Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Izzy Adkins The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Leofwine_draca OCEAN WAVES is one of the lesser films from the Studio Ghibli studio, thanks in part to a more simple and straightforward story set in the contemporary world and the lack of a director of Hayao Miyazaki's calibre. The most popular Ghibli movies tend to be the brash and moving fantasy epics about saving the environment and quirky creatures and the like, whereas OCEAN WAVES is all about high school life and romance.In many ways it's a simple two hander charting the relationship between an awkward high school student and the hot-headed girl he loves. There's plenty of arguing along the way, but the film's narration gives this a wonderfully nostalgic and wishful feel as a young man looks back over the mistakes and events of his earlier life. This gives the movie an edge and prevents it from being just a romance, a genre I generally avoid at all costs. The voice actors are very good although the quality of the animation is more basic than usual for a Ghibli movie. A slighter piece, then, but still a worthwhile one.

lokisson Normally, I'm a Studio Ghibli fan. Despite being predisposed towards liking this movie (I stubbornly held out hope until the end credits, despite all rationale,) I consider the time I spent watching it as waste, and here's why: The story wanders around aimlessly, with zero surprises (you can't twist what's not there, I guess) and reaches a conclusion that the viewer basically makes during the first 5-10 minutes of the film.While the movie is supposed to be a "slice of life" type of film, it's too bad the life being sliced is a boring one. There are many missed opportunities where something exciting could have happened, or something could have been revealed to add depth to the main characters (and thus increase the chances of the viewer developing some hint of empathy with them.) Open your window at home, and spend 70 minutes watching passersby instead of this film. You'll be glad you did.

bmoredlj When I first saw "Nausicaa" in 2005 I went ahead and watched the brief docu on the Birth of Studio Ghibli that came with it. It contained a snippet of every film they produced from "Nausicaa" to "Howl". Of the films that caught my eye that had not yet been released in the U.S., the one I was most intrigued by was "The Ocean Waves". Perhaps what caught my attention was that the staff that animated the movie were all in their 20s and 30s, coming into their own since being recruited for "Only Yesterday" two years earlier, when Hayao Miyasaki and Ghibli decided to cultivate their own animators rather than delegating to external studios.Upon first viewing this film exceeded my expectations, and the energy and enthusiasm of youth simply surged throughout its ~72 minutes. I feel more connected to this film than some other Ghibli works mainly because the it involves characters in their late-teens to 20s living in the 90s, has a male protagonist, and also because the characters are so exquisitely deep and textured, and are the heart of the piece. No live-action actors or actresses could mimic their superb performances, and the modern urban and suburban settings are so richly detailed that this film feels more real than many live-action films in this genre. And as with all Studio Ghibli films; no matter who composes it, the score is first-rate, working in concert with the visuals to create the whole spectrum of moods and emotions exerted by the cast.In all, "The Ocean Waves" was a brilliant success on the part of the young animation team – deserving of a 10 in my humble opinion - and proof that Studio Ghibli is just as proficient portraying real life in the present-day time settings as it is at creating sublime works of fantasy. American Ghibli fans can only hope a DVD or Blu-ray is someday released here in the States, even though English voice actors would be hard-pressed to replicate their Japanese counterparts' work.

spooncivicR Umi Ga Kikoeru does not receive the limelight it deserves. This is one title that does not subscribe to developing peripheral areas, and as such, succeeds in delivering all it is worth within 72 minutes without coming across as being contrived. This is a If you get a chance, see this movie...