Ocean Waves

Aroview: A sweet, sentimental tale of unrequited teen romance as seen in flashback through the eyes of a man attending his high school reunion forms the basis of this unheralded Studio Ghibli gem.

Earmarked as a pet project for Ghibli's junior staff members, Mochizuki's film is a quite different proposition to the large-scale fantasies of Hayao Miyazaki, with its low-key human drama and nostalgic yearning a gentle change of pace.