Anna has a dream of Kazuhiko comforting Marnie. When Anna sees Marnie's name written on the back, she realizes that she is Emily's daughter, and Marnie's granddaughter. When Marnie Was There Soundtrack Music Collection, known as Omoide no Marnie Santora Ongaku Shuu (思い出のマーニーサントラ音楽集) in Japan, is a two-disc soundtrack and image song album that was released on CD in Japan and in 113 countries worldwide (including Japan) as a digital download on the iTunes Store on 16 July 2014. I honestly can’t say too much because I loved going into this movie without knowing a thing about it and I’ll keep it that way for anyone who hasn’t seen it. On 14 January, GKIDS announced that they would be distributing the film for a North American release on May 22, 2015. Marnie breaks down in a welter of neurotic conflict. However, as a non-straight person, I couldn’t help getting disappointed at the plot twist. I was once Anna, the lonely, isolated girl who felt like no one understood her. I just lost my Studio Ghibli virginity and it has left me with a very odd feeling! Priscilla Ahn, the writer and performer of the movie's theme song, "Fine on the Outside", also released an accompanying album to the film called Just Know That I Love You on 16 July 2014. They bring her back to the Oiwas, where Anna dreams about confronting Marnie, who tells Anna she is sorry for leaving her and that she cannot see Anna anymore. By discovering things about her past, Anna becomes more able to open up to the possibilities of her life ahead. Of course, I know that not all intimate relationships are automatically romantic. [22], When Marnie Was There opened at third place, grossing ¥379 million during its opening weekend in Japan. And I was surprised by how invested I was in the central relationship between the protagonist Anna and her mysterious new friend Marnie. The only thing I knew about it was that it was made by the same studio that gave us the visually splendid “Spirited Away” and the charmingly sweet “My Neighbor Totoro.”. The Balancing Act: Writing Complicated Fictional Characters and Relationships, How Writing Fanfic Helped Me Work On My Mental Health. Anna Sasaki is an introverted 12-year-old girl with low self-esteem living in Sapporo with foster parents, Yoriko and her husband. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. She wakes up, only to find Marnie gone, and is heartbroken. [20], The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan by Walt Disney Studios Japan on 18 March 2015,[21] and released on Blu-ray and DVD in America by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on October 6, 2015. It is a great movie for children 9 and older. We just need to keep ourselves aware of what is out there, lest we crawl back into our own walled circles and tend to our wounds of self-hatred with the same story. Marnie asks about how Anna likes living with the Oiwas but disappears. Maybe the subtext was intended, maybe it wasn’t. The film (and novel) tell the story of Anna, an introverted, … And then… well, there’s actually a lot of the book left to go, taking the story unforeseen ways. Her hair was always in a ponytail, and she  wore her black-rimmed glasses. Of course, even while I was watching the movie, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The second disc features all the background music for the film. The mansion also appears abandoned and dilapidated again. Anna comes across a nearby abandoned mansion, where she meets Marnie, a mysterious girl who asks her to promise to keep their secrets from everyone. [11][12] The Marsh House that is central to the story was designed by Yohei Taneda, who Yonebayashi asked "to draw the Marsh House as if it were another character who watches over Anna." When Marnie Was There, (in Japanese Omoide no Marnie or "Marnie of My Memories") is the 22nd anime film produced by Studio Ghibli.It was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and written by him in collaboration Keiko Niwa and Masashi Ando, and based on the classic 1967 children's novel When Marnie Was There by Joan G. Robinson.. We see the jealous look on her face when she sees Marnie dancing with a boy. She and her brother search for Anna, only to find her unconscious with a high fever. Did Studio Ghibli actually create a sweet, romantic story between two girls?” The optimistic part of me believed that it could happen–that is was happening. The reason why When Marnie Was There never had a shot at being an LGBTQA story is because it's based on a mainstream British children's book by author Joan G. Robinson, published in 1967. I just watched it and really thought the same thing. When Marnie Was There was released in Japan on July 19, 2014. This is why, as a bisexual girl, this movie tore my heart in half. When Marnie Was There (Japanese: 思い出のマーニー , Hepburn: Omoide no Mānī, Marnie of [My] Memories) is a 2014 Japanese anime drama film written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, produced by Studio Ghibli for Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DYMP, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI I saw her as a good friend (and, at the time, I even thought that she was my only friend at school). Or maybe the dearth of LGBT stories in media has made me seek out stories that even remotely resembled my own. “When Marnie Was There” was different for me. Yet, there in the night-time, she appears in her night gown, drawing Anna into her world. [17] The first "Image Song" disc features music composed to express the personality of the characters and feel of places in the film. However things take an intriguing turn when Anna meets Marnie- the mysterious blonde girl who lives in an abandoned mansion in the marsh. Back then, I could only express my feelings through art, the same way Anna did. Following the success of the film, Robinson's original novel experienced a boost in sales internationally. Meanwhile, Sayaka finds the missing pages from Marnie's diary, which include passages about Kazuhiko and the silo. Marnie raised her granddaughter, who was placed in foster care after her death. But not, I presume, in the way the creators intended. There’s a lovely and fitting simplicity in 12-year-old Anna emerging as the heroine of When Marnie Was There, the last film from Japan’s Studio Ghibli animation house. Marnie’s gonna end up being her ancestor or something.”. Anna meets Marnie again and admits to finding documents that show her foster parents are paid to take care of her. [26] By the end of 2014, the film had grossed ¥3.53 billion ($33,319,244) in Japan.[27]. It is a lyrical adventure story that explores lush landscapes as well as haunted memories. The film follows Anna Sasaki staying with her relatives in a town in Kushiro wetlands, Hokkaido. During the end credits, Anna says goodbye to her friends before seeing Marnie at the mansion window waving goodbye to her. [31] In South Korea, it grossed ₩284,696,700 ($251,686) in 2015. Even outside of the potential romance, When Marnie Was There raises questions of what “love” is. And… *SPOILER ALERT* the cynical part of me was right. She would study with me and tell me about the movies she’s seen. When Anna recovers from her fever, Hisako reveals Marnie's story: Marnie married Kazuhiko and they had a daughter named Emily, who Marnie loved dearly due to years of loneliness and depression. One day, Kazuhiko and Marnie went to the silo that Marnie was deeply afraid of, due to the maids' usage of the location to secretly abuse her. This film is amazing there is only one scene where a 12 year old is shown drinking wine at a party. He takes Marnie to her mother's house in Baltimore where he demands an explanation of the "bad accident" Bernice suffered. Is Marnie a Ghost? The original novel by Joan G. Robinson had previously been cited by Hayao Miyazaki as one of his favorite children's novels. Not soon after a family is set to move into the mansion. In the morning, the mansion where Marnie claims she lives is deserted. As the summer progresses, Anna spends more time with Marnie, and eventually Anna learns the truth about her family and foster care. The Story . Just know that it is beautiful and poignant and touching. Locals find Anna asleep outside, suggesting that the party may also have been a dream. The characters are also amazing with Anna being so complex and emotionally damaged, its lovely to watch her character grow throughout the movie. She nearly died while in the silo, … Me about the government payments, but reassures her that they would be distributing the film follows Anna Sasaki with! 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