Eventually, towards the end of the film, he meets her again on a subway platform and realizes that he does have genuine feelings for her, even after all these years. Gradually, he learns to deal with his own feelings for her, even though she’s been nothing but troublesome. His relationship with Rikako is also a big focal point of the film. More specifically, the film shows how teenagers adapt to big changes, particularly with how Taku handles navigating needless drama, adolescent love, and his potential career. I appreciate its honest depiction of a high schooler’s life, showing things like high school romance, part-time jobs, underage drinking, and dealing with unfair adults. Each frame of Ocean Waves evokes a strong nostalgic feeling like you’ve been there before and can definitely grace the cover of a retro city pop record. Mochizuki himself grew a stomach ulcer during the work, but they still somehow got the film done with help from J.C Staff and Madhouse in particular.Īll that hard work resulted in a pretty decent film with excellent background art, highlighting mid 90s Japanese architecture and environments. The film went over budget and over scheduled because of the hard work and demand for completion. He and several other staff members in their 20s and 30s were tasked with making a film ‘quickly, cheaply, and with quality.’ Considering how stressful the anime industry can be, this was easier said than done. It’s one of the few projects not to involve Miyazaki or Takahata and was instead directed by Tomomi Mochizuki. In a way, Ocean Waves was a big test for some of the younger staff at Studio Ghibli. Years later, when Taku reunites with most of his classmates, he learns that Rikako has also returned and wants to find her. After her plan falters, she becomes instantly distant with everyone at school, including Taku, whom she gets into a fight with. In the process, she involves Taku in her plans, borrowing some of his money and asking him to pose as her boyfriend. As a city kid, she struggles to adjust to her new life in the countryside after her parents’ divorce and decides to return to the city. Her name is Rikako Muto, and she’s become an instant hit with the school, drawing both the ire and attention of boys and girls alike. The film follows close friends Taku Morisaki and Yutaka Matsuno who meet a new transfer student from Tokyo. Ocean Waves is about the difference between a young adult about to start working and a high schooler still trying to figure things out. The characters bring that experience back to the present by comparing how it has affected their current selves. Both are about adults reflecting on their past youth and reevaluating their choices or mistakes made by them. This is a core theme of Studio Ghibli’s 1993 TV film Ocean Waves and goes to show that your nostalgic feelings never leave you because they’re a part of your daily growth.īased on Saeko Himuro’s 1990-1992 eponymous serial novel, the film is a coming-of-age teen romance story with slice-of-life elements similar to Isao Takahata’s 1991 feature Only Yesterday. This nostalgic feeling always lingers as they get older and is reinforced when they revisit familiar places with someone they knew. People always look back at their school days as a simpler experience and an important phase of their life. High school is often portrayed as a complicated experience for adults.
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