Watch Ocean Waves For Free

That was an excellent one.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

What a forgotten Ghibli masterpiece! I'm glad that I accidentally stumbled upon it. Someone else beat me to it in the review section twelve years ago, but I gotta emphasize: this movie is as authentic as it gets. The characters behave very realistically, they feel much more humane than those in similar slice-of-life movies. Because of this, you can relate to all the characters, their actions, their motives, and the story will get you involved in no time. Just don't expect any out-of-the-place action or sensationalism - the movie maintains a very relaxed pace, with everything in order, every slight movement feeling natural. This movie is a hour-and-a-quarter long contemplation, a travel into the past - just like the main character, you will catch yourself wondering about loves, friends and memories long gone. But you might just find redemption at the end of the road, and the end of the movie.Its seldom I get the bittersweet butterfly of nostalgia growing in my stomach; last time the Miyazaki-classic "Only Yesterday" were able to achieve it. The two movies share a common feel and theme (great reunions, evaluating your roots, and a change of life), and while I think "Only Yesterday" somewhat works better, "Ocean Waves" is an otherwise unrivaled choice for gloomy Sunday afternoon homecinema.

Ocean Waves was Studio Ghibli's attempt to allow its younger staff to showcase their movie-making talents and although what they manage to put on screen is a fascinating & surprisingly mature take on high school romance, it lacks the refined quality that could have hurled it into the leagues of the studio's best works.Based on the novel of the same name, the story of Ocean Waves follows a young college kid who's returning home after his first year at university but after glimpsing a familiar girl at the train station, recalls his senior year of high school when that same girl transferred to his school from Tokyo and turned his life upside down.Directed by Saeko Himuro, the plot is always focused on the characters & their relationships, all of which is portrayed in a very subtle & authentic manner. Its hand-drawn animation may not rival the best works of the studio but it still carries their quality stamp on it. The story is grounded & lifelike, and it never tries to do more than it can handle.Of the three people caught in the love triangle, it is the character of Rikako Muto who exhibits the most interesting arc. Her behaviour & actions add an element of mystery in the story and it unfurls very gradually. The backdrop setting is splendidly detailed at all times. However, despite being only 72 minutes long, the film still feels somewhat stretched out.On an overall scale, Ocean Waves is a gentle meditation on teen relationships and is brought to life with sufficient care, affection & sincerity. Working as both an intriguing coming-of-age drama & a muted love story, Studio Ghibli's first & only TV feature still remains their least seen work and even though it is no match to their greatest efforts, it nonetheless deserves a watch or two.

Ocean Waves is a Studio Ghibli's production for TV, made by the young artists in the studio, that tells a charming story of love and friendship during High School in the small town of Kochi. The main characters are Taku Morisaki and his friend Yutaka Matsuno, and the quirky opinionated newly-arrived-in-town girl they like - Rikako Muto.The movie tells a simple story of growing up and becoming adults, and shows all of the dramas surrounding teenagers, but it is well narrated and animated. The animation is not as impressive and detailed as others Ghibli's movies, but it has Ghibli's quality stamp on it, and is very realistic and beautiful.The mood of the movie is great and captures with great mastery the spirit of a small town and its people, and also the spirit of summertime in those years in High School, with all the activities, romances and friendships that we experience during our teen years; it really transports the viewers to their High School days. The characters are well drawn, psychologically and emotionally believable, and very likable.A very enjoyable animation movie perfect for teenagers and adults, not for children.

It is a shame that this lesser known Studio Ghibli film has yet to be released in the west as it belongs in any Ghibli fan's collection. It may have been made by junior staff for television but it still of a high quality. The Ghibli film that this reminded me of the most was "Only Yesterday" in that it contains no fantasy elements but instead concentrated on the ordinary lives of ordinary people.The protagonist is a high school student called Taku and the story follows his life after Rikako Muto, a girl from Tokyo transfers to his school. Don't expect a clichéd romance though, Rikako is fairly standoffish and doesn't seem to get along with the other students, with the exception of Taku's friend Matsuno. However while on their class holiday to Hawaii she approaches Taku for help claiming that she has lost the money she bought and needs a loan. It later transpires that she hadn't lost any money but needed it to get back to Tokyo to see her father. Once there things don't go quite how she planned though.As one would expect from a Ghibli film the animation is beautiful and detailed, in some places it looks like they added extra detail just to give the animators practise such as rotating ornament in a building's lobby and the shadow of a bird flying over head.This review was based on watching a fan-subbed version of the film, hopefully it won't be too long before an official release is available as I heard that Optimum have bought the UK distribution rights.