There is one particular moment when the boy says something that validates the girl's romantic dream. That drew me in and…
Read at the sourceInter_anime
Slice-of-life is a difficult genre to pull off effectively, especially realistic slice-of-life, because while most stories are sold on the actions, climaxes, and character decisions, slice-of-life stories rely solely on the strength of having interesting characters alone, as you the viewer have to be intrigued enough to follow the story as it explore the everyday mundane moments of life of these fictious individuals. “Whisper of the Heart” is in my opinion one of the best slice-of-life anime out there, and this review will explore why.
Produced by the famed Studio Ghibli, “Whisper of the Heart” can be at times one of their more overlooked films. Nowadays the film is better known more as a meme whose protagonists feature in LoFi music videos on YouTube or that one anime film where the char…
Read at the sourceMichaelMorbius
One of the very best coming-of-age animes out there. A combination of heartwarming story, lovable main character, smooth animation and awesome soundtrack make this one of Studio Ghibli's most underrated and overlooked films ever.
Plot: 8/10 - The story follows 14-year old Shizuku, a girl with a passion for reading books. She finds out that someone has been reading the same books as her. This someone is Seiji, a boy with the dream of going to Italy to become a luthier. Seiji challenges himself to fufill hsi dream and Shizuku feels motivated by the boy's actions and decides to write a novel.
The story is great. Loved the sense the precariousness that Shizuku feels at one point, not knowing if she wants to go to high school or pursue something else. There are some slice of life elements th…
Read at the sourceFrogfrog_
It's one of my favorite Studio Ghibli films and in general. I like how the story doesn't revolve around just the main couple and gives more light to the development of both the main and secondary characters individually... It shows well what teenagers' thoughts are like and such, the story is slow at the right pace, making the story remain interesting throughout the entire film. One thing I really like about this film is the soundtrack, not to mention the drawing and animation (like every film by the studio).
Original -
É um dos meus filmes favoritos do Studio Ghibli e no geral. Gosto de como a história não gira em volta somente do casal principal e dá mais luz ao desenvolvimento dos personagens tanto principais quanto secundários individualmente...... Mostra bem como é o pensamento de…
Read at the sourceVentrax_05
Whisper of the heart is great..I mean it has its own uniqueness.. it's very soft and delicate there is just a peace in watching this movie.. everything is very acceptable.. each characters has its own significance and every character is potrait very nicely
Like not only the anime focus on the main leads but also sometimes to the side characters..the story over all is very well written as well as portrait in the anime.. it's a very old anime so don't expect any mind blowing animations..but it just serves to be a peaceful anime which u can watch whole heartedly..
Some of u might not like it as it's pretty slow..the story is simple..there is no such such animations..but for those who like to watch romance and a normal story with no sadness..this is the one which is waiting for you..I highl…
Read at the sourceOhsnapitsDavid
The reason I only gave this movie is a 9 is because it's sort of clickbait in both the "whimsical" look of the cover image, and the description of the movie itself paints the story differently than what it is: a mundane tale of a girl just going to school.
If the movie started out by what it attempts to achieve in the first place, then this movie would no doubt be a masterpiece.
Unfortunately, this is more about a movie about a young school girl, who has an ordinary school life, and nothing is happening in a plot. So, if I just wanted to watch a 2 hour slice of life, I could just stop watching and go do my own homework.
But in honesty, this film is not going to get the same praise from me where other movies / animes do in their "everyday life" plots. Because, unlike other anime shows t…
Read at the sourceHalcyon13
Ambition is contagious, and Mimi wo Sumaseba stands in a separate category among Studio Ghibli's filmography. It manufactured a subdued idea of romanticism, in this case, toward the arts. Even as I say this, I'm still inclined to maintain neutrality regarding Yoshifumi Kondou's direction slightly deviating from what had been established by Miyazaki and Takahata alternating up to that point (excluding Umi ga Kikoeru) because the film's reserved personality is not without its pros and cons. Two students stumble upon a chance encounter through books, sparking a connection that's only genuinely romantic in its outcome, not subtext. It's unclear when their relationship takes that substantial step from just mutual encouragement, mostly figuratively, as you're eventually aware much has happened,…
Read at the sourceAnimeWatcher2006
I love Studio Ghibli but most of those are from Miyazaki, and I have one non-Miyazaki film, that being The Cat Returns that until today. Whisper of the Heart is one the most criminally overlooked of Studio Ghibli filmography because it's so good. I love the simple slice-of-life story of a girl love reading and writing, the music is in my top 5 anime score of all time and the animation capture the simplicity and gorgeous in the fantasy sequence. The ending is my main issue, but I won't spoil what it is because even I didn't like how it ended, it's still one of my favorite anime films of all time. Thanks, Schaffrillas Productions for the recommendations.
Read at the sourceAdiChi
I have been longing to watch Studio Ghibli movies for so long, finally watched this. This animation style is so unique and completely different from any other anime movie, or series I have watched so far. The work that is put into every character is phenomenal. Would recommend it to anyone who has a love for anime and I up for a dramatic+ slice of life + heartwarming story. Loved it ♥️
The story is unique, at least I don't know any anime protagonist who is aspiring to become a violinist and a story writer. The art style is very fitting to this kind of story, I was so amazed seeing this kind of art style as this is my first Studio Ghibli movie. Yes the characters are well-rounded they remind me of someone I know, hence we feel real.
I think anyone who watches this movie is going to have…
Read at the sourceYoAdi
'Whisper of the Heart' is a down-to-earth, lovely and heartwarming story about pure love between two adolescent teenagers. The characters are well-written and likeable. The background score is incredibly suited to the atmosphere of the story.
True love is helping your partner move forward in life by being their support - love should not always necessarily be associated with romance. I absolutely love how the movie conveys this message. The movie also explores the anxieties faced by teenagers while thinking about their future and trying to find their purpose in life.
I would highly recommend slice of life lovers to try this amazing movie by the legendary director, Mr. Hayao Miyazaki.
Read at the source
