“WHISPER OF THE HEART / 耳をすませば” (1995), ORIGINAL JAPANESE B1 THEATRICAL POSTER, YOSHIFUMI KONDO, STUDIO GHIBLI Scarce B1 Oversize, Original Japanese Release Campaign (1995), c. 72.8 × 103 cm (28.7 × 40.6 in) IA15

An exceptional, first-release Japanese B1 theatrical poster for Studio Ghibli’s beloved Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば). This is the striking dream-city composition: the Baron cat in top hat and cane, paired with a red-dressed storybook heroine suspended above a vast painted cityscape of houses, trees, and monumental towers, all anchored by the bold vertical red title and the romantic yellow tagline 好きなひとが、できました。

For collectors, this is a genuinely difficult Ghibli format. The standard Japanese theatrical poster size is B2; B1 is the much larger oversize display format, produced for far more limited cinema placement and encountered far less often today—especially as an unrestored original with such strong front presentation.

For a title as widely loved as Whisper of the Heart, the combination of original 1995 release status, oversize B1 format, and beautifully atmospheric key art makes this a particularly desirable piece of Japanese theatrical paper.

Date & Japanese Theatrical Release

Whisper of the Heart opened theatrically in Japan in 1995. This B1 poster corresponds to the film’s original Japanese theatrical marketing campaign and is an authentic period item from that first-release era.

The Film & Its Place in Cinema History

Directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, produced by Hayao Miyazaki, and released by Studio Ghibli, Whisper of the Heart is one of animation’s finest coming-of-age films: a tender, observant story of adolescence, creativity, first love, and artistic self-discovery. Based on the manga by Aoi Hiiragi, it occupies a special place in Ghibli history as Kondo’s only theatrical feature, with Miyazaki credited on the poster itself for producing, screenplay, and storyboards.

For many viewers, it is among Ghibli’s most intimate and emotionally resonant works—less outwardly fantastical than some of the studio’s larger-scale epics, yet no less transporting. Original Japanese theatrical paper for Ghibli titles carries special weight because it represents the film’s home-market presentation: how audiences first encountered the work in Japan at the moment it entered culture.

Design Notes

This sheet is a superb and highly distinctive piece of Ghibli key art, made even more powerful at B1 scale:

• Dream-city fantasy composition: a vast, painterly urban landscape rising into enormous cylindrical towers and drifting clouds.
• The Baron at center: the instantly recognizable cat aristocrat in top hat and cane, one of the film’s most beloved visual symbols.
• Romantic fantasy imagery: the red-dressed heroine gives the design movement, elegance, and a storybook sense of suspended motion.
• Bold typography: the towering vertical red title 耳をすませば dominates the right side without overpowering the illustration.
• Original theatrical details: Studio Ghibli branding, Dolby Stereo Digital, Japanese theatrical markings, and the ©1995 柊あおい / 集英社・二馬力・TNHG copyright line are all visible at the lower area—important details that reinforce this as a genuine period cinema poster, not a later decorative print.

The Japanese B1 Format and Why It’s So Hard to Find

Japan’s standard theatrical poster size is B2, and that was the primary format for most cinema campaigns. B1 is a separate oversize category used for more limited, higher-impact display placements such as larger lobby cases and premium in-theater locations. As a result, original B1 Ghibli posters are markedly scarcer than their B2 counterparts.

No official print figures are publicly available for this style, but the practical reality is clear: far fewer B1s were produced, displayed, and saved. Larger posters were harder to store, more vulnerable to handling wear, and less likely to survive in comparable condition. For that reason, first-release B1 examples for major Ghibli titles remain disproportionately difficult to locate today.

About the Filmmakers: Yoshifumi Kondo, Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli

While collectors often focus on a single name, Studio Ghibli theatrical key art is best understood as an extension of the film’s total creative authorship. That is especially true here: Kondo’s direction, Miyazaki’s producing / screenplay / storyboard role, and Ghibli’s in-house design sensibility all converge in an image that feels less like advertising than an invitation into the film’s emotional and imaginative world.

The artwork beautifully reflects what makes Whisper of the Heart endure: quiet emotion, interior fantasy, atmosphere, and longing. The detailed town below feels lived-in and specific; the monumental dream architecture above feels impossible and poetic. That tension between the ordinary and the transcendent is the essence of the film.

Condition Report

Overall presentation: Excellent.
This is a highly displayable original example with rich color, strong image clarity, and a clean overall front presentation. Based on the photos provided, the principal condition notes are light general handling/storage waviness, minor edge wear, and light creasing most visible from the reverse. 

• Front presentation: bright, clean, and visually striking, with no major display distractions evident in the supplied images.
• Handling/storage wear: light surface waviness and gentle creasing visible, especially on the reverse.
• Edges: minor general edge wear consistent with large-format theatrical paper.
• Reverse: blank reverse with red show-through / notation visible near the lower edge, as photographed.
• Authenticity: Original 1995 Japanese theatrical poster — not a reproduction or modern reprint.
• Please refer to the images provided—this is the exact poster offered. Additional imagery available on request.