Whisper of the Heart was a delightful film, as you might imagine. I was a bit concerned during the credits, when Oliva Newton-John's version of "Country Road" began playing. I feared that the localization of the film for American audiences had gone horribly wrong. But I was able to ascertain that the song was used in the original Japanese version, and I felt better. Actually, the song has a rather pivotal role in the film, which is somewhat puzzling, but effective.

The film was written by Miyazaki, but is the only film directed by Yoshifumi Kondo. He was apparently being groomed to replace Miyazaki in the event of his oft-threatened retirement, but died of an aneurysm shortly after this film was made.