“Ocean Waves” tells the simple message of being in tune with the realities of life and recognizing the genuine nature of people, showing the quality of youth and the unpleasant side of adulthood. Many criticize it for having an abusive couple end up together, but this is not the true meaning of the film. The movie’s finale is without a doubt the greatest and most misunderstood moment.

The following day, Taku bumps into Rikako at the train station with an obvious allusion that they end up together despite their many flaws. While pondering about Rikako, Taku has flashbacks of his “romantic” moments with her, which were all just flashbacks of her being a jerk. After catching up with his friends, Taku leaves the reunion and thinks about how much he misses Rikako. During the reunion, which Rikako failed to attend, Shimizu, a classmate, discusses with Taku that she recently talked with Rikako, who focused on how much she misses Taku. The film concludes with a dramatic high school reunion. This moment was so hilariously frustrating to watch because of how egotistical and whiny Rikako is. The whole entire time all she focuses on is when she returned to see her father and her bedroom was remodeled. Most of the conversations were very heartwarming except for when Rikako discusses her parents’ divorce. While on this trip, both Taku and Rikako develop feelings for one another through their lively conversations. When Taku discovers this, he is furious but insists that he goes on the trip with her to protect her. Eventually, it is discovered that Rikako uses the money to buy plane tickets to Tokyo to escape from her hometown. Taku cracks under the pressure and gives her the money. This frustrates Rikako, so she starts to get snippy. Taku is concerned about the offer so he initially denies. During the introductory scene, Rikako suspiciously asks Taku for four hundred dollars. When viewers are initially introduced to Rikako’s true self, it is obvious something is off. Honestly, if she was the prize at the end of a race, I would sprint backwards. On the surface, Rikako seems to be a perfectly desirable character, but after getting to know her personality traits it would be best to stay clear of her. As the movie begins, she is a beautiful, mysterious new girl who gets perfect grades and is highly athletic. The character arc of Rikako was so flawed that it actually made the movie much more delightful. Throughout the whole entire scene, my jaw was floored due to how many illogical mistakes the characters made. Now, this scene, in particular, is cinema “gold” because of how appealing it was. Taku explains what happened to Yutaka and he decides to take Rikako’s side by punching Taku so forcefully that he crumples to the ground. As if matters possibly could not have gone worse, Yutaka walks in after Taku gets slapped. This upset Rikako so much that when the fight was over she proceeded to wallop Taku across the face for not defending his “girlfriend”. Taku walked in during the fight and decided to be a bystander. Rikako denied these allegations and became defensive. In one scene, Rikako, who is not well liked, is cornered and yelled at by her classmates for allegedly flirting with another’s boyfriend. Throughout the film, Taku is the main love interest of Rikako with Yutaka attempting to slide himself into the heart of Rikako. The drama in the film was so amusing that it made HBO’s “Euphoria” look dull and primitive, and the love triangle between Taku and his friends truly kept me at the edge of my seat. While traveling home, Taku recounts his memories of his school days, focussing in particular on a love triangle that developed between him and his two friends, Rikako and Yutaka.Īlthough many critics and fans dislike “Ocean Waves”, such as IMDb’s score of 6.6 out of 10, it is easily one of the most enjoyable and comedic films I have ever seen. “Ocean Waves” follows Taku Morisaki as he journeys back from Tokyo to his high school for a reunion. From an animation studio with such a good reputation, I will be examining one of Ghibli’s least discussed and acclaimed films, 1993’s “Ocean Waves”. While many Ghibli movies are some of the most critically acclaimed films, it is hard to believe that they have also produced some bumpy films. Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, is well known in the United States for beloved works such as 2002 Oscar winner “Spirited Away”. Note: this review contains major spoilers! Taku and Rikako casually walking through the streets of Tokyo.

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