About "Whisper of the Heart"

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The relations between the original comic and the movie.

The movie is based on a Japanese girls' comic. There are considerable differences between the movie and the comic, both in the content and the style of the artwork.

The original is a typical "girl's cartoon." The world is full of a girl's sweet dreams. The future of her life and a realistic view of the world do not mean much to Shizuku. Seiji is in a similar position when it comes to his life. However, when the movie was made the story was changed. Miyazaki Hayao largely changed their characters. The boy Seiji is aspiring to become a violin craftsman and study in Italy. The girl Shizuku is influenced by him and tries to confirm her own ability. As a result, she notices her ability and takes a greater interest in the course of her life. Shizuku and Seiji pledge their futures to each other at the end of the movie. This last scene is a little unrealistic, because they are too young. However, their souls have grown up enough, and they hereafter will grow up further.

Before being made into a film, "Mimi wo Sumaseba" comic was not known to a lot of people. By leaving behind the peculiar charm of the original comic, this movie is more easily understood by a hierarchy that is much greater than the original. One sympathizes with Shizuku's attempts to live powerfully. This homepage also deals with the movie.(Special thanks to Mr.Aaron Maupin )





Why was the "Whisper of the Heart" planned?

We are able to be forecast graduallly lucidly the twenty-one century that is full of chaos now. A social structure of Japan largely starts changing, and our age is surely in the change period. Common sense and the established theory until yesterday begin to become weak rapidly. A present, young generation has not received the influence yet. However, the sign starts surely.
What movie do we try to make in such an age?
Its answer is, Recur to essence of living.
Its answer is, Reconfirm an own starting point about it.
Its answer is, Though the fashion accelerates more and more, dare, without hearing about fashion.
The look which future is watched more and more is necessary now. We try to dare to produce the movie by which the look is expressed gracefully and boldly.

This work does not try to win the favor to a young spectator. About today's situation where young people are placed, this work shows off neither their doubt nor their problem, too. This work is a kind of provocation to young generation by old generation who regret their age of youth.
Young spectators are apt to give up their mind becoming hero in stage. The appearance is the same as old generation before. The movie tries to stir up the spectator's dryness of mind, and tries to tell them the importance of the yearning. The encounter with opposite sex who develops mutually.... As for Chaplin's work, the tendency was consistent.
This work intends "The great revival of the encounter".

The original of "Whisper of the Heart" is a ordinary girl's comic. It is quite a commonplace love story. In this comic world, a young couple's obstructed barriers do not have anything either.
There is neither traditional rule nor inconsiderate adults. The time when they experience the failure is still futuristic greatly. In this story, the girl who is sweet dreaming her future is a hero. It values feelings only of a young couples as well as a general girl's comic. Anything does not happen to an exaggerated event either. Only they confirmed their affection mutually.
Then, the story ends here. Generally, the girl's comic always ends here, and anything does not start any more either. Therefore, the girl cartoon has been supported by girls. The reason is that she manage not to experience the failure and her dream is maintained as it is.
Her boyfriend likes to draw the illustration. He is dreaming to become a professional painter in the future. However, he never imagines a severe reality to live as painter. Her dream is merely writes the folklore story as well as him. They enclosed within the range that is not face with severe reality.

Then, why do we try to make this comic the material of the movie?
The reason is that it is impossible tu deny the fact that "Yearning to meeting obediently drawn and unspoilt love" is the important truth in youth even if an old generation points out that it is weak, and it is an unreal dream.
It is easy for us to point it out that it cannnot approve obedient pure love in the age without the trouble. However, if it is it, cannot wonderful of obedient pure love be expressed oppositely with an overwhelming power? Obedience powerful to surpass reality is need us.
Here, the comic of "Whisper of the Heart" might become the nucleus of our try!

If Seiji is a boy who aims at to become a craftsman, if he is a boy who already decided to go to Italy and trained as a violin craftsman, what will be changed this story? To tell the truth, it is the idea to produce this movie.
Seiji is the boy who likes construction. And the boy who voluntarily plays violin.
His grandfather Nishi assumes the repair of old furniture and the old art to be his hobby, he also likes music, too. Because Seiji had grown up in the environment, he brought up the dream which became a violin craftsman.
Neither boy nor girl who are the same generation with Seiji holds wonderful hope in their future. They think that that there is no goodness at all even if they grow up either. However, Seiji lives steadily toward his future. When our heroine Shizuku meets him, what will she changed?
When such a question is originated, the ordinary girl's comic is suddenly transformed to the modern movie. It is as if the raw ore when grinds it and it is shining.

The movie is sure to be able to value the pure which the world of girl's comic has. And, at the same time, it is sure to be able to ask how do we live abundantly in today, and, how do we live with the dream and the yearning.
The movie of "Whisper of the Heart" challenges to add reality when possible to ideal encounter. Moreover, it challenges to declare "live is wonderful" loudness.
(Refer to the Press seat of "Whisper of the Heart")




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