Howl's Magic Castle: details

[dangermousie]

No, my seeing it and loving it doesn't mean I'll turn into a lover of anime, but this one movie I really did enjoy, and I don't even like anime. So, hunt it out in your local arthouse.

Plot: Sophie, a young woman who designs hats, is cursed by the Witch of the Waste to look like an old crone. She takes refuge and tries to find out how to break the spell in Wizard's Howl's moving castle, where she makes friends with his boy apprentice and his cranky fire demon, acquires a dog and an old lady (long story), and falls in love with Howl himself, who is likewise under a spell of sorts.

I thought the animation was utterly beautiful. I want to live in Howl's castle myself (though preferably after Sophie has cleaned it). And I adore Sophie who reminds me of one of those unflappable, pragmatic Heyer heroines. In fact, the whole relationship between her and the mysterious and moody Howl, who is cartoon-drop-dead-gorgeous (if I were a cartoon I'd be his groupie), reminds me of Mary Challoner and Dominic Alastair in Heyer's "Devil's Cub," though Howl is a lot sweeter.



OK, more reasons to like:

1. It's been a long time since I liked a female movie heroine as much as I do Sophie (how sad is that, that the best woman's role this year is animated). She's pragmatic, she's self-posessed, she is funny and she is also quite lovable. From her first, matter-of-fact and resigned response to girls who warn her about Howl because he eats women's hearts (something that, Miyazaki not being Tarantino, is luckily untrue), that she is in no danger because Howl only goes after "beautiful girls" to her wry comment on being an old lady (at least after panic has abated) that at least now her dowdy clothes suit her, to her response to Howl's temperamental reaction to change in hair-color....mmmmm, I love her!

2. I thought the scene where Howl saves her from the soldiers and they literally walk on air as people waltz beneath them is beautiful. It looks like Howl and Sophie are waltzing too.

3. I want to live in Howl's castle. It's so perfectly magically wonderfully rickety and cluttered. And I like the symbolism that at the end, his castle can fly.

4. I really liked the pacifist message. The two countries are at war but we never learn why and it seems like the prototype for World War I. The war ruins Sophie's beautiful town, and Howl refuses to join his Kingdom's wizards to fight the war, instead trying to get rid of the vessels with the bombs...

5. Scarecrow. Only this time he is sweet and friendly and VERY helpful.

6. Sophy and the Witch of the Waste climbing the palace steps. Sophie might be old but she is still better at it than the fat, obnoxious witch.

7. Howl. I really like him. He is rather dryly funny and sweet. And a bit of a primadonna. Heeee. And not a coward at all, whatever he says.

8. When Howl takes Sophy to his secret meadow, it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen, with the multi-colored flowers, streams with clouds reflecting in them....it is utterly gorgeous.

9. Sophie trying to save Howl at the end and thinking she's killed him. Awwwwwww....

10. At the end, the spell on Sophie doesn't matter, because whenever she is asleep or really happy or really in love, she is back to her young self and thus she is young with Howl, spell or no spell. I also like that her hair stays grey and he thinks it's beautiful, like starlight. Yes, it's probably symnolic about nature of love etc etc...and it makes me sniffle. Yeah, I am a sap. Deal with it.

In other news, crumpeteer posted about Batman Begins and expressed what I felt only better than I could. Go read it here

Comments

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Studio Ghibli puts out some beautiful anime. I love my bishounen (Howl is definitely one) and a good dry hero.

PS, none of your pictures work!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Grrr. Will fix pics.

"bishounen"?????

good dry hero

for some reason, I am thinking of martinis now.

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Bishounen = japanese term meaning "beautiful boy."

Howl would probably be more appropriately described as "biseinen," or "beautiful man," but bishounen is the standard term.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

LOL. Dry as in sense of humor. Though he does rather sound like a drink now.

Bishounen is Japanese for "pretty boy" and the term is and affectionate one used to refer to male anime characters who are extremely attractive (I have a lot of them in my icons obviously *blush*). Those characters generally get a lot of fangirls (just like real hot guys, amusingly enough). Howl would be considered a bishounen or "bishie" as we call them. You've obviously figured out by now that I'm really into anime. I like my men with issues and angst, be they 2 dimensional or 3.

Here's a HMC icon community you might want to look at.
http://www.livejournal.com/community/hm_icons/

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Biseinen doesn't get used much, since bishounen has sort of turned into a blanket term (particularly because age is sometimes hard to judge with anime characters) for anime hero characters.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the explanation! :)

*is off to forage for icons*

I prefer my men 3-D but a pretty cartoon makes a nice change of pace :D

Oh, and I've fixed all the links. They should work npw.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

After watching long series with certain characters it's hard to not get attached to certain ones, especially when some of them have some wicked adult senses of humor and some of them are just complete "cooler than thou" characters.

Ghibli has a more rounded out style to their anime that makes it look a bit more cartoonish than a lot of other anime.

[katranna.livejournal.com]

You know, I think dangermousie might like Escaflowne; what do you think?

Admittedly, I can't think of anyone there she could fancy (Van being angsty but too young and really pretty ordinary, Allen being the right age and with issues, but ones that are slightly creepy more than sexy, Folken being noble and angsty and issue-full, complete with mechanical arm and all, but I doubt she'd go for his looks, and Dilandau being totally not her type)... but it's a lovely fantasy with some beautiful scenes and strong female characters and all.

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Right, which is why I said it's the standard term. :-) I just wanted to clarify in case dangermousie wondered why we were calling Howl a "boy." Biseinen is used more frequently in Japan, though. (More frequently than here, I mean.)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Eeeee...evil katranna, trying to drag me into anime :)

But yes, cute boys ate a must, books, movies, toons or advertisments :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

P.S. I have been scarred bor life by that Miaki/whatever his name business you liked when you were younger.

[katranna.livejournal.com]

I didn't like it! I only read like, three issues of it and watched an OAV. Heheh, but crumpeteer apparently likes it, since Hotohori's in her user info.

Plus, hey, you loved it. Miaka! Tamahome! Miaka! etc.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Escaflowne the movie would probably more up to speed, since Van looks a little older, Allen is a badass without the issues in that and Folken is just pure bad instead of tortured (though I like Folken a lot, mullet and all).

I'd always advise Rurouni Kenshin with it's historical bent and tough females. Even Inuyasha has some fiesty women. I also love Last Exile. Alex Rowe is the coolest rogue captain out there.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

LOL! You mean Fushigi Yuugi? I'm very fond of Yuu Watase, the writer. I'd like to strangle Miaka though. Stupidest female character EVER. You have to be in a soap opera-y mood for FY.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Husband watches Inuyasha sometimes and if I never hear "Inuyasha" screech that cartoon network does to advertise it, I'll be happy :)

Looked up Escaflowne but doesn't seem to be my speed at all (I draw a line at 15 year old girls saving the world or men who are really women :) I'll do some searches on Rurouni Kenshin, but I foresee that Howl's will be a one-off for me.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, I can still remember the Miaka/Tamahome cry....

Miaka really sounds like a Mary Sue, except she isn't fanfic, so couldn't be.

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Gah! YOu looked up spoilers! Ugh!

Anyway, I don't care about your narrow-minded attitude on 15 year old girls or men-who-are-women, I'm set on making you watch it now. (Be happy I won't subject you to Utena, which is philosophically mind-fuck-like brilliant, but has 14 year old girls who are really boys who are really dead women who really don't exist, etc.)

The Inuyasha dub is horrid beyond all comprehension, and CN is evil. I'm... not so sure on my stance on Inuyasha in all, actually.

The movie is... eh. Admittedly I watched it in Japanese, but it really doesn't have most of the charm of the series, does it? I mean, it has some of the most beautiful art ever, but it's kind of on the gloomy side, and without the beautiful plot to back it up. You have to be in the mood for depressed teenagers to watch it, really.

PS

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Re: Kenshin--I think the series wouldn't work, but I'd love to make dangermousie watch the first OAVs. Angst and beautiful art and star-crossed tragic love and hero with issues up to his neck and all.

Re: PS

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OAV??????

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Original Animation Video.

Kind of like a direct-to-video movie, except without being crappy like American direct-to-video releases are.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I looked up pics and at least the men are cute (at least I assume they are men. It seems that concept is fugible :D)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

P.S. I think I have seen an episode of it on late night CN once. The guy was cute but the girl (whoever she was) was awfully screechy. I am interested, however...

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Ugh, Utena. That one even loses me.

Dubs are normally awwwwful, which is part of the problem with americanized anime. The Saiyuki dub makes me want to vomit. Not a fan of the Inuyasha one either.

I love Trigun though. Quite funny, very poignient in its message and I LOVE Vash and the redemption story line with Wolfwood is heartbreaking.

For more serious, Peacemanker Kurogane is extremely good as is Cowboy Bebop. Bebop analyzes a lot of issues about revenge and living.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Kenshin is a sweetheart with more issues than a person should have. Sanosuke is sweet too, in that more masculine way.

Another character of interest in the series is Aoshi, who has the coolest fighting style I've seen in older series. He also has issues coming out the nose.

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Right--the early OAVs have a different girl.

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Aww, but Utena is amazing! I mean, it's surrealist and bizarre, but it's genius (what I've seen so far, anyway).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OK. Men with long hair...you win. I want to watch :)

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Yay, we should set a date!

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Kenshin and Tomoe will break your heart. Kenshin breaks my heart anyway. It's another case of a good man becoming something he's not and then paying for that choice. Kenshin is a good man, but he's done some unforgivable things. The OVAs are gorgeous.

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Crap, I just read a full summary of the OAVs (to make sure I didn't forget anything that might change my min don watching them with you), and it nearly made me cry. So damn sad. You'll love it.

But I might have to give you a quick lesson on Japanese politics of the era, just so you'll know who's fighting whom and why.