Film · 1993
Ocean Waves
海がきこえる
Taku and his friend Yutaka expect another ordinary school year until Rikako transfers from Tokyo. Her arrival changes their friendship, and a trip involving Taku and Rikako feeds rumours at school. The television film follows young people trying to understand relationships that have stopped feeling simple.
Rikako alternates between apparent confidence and sadness, making Taku's interpretation of her uncertain. Gossip gives their private encounters a public life at school. Tomomi Mochizuki directed the adaptation of Saeko Himuro's novel, originally made for television rather than beginning as a theatrical feature.
A train window can hold two people close together while leaving them on opposite sides of a departure. The platform image places a standing figure outside a red carriage and another behind its glass. Such ordinary public spaces suit a story in which a glance or a suspected encounter can carry more weight than either person explains.
Original television film · Approx. 72 min · one film
Standalone 1993 animated television film directed by Tomomi Mochizuki. Original TV format is preserved; later theatrical/home releases do not create another work.