Kochi highschooler Taku Morisaki is going about his work when his friend Yutaka Matsuno calls and asks him to get to their school as soon as possible. Taku arrives, and Matsuno introduces him to the beautiful Tokyo transfer student Rikako Muto. After a chance encounter during their Hawaiian class trip, Taku suddenly finds himself more involved in Rikako’s personal life. Struggling to balance his friendship with Matsuno and his interest in Rikako, Taku must come to terms with his feelings. The more famous 1993 Ghibli film directed by Tomomi Mochizuki was based on a 1992 novel by Saeko Himuro.
Part of the subset of Ghibli films with a contemporary Japanese setting not directed by Miyazaki, Ocean Waves depicts Kochi and Tokyo in a very true-to-life but artistic and cinematic manor.