When it comes to Studio Ghibli, Ocean Waves (1993) definitely stands out as an anomaly. First of all, neither of the big hitters in Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata are involved, and in tone the film feels like it is tackling more adult ideas than many other Ghibli films. This means that the film doesn’t particularly feel like it belongs to the studio, and this is even true when looking at the visual style of the film. Although it does occasionally stray, Ghibli films have a particular animation style that makes them obviously of the studio. Likely due to the lack of budget this film does not adhere to that visual style, and feels a lot more muted both on its movement and colour. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the film on the whole is far more muted, and when it comes to the films environments I think it looks great. But the characters and especially are lacking a little something, and this goes further than just the animation. Each time I watch this film I feel like I like these characters less and less, probably because they are teenagers and teenagers are just little shits. But what the film also struggles with is the central love triangle. The film has Taku and Tadashi both interested in Rikako but doesn’t give any believable moments where you would see why. In fact, the greatest chemistry is actually between Taku and Tadashi, but I’m not sure the film is aware of that. Unlike with their relationships with Rikako they clearly have a bond, and the two most romantic scenes in the film are between them. If the film is aware of this then it adds a really interesting dynamic to the whole narrative, but the way that narrative plays out would suggest that this isn’t the case and so it just feels like a bizarre dynamic. Despite all these flaws I do think I mostly enjoy the film, and this is with great help from the score which I think is fantastic. It is a little understated using mostly piano and acoustic guitar, but it really works and I find myself listening to it quite often. I am in fact listening to it while writing this review.
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