Shostakovich343 When exploring an old curiosity shop, or attic (much the same in my case, I fear), one tends to be pleasantly surprised from time to time, finding a precious item behind a set of boxes; previously oblivious of its existence, now wondering how one could ever live without. "Ocean Waves" is likewise a hidden gem in Studio Ghibli's catalogue. The film has received little attention, being the studio's only made-for-television film, but despite its lower budget, "Ocean Waves" is far from a minor effort.The film's main strength is found in its characters: Adolescents actually act and talk like adolescents would, which is unfortunately rare for an animated film. They make mistakes, think about sex, emotionally manipulate each other, and sometimes no resolution will be found for their problems. Never do they, however, cross the line between being flawed and being unlikable; their flaws, so typical for the age, only make the them more human. And seeing them growing up and reuniting in the final scenes is genuinely touching, reflecting on the development these characters have gone through, gently smiling at the thought that so much more is awaiting them.As should be the case, the most interesting character is the protagonist, Taku, who struggles with his feelings for the new girl in school, Rikako, who happens to be his best friends' crush as well, and seems to be using him. Fortunately, the commonplace love triangle is underplayed, in behalf of character building. There is a certain dark comedy to be found in the near-existential struggle between Taku's reason and emotions, and how he fails to determine what either of those dictates in the first place, as he lets himself be dragged from one undesirable situation into the other.Rikako is, contrary to most anime crushes, an interesting character of herself. She is endearing in her pubescent hubris, as she tries to be more adult than those around her, yet continuously fails, because of her emotional immaturity. Note the scene where she invites Taku to lunch with her ex-boyfriend, in order to make both of them jealous, yet without reason, only harming her own position by doing so. It makes one wonder what is really driving her: her parents' divorce can only partially explain her behaviour, and much of her past remains unknown. Like the best of stories, there is room for interpretation, but the film acknowledges beside this, that sometimes people, and especially young people, just do stupid things.As delightful as the interaction between characters may be, the film is not without its flaws: The narration is superfluous and ironically only distracts from the narrative, and flashbacks are outlined by frames of increasing and decreasing size, a very obnoxious visual device, which (to put it simple) just feels weird - perhaps a lesson should have been taken from Takahata's marvellous "Only Yesterday", produced only two years earlier."Ocean Waves" is nonetheless notable for brushing aside many genre conventions in its execution and presenting the audience a remarkably interesting and darkly funny character study in the mould of a love triangle story, animated with the expected talent and devotion of the Ghibli team. The hidden gem from your attic may seem old and dusty, but invest that hour and a quarter, and you will be surprised by its polish.

mary This film is not like others,it have original story.Not like all love stories.It is about a boy,his friend and new girl in school.From the beginning I feel ambient:everybody are in same uniforms,friendships,envy girls...The relationships are real.It is very important in film.So,weird girl with divorced parents come from Tokyo and don't like others.Everybody is talking about her, but nobody talks with her.After so many conflict,boy understood that he love her.It really happen in real world.It is really special. Music is interesting,like waves of ocean. The animation and drawings in film are nice,typical anime style. There is some irony in some spots of film.So,it is not dark at all.For me,part when girls attacked her was really funny,somehow.And snapping each other... Film for one afternoon! (sorry for bad English)

siderite I always liked animes from Ghibli, but until now I didn't quite get why. It is because they have calm. Everything today has to be over the top, flashy, fast. Ghibli stories take their time, they feature normal people with normal desires and rhythms. behaving normally.The Ocean Waves is about a cute girl moving from Tokyo to a provincial highschool in Kochi. Everybody is curious about her, but she is a loner and quite rude. Two friends are both interacting with her, but it's never clear what's in their hearts. Slowly, but surely, we start to understand each of the actors and the story comes full circle after graduation, at the first highschool reunion.I've learned so much about Japanese culture from animes, but the ones from Ghibli make me understand the people. The stories often have what is missing in not only animation, but real actor movies as well: people that you can empathise with, because they are like you (or rather, like you would like to be, but not in infantile fantasies, but in your hopeful dreams).Really nice movie, it certainly worth seeing.

bellygod I saw this anime after I had been introduced to some other, more prominent anime from Studio Ghibli. If you appreciate a fine subtle authentic slice-of-life story of high school romance, this is as good as it gets.Its told from the point of view of a male student. A new female transfer student arrives from Tokyo and the plot moves forward in an interesting way. It never hurries, and feels very matter of fact. By the end of the film lessons are learned and the heart strings are pulled.This movie doesn't try to do too much; it simply focuses on the main characters and tells their story honestly. You never feel manipulated as you do with many Hollywood films. The dramatic conflicts are real and interesting.This is one movie I treasure.