Omoide no Marnie (When Marnie Was There)

Suffering from frequent asthma attacks, young Anna Sasaki is quiet, unsociable, and isolated from her peers, causing her foster parent endless worry. Upon recommendation by the doctor, Anna is sent to the countryside, in hope that the cleaner air and more relaxing lifestyle will improve her health and help clear her mind. Engaging in her passion for sketching, Anna spends her summer days living with her aunt and uncle in a small town near the sea.

One day while wandering outside, Anna discovers an abandoned mansion known as the Marsh House. However, she soon finds that the residence isn't as vacant as it appears to be, running into a mysterious girl named Marnie. Marnie's bubbly demeanor slowly begins to draw Anna out of her shell as she returns night after night to meet with her new friend. But it seems there is more to the strange girl than meets the eye—as her time in the town nears its end, Anna begins to discover the truth behind the walls of the Marsh House.

Omoide no Marnie tells the touching story of a young girl's journey through self-discovery and friendship, and the summer that she will remember for the rest of her life.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Omoide no Marnie is based on Joan G. Robinson's English children's novel classic When Marnie Was There.

The movie was nominated for Animation of the Year at the 38th Japan Academy Prize Awards and Best Animated Feature Film at the 9th Asia Pacific Screen Awards in 2015. The movie won an award for Best Animated Feature Film at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival in 2015. Other nominations include Best Animated Feature (Independent) at the 43rd Annual Annie Awards and Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 88th Academy Awards in 2016.

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Characters & Voice Actors

Marnie

Main

Arimura, Kasumi
Japanese

Sasaki, Anna

Main

Takatsuki, Sara
Japanese

Toichi

Supporting

Yasuda, Ken
Japanese

Hisako

Supporting

Kuroki, Hitomi
Japanese

Ooiwa, Setsu

Supporting

Negishi, Toshie
Japanese

Sayaka

Supporting

Sugisaki, Hana
Japanese

Miyoko

Supporting

Shiraishi, Haruka
Japanese

Sasaki, Yoriko

Supporting

Matsushima, Nanako
Japanese

Ooiwa, Kiyomasa

Supporting

Terajima, Susumu
Japanese

Elderly Lady

Supporting

Moriyama, Ryouko
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Nishimura, Yoshiaki

Producer

Yonebayashi, Hiromasa

Director, Script

Kasamatsu, Kouji

Sound Director

Nakazawa, Shintarou

Episode Director

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Opening Theme

No opening themes have been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding an opening theme here.

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Ending Theme

"Fine on the Outside" by Priscilla Ahn

Reviews

Oct 5, 2023

ZeroCodeGeass7

Recommended

Hm, I suppose I should preface this review by saying it's how the film made me feel. If you're looking for a review that tells you whether or not you should watch it maybe this isn't it.

It doesn't surprise me that When Marnie Was There was based on a novel. Watching the film almost makes you feel like you're under the covers of some big Victorian-style room as you flip through the pages of an old leather novel, and are transported to another world.

I don't mean Marnie is fantasy, it seems like in all of Studio Ghibli's works they have the ability to transport you ...

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Nov 26, 2021

hbaby1093

Mixed Feelings

*SPOILERS*

Alike so many others, I have a place in my heart for Studio Ghibli and their whimsical tales and wondrous animation. Rarely do I find myself disliking the work they put out, if ever. But...this movie was a first.

Protagonist: Anna. To some extent, I understand that she was going through an unhealthy mental state. I understand that she's a preteen. We were all moody when we were that age, we all had irrational behavior and outbursts, too. And yet, I couldn't entirely relate to her. She actually annoyed me a lot of the time, especially when it came to her actions toward the girls ... that tried to befriend her (or used to be her friends).

To dig deeper - we get a scene where she doesn't want to hang around her old friends, we get a scene where she doesn't want new friends, but then she meets Marnie - AND SUDDENLY - this beautiful blonde girl she's totally fine with! And not just with being friends, but spending every waking second together when it seemed pretty evident before that she only wanted to be alone.

I mean...seriously?!? That contradicted Anna's character! It would be one thing if it took Marnie some coaxing to get Anna to open up to her, BUT NO. It was instant! This irked me to no end. Not consistent with her behavior at all!

As for the other characters, there's not much to address. Likable enough, but also not enough character development or interactions to comment on.

Plot: Firstly and most importantly - Anna loved Marnie, and not platonically. And the way this was handled from start to finish was a significant letdown.

During their time together, Anna and Marnie were finding excuses to touch one another, were immediately infatuated upon meeting, and even proclaimed their love multiple times. At one point, Anna even gets jealous when Marnie is dancing with another boy, which then leads to the two of them dancing! How could anyone call this platonic?

And I enjoyed this direction! I was hoping it would continue and I would get the satisfaction of a kiss or something, but THEN...THEN they come out with this bullshit reveal that Marnie is Anna's grandmother. I'm sorry, what! That made their entire "friendship" give me the ick, which was very devastating. Either commit to the love story they so obviously were leading them toward or cut out the scenes that were very clearly not "just friends."

Second, Anna admits that she was upset at her Foster Mother for getting money from the state because it means to her that she only took Anna in for the money. What?!!? I don't think any teen/child would ever come to that conclusion on their own—especially one that's not from a wealthy background. Most kids in families who struggle would see extra money as a good thing. This concept was such a reach and not dramatic enough as a valid point of conflict between the characters.

Third, so much confusion with the world-building. In Spirited Away, you know that you've entered or left the spirit world when you pass the station. But in this, there was no clear understanding of how and why Marnie and Anna could see each other. There are all these little details they put in like Anna passing out, or disappearing, or forgetting a memory - and yet - nothing gets answered or resolved in that regard.

Animation: Beautiful, as always. But not my favorite, and not their best.

I wouldn't watch this expecting a lot, but if you're a fan of Studio Ghibli and want to watch it for that reason, then you should!

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Sep 21, 2020

omuraisu_daisuki

Not Recommended

I would like to start off by saying that I am a huge ghibli fan. It has always been my all time favourite and I have been impressed over and over again by their work.

However, I'm afraid I can't really say the same about this one. I understand that this movie was based off a novel, and I'm sure that the storyline was much clearer there. In the film however, I had no idea what was going on and even the ending explanation left me confused and unsatisfied.

I sat through the whole film hoping it would get better but unfortunately it was a ...

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Omoide no Marnie

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Characters & Voice Actors

Marnie

Sasaki, Anna

Toichi

Hisako

Ooiwa, Setsu

Sayaka

Miyoko

Sasaki, Yoriko

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Omoide no Marnie

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Synopsis

Background

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Staff

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Ending Theme

Reviews

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