Howl's Moving Castle

The transition from a steampunk fairy tale to a philosophical adventure full of various metaphors was so smooth that I didn't even notice it and I was entertained from beginning to end, even though I was sometimes confused about what was going on, especially in the finale. I’m sure I’ve written several times already that Miyazaki's imagination is admirable, but I'll happily write it again. A beautiful film with a beautiful idea. (2023-10-14)

The most romantic creation from the Master of fantasy. Throw away the quality standards because here we fly over mountains, doors open into four different spaces, all the main characters change their appearance, and magic is not far away. And the world of animated film is once again richer by one little treasure, much to my immeasurable joy. (2008-12-08)

I can't help but like this movie the most from Miyazaki so far, where does a Princess Mononoke a.k.a. eco-agitator go? :-) No, but I just find this a beautiful story with music that suits it. My only regret is that he didn't dye his hair back in the end, he really liked the blonde one better :-)) Daisuki! I'm going to bed with a smile on my face, reassured. And I like it that way because I want to have a good night's sleep. But that doesn't belong here anymore. ;-) (2009-05-07)

What I appreciate about this film is its unpredictability. Miyazaki completely breaks the stereotype of fairy tales or fantasy stories – you have no chance to guess what will happen in the next few minutes, you are constantly surprised, the differences between bad and good characters are blurred (the one who is the embodiment of evil at the beginning can become a good friend) and all this happens without any stumbles in logic. Moreover, Miyazaki is like a small child, blessed with a vivid imagination, throwing one obscure idea after another in front of him. The film combines the classic fairy tale world with the industrial age of steam, the classic world of magic with crazy war mechanisms. The viewer's senses are so overwhelmed that the final impression sometimes teeters on the verge of being cluttered (which is my only complaint). (2012-02-16)

Very beautiful animation, we will all agree on that, but that story… At the beginning I was satisfied and surprised; I’ve never been a fan of Japanese anime, so I was caught off-guard with how much I was enjoying Howl's Moving Castle – a nice fairytale with magic, charm and likeable characters. But somewhere around the middle, things change completely and I didn’t understand anything; I have no idea what started to happen and why. The character that up to that point was supposed to be the main villain suddenly becomes the best friend. Really, what the fuck? I don’t quite get all that praise for Miyazaki’s films. Maybe it’s because my mentality is too anchored in the west, I don’t know. 60 % (2010-12-25)