33 Years Later, Studio Ghibli’s Forgotten Masterpiece Remains Its Best Secret Queer Movie

In the anime world, some movies become worldwide classics, while others quietly disappear from the spotlight. Studio Ghibli‘s Ocean Waves from 1993 belongs to the second group. Released as a TV movie more than 30 years ago, it has never reached the same level of fame as Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro.

But Ocean Waves has something that makes it stand out. Beneath its simple teenage love story is a close and complicated friendship between Taku Morisaki and Yutaka Matsuno. Over the years, many viewers have read their bond as queer-coded, giving this forgotten Ghibli movie a very different reputation.

Why Ocean Waves Is Considered Studio Ghibli’s Secret Queer Romance

On the surface, Ocean Waves is about a teenage love triangle. Taku and Yutaka are best friends whose relationship changes after Rikako Muto, a new student from Tokyo, joins their school.

A still from Ocean Waves. | Credit: Studio Ghibli

However, the movie spends a surprising amount of time on the two boys and their friendship. They become jealous, argue, hurt each other, and eventually find their way back to one another. Rikako may be at the center of the romantic story, but Taku and Yutaka often feel like the emotional heart of the movie.

This is where the queer subtext of Ocean Waves comes from. Even though the movie never confirms that Taku and Yutaka feel romantically towards each other, people tend to think that there are more layers to the relationship than mere friendship.

The scene at the hotel is a good example of the scenes that are pointed out by many people while talking about the queer aspects of the film. Taku and Yutaka share a quiet, personal moment during their school trip, with Taku relaxing in the bath while Yutaka is nearby. Nothing romantic occurs in this scene, yet the scene itself adds an extra layer of intimacy to the relationship between the characters.

The movie also leaves many feelings unsaid. Jealousy, longing, insecurity, and emotional dependence are allowed to sit beneath the surface. That makes it easy for viewers to read the story in different ways. Thus, even though Ocean Waves is not officially a queer romance, its reputation comes from its queer subtext and the way audiences interpret the relationship between its two male leads. That ambiguity is part of what makes the movie so interesting.

Ocean Waves Remains Ghibli’s Most Forgotten Masterpiece

There is another reason Ocean Waves feels so different from most Studio Ghibli movies. It was not made as one of the studio’s huge theatrical productions. Instead, it was created for television by some of Ghibli’s younger staff.

Tomomi Mochizuki directed the movie, making it the first Studio Ghibli film directed by someone other than Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata. The smaller production also gave younger creators a chance to work on a realistic story about ordinary teenagers.

There are no magical worlds or giant battles here. Ocean Waves is about school, friendship, romance, family problems, jealousy, and growing up. That simple approach makes it feel very different from the fantasy adventures that made Ghibli famous around the world.

It also explains why the movie has remained so overlooked. When people think about Studio Ghibli, they usually remember Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, or My Neighbor Totoro. Ocean Waves rarely gets mentioned in the same conversation.

Yet that forgotten status has helped it develop a special following. Even after all these years, viewers continue to discover its quiet story, realistic characters, and ambiguous relationships. Maybe Ocean Waves was never meant to be Ghibli’s biggest movie. But being one of its most unusual and overlooked films may be exactly what makes it worth remembering.

Now the big question: Do you also think Ocean Waves deserves to be called Studio Ghibli’s secret queer masterpiece? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Ocean Waves is currently available to watch on HBO MAX.