Ironically, despite its attempt at minimizing costs, the films ended up going over in terms of both budget and schedule.
Ocean Waves isn't actively bad — just utterly unmemorable. A made-for-TV movie with a lower budget than normal Ghibli products, its lack of ambition is as expected as it is uninteresting. Ironically, despite its attempt at minimizing costs, the films ended up going over in terms of both budget and schedule.