Whisper of the Heart(Movie, 1995)

Whisper of the Heart (Japanese: 耳をすませば, Hepburn: Mimi o Sumaseba, lit. 'If You Listen Carefully') is a 1995 Japanese animated romantic drama film directed by Yoshifumi Kondō and written by Hayao Miyazaki based on the 1989 manga of the same name by Aoi Hiiragi. It was animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network and Hakuhodo. The film stars Yoko Honna, Issei Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana, Shigeru Muroi, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi and Keiju Kobayashi. Whisper of the Heart was Kondō's only film as director before his death in 1998. Studio Ghibli had hoped that Kondō would become the successor to Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. A spin-off film, The Cat Returns, was released in 2002, which focused on a minor character of the film, the Baron. ()