Umi ga Kikoeru (I Can Hear the Sea/Ocean Waves)
[Movie]
[Reviewed by Bethany]

Umi ga Kikoeru is probably too low-key for a lot of people. It's one of the few animes I've seen that relies not on melodrama or plot-twists to drag it along. It simply tells a story, one that isn't magical or incredible, but a poignant recollection of earlier days. There's not a lot of sparkle, but there's an undeniable brightness to it — even if it's a touch bittersweet.

Story
Taku, a freshman in college, returns from Tokyo to his hometown of Kochi during summer vacation. (I... think; well, it's some sort of vacation.) Confronted with the place he grew up — and a half-glimpse of a familiar face — Taku recalls to the audience his last years of high school ... and tells of the girl who came into his life and, in so doing, changed it.

That girl, Rikako, transfers to his school from Tokyo. Taku is immediately both drawn to (though he doesn't realize it) and repelled by her — Rikako is intelligent and pretty, but aloof ... not quite snobbish, but unable to adjust to her new surroundings. Matsuno, Taku's best friend, falls for Rikako fast and hard, which begins the bizarre love triangle that is a central part of the story. Taku cannot understand Matsuno's feelings for Rikako ... and as circumstances bring himself and Rikako closer, he cannot make sense of his own feelings, nor express them to those he cares about.

What's Left
Umi ga Kikoeru is sweet and underspoken — its title fits it perfectly. It isn't epic, but a picture of normal life, of being young and not understanding yourself or others. It's slow paced, but has a peculiar beauty in its soft way of showing the ways people evolve. And despite not being very long, its characters are vividly portrayed. Taku is torn between his friendship with Matsuno and his growing feelings for Rikako. Rikako doesn't seem to know which way is up, but wears a front of detachment. Although Matsuno takes the back of the stage in comparison, he, too is filled with uncertainties and misgivings.

In honesty, I'm really not certain how to put into words what this movie makes me feel. It affected me a great deal, but I'm at a loss as to say how or why. I cried when I first watched it — and not because it's sad; it really isn't. But — bear with me as I lapse more into melodrama than usual here — there's something achingly sweet and sincere about it that, even without a grand, sweeping story, hit me in the stomach and took away my breath. The scene near the end, with Matsuno and Taku on the dock, is so full of subtle emotion and a sense of completion that I was simply awed by its amazingly clear portrayal of the characters. By the time I came to the actual end of it, I was almost overwhelmed. Although that might have been lack of sleep.

The Bottom Line
Umi ga Kikoeru is subtle and graceful... but not the most exciting of movies out there. Still, it's short and sweet, and has a permanent place on my list of must-see anime.