A Studio Ghilbi anime directed by the everyone-claims-he's-great Hayao Miyazaki. It tells the tale of Pazu, who is an ordinary, young boy who lives alone in a town somewhere, despite the fact he's only like, 10. His dad once told him that he saw a castle in the sky called Laputa one time, and has made it his goal to travel there someday. One day, while he's working, a girl comes falling out of the sky, but she slowed to a float thanks to the mysterious necklace she has. Pazu takes her into his house and befriends here, but soon, several groups are chasing them, wanting the necklace, and their life will never be the same again.
And of course all the parents are dead somehow. You know, that's a trope I never realize until someone points it out. It's true though. Everyone's parents are either dead, traveling, or just plain absent from the story.
Castle in the Sky is filled with cliches... Expect the thing is, due to the fact this is an old and popular movie, for all I know it could've influenced stuff. In a way it's tough to review older anime, as I simply don't know what was cliché back then or how influential the anime is, Fortunately, by the mid 90s or the “Evangelion Age” as I like to call it, everything melds together, tsunderes and moe is born, and you can start complaining more easily about cliches. But seriously, the movie gets really predictable. Especially the beginning. At the halfway point it did get better, but by then I had lost interest in the setting and characters. It also felt way too much like Miyazaki's previous movie, Nausicaa, several elements were the same (the little mascot even returned!). It simply does not have the charm or originality of Nausicaa though. And once they get to the castle in the sky and the bad guys appear, I have to wonder- Why does it matter if the bad guy gets to control this place? It's a castle in the sky. How will it affect Earth?
Castle in the Sky did have its moments though. The middle is good enough right before they go to the castle and heck, even when they're at the castle before the bad guys appear. It's not terrible, just more annoying than anything.
Pazu is the main character of this movie. He's okay himself, obviously an optimist. I disliked Sheeta, the heroine though. Twice in the movie I commented on how useless she was, and twice she also gets kidnapped by the bad guy, having Pazu come and save her. She was just very weak, I mean, she complains about how she's scared to see Laputa and how she doesn't want the stone, which makes no sense! While the stone does have a generic “destruction spell” it has several good powers too, and what's wrong with seeing Laputa? Also, note how she says she's scared. Don't say, show us! There's not much else to add to the fact she's apparently scared besides her saying it. Speaking of that, these kids are way too badass in this movie, Pazu especially. He jumps over a long gap and climbs more vine walls than I care to know. And he's only ten! The villains are also a little weak, but the pirates are good once you get to know them.
The music is good and the voices are good, expect Sheeta who can sound a little whiny at times. Ghilbi's animation is still amazing though god, those I still dislike the backgrounds. They actually used the conspicuously light patch technique in this (you know, where part of the background is lighter than the rest as that's the part that's gonna move),and that always looks really bad. As pictures they're nice, but as anime backgrounds, they fail and just have to much contrast with what's going on the screen.. The character designs are the same as Nausicaa, so good, but maybe slightly dated.
Castle in the Sky might have been unique in its time (maybe), today the story is very dated and likely wouldn't get anyone interested now. It's a classic, so I suppose you might want to watch it, but only if you want to watch all the classic anime out there. Anyone else will be better off watching something else.
