When Marnie Was There

When Marnie Was There 思い出のマーニー is an anime adaptation that is loosely based on the book of the same name by Joan G. Robinson. WMWT is about a 12-year-old girl named Anna Sasaki who is sent to Hokkaido to spend the summer with relatives. While exploring, she comes across an abandoned mansion and a girl who lives there named Marnie.

I wasn’t quite sure of what I was about to get myself into, but this movie was amazing. I also wasn’t expecting a Ghost Story or a time travel movie depending on how you choose to look at it. When Marnie Was There is stunning. The animation looked so good, color wises, and just how its weaved together frame by frame. The sound design was spot on, everything sounded like I imagined it would. And the characters were all likable, even though Anna comes off as a little jerk as first.

But what I quickly realized was that Anna was just a lonely kid who felt neglected. She had no blood connection, and that was something that she yearned for. So an unbiased and kind embrace was precisely what she needed. A Marnie presented that for her.

As the story progresses, you learned that this is something that Marnie could relate too. While her story was sad, I was expecting something more tragic. Like Marnie dying young and hence why she manifests herself in this form. Plus It was a ghost story; I was expecting a lot worse.

WMWT is about Anna, through meeting Marnie, she turned from this bitter and resentful person to one that was happy and grateful. Sasaki (and Marnie) got the closure that she needed and was able to send Marnie off with a touching goodbye. Anna really came full circle, and referring to her guardian as her Mother rather than her Aunt was solid proof of that.

I enjoyed this movie way more then I thought I would. It’s really stunning and leaves your heart full. I’d say that’s a good ending.

What are you’re thoughts on When Marnie was there?