Ocean Waves
海がきこえる
Ocean Waves
海がきこえる
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Watch-outs
What this film brings
Content barometer
Violence
2/5
Moderate
Fear
1/5
Mild
Sexuality
1/5
Allusions
Language
1/5
Mild
Narrative complexity
2/5
Moderate
Adult themes
0/5
None
Expert review
This Japanese animated film has a quiet, realistic, and melancholy tone, focusing on complicated high school relationships rather than adventure or spectacle. The main sensitive elements involve emotional distress linked to divorce, friendship and romantic tension, social humiliation, and two brief moments of physical aggression, including a slap and a retaliatory hit. The overall intensity stays moderate, with no frightening imagery, no explicit sexual content, and only mild insulting language, but the story does require some maturity to understand the emotional subtext and the hurtful behavior between characters. Younger children may find it slow and confusing, while preteens and teens are more likely to connect with its emotional complexity. I would mainly recommend it from age 10 with a parent, so adults can talk about divorce, peer pressure, boundaries in relationships, and healthier ways to respond to anger.
Synopsis
At Kichijōji Station, Tokyo, Taku Morisaki glimpses a familiar woman on the platform opposite boarding a train. Later, her photo falls from a shelf as he exits his apartment before flying to Kōchi Prefecture. Picking it up, he looks at it briefly before leaving. As the aeroplane takes off, he narrates the events that brought her into his life...
Difficult scenes
The film shows a teenage girl who is deeply affected by her parents' divorce and by being uprooted from her home, which comes through in cold, distant, and sometimes manipulative behavior. For younger viewers, this pain is not always explained clearly, so some of the tense or unfair interactions may be hard to understand without adult guidance. During a conflict at school, a verbal argument escalates when the girl slaps a boy and he hits her back. The moment is brief and there are no visible injuries, but it can feel upsetting because it is realistic emotional violence between teenagers in an ordinary school setting. A rumor suggests that two teenagers spent the night together, even though the film does not show explicit sexual content. The issue is mainly social and emotional, but it may raise questions for children about reputation, privacy, and the way other people interpret a situation. Several scenes show Rikako becoming isolated within her class, with judgment, rejection, and open hostility from other students. It is not extreme sustained bullying, but the atmosphere of social belittling and discomfort may affect sensitive viewers who react strongly to relational conflict.
Where to watch
No verified platform for the US market yet. We keep this section updated as availability changes.
Availability checked on Apr 01, 2026
About this title
- Format
- Feature film
- Year
- 1993
- Runtime
- 1h 12m
- Countries
- Japan
- Original language
- JA
- Directed by
- Tomomi Mochizuki
- Main cast
- Nobuo Tobita, Yoko Sakamoto, Toshihiko Seki, Yuri Amano, Kae Araki, Jun'ichi Kanemaru, Ai Satou, Aya Hisakawa, Tomokazu Seki, Hikaru Midorikawa
- Studios
- Studio Ghibli, Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network Corporation
Content barometer
Violence
2/5
Moderate
Fear
1/5
Mild
Sexuality
1/5
Allusions
Language
1/5
Mild
Narrative complexity
2/5
Moderate
Adult themes
0/5
None
Expert review
This Japanese animated film has a quiet, realistic, and melancholy tone, focusing on complicated high school relationships rather than adventure or spectacle. The main sensitive elements involve emotional distress linked to divorce, friendship and romantic tension, social humiliation, and two brief moments of physical aggression, including a slap and a retaliatory hit. The overall intensity stays moderate, with no frightening imagery, no explicit sexual content, and only mild insulting language, but the story does require some maturity to understand the emotional subtext and the hurtful behavior between characters. Younger children may find it slow and confusing, while preteens and teens are more likely to connect with its emotional complexity. I would mainly recommend it from age 10 with a parent, so adults can talk about divorce, peer pressure, boundaries in relationships, and healthier ways to respond to anger.
Synopsis
At Kichijōji Station, Tokyo, Taku Morisaki glimpses a familiar woman on the platform opposite boarding a train. Later, her photo falls from a shelf as he exits his apartment before flying to Kōchi Prefecture. Picking it up, he looks at it briefly before leaving. As the aeroplane takes off, he narrates the events that brought her into his life...
Difficult scenes
The film shows a teenage girl who is deeply affected by her parents' divorce and by being uprooted from her home, which comes through in cold, distant, and sometimes manipulative behavior. For younger viewers, this pain is not always explained clearly, so some of the tense or unfair interactions may be hard to understand without adult guidance. During a conflict at school, a verbal argument escalates when the girl slaps a boy and he hits her back. The moment is brief and there are no visible injuries, but it can feel upsetting because it is realistic emotional violence between teenagers in an ordinary school setting. A rumor suggests that two teenagers spent the night together, even though the film does not show explicit sexual content. The issue is mainly social and emotional, but it may raise questions for children about reputation, privacy, and the way other people interpret a situation. Several scenes show Rikako becoming isolated within her class, with judgment, rejection, and open hostility from other students. It is not extreme sustained bullying, but the atmosphere of social belittling and discomfort may affect sensitive viewers who react strongly to relational conflict.