Studio Ghibliis known for its heavy hitters likeSpirited AwayandThe Boy and The Heron. But there is a film that was never theatrically released in Japan. That’s about to change, as the coming-of-age movieOcean Waveswill enter Japanese theaters for the first time this July, allowing fans to watch it on the big screen.
According toComicBook.com, this will be a nationwide release and the first time this Studio Ghibli project will enter theaters. When it was initially released in 1993, it was a straight-to-TV picture, first broadcast by Nippon TV and later released on VHS and Laserdisc and, eventually, DVD and Bluray.Anime News Networkreported that the film did have a theatrical release in the U.S. in 2016 and earned $12,000 during the first six days at the domestic box office.
Ocean Wavesis based on a serial novel written by Saeko Himuro released between 1990 and 1992. It tells a story via flashback of a love triangle between two good friends and a transfer student. The film was well-received by fans and critics alike, generating a high average critics' score of 89% and an average audience score of 64% onRotten Tomatoes.
‘Ocean Waves’ Is A Very Different Studio Ghibli Film
Unlike the other notable works produced by Studio Ghibli,Ocean Wavesis the first film produced by the studio that was not directed byHayao MiyazakiorIsao Takahata.It was directed byTomomi Mochizuki, known for his works inMysterious DisappearancesandGundam Neo Experience 0087: Green Divers,just to name a few. According toNausicaa.net, the team behindOcean Waveswere younger Studio Ghibli staff members hoping to produce something “quickly, cheaply and with quality,” but went over budget and over schedule. In 1995, a sequel novel,I Can Hear the Sea II: Because There Is Love,was released, and in that same year, a television drama based on the sequel was broadcast on TV Asahi.
This film starsNobuo Tobita(Delicious in Dungeon),Toshihiko Seki(Mob Psycho 100), andYoko Sakamoto. Other cast members includeKae Araki(Sailor Moon),Yuri Amano(Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood), andSonic the Hedgehog’s Japanese video game voice actor,Jun’ichi Kanemaru.Unfortunately,Ocean Wavesdoes not have an official English dub cast.
It’s currently unknown ifOcean Waveswill be released in U.S. theaters once more, but if you want to see it, it is available to stream on Max. Follow Collider to keep up to date with the latest updates.
Ocean Waves
