Is "Howl's Moving Castle" Miyazaki's weakest film?
I didn't enjoy this movie as much as I thought I would have. I thought the plot was a bit a boring and the Witch of the Waste was a really annoying character to me. All she did was turn Sophie into an old woman and not feel guilty for it. Not to mention, she picked up Calcifer when she wasn't supposed to and caused the castle to crash.I did really like Turniphead though, I thought it was really funny to see him hopping around the entire movie.
Yes it was.
Very heavy on anti-war feel.
literally miyazaki tries to do anime: the film
You now want bacon & eggs.
I think it's pretty good if you realize it's more of a symbolic story about the concepts of beauty and vanity.
The Witch of the Wastes uses huge amounts of magic to change her appearance, but she's still disgusting. When she's an old woman, she's actually kind of sweet.
Sophie is changed into an old woman too. She doesn't mind though, because she isn't vain.
Howl dyes his hair, because of his insecurity and acts like a child when Sophie pours out his hair dye. He transforms into a beast to symbolism his evil and abuse of magic.
>>64886975
As a visual artist I still found things to enjoy in it, it's still a very beautiful looking movie. Also the soundtrack is one of Hisaishi's best.
But beyond that I think we can all agree it's pretty weak, by no means awful, just really bad by miyazaki standards.
Anyway, I'm glad I saw it.
>>64887351
Like, look at the fucking castle, it's fucking amazing.
We do not all agree. This is my favorite.
that scene where the girl goes through that door into the past is probably my favorite of any miyazaki movie
It's not the best Ghibli by far and its not in my top 5 Miyazaki but it's comfy as fuck and still enjoyable.
I'm a mega turbo pleb and this one is probably my favorite right behind Spirited Away. I can't really get into the older ones.
>>64887593
>>64887546
muh niggas
>>64887449
Looks like something out of metal slug
>>64887675
>I can't really get into the older ones.
>>64887750
I never quite liked Totoro that much, I still think it's good and all, but I'd rather watch Kiki or something.
>>64887750
I liked Totoro too. Had a hard time with Nausicaa. I thought Ponyo was pretty shit.
>>64887750
>>64887351
This, the artistry and the general feel of the movie made it very enjoyable. It's a very comfy film. The English dub was also particularly good.
I thought Ponyo was overall the worst film, it's the only one of his I've ever seen that I didn't enjoy after watching.
This movie was downright awful.
>>64887336
How does something this shallow make the film good?
I've seen the movie but I don't remember anything from the plot really. That castle in the sky movie was way better. That and grave of the fireflies are my 2 favorite ghibli movies by far.
>>64888051
>Grave of the Fireflies
Isn't this not a Miyazaki film?
Porco Rosso a GOAT
it was very "fairy tale"
his other movies have a very organic tone to them. even though they're fantastical, they still have a certain way of ending that makes it feel like a "true" story. like, they talk about having to rebuild at the end of mononoke, nausicaa doesn't fall in love with asbel, totoro barely even has a conclusive ending (which feels very true to life), etc
moving castle is very "and they all got kisses and lived happily ever after!! yaaay!" it suffered from being an adaptation of an already existing novel, you can tell that it was hard to condense all of the story, especially the conclusion, and still have it be the story miyazaki wanted to tell.
really, you liked turnip head? he was the cheapest part of the story. deus ex machina to make the war go away and the ending even more unrealistic and fairy tale happy
BEEP BEEP
Don't mind me just taking out the garbage
>>64886975
Bale was such an odd choice for the dub, his casual speaking voice doesn't suit a character who has a wry smile while talking all the time
>>64888234
>>64888072
correct. it's a studio ghibli film, but miyazaki had nothing to do with it. miyazaki was working on totoro at the time, and the two films were actually originally released as a double feature
Howl had goat music
Only Spirited Away had better and the rest I can't even remember
>>64888330
https://youtu.be/HaWD_YR0aCo
How can anything even compete?
>>64888234
wew lad
suck my cock for real
>>64888330
Mononoke and Wind Rises had a great score as well, but you're correct that Spirited Away and HMC are probably the top two scores of all of Miyazaki's works.
>>64888234
>look mom im being contrarian on the internet again
>>64886975
i think this was the first miyazaki movie i saw (the dub). i don't like watching dubs because i can't tell if i just didn;t like the dub or if i didn't like the movie at all.
anyway yeah it's ok but definitely the worst of the studio ghibli stuff i've seen. it doesn't really take the time to develop any of the themes it introduces and there is nothing rewarding about it.
>>64888072
apparently it was by Isao Takahata. I still liked it more than most of the Ghibli movies I've seen. I watched totoro and spirited away twice, and even after the second time I honestly still don't get why everyone liked them so much....
>>64888323
>double feature
An adorable japanese classic and the most depressing movie ever made, it's a perfect fit
>>64886975
I thought it was a okay movie. It's a shit adaptation, but it was a okay movie. The part where Sophie and the Witch were climbing the stairs had me laughing..
I've never really cared that much for Miyazaki's stuff though.
It's better than Ponyo or Totoro
I don't understand the love for Totoro, other than it being a fairly iconic design of a creature
Both Ponyo and Totoro are too much just children's films imo
I really Liked Whisper of the Heart. Too bad Kondo ate it.
>>64888103
porco rosso made me cry manly tears
>that bit about the dead pilots flying forever in the stratosphere
>>64888520
I've never had to actually defend Spirited Away in an argument about quality so I'm really not sure how to answer this to be honest.
The character development in SA was handled very well, the story was wrapped up nicely without the usual "finalness" that is common to children/family movies, the score and visuals were both amazing, the world was fun and imaginative, and the themes, while not being particularly deep or complicated, were also presented well.
I don't like to use the phrase "heartwarming" to describe works of art, but I think in the case of Spirited Away it is certainly an appropriate descriptor.
Has good art, good music, good voice acting, simple but charming story BUT it has am awful ending. It just ends in a very anti-climatic way like seriously it needs to be study as "how not to structure a story" because I think l've never seen a big film with a more anti-climatic ending.
I dont know if it was meant to be 20 minutes longer but they ran out of money and had to cut or something but holy shit it hurts the picture so much...
>>64888330
Kiki, Kaguya, Mononoke, and Totoro all had better music than Howl.
How could someone like a movie so devoid of character and development? So many meandering scenes and nonsensical character actions are present in the film. And the ending is absolutely horrible.
official miyazaki film rankings
1. laputa
2. nausicaa
3. spirited away
4. mononoke
5. porco rosso
6. literal garbage
7. everything else
anyone that argues with this is probably a virgin
Did anyone else fall asleep during kikis delivery service but thoroughly enjoy only yesterday here?
From what I've heard most people liked kikis way more than only yesterday.
>>64888782
Only Yesterday is fairly obscure for some reason, but I like it
>>64888779
Laputa was anime tier shit. Totoro a best.
>>64888779
Nausicaa is only technically great (for its time). Otherwise, it's just myriad of cliches, weak characters and story, and its imagery suggests nothing beyond the superficial, which is even explained to you as if you were an idiot. A mediocre movie that lacks actual imagination. Even the score isn't good.
>>64888685
I don't really disagree with anything you said. It was a solid movie, but I just didn't think it was as engaging as people think it was. I did enjoy it though, one of my favorite ghibli movies thats for sure.
Now totoro I really can't make that case for. I seriously have no fucking clue how people can say that movie was anything other than "meh"
>>64888782
>>64888868
miyazaki had nothing to do with only yesterday, so. yeah. not relevant to the thread.
also, it's obscure because it was the only theatrical Studio Ghibli feature not yet released on home video in the United States or Canada. it's going to be released in american theaters this year
>>64886975
No fucking shit it's his worst. It's based on an American YA Novel which is stunningly mediocre. It's got plenty of good ideas but you're a shit eating pleb if you think this is a good movie, let alone a good miyazaki movie. It's loads better than the novel and it's still a pile of shit.
>>64888782
Can't really be compared. I liked Kiki's but Only Yesterday is one of my favorite Ghibli flicks.
>>64888103
Porco Rosso is my favorite even though it's by no means the "best" Miyazaki film. Seriously it's just a fun movie to watch.
So what's new with ghibli? I heard they got sold off recently or something.
I'm about to graduate film school and I have to say spirited away is still the best thing I ever saw.
>>64889593
>I'm about to graduate film school
wow you just invalidated your comment before you even made it
come back and give your opinion when you're somebody worth listening to like a doctor or an engineer or a lawyer :)
>>64889657
>worth listening to
>lawyer
>>64889229
>Can't really be compared.
They are definitely totally different movies, but still just from public opinion it seems like kikis is constantly near the top of lots of peoples "favorite" lists. Kikis bored me to death.
I've never really liked a studio ghibli film. Even after rewatching some of them in Japanese and knowing more Japanese culture, I still didn't find them amazing.
>>64889740
they're different movies because they were directed by different people.
in the context of this thread, they aren't comparable and only yesterday isn't even relevant, miyazaki didn't direct it.
more people like kiki because it got an american release. after only yesterday is released in america this year, maybe that will change
>>64889951
isn't the star wars chick going to be in that re-release? Not that it will help things much.
>>64888779
>no kiki's delivery service
>>64890054
that's #7, i hated it. wasn't comfy at all, just boring
>>64890042
it's actually not a re-release, as it was never released in america. and yes, daisy ridley is involved the english dub
The book was GOAT.
>>64886975
I liked it. Each to their own I suppose.
[Spirited away is my favourite]
>>64890143
hmm. I must have watched the Japaneses sub. still I can't imagine this film does very well in it's release here. Even though it really is good.
>>64890211
>Each to their own I suppose.
hello reddit
>>64890310
the subbed version was shown once on turner classic movies during a ghibli tribute.
why can't you imagine it doing very well?
I love that movie because it's beautiful and has great music and fun characters, but the plot is all over the place and ties it up too quickly.
Both Ponyo and Howl are super interesting because they are bad films that are still strong examples of great filmmaking.
>>64890450
is it going to be in theaters? it could do alright on tv, but in theaters it will do AWFUL. that's a guarantee.
>>64890791
christ, nobody in this thread knows how to use google.
North America – The film remains the only theatrical Studio Ghibli feature not yet released on home video in the United States or Canada, although a subtitled version of the film was aired on Turner Classic Movies in January 2006, as part of the channel's month-long salute to Miyazaki and Ghibli. The film's home video release and distribution rights in North America belong to Disney.[10] GKIDS announced in 2015 that it will release the film in theaters in North America in 2016 along with an English dub, with actors Daisy Ridley, Dev Patel, Ashley Eckstein and Alison Fernandez confirmed to lend their voices.[11]
It is scheduled for release January 1, 2016 in New York City and nationwide in the United States on February 26, 2016. [12]
you still didn't actually state a reason why.
>yfw you read the nausicaa manga and the movie only represents the first 1.5 volumes of a 7 volume series and it keeps going
>>64886975
Ponyo is much worse.
I know everything about Miyazaki, ask me any questions you have about him or his movies.
>>64890886
why would i google when I could bump a dying thread with random questions?
>>64890920
the manga is SO GOOD! it would be cool if there were a tv series or something
has anyone watched ronia the robber's daughter? opinions?
Nausicaa is my favorite by far.
>>64890981
Get fucked, I love Ponyo.
Is no one gonna mention this one?
one of my personal favs
>>64891712
my favorite too. it's indiana jones before indiana jones was even a thing.
>>64891712
Anyone play the ps2 game? I bought it but never opened it.
>>64891898
treasure of the sorcerer king? i've heard it's a mediocre stealth game but it's super faithful to the lupin franchise, like the humor and characters and everything.
>>64886975
>Is "Howl's Moving Castle" Miyazaki's weakest film?
Watch Ponyo and you tell me
>>64892512
this
>>64892512
a lot of people harsh on ponyo but I think it's just because we weren't kids when it came out
>>64892880
I think a lot of Ponyo's problem is that it has the least number of things "for adults" compared to all of Miyazaki's other explicitly kid movies. There isn't as much...I don't know..."original" cuteness in Ponyo as in something like Totoro or raw imagination as something like Spirited Away. It just doesn't have the wonder of all of Miyazaki's other fare, and if Miyazaki is known for anything it's the sense of wonder that his films convey.
>>64888234
I actually had a conversation with somebody last night about this movie, and Ashitaka in particular. We think that he was more of a driving force than an actual character, he didn't have an arc to develop into, but rather the world came to fit his goals.
It's still probably my favourite Ghibli, but I don't think Ashitaka was the greatest protag.
>>64887537
It's either this or castle in the sky for me
>>64889112
I grew up with it. I was raised on it from birth. It's a beautiful film, and I respect that it comes off as more mature than other kids films, but I agree that the plot is nothing special. However, I can still enjoy it immensely from the nostalgia factor alone.
>>64893096
one thing that Miyazaki does with Ponyo that I love is that he portrays the positives of natural disasters. We (justifiably) focus on death and destruction with tornadoes and floods and tsunamis, but these also create a natural beauty within the places they attack and bring communities together as they rebuild.
It's indirectly sadistic to have this point of view, but it's just so fucking interesting to see it explored in a movie made for toddlers like this.
>>64893271
>I was raised on it from birth.
underage b&
>>64888003
watched the english dub the other day and I was surprised to find it was pretty watchable for an animated movie
>>64887675
disgusto
>>64886975
Its got a dark fairy tale feel to it. I just love the theme of beauty and how its only skin deep.
Out of all Hisaishi's ghibli work Carousel of Life is my favorite
>>64886975
I loved it.
Howl's and Princess Mononoke are my favorite Miyazaki films and I don't get why people think they're his weakest.
Nausicaa>>Mononoke>>>Everything else.
memero for top scorer to be honest
Goes on >>>/a/.
you are now aware that nobody has even mentioned il porcellino in this thread
>objectively GOAT music
>GOAT visuals
literally you should all kill yourselves.
>>64886975
>>>/a/
>>>/co/
This board discusses television and films not cartoons
>>64886975
It was fairly weak, and it doesn't help that its story is inferior to the one told by the book. It strays too far from the source material, yet doesn't go anywhere worthwhile
>God tier:
Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke
>Great tier:
Kiki's delivery service, My Neighbor Totoro, Whisper of the heart, Howl's moving castle
>Good tier:
Porco Rosso, Castle in the sky, Ponyo on a cliff by the sea, The Borrower Arrietty
>Not even that good tier:
Nausicaä of the valley of the wind (the manga is far superior), The Wind Rises, Up on Poppy Hill, Tales from Earth Sea
>>64897194
Blind and shit taste. Porco Rosso is an immature bore despite not being made for kids. Goes to show you the measure of Miyazaki's ability as a director.
>>64886975
Shit taste OP
>>64893200
Oh no doubt, but that's just like Mad Max; they're the protagonists, but they're more our vessels to the universe than anything else.
>>64896702
i can agree with this
>>64897386
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4SyyLJKmUk
don't you have to be eighteen to post here?
>>64896612
Only a total fucking retard would think Mononoke is anywhere near his weakest film. It's debatable on whether or not it's his best, certainly, but you would have to be a special brand of idiot to honestly argue it was anywhere near the bottom.
>>64893200
There's nothing wrong with a character being a driving force in the movie when it's executed correctly. Ashitaka still had a personal struggle unique to his character compared to everyone else's, and one of the best parts is that even though he was in the common role as the sole voice of balance in between two warring sides of excess, his reason for being so was tied directly into the story instead of just being some generic "dude we are the world let's all hold hands just because it's the right thing to do" bullshit that usually gets foisted on to characters who serve the same role in other stories.
