Summer Movie Review: Howl's Moving Castle

Howl’s Moving Castle is a movie that will go unseen by most Americans because it hails from a genera unappreciated and misunderstood by many in our great nation. It is an anime movie from Japan and as such is a bit different from what we normally expect in from things that we class generically as “cartoons.” One of the things I like about Howl’s Moving Castle is how each character is individually seems to represent some great flaw in mankind that they must overcome. Howl, for example, represents both vanity and cowardice. He is an extremely powerful wizard, but when his hair is accidently died a different color he completely loses his mind and says, “If I can’t be beautiful, I would rather be dead.” While on the one hand we might dismiss such a comment as completely outrageous, how many women are out there who feel the same way and struggle with eating disorders? For one to place their entire self worth in how they look is to forget about the fact that we are all children of God. Jesus died for our sins no matter what we look like and calls us to develop a much deeper inner beauty that will never fade with the mere passing of time. There is also the Witch of the Waste, who is completely absorbed with having the hearts of as many young men as possible. She pursues Howl not as someone to love and care for until death, but rather as a young, handsome man who is merely a trophy. Something to own as a possession rather then a person to be respected. While this is generally an attitude that men hold towards women, it is no less disordered when turned the other way. In the end she is forced to give up Howl’s heart to someone else who truly loves him for who he is. There are other interesting characters in the movie, each with their own personality flaws, but I encourage you to see it for yourself. Even though many of us are tempted to dismiss anime as something that is either for little kids or morally offensive, this is often times only extreme cases. While Howl’s Moving Castle may appear as just another cartoon, it deals with complex issues such as the morality of war and those who are forced to fight as well as love, friendship and kindness. It is certainly a welcome alternative to the glorification of violence and sexuality that seems to flow out of Hollywood these days. .