Did Anna and Marnie Really Kiss in When Marnie Was There? Let‘s Investigate
Hey gamers, Anna here to dive deep on a question that‘s been burning up fan forums about Studio Ghibli‘s When Marnie Was There: did Anna and Marnie actually kiss?
I know this beautiful, haunting film is a far cry from the high-octane action adventures I usually cover. But with so many fans speculation about a potential smooch between the two main girls, I couldn‘t resist doing some digging to get to the truth!
The Short Answer?
No. Based on director Hiromasa Yonebayashi‘s own statements, there is no hard evidence Anna and Marnie lock lips in the movie.
But should they have? Let‘s take a closer look at the clues and fan theories around this potential "ship"!
Director Shoots Down Kiss Speculation
First, let‘s establish what we definitively know. In an interview about When Marnie Was There‘s production, director Yonebayashi said:
"I wanted to depict an innocent and pure relationship between them, so there is no kissing or anything like that."
Pretty unambiguous! As the creative visionary behind this film, seems clear a smooch was never his intention for our main girls.
But could there be hints or subtext in the film itself that leaves the door open for fans to ship Anna and Marnie? Let‘s analyze a bit deeper.
Exploring A Deep Intimacy and Bond
Anna and Marnie share a profoundly intimate friendship. They hold hands often in comfort, dance together under the stars, and even fall asleep cuddling at one point.
The film‘s poster depicts them leaning into one another back-to-back – an image easily interpreted as romantic by fans.
Additionally, Marnie brings Anna to a hidden silo, far from prying eyes, to secretly watch the marshes at night. This intense experience clearly parallels a date-like outing.
So are fans crazy for shipping a potential kiss between them? Not necessarily!
As one Redditor argues:
"The film does an incredible job portraying the intimacy of their relationship. Were Marnie a male love interest, audiences would assume romance no question."
We have to wonder – is Studio Ghibli slyly coding queer themes through Anna and Marnie‘s interactions? Let‘s dig into some of the leading fan theories.
Is This A Case of "Queer Coding"?
For those unfamiliar with the term, "coding" refers to indirect cues and traits used in films or TV to signify a character is LGBTQ without openly stating it.
Why would creators rely on coding vs direct representation? In many cases, cultural stigma or censorship restrictions prevent openly depicting queer relationships.
But could coding be at work in When Marnie Was There? Fans point to a few interesting clues:
- The original novel this film adapts features an openly queer character not included in the movie
- The screenplay was written by an openly lesbian writer, Keiko Niwa
- Dreams and ghosts are used as metaphors for the girls‘ connection
Let‘s analyze these one-by-one.
Missing Queer Novel Character
In the original Joan G. Robinson novel, Marnie has an older female friend named Sara. Their relationship is described as incredibly close and contains overt lesbian overtones.
For the film, Sara is removed entirely. Does merging her intimacy with Marnie into the Anna dynamic constitute coding? Potentially! As one fan theory states:
"Sara was likely compressed into Anna‘s character. But rather than depict a literal queer romance, creators relied on visual coding to convey that subtext."
A Queer Screenwriter
Next, we know openly lesbian screenwriter Keiko Niwa adapted this novel to film. Of course artists don‘t exclusively write what they personally identify with. But could her perspective have influenced coding certain themes?
Dream Metaphors
Finally, some fans believe Anna dreaming her close friendship with Marnie is a metaphor itself for living in the closet.
"Dreams could represent how queer youth silently hope for intimacy their culture doesn‘t allow awake."
Thought-provoking analysis!
A Relationship Open to Interpretation
As gamers ourselves, we know engaging with an immersive fictional universe means endlessly debating details and theorizing on unresolved mysteries.
Does definitive proof they kiss really matter when the intimacy fans perceive obviously resonates so powerfully?
In the end, connecting with narratives is a deeply personal experience. We all see what we hope to see on some level.
So while screenwriter and director statements seem to officially close the case on an Anna x Marnie kiss for now, fans are free to imagine whatever brings them joy!
No kisses shown? That just means it happened off-screen, gamers 😉
Let me hear YOUR interpretations of Anna and Marnie‘s relationship below! And make sure to subscribe for more weekly geeky analysis.
Stay curious!
– Anna
