Studio Ghibli’s 1995 Whisper of the Heart (Mimi o Sumaseba / 耳をすませば) is one of those films about nothing in particular that end up being incredibly moving. The major directorial effort by Kondō Yoshifumi before his sudden early death, adapted by Miyazaki Hayao from the one-volume manga by Hiiragi Aoi, Whisper portrays the free-range childhood – vanishingly rare today outside of a major metropolitan area with ubiquitous public transport (such as Tokyo) – of outspoken fourteen-year-old girl Shizuku (Honna Yōko). Like most other Studio Ghibli entries, it’s a fantasy, but mostly because it’s such an ideal childhood.
