Whisper of the Heart is an oddity when it's compared to almost every other one of Studio Ghibli's films over the past few decades. This might be because Whisper of the Heart is one of the few Ghibli movies that aren't directed by either Miyazaki or Takahata. Instead, a man named Yoshifumi Kondo took of the task of directing one of the rarest kinds of films you'll ever see come out of Ghibli.

The music is not what one would expect from a Studio Ghibli film. Most of the music played revolves around the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by singer Olivia Newton-John. The characters sing a translated version of this throughout the movie and often times an instrumental version is played as background music. Honestly, I can't really remember any other music being played in the movie. Nothing really managed to stand out, I suppose. The artwork easily meet's Studio Ghibli's standards. As I've said time and time again, Studio Ghibli's knack for creating detailed environments is unsurpassed thus far.

Whisper of the Heart mostly concentrates around the life of Shizuku. We watch as she goes to the library, reads books, looks in an antique shop, and chases cats. I know it doesn't sound very exciting, but it is! The way the film flows just makes it all seem so interesting even though what's really happening are simple mundane events that would bore me out of my mind any place else. I suppose that's just the power of Studio Ghibli, right?

Everything continues on extremely well for about two hours and them WHAM!, the ending hits you like a ton of bricks and knocks you off your feet (that is, if you're standing up while watching the movie). I was so comfortable while watching this movie. Everything was flowing so smoothly and I enjoyed every minute of it. The ending was so abrupt and untimely that it left me wondering for a full five minutes, "Is that it? Is that the end?". The credits showed a lot of people walking by on a bridge. I was so focused while watching the credits because I was absolutely convinced that something was going to happen in them and then... nothing happened.

Despite the very abrupt ending to it, Whisper of the Heart is a movie that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside for about two hours and probably a few more after that. There are no awe-inspiring characters and situations, no incredibly imaginative environments, and no fantasy setting, and yet it all works so well as a truly magical Slice of Life anime that nobody in their right minds should miss it.