The feel of this film was pretty similar to that of Kagurashi no Arrietty. Or more specifically, the similarities can be found in the main protagonists in that they both suffer from life threatening illnesses and are sent somewhere to recuperate.
One thing i truly admire about When Marnie was there is how wonderfully Annie was portrayed. She begins as a cynical, angry teen who eventually becomes more understanding and more open with both others and herself. The movie makes us sympathize with her, and at the same time, allows us to see her flaws. She's not perfect. Though her problems may seem minute to us, in the end, they are pretty big from her perspective.
Plot gets a 6/10 because let's face it; an angst ridden teen trying to find herself isn't exactly an original idea. The plot twists fails to be surprising because the foreshadowing and hints the movie dropped were a little too good. At one point in the movie I went 'Oh. I think i know where this is going.' and though the ending was heartwarming, it was hardly spectacular. The supernatural aspect of the story was pretty okay. It gave us exposition, background, and made me care for the characters. But they relied too much on using it as a plot device so the novelty of it wore out soon enough.
Characters gets an 7/10. While Annie had a good character development, Marnie still remains somewhat of a mystery. Despite the film's attempts at trying to make her more than just a cut board cutout, Marnie doesn't really get any memorable development. I do appreciate the dynamic between Marnie and Annie though, it's interesting to see them bringing out the best in each other while simultaneously bringing out the worst as well. There seems to be an undertone of Yuri (or shoujo ai) but the ending pretty much kills off that sentiment. As a Yuri fan, I feel decidedly upset but ultimately I think it was for the best. Instead of trying to make a relationship that would never happen to work, it was just better to direct that effort into making the characters and story better.
OSTs are well...meh. The ending did strike a cord with me and there were several scenes where the music stood out well. But overall, not very striking. They did their job of suiting the atmosphere but once the credits roll, I could't recall having remembered anything. 7/10
Recommended: A nice, enjoyable movie best saved for those rainy days. It is ultimately enjoyable, butt does not fall in the same vein with Studio Ghibli's previous works. 3/5
