Mimi wo sumaseba (1995)

A love story between a girl who loves reading books, and a boy who has previously checked out all of the library books she chooses.

Director:

Yoshifumi Kondô

Writers:

Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay), Aoi Hiiragi (comic)

Stars:

Yoko Honna, Issey Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yoko Honna	...	Shizuku Tsukishima (voice) (as Youko Honna)
Issey Takahashi	...	Seiji Amasawa (voice) (as Issei Takahashi)
Takashi Tachibana	...	Seiya Tsukishima (voice)
Shigeru Muroi	...	Asako Tsukishima (voice)
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi	...	The Baron (voice)
Keiju Kobayashi	...	Shiro Nishi (voice)
Yorie Yamashita	...	Shiho Tsukishima (voice)
Maiko Kayama	...	Yuko Harada (voice)
Yoshimi Nakajima	...	Sugimura (voice)
Minami Takayama	...	Kosaka-sensei (voice)
Mayumi Izuka	...	Kinuyo (voice) (as Mayumi Iizuka)
Mai Chiba	...	Nao (voice)
Satoru Takahashi	...	(voice)
Akiko Sakaguchi	...	(voice)
Hiromi Yasuda	...	(voice)

Storyline

A young Japanese middle school girl finds that all the books she chooses in the library have been previously checked out by the same boy. Later she meets a very infuriating fellow... could it be her "friend" from the library? The boy's grandfather has a violin sales and service shop. The boy wants to be a violin maker like his grandfather.

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Plot Keywords:

studio ghibli | examination | elderly man | mockery | sister sister relationship | 

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Taglines:

Suki na hito ga dekimashita!

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Family | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Disney's Official Site

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

13 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

If You Listen Closely

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,737,326

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network (NTV), Hakuhodo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the filming for the earlier Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), there was concern that the name of the film, along with the character "Jiji", a black cat, would create a trademark conflict with Kuroneko Takkyubin (Black Cat Express Delivery). Kuroneko Takkyubin is like UPS or FedEx in the US and has a black cat as its logo. A compromise was reached when Kuroneko Takkyubin agreed to act as a sponsor for the film. "Mimi wo Sumaseba/Whisper of the Heart" (1995), set in 1990s Japan, features "cameos" by several of Kuroneko Takkyubin's distinctive green and tan delivery trucks, including a shot of one in traffic early on, when Shizuku arrives at school, when she and Yuko are walking from school, and during the closing credits (where the logo is clearly visible). There may be many others in background shots.

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Goofs

It is not clear whether this is a mistake or a hint that the Baron is alive, but in every scene that the Baron is shown, he looks different than the time before (position of hands, cane and hat).

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Quotes

Seiji: Shizuku, I just wanted to let you know I really liked your lyrics. You're a really talented writer.
Shizuku: Just the other day you said they were corny.
Seiji: Oh, did I really say that?
Shizuku: Seiji!
Seiji: I'm sorry.
Shizuku: Ha! You're forgetful too. See you later!

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Crazy Credits

In the credit, we can also see Shizuku and Seiji riding on a bicycle.

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Connections

References My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

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Soundtracks

Take Me Home, Country Roads
Written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver
Performed by Olivia Newton-John

User Reviews

Perfect family entertainment -- great cultural insights, too

Whisper of the Heart is the perfect English title of this masterpiece.

It was such a joy to watch an animated film so effectively produced that you start to forget it is an animation. Characters become real; situations and thoughts and feelings come alive. The story is clean, decent and uplifting in every way. Plus, American viewers get an accurate glimpse into the way younger Japanese teens are viewed and view themselves.

I lived in Japan for several years as a child, and a number of the background sounds (the peculiar insects singing in the trees, the electric trains passing) and customs (bowing to elders, enjoying the wonderful soups, singular focus on school success) struck a deep chord of remembrance. This film is fashioned with such detail and consideration for artistic elements -- I just loved it. I wish my kids were still under 10 and I could have shared it with them. Nowadays, I'm afraid the older boys (over 12) would lack the patience to enjoy the film because, frankly, it bears no relation to high-action animation from Japan or the U.S.

I found this film by accident on Turner Classic Movies, and viewed it the English-dubbed version. There is also a subtitled version, but if you want to enjoy it as a family with youngsters, you'll prefer the English language version. The English voices are clear and well done.

It's a beautiful story with a timeless theme presented with loving care. This film is so good, and so insightful, that I would suggest it could be shown in schools or home-schools for its cultural content alone. And if you have an ounce of sentimentalism, sense of wonder or appreciation for creative beauty, then you'll watch it all by yourself after the kids have gone to bed.