Whisper of the Heart

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

This film and it's semi-sequel The Cat Returns are the Studio Ghibli films I've seen the least. Probably because I don't like cat's that much. Well this one doesn't have that much to do with them so I don't know what prompted this viewing but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

This isn't a fantasy story like Miyazaki's films although it has some elements in it (Cary Elwes returns as the english dub for the Barron), but they are within a story the main character is writing. It's a sweet little coming of age/first love story. I like Only Yesterday slightly more but there's a lot to enjoy here too.

I would never in a million years have guessed a Japanese animation that depicts realistic modern day japanese school kids would have a Dolly Parton song as it's theme. But it totally works in an odd and charming way. Kind of like the rest of the film. The very end of the love story is hilarious and cute and probably works much better in the original voice cast but I've yet to check it out. I'm kind of curious too now though, just to hear the japanese rendition of the Country Road song.