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Dec 3, 2009 11:51 PM
#1

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THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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I found it entertaining. I don't have many scenes that particularly stuck out to me, but it was a good way to spend some time. The animation was good and Howl was a fun character.
KinetaSep 9, 2012 7:14 PM


✾✾✾ if only we could be reborn ✾✾✾
Jan 26, 2010 6:25 PM
#2

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3906
A very good movie. Miyazaki is a genius even with other people's works. Now I wonder what it'd be like if Alan Moore and Miyazaki met and discussed adaptions of some sort.
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Feb 5, 2010 11:50 PM
#3

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Jan 2009
28
Master rules!
Standing for Truth. Standing for Justice. Standing Around.
Apr 2, 2010 11:25 AM
#4

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Apr 2009
1873
SCENERY PORN. I mean, whoa.
Not a masterpiece, but a really nice watch nevertheless :) I enjoyed it.
I need to watch Aria, like now D:
- If you believe this place holds you, it is a prison.
If you do not wish to leave, it will become a fortress.


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May 7, 2010 11:54 PM
#5

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Nov 2009
669
Was an enjoyable movie. Amazing animation + great soundtrack. But oh my, the story was so choppy-- the happy ending just came out of nowhere lol.

I have to admit what stole the show for me was Sophie. She's the cutest Ghibli character I've seen so far, just so adorable-- especially with short gray hair <3
Earth gets angry after a kick in the face.
May 14, 2010 10:52 AM
#6

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Apr 2010
278
I needed to watch the show a couple of times to understand it.... @.@
gets confusing with the changing from old to young and what not..... its probably just my slowness... but yesss loved it though~!!! 8/10 ;9
*still liked spirited away better~ :3

love the battle scene howver
May 15, 2010 11:48 AM
#7
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Sep 2009
180
AWWW
happy ending for a good film. I liked that.


p.s. how come she's young again it didn't explain that?
May 25, 2010 7:08 AM
#8

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May 2010
60
Cele said:
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
I found it entertaining. I don't have many scenes that particularly stuck out to me, but it was a good way to spend some time. The animation was good and Howl was a fun character.


I loved the movie. It was awesome!
Boo: "Boo!"
Jun 2, 2010 2:00 AM
#9

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Jan 2009
4908
Now, Japanese lessons in school are awesome. First we watched Ponyo, and now we watched Howl's Moving Castle. Great! : D

Anyway, as for the movie;
God that Witch of the Wilds Wastes sure was ugly xD..
Scarecrow dude was god damn awesome.
Calcifer too. Especially when he's om nom nom'ing stuff xD

Oh and I want on of those cloaks that Markl had : D
Lastly, the one thing I don't get.. What kind of trivial thing did they start that war over anyway? >.>
Protip: I don't really check the forums anymore, so if you want something, take it on my profile.
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Jul 29, 2010 3:02 PM
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Jan 2010
1559
I'll be honest now, this movie was a mess.
It didn't help that I had to watch it in english either.
6/10
Aug 1, 2010 4:24 AM

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Oct 2008
2949
This was the weirdest anime I have ever watched yet but it was fun. It was nice to have a granny as protagonist.
Oct 9, 2010 11:19 AM

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Nov 2009
2021
Sophie was a good character. It was interesting how she gradually changed after meeting the teacher, but it was annoying that it was never really explained.

I am just wondering how he never noticed his missing heart when i picked it (calciifer) up.
Oct 17, 2010 2:36 PM
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Apr 2010
655
woah that ending came fast -___-
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Nov 7, 2010 12:13 AM

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Aug 2010
3232
A really light hearted movie. I liked it.
Jan 11, 2011 6:02 PM

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Dec 2007
663
Honestly I expected less :P I loved Howl. As expected from Ghibli...original, with great animation and plot...Oh well...9/10 (though mb I'm a little too generous ;D )
Oct 30, 2011 12:02 AM

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Aug 2011
37
OH MY GOD THIS WAS AWESOME!!! For a long time i heard of how good this show was, and i thought that it was mostly hype. I watched today and I was blown away. The magic was was incredible and the humor was great and the english voice actors were perfect for their roles. I am officially a huge fan! :-D
Dec 7, 2011 7:00 PM

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Nov 2009
29
ONE of mah all-time favorites !! Just a beautiful movie !!
Such a shame when the war breaks out, everything just gets messy and sloppy !! It would have been a masterpiece if not !! But in mah eyes it is
d: D
Dec 11, 2011 10:21 AM
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Apr 2011
47
wow... so beautiful..
for me this film was pure art(work)..
i'm speechless haha^^
however, i do have to add that for me there were a lot of plot holes. i still have a lot of unanswered questions but i'll be reading the book soon:)
i actually watched it dubbed (which i usually never do..) but howl's voice was surprisingly realing fitting... so deep and mysterious somehow.
i think i'll give it a 9/10 .. or maybe even 8:/
even though i really want to give it a 10.. it just lacks something, but it was SOSOSOSO beautiful to watch.. i smiled like a bloody idiot till it got "dramatic" (and somehow sloppy/messy..xD)..
aww, i just don't get it why they didn't fix it before they made it official.. i mean c'mon, they should have noticed those plot holes.. or maybe they wanted it that way?..
i'm still a bit confused somehow.. i noticed nearly at the very beginning that calcifer had his heart.. that was pretty obvious imho..
mhm, oh well.. i might read some more threads from here, maybe they'll answer some of my questions :3
Jan 15, 2012 9:44 AM

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Jul 2011
785
YESS!!!!!! this is pura art! so beautiful!!

and also! i really really really love The Witch of the Waste, everytime she was on screen i was like LOL what unexpected thing will shel do this time... and of course the scene at the ladder is so funny..

love it! love everything about it, and OMH Howl is soooo sexy!
Jan 25, 2012 12:13 PM
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Jul 2011
142
I loved this movie, it wa son tv ysterday, as I was flipping through the channels I saw it and I stayed up till 11:50! On a school night watching it ;) Love Howl&Sophie <3
That awkward moment when you're watching yaoi then all of a sudden someone walks in...
Apr 1, 2012 7:13 AM

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Mar 2012
165
Why is it episode 1? Is there any other episode of Howl's Moving Castle..?
My anime collection - Anime Re-Encode
May 8, 2012 1:20 PM

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Sep 2011
2107
This movie was a complete mess... Every time they started a storyline they went and completely threw that away, start a new one and do it all over again. I felt like they just couldn't stay with one story, therefore it seems like it didn't have one at all. It was very confusing at times. Some of the characters were likable like Calcifer and the stupid dog. I just didn't really care about the others. The artwork was of course like with every Miyazaki film was beautiful, just like the soundtrack.

With everything considered, I can only give it a 6/10. Didn't even come close to Spirited Away, which was an 8. I'm starting to really hate all the hype around Miyazaki's movies. Most of them are beautiful, but nowhere near perfect. Just like his last movie Ponyo, I didn't see the whole movie, but enough to see how Miyazaki's works seem to be downgrading. Well that's just my two cents :/
Aug 1, 2012 9:13 AM

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Jan 2012
1981
another shit standalone movie.. no surprise there
Sep 14, 2012 6:37 PM

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Apr 2012
845
There wasn't much plot but it still wasn't presented very clearly.

Witch of the Waste fancied Howl, got jealous of Sophie after he met her all of 5 minutes.
Made Sophie appear how she was emotionally (ie boring and old).
Howl is some not-very-interesting pretty guy made interesting by owning a pet fire demon who ate his heart and being a bird magician or something who knows.
Sophie tried to save Howl from fighting some vague armies by destroying his home then deciding to go back inside again as it was raining. Oh *love*.
There was a war and there was a turnip guy and OH he's the prince, that solves everything bye.

I DID like Howl's bedroom though, the artwork there rocked.
Oct 4, 2012 10:10 AM

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May 2010
2452
The storyline is kinda hard to follow.
But nonetheless, I still enjoyed the movie due to its overflowing imagination of magic and fantasy.
Turnip FTW!! :D

I DID like Howl's bedroom though, the artwork there rocked.


Yeah. Very well-detailed.
Jan 21, 2013 10:01 PM

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Oct 2011
660
A good movie, although I find it to be very overrated. It also doesn't help that Sophie keeps changing back and forth between granny and maiden without any kind of explanation as to how she can do that.

7/10

Feb 13, 2013 11:46 PM
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Sep 2008
12
I do like this movie, but some of the scenes are confusing to me. There's one scene or scenes in particular that I can't figure out. It's towards the end when Sophie sees Howl's past when he meets Calcifer. She calls out to Howl and he seems to acknowledge her. She says something like, "Wait for me in the future". Then, once she leaves through the door, Howl is waiting there. She apologizes to Howl for making him wait. Does this mean Howl did see her when he was younger? Has he actually been waiting for her all this time? Those scenes confuse me, so I'm hoping someone might have a good explanation of them.
Mar 3, 2013 12:51 PM

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Apr 2009
12
Another great movie from Studio Ghibli!Really loved it!
Apr 1, 2013 6:12 PM

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Feb 2012
590
RazielZero said:
This movie was a complete mess... Every time they started a storyline they went and completely threw that away, start a new one and do it all over again. I felt like they just couldn't stay with one story, therefore it seems like it didn't have one at all. It was very confusing at times. Some of the characters were likable like Calcifer and the stupid dog. I just didn't really care about the others. The artwork was of course like with every Miyazaki film was beautiful, just like the soundtrack.

With everything considered, I can only give it a 6/10.


My thoughts EXACTLY! Visuals and music were fantastic...but the story was a complete shambles.
Apr 4, 2013 10:17 AM

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Feb 2012
1041
Could be great if they patched up some loopholes like how the heck did she turn young (how did the spell break) and what actually started the war? So confusing, but still enjoyable to watch! Like what the others said, the soundtrack and the art were both superb! 6/10
You can just be yourself. Do things your own way, one step at a time. You'll get there. Just be yourself, you'll be fine."
~Fruit Basket
Apr 24, 2013 2:01 PM

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Jan 2012
2608
This is really a fantastic movie. It has been a while since I've seen such a beautiful story.

Jun 1, 2013 2:10 PM

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Nov 2012
35
While I love every second of the show, it ultimately requires me to shut off my brain and simply enjoy what's shown. Trying to make sense of Howl's Moving Castle, even with the summary of both the adaptation and original in Wikipedia, is simply impossible. The greatest turnoff is how everything boils down to 'Kisses save the world' by the end of it. Nevertheless, an enjoyable show given how magical it is.
Jun 14, 2013 2:18 AM
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Jul 2018
564091

As expected of Hayao Miyazaki -- what a great movie! HOOOOOOWL. You will become as one of my favorite characters. :3 He's so charming. Christian Bale is truly magnificent as his voice actor. THAT BATMAN voice. XD THAT CONCEPT, ANIMATION AND STORY. 10/10 for me. Magnificent.
Jul 4, 2013 9:38 PM

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Mar 2013
513
THE SCENERY. THE ANIMATION. THE COLOURS. THANK YOU GHIBLI! Yes.
Sep 26, 2013 6:00 AM

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Oct 2009
3293
Honestly i expected more after hearing so much about this. But it was still a nice movie, the plot was a mess as was the characters..there wasn't much of development for anyone besides Sophie? But its ok.

I am guessing she turned back because she fell in love or something cheesy like that? :p

Turnip is my favourite :)

Great visuals as expected from Ghilbi and its a good family movie.
8/10
Oct 16, 2013 6:09 PM

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Jan 2011
1055
Nice movie, but i enjoyed some of Miyazaki's other movies more. I also didn't like Sophies (Japanese) voice all that much.
Oct 19, 2013 4:04 AM

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Jul 2013
311
Sophie has been one of the best heroines I have ever come across. She has a spectacular character.
Also, did Howl look like and act like Peter Pan to anyone else?
The art was magnificent. I liked the appearance of the characters at the start but I also liked that it changed.
Oh! The best scene for me was when Sophie and the witch were at the stairs to the palace. Best bit ever!
What this movie taught me: a kiss solves everything.
anime-catOct 19, 2013 7:54 AM
Pirates are evil? The Marines are righteous? These terms have always changed throughout the course of history! Kids who have never seen peace and kids who have never seen war have different values! Those who stand at the top determine what's wrong and what's right! This very place is neutral ground! Justice will prevail, you say? But of course it will! Whoever wins this war becomes justice!
- Doflamingo
Dec 27, 2013 9:19 PM

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Jun 2012
3948
I usually don't care for Studio Ghibli films, but this wasn't bad ^^ I actually watched in dub for once, too, lol, b/c my download had it. lol it had Christian Bale I was like wtf

Calcifer best char! XD

Dec 28, 2013 1:33 PM

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Jan 2013
321
awesome movie i love it
'"Hearts, you say? You Humans are always so quick to speak of such things. As though you carry your hearts in the very palms of your hands. But this eye of mine perceives all. There is nothing that it overlooks. If this eye cannot see a thing, then it does not exist. That is the assumption under which I have always fought. What is this "heart"? If I tear open that chest of yours, will I see it there? If I smash open that skull of yours, will I see it there?4th Espada


Feb 17, 2014 3:09 AM

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Oct 2008
1007
Really is a mess. It had good ideas, but hardly presented them. Even the characterization was terrible and not believable at all.
It's not the most boring Ghibli film, but it's certainly the worst.
Mar 16, 2014 11:42 PM

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Aug 2010
12
Favorite Movie, all the time.
May 8, 2014 3:08 PM

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Jun 2012
536
i got to say this movie pretty much amazed me i did not really know what to expect. because it was Disney and animation it gave a bit of weird vibe one moment i was like yes this is anime the other moment when Disney aspects came i was like this is cartoon + i watched it dubbed which i almost never do so i was at first really having hard time watching it because i wanted it subbed rather then dubbed but my dad can not read very well from distance so had to do dubbed.
(maybe because i did not expect anything and had bad feeling at first it turn out better)

i decided to watch this movie not because i felt like it would be any good to be honest but it was because i was watching movies downstairs and my little brother of 5 years old was complaining he wanted a cartoon or what ever and bla bla bla

but since i did not want to turn on the tv with this children cartoons that get repeated for so many times that i even know the texts out of my head i decided to put a children's movie on for him so i was looking for something new that also i had not seen and at least could enjoy a bit not really specifically anime was not my intention but then this one was along the movies in the list and the cover took my interest as did the photo's on the internet when i researched it also what the story was about took my interest a bit.

so that is how i came across this movie and why i started to watch it now back to the basic.

like i say before it pretty much amazed me the animation was well done okay bit old fashioned but that is actually really making it better for this movie not to mention it was from 2004 so yeah it was good.

you could definitely see that Disney was involved in this since it had a lot of Disney aspects in it as well a lot of moments this movie reminded me of other Disney movies like beauty and the beast and some others.

this Disney like thing was 1 of the reasons that i had my doubt in the beginning since most of time Disney is for young kids but it turn out that the Disney aspect where not all that bad here but i am still no fan of it and beside this aspects it was a really good movie.

i gave it a 8/10 merely because i liked the animation style but like i said i am not big fan of Disney since it is more cartoon like then anime other then that it was good and it was having some good characters in it so all things put together brought me to this score.

(i loved that damn dog with his weird breathing and acting remind me of mudley and precious when they laughed it are 2 dogs from 2 old cartoons i loved in passed when i was like 6 years old i might have re-watched that over 1 k time when i was young)
"When a flat-chested loli hugs you, she holds you closer to her heart"
"--I am a single bullet. It has no heart. Therefore, it does not think. It just flies straight towards its target."
May 16, 2014 11:00 PM

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Jan 2014
4581
It was not a really elaborated story-I was pretty amused though.
A sweet, original idea when it comes to the plot... The animation
was quite good, too. But the characters were the ones who made
the whole film and made me love it. All of them, all of them were...
just awesome! n____n Wouldn't mind to re-watch it sometime ^.^
Aug 16, 2014 8:15 AM

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Jan 2012
1085
Aww liked Howl's blonde hair better... he looked taller at the beginning so I was a bit suprised when he came out half naked...
Also didn't quite get the whole thing with him turning into a monster and all but oh well...
I also thought that Witch of the Waste was a bit annoying... seriously she was weird... Sophie is too nice to her oO
And so her spell wasn't really broken? oO Her mother was also not very nice ><
It was also quite stupid to go out of the castle (destroying it) to go back in... seriously why?!

Didn't quite get a lot of things but it was still pretty nice ><
Jan 16, 2015 11:52 PM

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Jul 2012
1912
The characters, the world, the scenery, and the creativeness made this movie so enjoyable. I was entertained throughout the whole movie :) How beautiful the animation was for this does not make this seem like it came out in 2004 at all ^^

8.5/10
Feb 14, 2015 3:13 AM
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Dec 2011
889
I love it .... true love can break any spell.. every body grew up in character at the end..this is a epic masterpiece :3 how is so hot and adorable and Sophie is so cute they are perfect together :3
Mar 13, 2015 4:39 PM

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Aug 2013
4245
Man, Ghibli animation really is something else. HOw much budget do these studio put in those movies?! It is insane.

Well, the ending sure was cute. But I still don't get how Sophie spell work. How did her age was changing constantly? Was it being affected by her emotions or something. It was really odd how sometime, the spell was active, and sometime, it wasn't at all.

Howl was really charismatic. I don't know why, it may be because he was excentric and because he knew so much nice magic tricks.

I think where the movie failed to deliver is at explaining plot points. For exemple, the ending. At the end, Sophie goes into the past with the help of that door. But how did she go in the past? Was that black door supposed to always send to the past? It doesn't really make sense, since we saw him at some point plunge into the sky and getting out from the black door. They also never really explained what curse Howl had, what was his condition, etc.

Anyway, a solid movie in overall. Ghibli always deliver in term of animation quality.
«Time is passing so quickly. Right now, I feel like complaining to Einstein. Whether time is slow or fast depends on perception. Relativity theory is so romantic. And so sad.»
- Kurisu Makise a.k.a. The Zombie
Mar 27, 2015 10:30 PM
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Sep 2013
1811
was pretty good. loved hearing christian bale do his batman voice when howl was in his Crow form.. story was kinda all over the place but the music + animation were really great. i also really loved calcifer and the scarecrow, probably my two favorite characters in this movie.

7/10 for me.
Apr 1, 2015 5:54 AM

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Jun 2013
1171
This is an epic, magical movie. Studio Ghibli did a pretty good job in terms of animation quality.
Apr 13, 2015 2:16 AM

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Jan 2013
69
That was just so beautiful
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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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