The Ocean Waves (1993) 72m
Probably because of its made-for-TV roots, short running time, and simple story, this animated film from Studio Ghibli is not available in Western countries (bizarrely enough I picked up my English-subtitled DVD in China), which at least spares it from Disney's wholesale redistribution of the Ghibli catalogue with dubbed English soundtracks. This is a practice which is baffling in cases like MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS (a film which uses distinctly Japanese sensibilities to point out the similarities and differences with Western family life, so what's the point of dubbing it?) or just plain annoying in sweet films such as WHISPER OF THE HEART, ONLY YESTERDAY, and THE OCEAN WAVES, where American accents are jarring when coming out of the mouths of Japanese school students (I concede that this may be personal prejudice after living in Japan for some time, but I would still urge any DVD viewers to switch their audio tracks to the original language to experience the different dimension it offers).
More appropriately translated as I CAN HEAR THE SEA, THE OCEAN WAVES departs from many other Ghibli films by making its protagonist a boy (Taku). The story depicts his encounters with a new female student (Rikako) during their graduation year, before they leave high school and set out for universities or the workplace (the title refers to the southern shores of Kochi City on Shikoku, inferring that when the characters leave for the bigger cities after graduation they will still know what it is like to 'hear the sea', or recognize the distinct psyche of their hometown). Campus stories line the shelves wall-to-wall in Japanese comic shops, and there's not a lot of variation to be found in the storylines, but this works to WAVES' advantage. Realizing that a cinema presentation would have placed more audience expectations on their downplayed story, Ghibli opted for a TV-movie approach that was much more suitable. The animation is not grandiose, nor the direction flashy; the color palette has a cool, muted, pastel feel; there are no stand-out scenes or set-pieces; and the film is not self-conscious of an animated 'style' at all (however the frame does abandon the standard 1:33:1 television ratio in favour of widescreen).
The fact is: simple is nice. The second time I saw THE OCEAN WAVES, almost a year after the first, I found I had forgotten the specifics of the story, and that there were some scenes I had remembered but was unable to place within the framework of the film because of the story's incidental nature. Without the distraction of looking forward to a 'big scene' or highlight when watching the story a second or third time, I'm sure viewers can better appreciate WAVES' easygoing nature and evenness of tone. Because nothing extraordinary happens to the characters it's easy for us to recognize moods and feelings - the specific circumstances become irrelevant - of our own campus lives, particularly if they are viewed from a distance of years. The characters' memories span only one year, but the mood they capture is timeless. Nostalgia aside, what also helps to make WAVES irresistible is the cute, sentimental score which fits the visuals so well that no other music seems possible. After the film's pivotal but effectively unfussy last line, and the final credits begin rolling past snapshots of Taku and Rikako while Youko Sakamoto (who provides the voice of Rikako) sings the by now-familiar theme tune, THE OCEAN WAVES may leave you both buoyed and wistful, which, I guess, is the point of nostalgia after all.
sburridge@hotmail.com
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