Studio Ghibli movies are the gems of the animation world and while most people are quick to name My Neighbor Totoro or Spirited Away as their favorites from this studio, I can easily say the criminally underrated Whisper of the Heart is mine.

The movie tells the story of Shizuku, a girl whose main interests involve reading from the fiction section at her local library and writing her own material. After meeting and falling for Seiji, an aspiring violin-maker, she decides to follow writing as her own aspiring passion.

The movie falls into my favorite theme category, slice of life, which is expressed here as many of the characters have normal worries, feelings and likes that make its world seem very real. Also adding to this is the combination of art and realistic sound – something I’ve always loved from Ghibli stories.

Favorite scene: When Seiji performs the…