I wanted to look at another Anime movie, but instead of reviewing it, I wanted to look at various meanings I personally see behind it.

Howl’s Moving Castle is a classic from 2004, which truly rings a bell in all of us: I’m pretty sure if you love anime, you’ve s een it. Plus, it’s a Hayao Miyazaki classic: in my opinion everyone needs to experience his stories.

For those that haven’t, it’s about an ordinary girl who finds her life being thrown into chaos once she encounters a wizard name Howl. She then gets cursed into a 90 year old woman, and follows Howl, trying to find a way to break the curse.

If we look at the main character first of all, Sophie Hatter, we see someone innocent, plain and just ordinary. However, as the story progresses, there’s so much to her character, her desires and her feelings which keep growing as the story develops. I think what Sophie taught me was that it’s okay to dream in life: she wanted something more but almost blamed herself for thinking that way, and not being grateful instead. She also teaches patience but mostly kindness. Once she is turned into a 90 year old woman, we realise how much like an old woman her true self really is: patient, lovely, kind and wise.

Why is there a moving castle however? And why did it keep travelling? Personally, I found it intriguing that the castle never found a dead-end spot.

Wizard Howl on the other hand has a certain charm to him, showing a lot of awareness for what is happening around him, while being trapped in his own ego at the same time. However, what impressed me about him was his constant disapproval and disgust for what people are capable of when they hurt one another. He is a physical example of using your powers for good. However, he also has a very weak and vulnerable state when it comes to love or The Witch of the Waste, which at times complicates things even more, but he eventually pulls through when he is needed (mostly because of Sophie and the courage she offers him).

This story goes through so many stages, so many beautiful t urns and twists, while the characters find one another but also in hope to change and bring hope to the world. I also always loved how the story ended with a turn back to the past: almost insinuating the idea of the future and how it all happened because of a past that even the protagonist wasn’t aware of.

Why is there a moving castle however? And why did it keep travelling? Personally, I found it intriguing that the castle never found a dead-end spot. And having so many doors to exit through also showed that perhaps we truly don’t belong anywhere: maybe we don’t need to have a set destination in order to travel. Being in the castle is what helped Sophie see herself, help others and fulfil her destiny: but she saw so many places and grew as a person because of all she experienced.

Lastly, I wanted to mention Calcifer. He is the fire that keeps the castle alive. But the beauty in him is his surprising fear of everything around him, water, fear of running out of logs and so on. In fact, Howl is much like him, hence being his heart. Both of them are completely connected.

Miyazaki truly puts his heart in every one of his films.

Although they act weak and scared most of the time, Sophie plays such an important role in bringing life into both of them, and showing them that the world out there and your weaknesses aren’t as scary and life-threatening as you may assume.

I think this film has so much to teach, and every time I see it, I see another lesson. Miyazaki truly puts his heart in every one of his films, making sure we always learn something, on top of enjoying some beautiful anime.

But as always, that’s only a one eyed view.

What did you think?