If You Listen Closely, Whisper of the Heart/Mimi O Sumesaba Review by aznwolfe
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	Audience:	G (girls)
	Genre:	Drama/Romance
	Contains:	--
	Music:	B
	Animation:	A
	Plot/Storyline:	B
	Rating:	B+

Created by Studio Ghibli in 1995, "Whisper of the Heart" is based on the shôjo manga by Aoi Hiragi. Whisper is about a girl's life in the suburbs.  Although it contains no action or violence what-so-ever, it is a nice film for both young and old to watch. But kids younger than 10 may not enjoy the movie because the concept is hard to grasp and the movie seems to move quite slowly. Yoshifumi Kondo is the director of Whisper.  If you like Kiki's Delivery Service, than this might just be another perfect movie to watch.

Tsukishima Shizuku is a 14 year old girl who loves to think and read. She may seem a bit boyish at first, but her character grows on you. Shizuku fell in love with the name "Amasawa Seiji" that kept appearing in the call cards of the books she read. One seemingly normal day, she followed a fat cat named "Moon" and encountered the mysterious "Seiji" at last. Seiji is a 15 year old boy whose dream is to go to Italy and become a violin craftsman. He seemed quite rude at first with Shizuku, but he actually does have feelings for her.

Although the movie moves at its own pace, "Whisper of the Heart" is still wonderful.  It is probably most likely aimed at those who like a cute romantic story.  There is no violence or gore and the movie is focused on the subtleties

Some Key Characters:

TSUKISHIMA SHIZUKU

The main character.

AMASAWA SEIJI

The mysterious name that appears in the cards of all the books Shizuku reads.

TSUKISHIMA YASUYA

Shizuku's 45 year old father, a librarian of the public library.

TSUKISHIMA ASAKO

Shizuku's 43 year old mother, attends a university to receive her doctors degree.

TSUKISHIMA SHIHO

Shizuku's 19 year old sister, also attends to the university. Is a responsible for taking care of Shizuku when their mother is not around.

Mimi wo Sumesaba is created and property of Studio Ghibli. Image shown is by Studio Ghibli. A HAYAO MIYAZAKI Film.