HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE is one of the representing works of master animator, Hayao Miyazaki. This film still has the 2nd highest grossing record of Japanese whole movie history, as a reference, NO.1 movie is also by Hayao Miyazai, it’s Spirited Away. And If I say more, NO.3 is again by the same director, Hayao Miyazaki, it’s Princess Mononoke.
As this proves, you can understand how Hayao Miyazaki is a natonal treasure of Japan. Without him, we Japanese could not have enjoyed the present life time. He showed us a joy of life, and the value of a dream. In other words, he might have been a mental leader for Japanese virtue.
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE became a mega hit movie as always. But some say, after seeing it, this movie is complicated in story and not simply moved like when Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Laputa, or Nausicaa. I also agree to some extent to that opinion.
One thing we need to understand is that Hayao Miyazaki never makes same types of movies. We often expect the best movies in our mind, but for him, it’s just boring to produce the same type. This movie may be a little confusing when following the story. But I don’t think it’s not so important problem in this case.
Please look at the next video first. This is the main theme melody of this movie, and it’s played by the genius composer, Joe Hisaishi. First, we can ease our mind with this beautiful song.
Howl’s moving castle was made for old people, Hayao Miyazaki once said.
He usually makes movies for young children or at maximum, children to young adult. But here he tried to explore to the new border. He says he wanted to draw about the old woman’s simply beautiful love. I suppose one of the reasons for this motive was that Hayao Miyazaki also became old, 60′s.
When Hayao Miyazaki was young, he could pursue more active story and he showed us huge dream or ambition of human, which was a moving encounter for us. But now, he is trying to show the old person’s beauty of mind, I think. Who can deny his way of work ?
Story often changes it’s pace and stages, so some may think it’s confusing. But we should lay ourselves down in the stream of his animation work. His animation,again, is truly beautiful. It’s sinply a work of art. Also the story contains a lot of beautiful themes.
Elder people’s life style, Love as humanity and love as beyond age, Ideal family form and family love, Love between a child and old woman, Love can overcome hardship, and concept of life. These are all included in the story. I think Hayao Miyazaki wanted us to FEEL the genuin love of human, rather than thinking something in the movie.
In the story, I like the child, Markle. He is a little saucy for the first part of the movie, but he gradually likes the old woman, Sophie as his family. And he cries when Sophie, the old woman, seems to be apart from him. It’s beautifully expressed about the transit of the child heart.
Also, the witch of the waste is a really bad woman for the first stage. As the story goes on, she comes back to the wonderful and lovely old lady. Agian, Sophie and Markle take care of her because she is too old to eat or walk by herself. The witch of the waste spelled Sophie to become old woman from teenager. Sophie should resent the witch, Sophie take care of her as human too.
As a top theme of this movie, we should feel ( not think ) about Sophie. She often turns to be young teenager in the story. You may be confused why. But we should feel her words and heart. When Sophie expresses strong love to Howl, she becomes young. Or when she speak about Howl or think about Howl, the power of love makes her young again beyond the power of spell of the witch. It’s not a difficult story as far as we feel it.
Sophie’s kiss with love, at the end, breaks all the spells on the all cast. The love is a simple human love, and the strongest love of Sophie to Howl fianlly takes Howl back to a human from a devil.
Beautiful ending song makes us happy and we feel like we don’t want to leave the world of Miyazaki animation. It’s simply a Miyazaki magic we have many times experienced.
As for me, I didn’t like it so much for the first time. But I understood well what Miyazaki wanted to tell. Now I like this movie very much.
I know that reason why I didn’t like it so much. When I saw it first time, I was young. Now I’m old enough to feel Miyazaki’s message directly into my heart. I’ll repeat it, this movie was made for older people, Miyazaki said.
If you don’t understand this movie now, pleaes see it again when you think you might have grown old.
This movie, HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE is, I ‘m sure, a true masterpiece.
