An animated theatrical feature by
Studio Ghibli, and one of the few not to be directed by either
Hayao Miyazaki or
Isao Takahata, but rather
Yoshifumi Kondo.
It takes place in circa-1995 Tokyo, in the Tama district. This is my favorite Studio Ghibli feature, and considering the that Ghibli is pretty much a masterpiece factory, that's saying a lot. It concerns a junior high student named Shizuko, and her efforts to do something she can be proud of. I don't know what it is about coming-of-age stories that's so beautiful to me, but there you have it. I still cry at the end of "Whispers of the Heart". It's all so lovely. The theme of coming of age fascinates me, and rarely is a coming-of-age tale told as effectively (or affectingly!) as it is in this masterpiece of a film.
Incidentally, the John Denver song "Country Road" figures heavily in Whispers, and although it's an unlikely combination, it works well. Country Road in Japanese, who'd have guessed.
Maybe more than any other Ghibli film, this one has a Sense of Wonder that appeals to to me immensely.
Thanks to sekicho for hooking me up with the oshirase action on the precise city and district where Shizuko grows up.