Therapist Reacts to HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
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How do you find joy in the world despite unideal circumstances?
Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are joined by editor and fellow filmmaker Sophie Telléz to discuss one of her favorite movies, Howl's Moving Castle. They talk about Sophie’s (the character, not our guest) lack of confidence and her journey of radical acceptance toward self-worth. Sophie (our guest, not the character) explains why the movie and character resonate with her so much. She praises the voice actors, especially Christian Bale… who sounds like Batman sometimes? They talk about how Sophie’s (the character, not our guest) aging physically and metaphorically transforms her, and Alan is gleeful about the magical whimsy. More whimsy!
This episode was filmed during the Writer’s Strike.
According to SAG-Aftra, independent film reviewers are welcome to discuss movies that have already come out. These films were produced under previous contracts and wouldn’t be affected by any changes resulting from the strike.
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Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
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It’s like it’s so easy for Sophie to take on the identity of an old woman because it takes away all the pressures and expectations society has for young people (like having to be beautiful and finding a husband etc). It gives her this freedom to drop everything she was doing to please others (eg running her dads old shop) and follow her own path.
Such a great movie!
Yes!!!! Well said. I was thinking this through the video
Yeah totally agree.she actually feels really free and relieved after being turned old. I would too
Yes! I feel like Sophie decided that she was the older, plainer, traditional sister; compared to her younger sister, Lettie, she isn't as adored or conventionally beautiful, and she also insists that she _must_ take over the family hat shop, even though she seems lukewarm about it, lacking in real passion.
I have a theory that the spell the Witch of the Waste cast on Sophie makes her look the way she feels about herself. I also have a less substantial theory that the Witch of the Waste has a similar curse; the second she has to climb all those stairs, she begins to age rapidly, like she's finally feeling all those years she's been missing out on...idk lol :]
@@bloodieghostie The spell also made sense from reading the book, in the book, Sophie remained an old woman until she had to confront the Witch of the Waste and also having figured out how to break the contract between Howl and Calcifer.
The spell in the movie is actually genius, in the book Sophie can will her words into spells that gives life. But while she's "giving life" to everything around her by the positive words that she speak, she had been telling herself that she will be a failure, she had been telling herself that the only option for her is to continue the hat shop, and in the book, while Sophie is indeed beautiful, beautiful enough to catch Howl's attention(Who is also really handsome), she still thinks that she's not really worth to have real happiness. That's why Howl couldn't break Sophie's spell and the only thing he could do was to ease her pain while she was still under the spell, he tried everything he could to break it for her, but he realized that Sophie was the reason why his attempts to break the spell had failed and only she could break the spell at the end.
I always thought the reason that Sophie turned into an old woman was that's because it's who she was inside already. She was acting like an old woman when she didn't want to go out with her friends, and wasn't living her life as a young person would. She was too heavily burdened by responsibility.
The love story in Howl's Moving Castle is one of my favorites because if you watch it, you're kinda confused by what Howl says "there you are sweetheart, sorry I'm late" (I thought he was just using it as an excuse to get the soldiers to back off), but when you watch it knowing that Sophie went back in time and told young Howl to find her in the future... He'd been in love with her since that first meeting and all those other girls he dated and ghosted, he was looking for her the whole time (at least that's what some people think)
... To say that my mind is blown is an understatement
Also, his ring is glowing when he finds her. He has indeed been searching for her the entire time.
@@mambabajamba5470 Omg, I missed that part!
@@mambabajamba5470 ... Right !! Omg 😳
OH MY GOD I watched this movie when it first came out and never realized this until your comment. Mind. Blown.
I love how Sophie doesn't have confidence, but she gives everyone around her confidence.
That's pretty accurate in real life I think. The two sort of general archetypes of people with any kind of issue or trauma or pain are "I'm in pain, so everyone else should be too" or "I'm in pain, nobody else should have to be" and Sophie is 100% the second one. "I'm not confident, so I wanna make sure everyone else is even if nobody does it for me in return, because this is a horrible way to feel."
In Buddhism, the Buddha supposedly taught his disciples that they could get closer to enlightenment through three forms of giving. In the order of increasing greatness they are: the giving of materials, the giving of methods, and the giving of fearlessness.
Howl is also insecure, but he had a way to hide it, once that was stripped away from him, you can see how he's a lot like Sophie, not confident and afraid of not being up to the standards set by the society, but then he still goes and tells Sophie that she's beautiful and trying to make her feel more confident about herself, it's really touching.
that was me in highschool fr
So the fun thing is that in the book, that's her "power". She's actually also a witch, without realizing it. Minor spoiler there, but honestly the book is absolute shit at making that clear, so whatever. Basically she just kinda... makes things happen. Sort of a power-of-suggestion-over-destiny kind of thing, like when she sees a scarecrow with a turnip head, she talks to it like a person, poof, it's a person but it always was, that sort of thing. In the same vein, she can sort of speak into existence the confidence others need to overcome their own struggles.
The thread of the story of Howl "eating hearts" isn't just because he chases women, but it's a trickle down story about how he lost his heart in the first place. I love this movie because you never get everything until you see it again.
Also in the book he himself spread that rumour around to get people to leave him alone, if my memory serves correct. But yes, also metaphor
I swear every time I watch it I discover something new (the reason I've started bringing out my notepad every time I watch it lol)
@@ruri1706 YES! And also because he did mess up with another witch/demon who cursed him XDD So he is on a run away haha
its also the time loop she creates going through the door to see howl giving his heart to calcifer, hes trying to find her in the future. he doesnt know when. So the woman hes... "womanizing" and eating their hearts? hes looking for sophie. Thats why when he saves her from the soldiers he says "there you are, ive been looking everywhere for you". Later he realizes she was asking him to find her later, as the bird, and he comes to her as the bird
You never get everything until you watch it again. Thank you for putting words to the thoughts that I've had the 20 times or more I've watched it.
I adore Howl's first appearance. "There you are, sweetheart. I've been looking everywhere for you." If you look closely, when he puts his hand on her shoulder, the ring glows briefly. This ties back to later in the movie when she calls out to young Howl "I know how to help you! Find me in the future!" And the idea that he's been looking for her after all this time is so great.
I also read the idea that the book is how Sophie recalls events, and the movie is how Howl recalls them.
Why not the opposite
@@Blackrosecreater because the book and the movie are completely different from each other, so it's very clear whose pov is from each
@@BlackrosecreaterSophie is incredibly sharp tongued in the book 😅 I think it makes sense Howl sees her in a softer light like in the movie, since he's in love.
@@Blackrosecreater also because howl was such a goober in the book. And Sophie is even appalled at the idea that she could fall for him. But here in the film he's very dashing.
In the book there's another layer for Sophie's character. In the original story, she's the eldest of three sisters and, because of a common belief that the eldest is a failure, she believes in that as well. Later on she finds out that she's a powerful witch herself, and that her words have magical power - this is shown since the beginning, but she only makes sense out of it later on. Then we find out that the reason why the curse had not fade away, despite the efforts of Howl and Ms. Pentstemmon, was because she herself believed in the curse and kept saying "I'm the eldest, I'm a failure!"
I thought this was quite interesting, as we all tend to believe more in our failures than in our own abilities, and often don't realize how this can deeply affect us.
Yeah, though there's also the other part of that which is that Sophie's belief in the determinism of birth order is based on the knowledge she's living in a fairytale world. In fairytales it's always the youngest who succeeds when they go out on adventures. A lot of similar playing with narrative determinism occurs in the early Discworld stories. (See also: The Tough Guide to Fantasyland)
@@AshenVictor Its interesting how that's portrayed though. The framing and the world feel like something out of a fairy tale, but the world doesn't actually follow those rules necessarily. In her _mind_, she's in a fairytale world, where the rules of storytelling are law. Just like any teen who reads too much might blur books and reality.
Part of her growing into herself, is also slowly leaving behind the rules from those stories she shackled herself with. The sisters make it clear they don't believe in those sayings, having gone off and decided to do what they'd prefer, and have it work out.
So while the book is framed to make you think it's a fairy tale, and the world is very much anchored in that vibe, but not all the rules of it. To the characters, it is like our real world, just with actual accessible magic instead of science.
But yes, I feel like it exists in both spaces, as a twist on a story rule, and as actual worldbuilding.
Fun fact: the jacket we see howl mostly wearing at the beginning of the movie matches the description of the jacker sophies fixed for howl and unconsciously brought it to "life"/cast a spell on to attract women 😂😂😂
Why does this statement attacked me in a physical level?
It's not that I find this insulting it's that I do this sort of thing as well. Ughhhhhhg.....
Thank you all so much for telling me about the book! I'm honestly probably not going to read it, but I like hearing about it.
I just wanna point out that the magic ring Howl gives to Sophie doesn't just lead to Calcifer with your heart 'because Howl says so', but remember that Howl ate Calicifer's star magic and gave his heart in return. So it makes sense that Howl's magic (including the castle) is so inherently linked to Calcifer. The magic in this move does make sense if you look for connections! Even Sulimon's creepy page boys, they look just like Howl did when he was young only blonde. I suspect that they represent what Sulimon wanted Howl to be for her as her student, and he couldn't measure up even after gaining star magic. He may have even carried that with his 'my blonde hair is more beautiful" issue, but after meeting Sophie he accepts his natural hair color.
I think sullivan specifically was disappointed at howl for making a life pact with calcifer because it drains people of their humanity to varying degrees; howl did it to save the then dying star but it on the long run would lead to both of their down fall; an example in the movie is the witch of the waste although sullivan says she sold herself to a demon/devil considering that calicifer now is called a fire demon it is likely the witch also made a pact with a dying star, in the book the witch specifically also had a fire demon disguised as a human so again considering that calcifer is also a fire demon in the book the witch likely made a pact with a dying star too
Yes, thank you! The magic does make sense, and i think its very nicely writen tbh.
My favorite thing about this movie is that in the end, when Sophie travels back into Howl’s past, is she says find me in the future, and at the very beginning of the movie Howl says “there you are, I’ve been looking all over for you”
Yes!
And he's wearing the ring to lead him to her, you see its magic fading just as she sees him for the first time. Ugh
OMG 😭
Also when he said that to Sophie at the beginning of the movie, you can see the gem on his ring sparkled just a little as if it's a hint that he found the right woman, which he did.
So the lore around this movie is that because Sophie traveled to the past and told Howl to look for her in the future, he built the moving castle to travel the land in search of Sophie and until he finds her he doesn’t settle down. That’s why when he first saves her from those guards, he says “There you are sweetheart, I’m sorry I’m late, I was looking everywhere for you” 😊😍😍 also I loved that you guys covered this movie and I liked Sophie’s input as well. Please feature her more!
It's so funny when you compare it to the book's tax evasion reason
@@spotlightanimation6719tbh this movie also has a similar reason along with searching for Sophie. He’s dodging the draft
I just bought this movie and I'm excited to get it!
Omg after 10 years I now know the reason behind the “moving castle” 😭
@@spotlightanimation6719 Don't forget dodging exes.
The one thing I love most about this movie is that Sophie’s curse is never broken. Howl (and eventually Sophie too) is able to see past all that and loves her anyway.
I wish more movies emphasized accepting a love interest as a whole being and not just because they’re outwardly attractive.
For Sophie's curse, I would say that it's broken, but the broken curse left her with a gift, a gift that made her the way Howl sees her in his childhood.
Since Sophie could literally control the curse being cast on her, I think she just left the hair to be silver because she preferred it that way without knowing that Howl first saw her with silver hair.
Movie is unclear but Sophie in the book has magic potential to be a witch,this is why the curse weakens when she expresses strong emotions
@@zainmudassir2964 My understanding with the book was that the way Sophie's magic work was tied to her belief in things. The witches curse largely wore off and Sophie stayed old because she believed she was.
No, no. Sophie broke her own curse. You can literally see how she reverts back to her correct age as she gains more and more confidence and the moment she second guesses herself, goes right back to Granny Sophie. Howl sees it, Suliman sees it, the Witch of the Wastes sees it. The only one who doesn't realize it's even happening is Sophie. Once Sophie finally finds her voice and her heart, the curse is broken. She is how she should be.
She never was cursed, you can see when she is sleeping there is no curse. This part of the story is all about self belief and self esteem and not believing shit talkm
Fun fact: in the book it turns out that Howl “eating young girls hearts” is a metaphor for him dating them for a while and getting bored of them and ghosting them. Apparently the girls aunts keep turning up at the castle brandishing umbrellas and threatening howl so Mark (called Micheal in the book, and considerably older) encourages the rumour so he didn’t have to deal with the angry aunts 😂😂😂
Gosh, I love Micheal, there's a part of me so mad he didn't make the film cut.
Fun fact: In the german dub of the movie Mark is called Markel, which is really close to the english pronounciation of Michael@@hallaloth3112
The problem is that he doesn't have his heart on him, he got interested in Sophie because Sophie was beautiful, he got lucky that Sophie could talk life into things and got both him and Calcifer out of the contract alive
The FUCKING aunts, man. They're the worst. They go for you with hat pins.
I love the idea that his castle doesn't stay in one place until Howl settles down with Sophie. It's also beautiful to think that maybe the very end of the movie the castle is flying, because they are both free. In the books the castle moves so Howl can evade taxes, which is hilarious.
Book Howl is just a whole other thing lol
Howl be like:"You can't take away my house for tax evasion if it moves!" 😂
I feel like a lot of the motivations in the books is a lot more relatable in regards to howl especially the tax evasion part 😂😂😂
Its so poetic ! 😮
He baba yaga'd the house for TAX EVASION!?!
Fun fact/spoiler in the original book:
Sophie actually had her own powers that she didn’t know about, and was particularly keeping the curse on herself. The way her powers worked is she kind of spoke things into being. Like when she spoke while she made her hats she called them beautiful. But when she spoke about herself she was always saying she was old and putting herself down. Howl was even aware of the curse and tried to reverse it for Sophie, but since she was always speaking so badly about herself it counteracted Howl’s attempts to help her.
Love this movie so much! I was so happy when I saw you guys doing a video for it! 💕
This was always my favorite little tid bit that makes me want to read the book! I'm so glad you shared it here for everyone 😊
I wish this was conveyed more in the movie
Is this from the original source material that the Gibhli movie is based from,?
Why doesn't he just tell her about her powers.
I love this movie, and I love the book too! I wish this detail had been more present/obvious in the movie.
I love Howl. He’s been a special character for me. His arc from a superficial facade to authentic and genuine, and to see his arc mirror Sophie’s…
They heal each other and both become confident and see their worth.
It’s funny because in the book he doesn’t change at all 💀
Actually in the book he does change! It’s just portrayed differently than the movie, the author herself even said “they’re more gentler” in the movie and admits they do love each at the end of the book. It’s just that Howl is WAY more bratty and Sophie is even more sarcastic and to be frank a brat wrangler (the way they argue is cute by the end), a chaotic relationship. For me it felt like an old marry couple who’s jabs at each with snarky remarks all the time😂
@@screamingbean7509 yea that’s true, but it seems like his character doesn’t change much, all that changes is that he falls in love with Sophie
@@screamingbean7509lol Sophie is so snarky in the books. I have the sequel and Howl plays a bratty kid perfectly.
the scene when sophie snaps at howl and yells "so you think you've got it bad?! well I've never been beautiful in my entire life!!" made me feel so seen, i always tear up no matter how many times i watch it. sophie's self-confidence issues and her role as the eldest child feeling more like a prison than anything else is so so relatable. again, thank you for doing a video about this movie!!
I understand what you mean
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, I enjoy watching cinema therapy’s breakdown of movies and then rewatching them with a whole new perspective
I do the same thing!
I too love TheRapist reacts to movies series on youtube.
THANK you so much for making this! My bro-in-law quoted this movie in his vows to my sister, I just adore the movie so much
Yes, completely
How'ls Moving Castle is a very special movie to me. It's like therapy, almost. I watch it whenever I feel bogged down by the world, so I can fall in love with life and believe in magic again.
I genuinely feel at peace, listening to the music, seeing the sights, watching Howl and Sophie eat breakfast.
If I could be placed in a different world, I'd like to live in a world made by Studio Ghibli.
that's exactly how i feel as well! Thank you for putting it into words
This commentary is everything. I can't explain what this means to me. My fiance just left me a month before our wedding. And the piles of lies that are being revealed are tearing me down completely. Everything we planned for our lives together is just gone. And the person that I thought he was before is gone. I've been just trying to stay above water, still in shock. I thought about watching this movie recently, I avoided it because he was the one who introduced me to it. But I'm going to take it back, and I'm going to feel what I need to feel. And I'm going to let myself cherish Sophie and everything about it. I've hit a point, and I need to pick myself up, trust God, and keep going.
I wish you the best of luck on your journey 🙏 I know it's tough but you can do this!!!
Reclaiming things that remind you of that person can be such a long and hard process. I know for me it took a few years to get everything (songs, artists, books) back, but bit by bit the things will be yours again and remind you of other good memories and other good people. It gets better, will all my sincerity I promise that it does. And until then you are welcome to grieve the future you thought you were going to have with the person he thought he was, that grief is as real and deep. And it is something that you can heal and overcome
Sending hugs! Reclaiming is strenuous, especially as it reminds you of them, but it also gives you yourself back. There are aspects of your life that you shared that are still, and will always be yours. 🫶🏼
The guy I was going to marry also introduced me to this movie. I really liked the movie and wasn't sure how I was going to watch it without it bringing him up. So I waited and then invited a good friend, who hadn't seen it, over to watch it with me. It's now our movie. I've thankfully been able to change restaurants, activities, movies, songs, etc and tie them to other less painful things.
Something I need to share about this movie is the uncanny similarities between "Lottie" from Disney's Princess and The Frog and "Lettie" From howls moving castle. Both are the supportive friend insisting the lead woman is indeed beautiful. They also look extremely similar.
I don't remember if it's mentioned in the movie, but that's her sister.
I felt the same way! Come to think of it, Ghibli and Disney has a partnership so maybe a bit why ^^
Disney is just being Disney. Lion King and Atlantis, anyone?
The only thing missing was the strong Southern accent and they could pass for twins, lol.
@@Mnemoniforma9.00 yup
This is incredible timing- I’m working on my own self-confidence boosting journey and what better sign to get started than this video coming out?! Thank you guys so much! Much love to you all and everyone reading this! ❤
You got this! Thanks for watching!
Let’s fuckingggg gooooooooo!!!!
Likewise... this is insanely well timed.
Then may I also recommend the anime Fruits Basket. It's billed as a romance but it's really about trauma and how the different characters overcome it. Several have to deal with low confidence and they address it in different ways - by building community, by facing down things that make them uncomfortable, by finding just one person who believes in them. Highly highly recommend.
@@CinemaTherapyShowplease do Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke at least
I loved Sophie‘s input in this episode! Would love to see her again on the channel, she‘s such a welcome addition!
One of the best episode ! 😄
Had a brain fart for a split second and thought "wait how did they get the character's input?!" 🤣
She is great!
I agree :)
one of my favorite books and movies. Sophie was happy to leave her family and happy to be old because it was actually liberating. She could break away from the expectations of herself that she put upon herself. She got to explore another "story line" vs the aging equating her lack of self confidence.
The witch's curse was actually a blessing in disguise in a way.
Without the curse, Sophie wouldn't have left the hat shop that quickly.
This is even clearer in the book, where her siblings and family are bound by fairytale conventions (I.e. one child goes on an adventure, one child learns magic, etc.) and Sophie’s fate is to be the boring one who doesn’t have an adventure.
What I love is that Sophie retains her youthfulness at the end but her hair stays silver like her confidence has grown but there will always be a small remnant of insecurity but howl is so supportive she never shows her insecurity again.
I really relate to the whole confidence theme of the movie. The transformation of Sophie to an old woman makes sense to me in a different way. I've always felt different from my peers, specially in my teenage years because I didn't really care for or like things that teenagers did. I never liked parties or doing reckless things, so my "friends" used to make fun of me saying that I was like an old woman. I feel like Sophie also feels that way in the movie, she doesn't go out with her sisters and prefers to stay at home and work on her craft; and I also think that's why she didn't really have that much of a hard time with the transition, because that's how she saw herself and how she thinks other people see her.
I heard somewhere that someone came to the conclusion that the book and movie were told from the perspectives of Sophie and Howl respectively. It's a fun way to explain the differences between them.
I've seen the same as a very well drawn meme. The movie is how Howl tells it (pretty, a bit chibi style Howl and Sophie walking sweetly together on air with big smiles on their faces) and the book is how Sophie tells it (red-haired Sophie with her long braid flying behind her and her indef finger pointed at an angry Howl, both with their mouths wide open having a yelled argument, both drawn in a rather angular way).
@@lottaraatikainen3942In fairness, that's a pretty accurate summary of the first 3/4 of the book XD Not the hair, but the cooonstant bickering. I absolutely loved it
First off, I am obsessed with this channel! I work in the substance abuse field, and ive used some of your videos in my meetings. They have always been a hit and my clients have gotten so much out of your videos.
Second, this is one of my favorite movies so i was very excited fo see this uploaded this morning! Thank you all for doing what you do!
Thanks for sharing our videos and thanks for watching! :)
i cannot put into words how much Howl's Moving Castle means to me in terms finding confidence and self love!!!
@3:40 I think Sophie gets upset not because the Witch of the Wastes insults her work, I think she gets upset because it used to be her Dad's hat shop.
Yes, my favorite Miyazaki film ! Liking before even watching it
Same! I liked as soon as I clicked on the video.
This and Whisper of the Heart are my favorites!
Me too and me too😂 Seeing this video makes my morning!
My favorite movie, I love their character development, and I really learn so much from Sophie character 😊❤️
Just got home from work and I'm instantly lifted up by seeing this, thank you ❤
Man there really are some scenes in this movie where Christian is just flat out doing his Batman voice and it's absolutely hillarious.
I know right?
It honestly kinda kills it for me 😂
My all time favourite film!
It's rare to see a gentle character like Sophie be celebrated in film, but so comforting.
If you want a whimsical love story with a touch of how to love yourself, Howl's Moving Castle is it-
But if you want the same thing plus a whole lot more laugh and "wtf" moments, then the book is the way to go 😂
But literally, both are amazing, I could listen to Merry Go Round of Life for hours- it's so beautiful
I love this analysis, but the relationship between Sophie and Calcifer (no spoilers) it's so special, the metaphor is beautifully crafted. And that's is part of getting confident about herself and helping Howl find his own, too
I wish you'd bring Sophie on more often, I relate to her and having her bring up things that I'm going through with a therapist in the room is very encouraging. It's also free therapy.
The two sides of a Miyazaki film:
Side A - a deep study psychoanalytic interpretation of each character and their possible meanings with infinite theories and all are to some degree correct.
Side B: Movie good, pictures pretty, tears are shed, let's get ramen!
So, side A doesn't get ramen?! 😿
@@jema2609 They reward a good analysis with ramen, as well.
As a person of 27 having been diagnosed with osteoporosis 30 years early for the "party" this movie have become more and more relatable to the point where I'm about to craft my own Sophie cosplay but almost beeing unable to rewatch the movie without bawling loudly for its entire duration. Actually just watching you react is making me do that ❤ thank you so much ❤
CinemaTherapy gave so much joy & wisdom for me. I have loved the concept for so long since I discovered this channel like 1,5 years ago. The fact that a down-to-earth psychological guy and an emotional but smart movie writer just watch a movie together and just comment with their expertise is really wholesome genius. Alan and Jonathan are actually such great guys, the fact this channel is holding up with 1.4K subscribers and the way Jonathan is also giving Alan therapy,.. It's all amazing.
So much Jonathan says, sees, thinks or finds, those are things I never _really_ hear from someone else. They talk about everything that is relevant and important to society and individuality and related to the movie, it's never dull and they still talk about it breezy or laugh about it. I can see how you guys improved the last few years, also because Jonathan didn't start as a licensed therapist but a going-to-be therapist right? I can see you guys have gotten more confident and wiser, but mostly becoming more powerful with words as being genuine. You guys said it even on this one; that respect doesn't come down with technique but with sincerity and right intentions.
I have learned a lot from it and you guys not only keep me entertained through comments, but also entertain through which movies or shows I like(d), already have seen or sometimes even stimulate to watch it first. Jonathan's (and Alan's) knowledge is super helpful and they always find new stuff and observations to talk about.
This channel is worth a lot for me, so here is something that might be worthy for you guys. Thank you for (still) being here with us!
(part 1: There are 2 comments because I wanted to give like 40, not 25)
This is so lovely! Thank you so much! -alan
From what I recall from the book, the curse made her as old as she felt. She lives in a fairytale trope-y world where, as the eldest daughter, she had certain expectations on her while her two sisters had other epectations, like learning magic and being popular. The epectations she had were to basically be an old maid and carry on the business. She often talked about herself as an old woman and when the witch's curse struck her, it reflected how she felt about herself. She became youthful in actions and feelings over time and admitting to herself that she was in love with Howl was a key reason she broke the curse. This transfered successfully to the film but was not explained. The end conflict and resolution though is completely different. You should read it. it's really fun.
Yay! My favorite Miyazaki film! Thank you so much for doing this one!
One of my favorite things about this movie is when the staff approached Lauren Bacall about the character. They were nervous about it! They explained to her that the character was "kind of despicable." Her response... "Darling, I was ^born^ to play despicable." 😂 Classic Lauren Bacall moment! She was such a treasure!
thats amazing hahaha, thanks for sharing!
YAYYYYY SOPHIE IS BACK!! ❤️I love when she appears. Her chaotic energy balances out with the internet dad vibes.
I was so excited when I saw y’all covered howl’s moving castle! it’s my all time favorite movie, and it’s helped me through a lot of very hard moments in my life. sophie is such a good example of determination and acceptance, and I love her found family. miyazaki put so much heart into this movie, and I think it really shows in how many different lessons people can take. people can learn reconciliation, acceptance, serenity, pacifism, and a whole lot of things. I love sophie’s line “a hearts a heavy burden.” for me, that rings true. it’s hard to care, to be invested, to have your heart start growing late in life. it’s hard to accept responsibility and be accountable to those around you. but it’s better. it’s better to have a heart
Sophie is one of my most favorite heroines ever. I just love how kind, resilient, and practical she is.
I relate to Sophie rage cleaning so much! I love watching this movie to get me motivated for a deep clean!!!
But then I also relate to her running outside and crying in the rain. She just cleaned Howls' whole house (and metaphorically cleaned up his psychological dumping ground). And she gets no thanks, but "you ruined my potions and now I'm hideous!". Sophie's had a lot to deal with in the last 3 days, and I feel like that was a breaking point, and I feel that moment in my SOUL.
I've got to watch this movie again! ❤
I both can and cannot believe you're both reacting to Howls Moving Castle! JUST, YES !!! THANK YOU !!! So excited!! 😭🙌💖
You're welcome! Hope you enjoyed it!
they just summoned the fandom here 😂😂
My absolute favorite! I just got the notification of this video and I am so thrilled. This movie is beautiful! ❤ love your guys’ content
Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy the episode!
@@CinemaTherapyShow can you guys do john Rambo
@@CinemaTherapyShowplease do from up on poppy hill. Such a good ghibli film makes me cry every time.
It's kind of a reversed spell for him... he sleeps and looks like a monster, she sleeps but is beautiful a.k.a. her inner self and unburdened by the world.. It's such a great and beautiful movie
I would call the magic system in this movie "Convenience Magic". It works based on convenience, rather than an established system with strict rules. Allowing it to better move the story forward.
And it works because the magic itself isn't the core part of the story. It's a tool in the storytelling that helps push the story forward when it has to.
The thing about Sohpie at the start of the story is not only about her self confidence, it's also about her feeling that her life was over and that there wasn't anything new waiting for her. At 18 she already had a career as a hat maker which let her make enough money to live, but she knew she wouldn't marry because she wasn't pretty enough, and with time all her friends would marry and leave her behind. There, she had done everything that was expected of her, and she had long decades ahead to keep trudging along the same routine.
The *other* reason Sophie leaves her family so easily is because her inability to tell them what happened means they'd evict her from her own home unless she leaves before they see her.
I love how Howl, Mr. FakeItTillYaMakeIt confidence man genuinely admits that Sullimen terrified him. Not scared, not made uneasy, TERRIFIED him. Now all I want is a film on what the sorcerer's acedemy was like.
Oh this somehow helped me see the connection about how Miyazaki once said that some of his animantion was inspired by Soviet animantion works he'd seen, and I suddenly remembered the Soviet 'Beauty and the Beast' cartoon and now I understand that I see some aspects of it in this movie (like the 15:14 scene must've been somewhat inspired by it, the monstrosity of him, no doubt).
i would love to see an episode on Violet Evergarden.
seriously one of the most underrated animes. her journey to learn and understand different emotions is just>>>
I've read the Howl's Moving Castle books and they are truly wonderful! This movie is my favorite Miyazaki film and yes, it differs from the book, but when you are a master storyteller like Miyazaki that doesn't matter. Everything he does is a masterpiece.
The movie and book are so different and so fantastic too. The friendship and understanding for one-another’s art of storytelling is one of my favorite things to think about when I need an emotional lift among the chaos of the world with all of its misunderstandings. The really meaningful part of this for me is that Diana Wynne Jones suffered from chronic illness at a young age, and I did too. All of the feelings she conveyed in this story about it were so relatable. When she wrote the book, she didn’t think a lot about her confidence, but Miyazaki picked up on that and conveyed it beautifully. She loved that. I think it’s so cool that he could retell her story in a way that wowed and resonated even with her.
Fun fact: In the book Howl was the scary man accosting Sophie and did not walk her to her sister's work. She was terrified of him and he felt really guilty and offered to walk her the rest of the way. She declined and felt guilty that he felt guilty.
So me and my mum watch your videos together, it's become this cute little slice of time that we make sure during dinner to sit together and watch, and the way she was SO HAPPY that you guys finally got to doing Howls Moving Castle, she's been waiting for you to cover this one since you did the Spirited Away one, but yeah this is literally her absolute favourite Ghibli movie (I even bought her the book as well), she really enjoyed hearing you guys go over it and interpret the movie etc. Was great, thank you for covering it!
This movie is so special to me. It blows my mind to think there are other people out there who not only feel something like the same way about it, but also have different interpretations of all the little moments in it.
This touches on such a personal level, @CinemaTherapy, on a couple counts (especially today- happy national cinema day, fellas!):
1. Following my life through the story arch of Sophie's is almost like looking into a mirror... minus the permanently altered hair color because I'm not ready to own silvery loches like she does.
2. Howl's Moving Castle is one of my favorite movies because of the intrinsique kindness Sophie brings to everyone she works with, possibly with the exception of her family in the beginning- I've had many a toxic relationship from people who saw my kindness as a carpet for them to walk upon or a figurative therapy-sponge for them to use until I couldn't ring myself out anymore.
3. Being someone with BPD, the idea of having a house that had different rooms for different facets of myself made sense as I could take the more emotional, more depressing sides of me I didn't want anyone to see into one of those rooms & keep it locked until I thought I could open up & deal with it... or whatever emotion I was going through at any given time... not always for the better, but that black room where Howl was at war hit my younger self in the feels a little harder than normal.
Being such a fan of Miyazaki's films in general has always brought out a deeper intellectual side to me I find fascinating, but Howl's Moving Castle hit me on a totally different note- & even though I've only gotten to see it once in theatres, it is by far one of my absolute favorites for its unique display of affection shown towards others. Thank you for showing us an inside take on this sweet movie.
@17kiranime Well written!
Finally! I was waiting for an analyse of this movie for a few years. It's one of my three favourite movies ever. I was watching the movie almost everyday for almost 6 months.
Sophie is great, glad to see her back on the show again!
I think the thing that I love the most when comparing the book and the movie is that the slime scene is pretty much the same between both and it's perfect. That's exactly how it feels when just one thing pushes you over the edge into a swamp of self-indulgent pity and despair and simultaneously exactly what it's like dealing with someone who is in that state. :)
they tried to illustrate this in the movie but in the book sophie has a sort of mundane magic. when she speaks to her hats shes able to create a little magic like " you will make whoever wears you the most beautiful woman in the room" or " you will make the person who wears you feel calm" etc and its a neat tidbit when it's herself that is also talking herself and her self esteem down so much
I literally love when Sophie is the guest in the videos she’s super chill and fun. It’s a total vibe
I would love to see y'all do a break down of princess monoke!!! One of the best Miyazaki has to offer in regards with war, hate and belonging. Especially with the quote of "seeing with eyes unclouded with hate".
I agree with you
If you guys like books or audiobooks, I do recommend the book version. Not only is it heartfelt, it is SIDE SPLITTINGLY FUNNY.
(Howl's origin story, instead of being a fighter? He's a modern Welsh grad student who decided to become a wizard instead of finishing his degree!)
His nephew omg
Also Howl in the book is really handsome with blond hair and green eyes, Sophie's first impression of him in the book is that his only good quality is his looks lol.
I love the book and for the life of me, barely remember what happens in it (unless I really think) which means I get to reread it almost like it’s the first time again. I am so excited! I forget movies and books like nothing else. It’s such a curse and a blessing.
I really needed this. In the past few months idk what’s happened but my self confidence and worth has just plummeted, and I’ve been so dependent on what others think of me, and this has helped me a bit. So thank you guys, y’all somehow always seem make the best content lol
i feel like everyone has periods like that where they just feel really down and depressed abt themselves, it's pretty normal so dw 💗 just do stuff u enjoy and do things that make u happy
I agree with your guest. When I am not feeling well I pull out my dvd’s of Hayao Miyazaki films and watch over and over. Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my favorites.
In minute 20:10 on how Sophie gets the heart from the witch, just wanted to mention that the way Sophie asks for it allows for the witch to get the opportunity to be kind (or not) - she chooses to be kind and give it back (although Sophie could have taken it by force!), I find suuuper valuable that she got the chance to choose to do good - this becomes her action and to her credit, and I love that capacity of self-transforming while still alive, even as v old and physically powerless ❤
Being in a relationship with someone with trust issues and an avoidant attachment was a journey that felt like I needed to gather my own confidence. It was really nice at first but I made the mistake of relying far too much on my partner (around 4 month mark) and I near grew to think they rejected me but after they ended up leaving because I had an episode once they started to pull away more. I found out about attachment theory and took awhile to recondition and even forgive them despite ghosting me for a long time. I genuinely felt bad that they had worse issues than me and Im really happy that they could tell I was serious and through recognizing that even back then they cared despite being overwhelmed I slowly and finally made confidence that wasnt solely reliant if they were present with me and I tried to show her she can do it too and Im really happy I not only finally found my footing but I also helped the one I cared about the most. Was truly a blessing in the long run, been half a year now since and I couldnt be happier.
I highly encourage people to learn about attachment theory as it probably will explain why we sometimes rely on other what we ourselves cant fill.
I have a fearful avoidant/disorganized attachment style my girlfriend is avoidant/dismissive avoidant the beginning of our relationship was very hard our attachment styes are so different but so similar it's really good to know more about your relationship dynamic I say avoidants should avoid anxious attachment people though all her last relationships were with anxious attachment people and it messed her even more up
This film is my absolute favourite film of all time! Thank you so much for covering it ❤
It's such a great film! Thanks for watching!
I loved Howls room with all the details they put in it. Might also make me feel slightly better my room not being as cluttered, but see it as just details.
Even better in the book where he describes how he likes his room messy because he knows where everything is! As a messy room person, I highly relate to that sentiment.
I first saw this movie when I was a little girl. Though I didn't fully understood the meaning of the story at first, I remember admiring Sophie for what I now know is resilience. She took action, she took control of her life and went to find a solution. Bargaining with a demon, taking no shit from a vain wizard, insult a powerful witch without fear, the list goes on.
She always had that strength, she just didn't know. I think that goes for most people. We are stronger and more confident than we know and sometimes we need a little nudge, or a curse from an evil witch 😉, to realize it.
This movie holds a special place in my heart. I watched it the weekend before leaving for out of state college and leaving my childhood home. I'm a very shy, introverted person, who certainly lacks for confidence in a lot of respects, and I think in retrospect, I see a lot of myself in the main character. Also, the soundtrack is amazing.
I love this movie so much I got a tattoo of Calcifer with the quote "A heart's a heavy burden". This movie is my comfort movie so so so much.
The moment I saw this on my feeds I had to come in to watch the episode! I've been hoping Cinema Therapy would find some facet of Howl's Moving Castle to approach, and the approach to confidence was a great choice!
Love much of your work, keep it up, and THANK YOU.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
That's my favorite film of all time, I could watch it 24h/7 and I wouldn't be bored.
Fun fact: When Howl said Sophie to summon Calcifer with her heart to find the way - he actually told her to summon his heart, cuz Calcifer was his heart at that time. iwi
I love how magic works in this world cuz it isn't explained at all... And this lack of knowledge of how it works gives a whimsical and beautiful touch to it!
I also listened to audiobook and book is very much different from this anime but is also great. I recommend everyone to read it or listen like I did.
I appreciate that you guys gently make fun of the movie and it’s silliness while still recognizing it’s place in the story and how beautifully it comes together.
One thing that they missed from the book to the movie was that sophie's personality was all about being the older sister and keeping her father business. This is pressure made her distance from her own personality and wishes, so when she's with howl she turns back into the real sophie: The girl who curses bluntly at their faces and fight all the time and CLEAN A LOT
I came back to the anime episodes, and I recently watched Belle. All throughout the movie I kept imagining you guys watching it. My family were bawling their eyes out after telling me not to play another anime movie for our christmas party 😭
I definitely recommend it! The plot twist at the end is so unexpected and the visuals are crazy good.
Howl's Moving Castle is a beautiful twist on Beauty and the Beast and i will die on this hill.
Some years back, during some maladaptive daydreaming session, i had come to the conclusion that Beauty and the Beast would be much more impactful if the roles were switched or just mixed. In HMC, Sophie is old but shes so incredibly beautiful on the inside as opposed to a female mc who is beautiful inside and out (ofc youd fall for her) and Howl is beautiful on the outside but kind of a mess deep down inside. I studied fairytale art, film and literature in college and the movie follows the classic recipe of a Beauty and the Beast story and i think knowing that is such an impactful detail. We learn so much about gaining confidence, but also about acceptance and love in a more genuine way. Its not just love for other people but about yourself and when you are the only who truly knows yourself, when you know/think youre a beast, self love and in turn self confidence is the MOST dificult task.
Sophie and Howl help each other see that in each other and its a cycle with the time traveling and such which also points to the timelessness of love and self appreciation.
I could literally go on for hours and hours about this movie/story/book, but i wont. I love this episode of Cinema Therapy. But i wish they had known a bit more about the story itself because i think that added insight would have been interesting and i would have loved to know Jono's thoughts and perceptions!!!
Kindness can be a double-edged sword. Sometimes, it is better to be decisive and make sure the enemies ceased to be. Also, thank you for finally reacting to Howl's Moving Castle!
I recommend the book if you want to learn more about Sophie's self-perception and Howl's personality. Its also much easier to understand once you do read the book lol.
Both are such incredible depictions and have amazing characters and I love them to death.
Yay This is my favorite studio ghibli film, princess mononoke is second so happy you all did this one!
In the novel by Diana wynne jones ; Sophie also has magic, she can imbue her hats with life and she can talk to them. I love love love that Sophie’s power is her incredible empathy. In so many movies like this they would have it that the hero destroys the villain whom cursed her and balance is restored. In this story however Sophie cares for all she comes in contact with. Turnip head, markle, the witch of the waste, hin. She helps them all and creates this incredible family of sorts. Such a beautiful story
I love this story! It is so rich with complex meaning, it really takes many watches to get it all. Sophie is probably the most relatable character. Also, who here doesn't have a crush on Howl?
This is my favourite studio ghibli movie!
You're so welcome!
11:20 - I agree with what you are saying here and I wanted to comment before I forget what I want to say: I feel the fact that she became younger when she stood up for Howl is also sweet because she's forgetting about her own insecurities because she's defending or supporting the man she loves. Which is a lot like I am. I get really passionate when defending or protecting a loved one, but I back down quickly when I have to do the same for myself.
In the original book Sophie's curse was partially caused by herself as well as the Witch, in the story Sophie is a specific kind of witch and she is able to talk things into life. When she looks at herself in the mirror she states that she is like an old maiden and that being an old maid wouldn't be so bad, also Howl didn't turn into a big bird but the movie has its own take I guess. I love the books so much and if you watch this movie after reading the books it all starts making more and more sense even if the movie left out some other kind of important things.
BOOK SPOILERS
I love that in the book its also mentioned that even though Howl tried time and time again to break the spell he couldn't, because Sophie was the one doing the spell to herself everytime she talked badly or thought badly about herself, her own low self steem kept the spell up and she didn't know that she was a witch.
Such a good way to represent negative self talk and how it affects us and our reality around us
Even in the first few pages of the book you can see that Sophie compares herself a lot to her sisters and thinks lowly of herself and her life, while still having a sassy attitude and funny little fights with Howl
This is one of my absolute favourite films (and books) of all time. The beauty of the story, the art, the musical score... flawless.
This is why this movie is my ultimate favorite and why i love sophie while majority love howl i relate to sophie's personality .
Her hair turning and then staying grey in the end represents she has gained wisdom, and is now a very wise woman.
My favourite Myazaki hands down. The design is beautiful, the story is compelling and the aesthetic is outstanding. It's also the last movie I saw with my Mum before she passed from cancer. This movie is written in my soul, the main theme of HMC reminds me of her. It's a treasure
Also also, the movie seems like retelling of Sophie and Howl’s but from his POV all lovie-dovie smitten Howl. The book is Sophie’s POV and let me tell you it’s a different animal, less cute more cursing by Sophie about Howl’s childishness. Read the book our audible it, it’s wonderful!
I'm so relieved you all decided to do this movie! ♥ With Sophie even!! My entire day is made!! ♥♥
Fun literary info for the people at home (and maybe the people there) what's being described as "Why not" magic is what's actually meant when you say it's a "Soft Magic" system, it means the magic doesn't have any hard and fast rules, it works how it needs in any moment to tell the story.
I totally did not hear CB as Howl until you said it, and now I cannot unhear it. He really is insanely talented. What an amazing movie overall
One of my favorite movies as well. I was just telling my wife how much I enjoy how she changes based on her confidence. A fun coincidence that you guys made an episode just a day after saying this.
As most of Miyazaki's films, Howl's Moving Castle speaks to our inner self in a beautiful and kind way. So great to watch it with Cinema Therapy! Thanks a lot for posting the video!
I watched this movie for years and only recently made the correlation between Howls heart and Calcifer. Especially how Markos comment about how "calcifer only obeys howl" but Sophie was able to bully him into submission pretty easily 😂, signifying how Howl and Sofie warmed up to love and to be loved. Man I love this movie.
This has to be the best episode so far!! Full of inspiring thoughts and interesting angles of interpretation. Overall it has such an impact on one’s self-reflecting ability, empathy and emotional awareness. Keep in making such episodes, I love your videos! ❤
Thanks so much! 😊