Why Whisper of the Heart is my Favorite Animated Movie

Yoshifumi Kondō died so tragically soon after directing this movie. His last credit would be as an animation director and character designer on Princess Mononoke. He was so clearly meant to take the reins as one of Ghibli's most capable directors, and I'm so sad he never got to make another masterpiece like this. At least he directed one film for us before he was gone. I always loved how translation between English and Japanese became a main theme of this story and how that's reflected even in the name of the film. In Japanese, the title "Mimi wo Sumaseba" translates to "If You Listen Closely," while the English title is "Whisper of the Heart," so across both language titles there's an implied complete title of, "If You Listen Closely (You'll Hear a) Whisper of the Heart."

I love how schaff almost never talks about the latest trend (e.g. bad movies, fnaf trailer, etc.) and just talks about what genuinely interests him. I'm in awe at his consistency.

Shizuku's parents almost made me cry because I realized how much my parents have been supporting me, even when I had like 800 followers on twitter and I had dropped out of 2 colleges, they werent mad at me in fact they recommended an art school, and now I am a full time artist, they understood me without me understanding myself, I was making like 10 bucks every few days when someone was kind enough to ask for a commission, but I guess they just saw the passion I had

i'm so glad someone is finally giving this movie some credit. it's been my favorite ghibli movie for years and it always hurt to see how overlooked it was in the ghibli catalogue despite being one of the strongest, most emotional films they've made in my opinion

When it takes him 5 minutes just to explain the concept of storytelling, you KNOW its an impactful movie

This just about the best thing I could have wished for on a Friday evening. A 1 hr pls schaff video on one of my favourite films, and easily one of Ghibli's most underrated

FINALLY WHISPER OF THE HEART GETTING THE APPRECIATION IT DESERVES IT'S BEEN MY FAVOURITE GHIBLI MOVIE SINCE THE FIRST TIME I SAW IT AND MOST PEOPLE DONT EVEN KNOW IT EXISTS. It's inspired me so much as an artist and I keep going back to it when I need an extra push to keep going.

You probably won’t read this anymore, but this video couldn’t have come at a better time for me. After years of not putting a single word on the page out of self doubt and lack of inspiration and creativity, I’ve finally started writing again this last week. It was my two best friends who inspired me, and I’ve even already found a tiny community of other writers at various points in their progress to swap critique and feedback with. I can’t say that watching your video or remembering this film I’ve last watched years ago was what inspired me to write again, but watching it was like an encouraging push, as if the universe said “go on, now. you’re on the right track.” Thank you.

"For me, it was Patrick." Holy shit, Schaff. Didn't think your video on a Ghibli film would make me break into tears today, but here we are

I still need to check this one out. Spirited Away will probably always be my favorite Ghibli film though. Too many memories.

This is the best Ghibli movie. No, magic, or battle, or war. No over the top extreme fast pace moments. No unexpected twists. Just mondane life playing out. It is so relatable, and comforting. It is mine and my mom's favorite ghibli movie for the simple nature of it. And the Cat Returns is great as well. Such a fun wonderland style fantasy. And a nice look at what could be the story that Shizuku wrote. With some refinement.

That first 4 and a half minutes of the video made me tear up, schaf talking sincerely about a dream that occupied everyone's heads at least once when they kids, adressing the eternal importance of storytelling , showing some his favourite works while speaking with that genuinely touching tone was something i really needed on this saturday evening

You know it’s serious when Schaff immediately jumps into things without an opening joke or wacky segway into the movie the video is about.

1) I saw The Cat Returns before I saw Whisper of the Heart, but after I watched Whisper of the Heart I was CONVINCED The Cat Returns was a story written by Shizuku. 2) I thought the abrupt ending was perfect. This movie is not a typical telling of fiction - it’s about reality and chasing your dreams and honing your skill and overcoming obstacles. The climax of the movie (like you said!) was utterly silent while shizuku waits for her story to be read for the first time; so for me to make the ending have a second big climax wouldn’t make sense. Real life doesn’t have a story book ending or a movie ending with a big bang and swooning music - life just keeps going. You have to keep chasing your dreams and aspirations, there’s no finish line.

I really find Shizuku's version of Country Roads in Japanese more uplifting. I think it's somewhat the opposite of the original version. The original talks about nostalgia and going back home, but her version is about her coming-to-age and pursuing her dreams, about she wants to go back and remain, but cannot since she has to grow up and improve. My favorite line in her song is "Kaeratai, kaeranai", which roughly translates to "I want to go home, but I cannot". It shows that for her to grow, she has to leave the comfort of the home that she once had. It's a typical coming-of-age sentiment but it really fits her story, especially since she has doubts in her ability to be a writer. :D

I just wanted to clear up the mystery of the "discordant squelchy sound effect" at 20:55 , because it blew my mind when I noticed! It's the Japanese words for "concrete road" コンクリート道路 (Konkurīto dōro) that are slightly distorted, but you can hear it once you let google translate read it to you! (I'm about to watch the rest of the video now, but I love this movie deeply, so thank you for covering it!)

The final remark about the person you needed being Patrick really cuts deep. I’ve always felt like I’m behind where I’m supposed to be in my life compared to everyone else. So thanks for creating something, and making me feel less alone

As someone who has thrown three complete novels in the trash despite being told how good they were and how talented I was by not only friends and family, but also strangers who were only able to read my work because I was forced to share it with them in a class, the opening of the video really spoke to me. I have been told on numerous occasions how amazing my writing is, but I re-read some of the things I write and I can't help but hate them. I think about how awful it is and how it would never resonate or work in a professional sense, and then I delete months or years of work because I doubt the quality of my writing so much that I can't even bare to keep it. I have lost dozens of short stories, multiple partially done novels, and again three completely done novels to my self doubt. Im currently working on another novel, I'm about 20,000 words in and I've begun to lose motivation again. Between work, college, and my personal life I have very little motivation to continue writing, and now I have begun to re-read it and find flaws that could probably be easily fixed but cause me to think that the entire work is trash that is beyond repair. I have managed to control myself and haven't completely abandoned it yet, and I have a free week coming up so I really hope i can regain the motivation, and this video has certainly inspired me to put some serious effort into putting something I created into the world. Thank you for that Schaffrillis.

I think Shizuku is probably the most relatable character in any piece of fiction I've ever consumed, I don't think I've ever connected to a character's struggles as much as I have with hers. Funnily enough, I relate to her more now as an 18 year old done with high school than I did when I first watched the film as a 14 year old the same age as Shizuku. What you said about it being okay to not have everything figured out yet and moving at your own pace was really comforting to me, since it's an insecurity that I've struggled with for years. I've battled with the fear that I'd never amount to anything and that my passions are pointless if I'm not going to pursue them as careers. I've been burnt out by school since I was 12 and trying to figure out what I want to do with my life hasn't gotten any easier now that I've finished high school. But even if I haven't got it sorted out now, I find comfort in the idea that someday I will, someday I'll be just fine and I'll continue pursuing my passions and I'll make a positive impact on the world around me through those passions. Someday, somehow.

I love how much you contextualize each segment. You put so much effort into making sure we understand the intention behind each scene and wow does it pay off.