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GKids releasing rarely seen 1993 Ghibli film Ocean Waves to the US - Theater and Blu!

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R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
UrY8BTq.jpg


US Trailer

GKIDS proudly presents OCEAN WAVES, a film from the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of SPIRITED AWAY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO and HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE.

Never before released in North America, this beautiful, heartfelt tale of teenage angst and romance will play starting on December 28th at IFC Center in New York, and one night only in Los Angeles at the Egyptian Theatre, in a new 4K restoration. The film will then be released on home video formats in Spring 2017.
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Ocean Waves is directed by Tomomi Mochizuki and written by Kaori Nakamura, which was adapted from a novel of the same name by Saeko Himuro. The film was originally made in 1993 for Japanese television.

Ocean Waves is a subtle, poignant and wonderfully detailed story of adolescence and teenage isolation. Taku and his best friend Yutaka are headed back to school for what looks like another uneventful year. But they soon find their friendship tested by the arrival of Rikako, a beautiful new transfer student from Tokyo whose attitude vacillates wildly from flirty and flippant to melancholic. When Taku joins Rikako on a trip to Tokyo, the school erupts with rumors, and the three friends are forced to come to terms with their changing relationships.

Ocean Waves was the first Studio Ghibli film directed by someone other than studio founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, as director Tomomi Mochizuki led a talented staff of younger employees in an adaptation of Saeko Himuro’s best-selling novel. Full of shots bathed in a palette of pleasingly soft pastel colors and rich in the unexpected visual details typical of Studio Ghibli’s most revered works, Ocean Waves is an accomplished teenage drama and a true discovery.
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Source

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L

lupinko

Member
This is my all time favorite Ghibli movie and I have both Himuro novels.

You guys are in for a treat, and this movie wasn't originally theatrical in Japan as it was a TV special.

That's why it's virtually unknown even in Japan.

Also Rikako Muto 4 life.
 
A

AlexFlame116

Member
Whoa I never heard of this.

Does this get a happy ending? I don't like love triangles when it's a girl and two guys (there's a reason guys sorry!) so I hope this doesn't get depressing.
 
L

lupinko

Member
AlexFlame116 said:
Whoa I never heard of this.

Does this get a happy ending? I don't like love triangles when it's a girl and two guys (there's a reason guys sorry!) so I hope this doesn't get depressing.
Click to expand...

It only adapted the first novel for the most part, I'll leave it at that.
 
M

munchie64

Member
Gotta squeeze every last Ghibli title possible while we can I guess.

Not that I'm complaining, would love a chance to finally see this myself.

Edit: Didn't even realise that My Neighbors the Yamadas hasn't had a blu-ray release yet. Someone better get one that!
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
this is Umi Ga Kikoeru? Thought I recognised the images. Have this on R2 DVD which I must have picked up from Japan at some point. Says it has english subs which is a little surprising if it never got a western release. Never watched it though - is on my backlog of Ghibli along with Nausicaa and the more recent releases like Wind Rises and Marnie.
 
J

Jacob

Member
Really good film. Glad to see it getting more exposure.

AlexFlame116 said:
Whoa I never heard of this.

Does this get a happy ending? I don't like love triangles when it's a girl and two guys (there's a reason guys sorry!) so I hope this doesn't get depressing.
Click to expand...

It has a reasonably upbeat ending.
 
S

SirRattleBalls

Banned
What do you mean unreleased, I bought this on DVD like 2 years ago for my GF when i was buying her the Studio Ghibli collection one by one from HMV in the UK. They do 2 for £20 for Ghibli DVD's.

Edit: Ahh.. Missed the North America bit
 
J

Jamaal23

Neo Member
Enjoyed this movie when I watched it a few years back.

Although I didn't realize this was based on a novel, with a sequel at that. Anyone know if English translations were published? ISBN numbers, if available. Thanks!
 
U

ugly

Member
This is the worst Ghibli film I've ever seen and I had to turn it off half way through

And you've been reading.... Ugly's Negative Opinion!! Don't go away, folks.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
dallow_bg said:
Are there more unreleased titles?
I thought they'd all been brought over now.
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Up until a year ago, the only ones that had never made their way over to the US (with English dubs and on home media - they occasionally screened at film festivals) were Only Yesterday and Ocean Waves.

In terms of Blu-ray releases, now (or rather, once Ocean Waves comes out) the only Ghibli title that hasn't been released yet is My Neighbors the Yamadas (though it is available on DVD).

GamingOblivion said:
why a tv special over Yamadas??????
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I believe Disney still holds the home media rights to Yamadas.
 
B

bomma_man

Member
This and duckroll's thread really make me want to do a Ghibli marathon.

Is their stuff available on any streaming services in Australia?
 
S

Saudades

Member
When I watched it a couple years back I absolutely abhorred it and thought it was the worst Ghibli film ever (and I've seen all but Earthsea - heard it's pretty much universally panned so I don't even want to try it). Muto is probably one of the most obnoxious female leads I've ever seen not just in anime but in fiction.
Wonder how I'd feel about it now if I watched it again...
 
J

Jacob

Member
ugly said:
This is the worst Ghibli film I've ever seen and I had to turn it off half way through

And you've been reading.... Ugly's Negative Opinion!! Don't go away, folks.
Click to expand...

I can kinda get where you're coming from even though I did enjoy the movie. It's hardly my favorite Ghibli joint, but I'd put if above The Cat Returns and probably From Up on Poppy Hill too.
 
F

Firemind

Member
lupinko said:
This is my all time favorite Ghibli movie and I have both Himuro novels.

You guys are in for a treat, and this movie wasn't originally theatrical in Japan as it was a TV special.

That's why it's virtually unknown even in Japan.

Also Rikako Muto 4 life.
Click to expand...
Shame about the live action movie though.

Ignore the naysayers. It's not for everyone; it's very grounded unlike the fantastical Ghibli adaptations without an ounce of realism (Spirited Away et al). The film evokes a sense of nostalgia as the events are set in Japan in the 90s. The main characters are interesting, not one-dimensional. As the film progresses, you want to know more about them and what makes them do what they did. It's never really pushed in your face with a bludgeon. As someone who likes realistic depictions of human characters, it's a breath of fresh air from the scifi fantasy nonsense the entertainment industry likes to shove down our collective throats this decade.
 
F

Faiz

Member
When I was in college and the Disney deal was announced, this was an incredibly important piece for me and for years lamented that it wasnt getting a release. Now I'm 40, married, a kid, and haven't revisited it in over a decade. I have a feeling it won't hold up for me. There's no way it could be as big as it was for me in my early 20s, at the very least.

But I'm glad it's finally getting a release.

Also, still hate the official title. :/
 
S

Saudades

Member
Firemind said:
Shame about the live action movie though.

Ignore the naysayers. It's not for everyone; it's very grounded unlike the fantastical Ghibli adaptations without an ounce of realism (Spirited Away et al). The film evokes a sense of nostalgia as the events are set in Japan in the 90s. The main characters are interesting, not one-dimensional. As the film progresses, you want to know more about them and what makes them do what they did. It's never really pushed in your face with a bludgeon. As someone who likes realistic depictions of human characters, it's a breath of fresh air from the scifi fantasy nonsense the entertainment industry likes to shove down our collective throats this decade.
Click to expand...

It's like you're saying people don't like this just because it's grounded and not fantastical like most other Ghibli films or something. My favorite Ghibli films are Only Yesterday and Whisper of the Heart and they are among the least magical of Ghibli's oeuvre - I just hated Ocean Waves because I think it's a bad film. I get the nostalgia but the characters acting how they did in the end just basically boils down to
because they are dumb high school kids with their dumb teenage drama
doesn't cut it for me, however realistic it is. Watching them was just pretty damn infuriating.
 
F

Firemind

Member
Saudades said:
It's like you're saying people don't like this just because it's grounded and not fantastical like most other Ghibli films or something. My favorite Ghibli films are Only Yesterday and Whisper of the Heart and they are among the least magical of Ghibli's oeuvre - I just hated Ocean Waves because I think it's a bad film. I get the nostalgia but the characters acting how they did in the end just basically boils down to
because they are dumb high school kids with their dumb teenage drama
doesn't cut it for me, however realistic it is. Watching them was just pretty damn infuriating.
Click to expand...
Several people in this very thread said the movie is boring and quit halfway.

Also you must not watch Asian TV dramas if you think this is drama.
 
S

sora87

Member
This was included in the ghibli boxset i got off ebay like a decade ago, unbeknown it was bootleg of course. It's a very chill for sure.
 
L

Llyranor

Member
I haven't seen Earthsea, but this is the worst Ghibli film I've seen, with a fairly annoying female lead as someone else mentioned. The lack of fantastical elements has nothing to do with it. It's not terrible or anything, just an average high school drama, which is beneath what Ghibli can deliver even when it doesn't delve any fantasy.
 
F

FuuRe

Member
Talk about timing, I saw it 2 days ago! It was a nice little film, but a little shallow IMO because characters were great and it was a lot of unseized space for character development.

I couldn't say it was a solid story though, some things didn't click for me and left me wandering for some meaning, I guess it could even be cultural differences... like when
Taku and Rikako argue outside the classroom and they slap each other, after that when Rikako is bullied Taku smiles while he talks to her like nothing had happened ever

I'm sure Makoto Shinkai must have got some inspiration while creating "5 centimeters per second" from it.

Also if you haven't watched 5cm per second or any of Makoto Shinkai works do it ASAP.
 
J

J2 Cool

Member
Really good movie. It's one of the most contemporary things Ghibli ever did as well, and feels culturally specific, very of a time and place. Excited to see its restoration.
 
N

Nocturnowl

Member
ugly said:
This is the worst Ghibli film I've ever seen and I had to turn it off half way through

And you've been reading.... Ugly's Negative Opinion!! Don't go away, folks.
Click to expand...

Owl's negative Ghibli opinion would be that Pom Poko bored me shitless but in regards to Ocean Waves I recall finishing it thinking "well, those characters weren't likeable at all!".

Especially the leading lady as others have mentioned, I get the feeling that it's kind of the point but I can't quite remember.
 
C

Clov

Member
While I'm not a big fan of the film, it's nice that it's getting a release over here after so long.

RatskyWatsky said:
I believe Disney still holds the home media rights to Yamadas.
Click to expand...

Is that still true, though? If they sit on the film for long enough, it's possible that thier rights may lapse. I can't see Disney caring enough about Yamadas to bother renewing if they didn't even release a BD version.
 
S

scamander

Banned
MikeHattsu said:
Ocean Waves hasn't been released on BD in most EU countries either (except Germany and France), just on DVD.
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Really? Not even in the UK? I only followed the German release schedule, since I want to watch them with my niece, who only speaks German as of now. :)
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Clov said:
Is that still true, though? If they sit on the film for long enough, it's possible that thier rights may lapse. I can't see Disney caring enough about Yamadas to bother renewing if they didn't even release a BD version.
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I'm not sure. It's been 11 years since they released it on DVD, so it's totally possible that their licence has expired. I assumed that Disney still had it though because I haven't heard anything about another company securing the rights to it (if the rights were available, surely GKids would have snapped them up?).
 
C

Clov

Member
RatskyWatsky said:
I'm not sure. It's been 11 years since they released it on DVD, so it's totally possible that their licence has expired. I assumed that Disney still had it though because I haven't heard anything about another company securing the rights to it (if the rights were available, surely GKids would have snapped them up?).
Click to expand...

It's possible that GKids is in the process of doing so already. It's also possible that they already have, and just haven't announced it yet; they may want to give the spotlight to Ocean Waves first before showing off another Ghibli film.
 
X

Xe4

Banned
It's not my favorite move, but I'm glad they're releasing this, so I can eventually have a complete Ghibli collection.
GamingOblivion said:
why a tv special over Yamadas??????
Click to expand...

It's GKids, I give it a 95% chance Yamadas get's released within 3 years by them. They're simply spreading out their Ghibli releases.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Clov said:
It's possible that GKids is in the process of doing so already. It's also possible that they already have, and just haven't announced it yet; they may want to give the spotlight to Ocean Waves first before showing off another Ghibli film.
Click to expand...

Let's hope that's the case!
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
GKids has confirmed that Ocean Waves will not have an English dub.

Also, they've expanded the list of theaters that will be showing the film in January:

New York, NY IFC Center December 28, 2016
Toronto, ON TIFF January 3, 2017
Albuquerque, NM Guild Cinema January 6, 2017
Fort Lauderdale, FL TBD January 7, 2017
Kansas City, MO Screenland Armour January 9, 2017
Portland, OR OMSI Empirical Theater January 12, 2017
Los Angeles, CA American Cinematheque - Egyptian Theater January 12, 2017
Chicago, IL Gene Siskel Film Center January 13, 2017
Denver, CO Denver Film Society January 13, 2017
Santa Ana, CA The Frida Cinema January 13, 2017
Tempe, AZ Harkins Valley Art January 13, 2017
Waterloo, ON Princess Cinema January 13, 2017
Atlanta, GA Plaza Theatre January 13, 2017
San Francisco, CA Roxie Theatre January 16, 2017
Fairfax, VA Angelika Mosaic January 17, 2017
Washington, DC Angelika Pop-Up January 17, 2017
Dallas, TX Angelika Dallas January 17, 2017
Plano, TX Angelika Plano January 17, 2017
San Diego, CA Angelika Carmel January 17, 2017
Honolulu, HI Consolidated Theatres Kahalas January 17, 2017
Pittsburgh, PA Row House Cinema January 20, 2017
Vancouver, BC Vancity Theatre January 20, 2017
Columbus, OH Gateway Film Center February 9, 2017
Cleveland, OH Cleveland Cinematheque February 25, 2017
Port Orchard, WA Dragonfly Cinema March 10, 2017
Click to expand...
 
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