#Studio ghibli ocean waves movie
#Studio ghibli ocean waves tv

The growth of the relationship between the characters is something that Ghibli has never explicitly shown before this movie and it’s interesting for them to leap out of the usual. The divorce of Rikako’s parents, and the ruined friendship of Yutaka and Taku because of a misunderstanding. The characters are a very interesting bunch, they are in constant conflicts about themselves with problems that other people have brought upon them. The narrative itself strays far from the previous focuses of Ghibli films which have been about fantasy, folklore, or World War 2-centered storylines like The Grave Of The Fireflies instead it takes you to Tokyo and introduces you to the imperfections of a perfect girl-Rikako Muto. It’s a story of friendship, maturity, and the idealism of your romantic interest but it never settles on one thing.

#Studio ghibli ocean waves tv

This might be because it was a TV movie, which might be the reason for the awfully short run time compared to other Ghibli films before it.Īfter watching the film, one can make an argument that if it wasn’t a Studio Ghibli production then it would’ve been gone in the endless annals of bad anime movies and although there is some truth to that statement, Ocean Waves isn’t necessarily a bad movie, it’s just very… shallow. It tries to become both and in the end, it fails at being either. It is dancing on the border of being made for kids, and for young adults which is a shame because Ocean Waves is a lot of things but if that is the case, then you might as well be nothing at all. There’s a scene where out of pure hatred and contempt for Rikako after her being so ungrateful to him, he decides to slap her in the school hallway which is one of, if not, the best things about the entire movie. There’s a school trip to Hawaii that led to an important trip to Tokyo where Rikako tries to find her father and eventually, Taku decides to tag along, something that will be of bigger relevance later on in the plot. It’s a slow, drama that tells the tale of a love triangle between Rikako, Taku, and Yutaka. It feels like the movie is very restrained. The story of a tragic infatuation for love that ruined friendship, and the movie would’ve been in the halls of Ghibli classics if it was about that.