Studio Ghibli's aesthetically infamous Ocean Waves (Mochizuki, 1993) was- as has been well documented- originally drafted as an opportunity for the younger animation talent of the studio to produce their own film on a comparatively modest budget. What is more significant of Ocean Waves' existence however, is the troubling romantic relationship at the heart of this high school melodrama.
Ocean Waves is a film- despite its seemingly niche existence amongst Ghibli's more fantastical and well-recognised works- that has been the subject of much analytical debate. Most fascinating amongst these is the queer reading of the film, citing Ocean Waves as an accidental LGBT+ text in which protagonist Taku may be interpreted as anything but heterosexual. Such a reading (as far as I am personally aware) was first made popular by YouTuber Eliquorice, whose popular video essay, Ocean Waves - Studio Ghibli's (Accidental) Queer Film, has sadly since been removed due to a copyright claim by Studio Ghibli themselves. However, similar queer analyses have since been distributed by digital media groups such as Vice, if you have interest in such a reading of the film.
However, beyond protagonist Taku and his best friend Yutaka's (Toshihiko Seki) potential to be read a misinterpreted LGBT+ characters, there does undeniably exist a complex and indeed problematic heterosexual relationship at the heart of Ocean Waves.
Based upon the novel of the same name by Saeko Himuro, Ocean Waves is the relatively bare-bones story of high schoolers Taku and Yutaka, whose peaceful lives in the Shikoku city of Kōchi is disrupted by Tokyo transfer student Rikako (Youko Sakomoto). Rikako soon becomes the subject of many-a-student's interest, including Yutaka's, who is immediately attracted to her. Her sporting talents and high grades are enough to spike jealousy amongst her peers, and her arrogant attitude and gossip surrounding her parents divorce renders her immediately unpopular. Taku is initially unfazed by Rikako's arrival, wrapped up in his own school work and part-time job as a busboy to help fund an upcoming school trip to Hawaii. This thus sets the stage for Ocean Waves sluggish pace; surprising given the film's moderate 72-minute runtime.
The first immediate red flag is raised one evening when Yutaka calls Taku at home, his voice raspy and excitable. Yutaka reveals that he has discovered Rikako lives alone in the city, despite her mother's house being only minutes from the high school. What is particularly troubling about this scene however, is the gradual reveal that Yutaka has indeed been spying on Rikako, claiming that, "she was alone in bed!". Once again Taku appears unfazed by his friend's inappropriate confession, instead pondering that evening that Yutaka must, "like that kind of girl." Though the inference made here is never explicitly detailed, the suggestion is that Rikako's appeal stems from her mature, comparatively cosmopolitan personality. She is mysterious, different from the locals, and lives by herself, which alone appears to be titillating to the likes of Yutoka.
From this unnerving confession Ocean Waves immediately moves its attention to the school trip, with the classmates unwinding in their Hawaiian beach hotel. Only now, 20-minutes into the films runtime, do we begin to experience some sort of relationship form between Taku and Rikako, though this in itself is a term that should be used lightly. Rikako immediately manipulates Taku into loaning her ¥60,000 under the pretences that she has lost her own travel money. As such, the character's relationship does not begin in the most amicable of fashions, made worse as Rikako fails to pay Taku back months later into their next year at school. The reveal follows that Rikako actually wanted the money to visit her father in Tokyo, and has too manipulated her only close friend, the shy Yumi, into joining her. Hearing this, Taku takes Yumi's place and spontaneously joins Rikako on her trip with nothing more than the clothes on his back.
The two teens relationship only worsens of the course of this weekend. Rikako's inconsiderate behaviour and disregard for the efforts Taku makes for her present her as a character who- though clearly struggling under the emotional pressures of change and a crippled family unit- is ultimately not a nice person. Upon returning from Tokyo, Rikako purposefully spreads easily misinterpreted rumours that her and Taku spent a night together, damaging Taku's reputation and causing a rift between the protagonist and his best friend. This narrative thread presented Mochizuki and his team with the chance to delve into what could have been an interesting exploration of emotionally manipulative relationships. Disappointingly however, the advantage Rikako’s takes of Taku, as well as Yutaka's early inappropriate behaviour, are both left underdeveloped and under-explored.
Ocean Waves third act descends into full chaos when the relationship between its three resorts to physical assault, with both sides yelling and hitting one another over a lack of communication and respect. The film's relatively aimless nonlinear narrative begins to come into more prominent effect during this final act, seeing a twenty-something Taku return from his new home in Tokyo to Kōchi for a high school reunion booze-up. Taku and Yukata are able to patch up their strained relationship when Yukata- bafflingly- admits he never realised how much Taku truly liked Rikako (which one cannot blame him for, considering Taku and Rikako's relationship is neither strong nor pleasant).
The reunion itself is perhaps one of the finest examples of how Ocean Waves suppresses its potential for queerness, with the bar functioning as a hyper-heterosexual space in which former classmates drunkenly reveal their attraction to one another. Taku is left to ponder Rikako's absence in one of Ocean Waves most unintentionally comedic scenes. Whilst admiring the beauty of Kōchi castle, past scenes and voice-overs are intercut, all of which evidence Rikako manipulating Taku, calling him names, and berating him. Yet somehow, in-spite of this, Taku admits to himself that he wishes he could be with Rikako, and that he cares deeply for her. It makes little sense, their relationship is not and never is presented as a positive one. Taku's feelings for Rikako are baseless and do little but pander to the safe and conservative heteronormative expectations of 1990s Japan.
Perhaps Ocean Waves narrative's only saving grace is that it is somewhat aware of its tendency for weak melodrama. Through a conversation with his classmate Akiko, Taku is able to understand that the life he had in high school was not permanent, and the world which he and others inhabited as teenagers was but a small one. Rikako's behaviour was so erratic in-part because her view of the world was so narrow, and seemed fractured without the affection of her father. However, this still does not excuse the problematic nature of Ocean Waves' core relationship. Ideally, Taku might have reached an understanding as to why Rikako behaved in the manner she did, rather than immediately lash out at her. Similarly, Rikako could have come to more grounded terms of this herself, addressing that her behaviour and treatment of others was unhealthy. A mutual understanding and resolution between Taku and Rikako could have been cathartic, had they actually learnt from their mistakes and miscommunications, rather than fall in love because... well why not? Regrettably however, this was never the case.
If one was to draw a comparison between Ocean Waves and another work from Studio Ghibli's catalogue, Isao Takahata's Only Yesterday (1991) is a prime example of how similar themes surrounding growing up can be handled effectively. Unlike Ocean Waves, Only Yesterday allows its protagonist the relief of rediscovering and contextualising her childhood guilt and trauma. Indeed, Ocean Waves may have benefitted from a similar sophisticated approach, rather than its concluding half-baked romantic affirmations.
Ultimately Ocean Waves- much like every Ghibli work- is visually beautiful. Its soft-core pastel palette and mellow tone have undoubtably made the film popular with social media aesthetics. However, while its physical attention to detail is on-par with Ghibli's other more muted works, such as Only Yesterday and Whisper of the Heart (Kondō, 1995), these pleasantries only run surface-deep. Ocean Waves has little of substance to offer besides its immediate visual appeal, which is a shame, considering it presented the opportunity to challenge conventions of the typical shōjo high school drama in more ways than one.