Movie Review: Ocean Waves by Studio Ghibli

A glimmer of hope. A glance across the train platform. And there she is, standing and smiling.

Ocean Waves is not your average Ghibli movie. Gone are the magical creatures, the cryptic dialogue, the search for home. Instead we have a simple tale of a guy and a girl who find out their feelings for each other, and a wingman who gracefully accepts his defeat.

It’s all rather novel-esque. The movie occurs through a chain of incidents separated in time. Shared dissatisfaction towards an injustice bringing two country bumpkins in junior high together. A mysterious city girl who arrives during their senior high to stir the pot. An emotional night in the city before graduation that rocks the boat. The settlement of feelings after graduation at a reunion years later.

The sights and, even more so, the sounds take you back to late-80s Japan. The jazzy citypop backing each incident really conveys the chillness of the countryside and the vibrance of the city. It covers the character conflicts with a dreamy veil of optimism, keeping you wondering how the next incident will play out.

There were many points of time when I felt the relationships could be established more quickly. Yet I now think the me at those moments was missing the point. Sure some relationships begin as an explosion of feelings. Others, like those in this movie, are about people who gradually come to value their honesty around one another. Like fine wine, the secret to some relationships is age.

If you’re looking for a breezy flick to uplift you on a quiet Sunday night, Ocean Waves might be the movie for you.