Canne’s Top 10 Studio Ghibli Works (part 2)

Before you start reading this post, please make sure you’ve read, or at least skimmed through, part 1 of Canne’s top 10 Studio Ghibli works. Now we have reached the top 5 of Ghibli works that I love most. Let’s begin!

Trapped in the past: How many gateway anime do we need, exactly?

Doing a full blog round does give me inspiration for a special post from time to time. This post is largely inspired by Eternal’s and Ryan A’s theory and opinions on gateway anime. They make me reflect to myself and other fans I’ve met and thus, this post takes shape.

Whisper of the Heart: anime review

Title: Whisper of the Heart
Genre: drama, romantic, comedy
Released date: 15 July 1995
Running Time: 111 minutes
Director: Yoshifumi Kondo
Animated by: Studio Ghibli
Comment: If I had to make a list of best anime I’ve ever watched, Whisper of the Heart would at least be in the top three. The anime was produced by Studio Ghibli and was adapted from a manga of the same name (Mimi wo Sumaseba). It might look like a regular coming of age story but it was actually very special and almost flawless.

Shizuku was a common high-school girl who loved reading fantasy novels. She later met Seiji, the boy in the same school. How the two met and became intimate was something only fate could do. Seiji stayed at the violin shop and he already had plans for his future; he wanted to go to Vienna and become violin maker. Seiji’s determination inspired Shizuku to ask herself what she wanted to be in the future. As a result, she started writing her first fantasy fiction in order to learn about her ability and her desire. Shizuku learned many valuable lessons in the process. The anime was extremely optimistic about life. It filled the viewers with hope and dreams and many good lessons for both children and adults. The way Shizuku’s parents reacted to their daughters’ behavior like an adult impressed me a lot and the lesson about a gem hidden in the stone was memorable.

Many things in this anime such as violin, writing short story and cats resembled my childhood experience so it had strong nostalgic effect for me and probably made me like this anime even more. Like most of Studio Ghibli films, this anime was rich in details and deserved numerous repeat viewings. It’s amazing how such a simple story of common people could touch my heart like no anime has ever done. Conclusion: This anime is a real gem which could turn anyone’s darkest day into the brightest. My all-time personal favorite.

Rating: A+