Mimi o Sumaseba |
  The latest from Studio Ghibli. |
If You Listen Carefully, You Will Hear a Whisper of the Heart Miyazaki Hayao. This name is synonymous with the highest quality in anime. Almost universally, anime fans can recount with great clarity the first time they ever saw a Miyazaki film and the effect it had on them. Clearly there is a standard in anime, and Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are the yardsticks by which all others are measured. The films of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli
(they are truly difficult to discuss as separate entities) have also
have achieved much critical and financial success. Porco Rosso
holds the record as the top-grossing anime film of all time in Japan.
And Pon Poko was Japan's 1995 submission to the "Best Foreign
Film" Category of the Academy Awards, as well as being the number one
film in Japan for 1994. Considering this track record, many held very
high hopes for his latest film, Mimi o Sumaseba (If You
Listen Carefully, official English title: Whisper of the
Heart). And it did not disappoint.Mimi o Sumaseba is based on the
manga by Hiiragi Aoi. The director of the film is Kondo Yoshifumi. As
always, there are those that will say that this is not a "Miyazaki
film." However, Miyazaki served as producer and was also responsible
for both the script and continuity. While he may not have directed the
film, he certainly had a large amount of input in the decision making
and the final product. |
 Baron and Shizuku embark on a journey.
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At The Heart Of The Film Both Nausciaa and Laputa had their share of action, whether it be Nausicaa attempting to calm the hordes of enraged Ohmu, or Pazu and Sheeta's harrowing escape from the dying castle in the sky. Porco Rosso also had its fair share of action in the form of stunningly choreographed aerial dogfights, with a car chase thrown in for variety. Even Pon Poko had the dramatic battle between the tanuki and the humans. But Mimi, although a wonderful film in its own right, is certainly not an action-adventure film. Instead, Miyazaki seems to have turned his
focus inward, illuminating the struggles that reside within us all as
people. Like Tonari no Totoro, this movie is more about the
personal struggles of the main characters. That is not to say that
internal conflict does not exist in some of Miyazaki's more
action-oriented films; rather, Mimi o Sumaseba presents the
conflict as the primary--indeed, the only--story to be told.With such a focus, the film unfolds
somewhat slowly, but at a deliberate, planned pace. We follow the main
character, Tsukima Shizuku, and learn things as she learns them.
Perhaps that is what makes this film so engrossing--instead of knowing
things ahead of time, we have to wait and explore the world along with
Shizuku. We share her sense of discovery.This film is dialog-intensive, so knowledge
of Japanese is helpful. However, the story can basically be understood
by those who know nothing of the Japanese language. Typical of Miyazaki
films, Mimi can be enjoyed by just about anyone. I have not
encountered a single person who did not follow along entranced when
Shizuku encounters Moon, a somewhat overweight and self-assured cat,
riding alone on the subway.This film may not be as popular in the
United States as some of his other works; most likely this lack of
popularity would be attributed to the lack of understanding of the
story. Many of the earlier works have been seen subtitled by fans, and
thus, those seeing them have had the benefit of fully understanding the
story. Such is not the case with something that was just released on
laserdisk. As an example, Porco Rosso did not seem to receive
as warm a reception from U.S. anime fans as some of the other Miyazaki
and Ghibli films. In fact, I have even heard and seen comments that
Porco Ross was not even a success in Japan! (It is the top-grossing
anime film of all-time in Japan). |
 Baron standing on a table.
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Animation Quality The animation is first-rate (this being Studio Ghibli, after all). When Shizuku first walks into the Atelier Chikyuuya (Studio Earth Shop), the interior does not look like an animated drawing, but more like an actual photograph. Every excruciating detail has been included--from the grain of the wood in the table to the fabric of Baron's coat and the jewels that are his eyes. And the scene in which Shizuku finds herself flying with Baron--the obligatory flight scene in any Miyazaki movie--is one that will surprise and impress even the most hardened and cynical anime fans. Miyazaki-Sensei has never been one to shirk
his research duties. For example, before beginning production on
Laputa, he went to Wales to do research and make preliminary
sketches. For Mimi, the Japanese town
Seiseki
Sakuragaoka was used as a model. Such dedication and enthusiasm can
be seen in the final product.Also interesting to note is that more
digital technology was used in this movie. The first Ghibli release to
use computer animation was Pon Poko, which had only three
scenes. There are also plans for additional computer animation in their
future releases (continued).
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