Ocean Waves (TV 1993)
"Umi ga kikoeru" (original title)

As a young man returns home after his first year away at college he recalls his senior year of high school and the iron-willed, big city girl that turned his world upside down.

Director:

Tomomi Mochizuki

Writers:

Saeko Himuro (novel), Kaori Nakamura (screenplay)

Stars:

Nobuo Tobita, Toshihiko Seki, Yoko Sakamoto

Cast

Credited cast:
Nobuo Tobita	...	Taku Morisaki (voice)
Toshihiko Seki	...	Yutaka Matsuno (voice)
Yoko Sakamoto	...	Rikako Muto (voice)
Yuri Amano	...	Akiko Shimizu (voice)
Kae Araki	...	Yumi Kohama (voice)
Jun'ichi Kanemaru	...	Okada (voice)
Ai Satô	...	Taku's mother (voice)
Aya Hisakawa	...	Girl (voice)
Tomokazu Seki	...	Minarai (voice)
Hikaru Midorikawa	...	Tadashi Yamao (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rin Mizuhara	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Sumi Shimamoto	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Reiko Suzuki	...	(voice)

Storyline

The main character travels to his hometown for his high school reunion. During the trip, he recalls the memories of the days in high school. Friendship, subtle love, a trip to Tokyo and so on all came back to him as the film evolves.

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Plot Keywords:

love | high school reunion | friendship | tokyo japan | surrealism | 

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

5 May 1993 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Ocean Waves

Filming Locations:

Kochi, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studio Ghibli

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie have two English titles. Unlike other movies, Ghibli didn't give it an official English title for a long time. Ghibli recently gave it the title, "The Ocean Waves", but most people in the US know it as "I Can Hear the Sea", which is a direct translation of the Japanese title.

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Connections

Featured in JesuOtaku Anime Reviews: Ocean Waves (2012)

User Reviews

authentic and nostalgic

I saw this anime after I had been introduced to some other, more prominent anime from Studio Ghibli. If you appreciate a fine subtle authentic slice-of-life story of high school romance, this is as good as it gets.

Its told from the point of view of a male student. A new female transfer student arrives from Tokyo and the plot moves forward in an interesting way. It never hurries, and feels very matter of fact. By the end of the film lessons are learned and the heart strings are pulled.

This movie doesn't try to do too much; it simply focuses on the main characters and tells their story honestly. You never feel manipulated as you do with many Hollywood films. The dramatic conflicts are real and interesting.

This is one movie I treasure.