The movie is as mysterious and gloomy as the book, and it succeeded in delivering that wonderful twist at the end. Sure, the pacing was a little faster and minor characters did not appear on film, but both tell the exact same story. Both the book and the movie did not discuss exactly how Anna met Marnie and whether it was all just an imagination or a dream.Īll in all, the book and the movie are not much different. However, it was Sayaka’s mother and not Anna’s adoptive mother who finally revealed Marnie’s identity to Anna. Similar to the movie, it was Hisako who shared the story of the young Marnie and how she grew up. She became friends with the entire household and together they investigated about the girl behind the diary that was left behind in the house. In the book, Anna met Sayaka’s entire family after realizing that meeting Marnie had not been real. It was how the mystery was solved that was a bit different. The movie adaptation did a pretty good job in presenting the mystery surrounding Marnie’s character. Studio Ghibli did her a favor by giving her sketching as a hobby.Īnd then she met Marnie and we all know how they became secret friends amidst the strange and borderline creepy appearances. Her character is pretty much like the bird in the book that always seems to cry, “Pity me! Oh, pity me!” It also doesn’t help that she does completely nothing in the book. She’s very much self-aware of it and yet does not bother exerting enough effort to be otherwise. Pages upon pages are dedicated to her brooding over her always being on the “outside”.

Many have commented about Anna’s introversion in the movie, but it's so much more depicted in the book to the point that some readers might say she’s frustratingly unlikable. Also, the dark and dreaded wind mill is a silo in the movie. You surely won’t read anything about a Tanabata festival in the book.

The book was set in a seaside town of Norfolk, England but was changed to a similar setting in Japan so names apart from Anna and Marnie were changed as well. There are a few differences between the book When Marnie Was There and the movie adaptation Omoide no Marnie though most are insignificant.

Novel when marnie was there