In the Studio Ghibli canon Whisper Of The Heart is one of my favourite films. It's a straightforward story about a young teenage girl named Shizuku Tsukishima. Her life seems usual, but it takes a turn when she meets Seiji Amasawa. In the absence of action, director Yoshifumi Kondo focused on what Shizuku does daily. This is handled with care, Shizuku is a good character (doing what girls do). Her circumstances are portrayed realistically and imaginatively. The film is very sweet, it makes one feel good for sure. When one is depressed, Whisper Of The Heart is the right film to watch. Viewers can sympathize and connect with the characters here. The animation is, for the most part, standard Ghibli fare. There are beautiful and detailed backgrounds. Some scenes are truly magnificent (like the fantasy scene where Shizuku and Baron Humbert von Jikkingen fly, catch the updraft). Yuji Nomi's score is often exquisite. It fits the film perfectly. While similar to Hayao Miyazaki's works like Kiki's Deliver Service (1989), Whisper Of The Heart is very much Kondo's film. His touches are evident in the animation, the characters and the story elements. He was groomed to take over the directing reins at Ghibli after Miyazaki retired, but unfortunately Kondo died of an aneurysm in 1998. Whisper Of The Heart remains an insightful and good-natured look at the lives of young people in Japan. It captures that period of peoples' lives perfectly. I highly recommend watching it.