Hi there!
Have any of you gotten the chance to watch the Ghibli movie called, "Ocean Waves"? I just watched it tonight for the first time and thought it was pretty good. It wasn't your typical movie by the Studio; kind of like a coming of age movie along the lines of "Only Yesterday".

Yes, I've seen the movie a time or three and enjoy it again and again. Like you say, kinda like Only Yesterday but at a higher age level...

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...or a lower age level

I think its an underrated film and in fact it's one of my favourite Ghibli productions.

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Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

Not to mention it's a relatively short film; roughly about an hour and 15 minutes. I'm surprised it's so difficult to get a copy of it anywhere. I was only able to watch it online.

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Originally posted by Saddletank
...or a lower age level

I think its an underrated film and in fact it's one of my favourite Ghibli productions.

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I see what you mean I was thinking along the lines of Only Yesterday is about an adult 'growing up' while Ocean waves is about teenagers doing ditto.

And yes, I agree, I think Only Yesterday's ending is one of the most powerful and emotional in any movie I have seen and by far the best ending to any Ghibli movie.

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Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

I think part of the emotional thing is generated by the apparent loss of each other and the slow realization that the other is THERE after all, and Rikako's slow bow...

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I was hoping for no spoilers, but for me the 'ending' really begins the previous evening when it rains and the elderly lady makes that suggestion. The whole last 15 or 20 minutes of the film is so densely packed with emotion and Takahata created a tremendous intensity out of what was in essence a very simple story.

He did the same thing with the final 10 or 15 minutes of Pom Poko. That's another film that makes me cry every time I get to the end.

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Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

quote:

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Originally posted by Saddletank
I was hoping for no spoilers, but for me the 'ending' really begins the previous evening when it rains and the elderly lady makes that suggestion. The whole last 15 or 20 minutes of the film is so densely packed with emotion and Takahata created a tremendous intensity out of what was in essence a very simple story.

He did the same thing with the final 10 or 15 minutes of Pom Poko. That's another film that makes me cry every time I get to the end.

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What got the tears flowing for me with Pom Poko was that all through the film, although there is a very serious theme being explored, it is done through the eyes and minds of the Tanuki, so everything is light-hearted, fun, silly and crazy and doesn't seem that important. Then the ending comes, the final great battle is lost and the Tanuki face their own mortality - they have only two choices; change with the world as it is changing, or die.

The last few left who cannot transform live on a golf course - perhaps the ultimate symbol of modern man making a fake piece of countryside.

The "last attempt" to bring back the forest, the old farms and the old ways is a vain attempt, as pathetic as it is moving. I really cry hard every time the mother of that family sees her grandmother on her old farm.

I think its one of the strongest environmental protest films.

The other nice thing about Pom Poko was it was made at the same time as Whisper of the Heart and in that film we see the same new town (Tama) whose construction destroyed the Tanuki community, but in Whisper two young people find love despite the grind and pressures of modern society. Its not a reassuring picture, but its a hopeful one.

I view Pom Poko and Whisper as the sour and the sweet of the same meal and have watched them back to back in that sequence several times.

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Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

I guess I could understand that. The only thing that made me lose focus throughout that movie was its emphasis on the enlarged testicles. Honestly, I think I would've appreciated it more if they left that part out.

I think there were only a couple of scenes where its mentioned or shown and the magical abilities of Tanuki testicles are apparently a big part of the folklore so it wouldn't bother a Japanese audience (for whom the film was made).

I found the whole testicles thing hilarious. I think its healthy to laugh at these things when its a piece of folklore/mythology.

Haha, we seem to be discussing all sorts of Ghibli movies but not Ocean Waves.

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Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

Gomen...

It is difficult sometimes to realize that not everyone has see all the movies...

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Now that GKids has brought "Only Yesterday" to the U.S., "Ocean Waves" is the only Ghibli film that still has never been shown here or given an English dub. (At least, I think so -- let me know if I'm wrong!). What do you think is the likelihood of GKids bringing "Ocean Waves" to the U.S.? I know it is considered a "lesser" work in the Ghibli pantheon, but so was "The Cat Returns" and that has an English dub and you can buy it at Wal-Mart and Target.

Good to see you again, Maenad1...

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Ocean Waves is another of my favourites. I hope it gets recognition and is shown to a wider audience soon. Its a lovely story. Not terribly realistic but a fun tale. I personally am very happy with the original Japanese language (which is beautiful) and subtitles but I also understand many viewers prefer English language.

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Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

I could never understand it.

This article by Dan Schindel the Film School Rejects adequate explains why I don't like "Ocean Waves" as much as other Ghibli films:

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It’s a halfhearted love triangle that’s more about an extended day trip to Tokyo and sends the very odd moral that, as a friend of mine put it, 'you should pursue love interests even if they turn out boring or shallow, because you should always stick to what you initially wanted.' A terribly slight piece of work.

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