I love the vibe and the animation of this film. It's exceptional of acting as a time capsule, really capturing that 80s vibe from Japan. And the animation in particular is fantastic. That might sound silly, to praise a Studio Ghibli film for its animation. But given that this is not a "main-line" Ghibli film, one that is so often forgotten, the clear talent for animation is not to be under-reported.

Unfortunately, that's the end of the praise. The plot is straight-up boring. Guy liked a girl, and there was lots of drama, and then FEELINGS. That summarizes the whole film. Most of the actual scenes are inconsequential, and I found myself delighting from the animation while being bored out of my mind. This says nothing to the fact that, in general, the rest of the film doesn't hold up to its backbone of fantastic animation. The soundtrack is nostalgic but forgettable.

The acting is good, but the screenplay is a bit stiff and doesn't really do anything. It meanders about for awhile, and tries to convince the viewer that they're watching something deep and impactful. To bring up the earlier mentioned piece of media, "Norwegian Wood," this is a story that succeeds based on its density. It's a character study, while also being a romance, while also being this time-capsule, nostalgic experience. But it succeeds in these regards because it draws from so many different sources in its storytelling; it has more things to say, and says them in this stubborn, plodding, dense way that is typical of Murakami as an author. Ocean Waves, to contrast, seems to have the same ideas but has no idea how to create that same density. As a result, the film feels more vacuous. Scenes occur, and it seems to have no other point than to continue the plot, whereas the enjoyment in a romantic drama is not how the plot ends, but the juicy bits within the middle.

The larger problem is that although the film could do interesting things with its romantic premise, it never really rises to the occasion. Many other films can introduce and conclude a romantic subarc with more potential than Ocean Waves as an entire film, and do it within an 1/8th of the time. It's as if Ocean Waves is a bit confused on how it wants to present itself, and what it's trying to say with its romance. This makes the film feel quite vacuous and empty. There are so many scenes you can watch and then think, "Why do I care?" And often times, there simply isn't an answer to even such a fundamental question. Why do I care? The film doesn't seem concerned with that question; it just has its message to get out to the world, like a drive-by shooting.

In the end, it's hard to feel endeared to the characters in this film. And when the whole appeal of a romantic drama is the interactions of the main character, all that's left is the joyful, beautiful animation. And that's sadly not enough to really recommend this film unless you really just want to watch everything that Studio Ghibli has made.