In 1993, at the age of 35, Mochizuki got a chance to go to Ghibli to work as a worker.
At this time, Toshio Suzuki, the producer of Ghibli, planned two development routes for the company, one route was still mainly directed by Miyazaki Hayao and Takahata, and the other route was to support some excellent newcomer directors to produce animation.
And Mochizuki Zhichong just seized this wave of opportunities to support newcomers, and the project case submitted many times was finally approved, and he was able to adapt the novel he had in mind into an animation, which was——
"Hear the Waves"
"Hearing the Waves" was relatively new for Ghibli at that time, both in terms of distribution model and theme.
In terms of distribution, Ghibli's producer Toshio Suzuki chose to release the anime on television rather than the theater.
Ghibli was also the first to dabble in realism, and the story of "Hearing the Waves" takes place on a campus in Kochi Prefecture, Japan.
In her sophomore year of high school, the male protagonist Taku to Taku touzaki's school came to a beautiful transfer student from Tokyo, Rikako Muto.
Rigako's arrival made the school's classmates very curious, and Taku Toki's friend Toyotomi Matsuno was no exception.
Taku Tozaki felt that her friends liked Rigako a bit, because although Rigako excelled in her studies and sports, she had no friends at school, and only Matsuno Washito was the only one who was willing to talk to her.
However, during a graduation trip, Taku Tozaki also inadvertently got involved with Rigako.
Rigako, who has never had much contact with Tozaki Taku, took the initiative to borrow money from Tozaki Taku, and when Tozaki Taku asked the reason, Rigako used the excuse that her money was lost.
She told her that when she was chatting with Matsuno Toyo, she learned a lot about Toki taku from him, and Taku Tozaki borrowed money happily.
After the trip, Taku Tozaki receives a call from Rikako's new friend, Yumi Ono.
Yumi says that they were going to Osaka to see a concert, but Rigako changed her ticket to Tokyo, planning to see her divorced father, hoping that Taku to Tozaki would persuade her not to deceive her parents.
Taku Tozaki was furious when he found out that Rigako had deceived him, and when he arrived at the airport, he asked Yumi to lie that she was unwell and go home.
He was going to question Rikako, but seeing that she was very sad after her parents divorced and understood her, he turned on the dog licking mode and accompanied her to Tokyo.
After Tokyo, Taku Tozaki and Rigako's relationship went further.
Rigako saw that her father already had a new love, so she simply stayed in the hotel where Tozaki Taku stayed, rigako slept directly on the bed after getting drunk, and Taku Tozaki had to curl up in the bathtub and sleep like the scene of the murder.
Taku touzaki also got to know Rigako better the next day.
He first discovers rikako's superficial side, and in order to have more face in front of her ex-boyfriend who has not been seen for a long time, she directly asks Taku to pretend to be her boyfriend.
After Taku Tozaki is angry at her childish behavior, Rigako can admit her superficiality in time and dissect her relationship with her ex-boyfriend like a stranger, perhaps the ex-boyfriend in her own eyes before is just wishful thinking.
Rigako's series of thoughts surprised Taku to Taku torusaki.
After returning to school, Taku Tozaki learns from Toyo Matsuzaki that rigako, when rejecting her friend, had said that he hated Matsuzaki Andamoto, and that her relationship with Taku Tozaki was even more ambiguous.
Taku toUzaki angrily finds Rigako, and once again relies on his straight male nature, and the more he talks to Rigako, the more stiff he becomes, but he does not see that Rigako actually likes him.
The two took the opportunity to make the famous scene of this animation - slapping each other. (Taku Tozaki beaten x1)
In the future, the relationship between the two gradually became estranged, and Rigako was almost bullied by her classmates because she did not like to participate in group activities.
Passing by, Tozaki Taku was worried that his friend was still in love with Rigako, and did not help, but the heartless and lungless Karijako alone dismissed a group of people and was slapped again. (Taku Tozaki beaten x2)
When Matsuzaki learned of this, he also punched him, and the two were best friends because they fought together in junior high school, and this relationship was broken. (Taku Tozaki beat x3)
By the time the three of them had any more contact, it was already college time.
When Taku tozaki returned to his hometown of Kochi Prefecture from his university in Tokyo, he met Toyo Matsuzaki, who came to apologize.
During a student meeting, Taku touzaki learns from Yumi that she once met Rikako, who says she wants to meet someone sleeping in a bathtub.
At the end of the anime, Taku Tozaki returns to Tokyo and meets Rikako at the station, and the film ends with the two looking at each other.
In many ways, this animation is one of the more special works of Ghibli.
First of all, in terms of plot, this animation has a strong rebellious nature.
Not just Ghibli, one of the general principles of screenwriting in commercial animation is that a motivational event is needed.
The motivation event is a thing that completely breaks the balance of the protagonist's life, and this event often requires the protagonist to take the initiative to solve it, so as to maintain the balance of life.
In this anime, there is indeed such an event, Rigako came to the school where the male protagonist is, which is such an event.
However, the rift between the male protagonist and the female protagonist and the male second caused by this incident became insignificant as the protagonists went to school, and finally the relationship between the three was repaired.
It is not the protagonist who solves the incident, but time.
In terms of character settings, this animation is also different from Ghibli's historical character settings.
The protagonist of this work is closer to ordinary people, whether it is Taku Toki, who is afraid of his friends and cannot be saved, or Rikako, who has a mean and superficial side, has very distinct shortcomings, which is the personality that ordinary people will have.
In addition, there are some differences in the picture of "Hear the Waves".
For example, this anime has more prominent light and shadow effects, according to the painting supervisor Katsuya Kondo, this is to supplement the lack of dramatic conflict in the plot.
The creators collect local style and paint directly from the photos, which is also a way that Miyazaki does not approve of, which is too clever for Miyazaki.
However, according to Katsuya Kondo, the paintings are also adjusted according to the atmosphere, and the photos are not copied directly.
The advantages of this animation are also commonalities in excellent works, such as the use of male protagonists' memories to expand the plot in the work, and here a very innovative transition method is used.
The director will design the camera language according to the mood of the characters, and when Taku Tosaki listens to Matsuzaki's failed confession, when he angrily wants to find Rigako angry, several shots reflect the mood of the characters with a crooked picture.
But the story is not entirely uncontroversial.
At the test screening of "Hearing the Waves", Miyazaki once angrily accused the script -
But some of Miyazaki's accusations are disputes over ideas.
Miyazaki prefers the script setting of classic commercial films, while Tomomitsu Mochizuki does the opposite in the script, and the design that does not let the protagonist solve the problem is closer to the literary film.
There is no such thing as who is right and who is wrong, just a matter of personal preference.
After all, if the plot design of Mochizuki Zhichong is really particularly bad, there will be no follow-up Tribute to the classic subway in Makoto Shinkai's "Five Centimeters per Second", and there will be no praise from the audience.
Overall, hearing the sound of the waves is a flawed masterpiece, just as Takumi Tozaki often recalls his imperfect high school experience, and the audience will also think of this imperfect good work after seeing this animation.