Howl’s Moving Castle

An idle week after being back from Shanghai. Hot, sticky and humid weather has successfully stopped me from stepping out of the house, granting me some excuses of sleeping and watching movies. I guess that’s what makes a coach potato.

Today I reviewed the Howl’s Moving Castle created by Hayao Miyazaki. It’s been ten years since I first watched it on TV. Filled with nostalgia, I deliberately chose the Cantonese track to remind me of the old days when I was young.

But the feelings are totally different. This time, I have noticed some details that haven’t been noticed before. Hayao’s movies, as always, are warm and thought-provoking, very delicate and hearted. I like the doors of the moving castle. Whenever you turn the handle, you can switch to the places you want to go. A garden full of green, flowers, lakes and happy fish, or a crowded town filled with laughter or speech, or even a place where you can only find yourself in freezing cold wind, these are the places the door would take you to, if you want. I do envy Sophie in the movie, not only because she finally ends up with the handsome and warm-hearted Howl, but more because she would be able to go anywhere she prefers, using the door.

I still hold the belief that people, extrovert or introvert, need a time and a place to relax and reflect. I wish I had the door in Howl’s castle, where I can still bravely face the currents of the rapid and competitive real world while still have a place for self-reflection. I can enjoy the real world, make myself money, fit with the competition while still have the pleasure of remaining my own spirit and standards.

Recently I incurred another thought that those traits like bravery, tough and self-respect that seem to be very common and basic, in fact are actually some qualities that are difficult to acquire and keep, for me especially. Sophie is brave. She is fearless. I want myself to be like her too, a brave girl with self-respect, knowing how to love myself and love the world.

No doubt it is an excellent movie. It also arouses lots of self-reflection. I feel pretty warm and full now.