Noah's Reviews > Howl's Moving Castle

Lo~ovin' you, is easy 'cause you're beautiful (Loving You – Minnie Riperton).

I’ll admit that a lot more decision making went into starting this book than most of the stuff I read. I was doing some serious research, watching the movie, a bunch of “behind-the-scenes” stuff on YouTube, and I even had the soundtrack on repeat for several days. Then I decided… yeah, I should probably read the book. It is the original after all. Though, it’s kind of scary, you know? Reading a book from so long ago. I mean, I’m aware that 1986 isn’t that long ago, but I’ve had bad experiences with reading older fiction before. Dated language, dated sentiments, the usual. But I know this version is rather beloved, so I figured I have to at least give it a fair chance. In fact, I went into this being so sure that something from above would smite me if I hated it, that I was seriously prepared to pretend to love it the same way I did with Lorde’s “Solar Power.” Well, color me surprised at how much I actually liked this. I was blindsided, really. The thing is, this book had an uphill battle from the jump simply because of how fully enticed I was by the movie. And it’s not just the bigger romantic focus and the powerful anti-war message, I think I’m just really easily moved by pretty animation and beautiful music. It’s a hard feeling to capture on a page. Thankfully, after a couple chapters getting used to it, I came to appreciate and really enjoy this book for what it is. It doesn't sound like it, but I swear I did! It was surprisingly easy to fall into step with the narrative and the characters were as charming as their movie counterparts (albeit with a few key differences)! It’s a little funny, because when I was watching the Studio Ghibli version, I found it so abstract that I kind of chalked it up to cultural differences, but after reading the source material it’s like… no, the story is just like that. It’s quirky! Is it obvious that I love, love, love Ghibli movies? Because I really do. I love Studio Ghibli movies! And not just for the aesthetic! Whenever things feel like they’re happening too much, every movie of theirs feels like an exaltation of a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

Now that I’ve consumed all available Howl’s Moving Castle media (to the point where I’m probably Howl’s Moving Castle’d out), I think I can safely say that I slightly prefer the movie adaption. Big surprise, I know. I like both, but I think I just like Howl’s portrayal more in the animated adaption. He’s still vain and afraid, but he’s a bit more dashing, a bit more mature, and a bit… more. He doesn’t really undergo too much character development in this book and you could pretty much open it up to any page and he’d be doing the same shtick he’s been doing the entire story. Even after the big “I love you” reveal, he might as well have looked at the camera and said, “Don’t worry guys, I’m the same old Howl!” Sorry, but… maybe I don’t want the same old Howl! I want movie Howl! Ahhh, I know what it is. Book Howl is that one guy. The sitcom husband, the dude who you can tell doesn’t actually want a girlfriend or a partner, not really. At the end of the day, what they really want is a mommy. And while there’s no doubt that the book certainly has more world-building and goes more into the details of the “who-what-when-where and why,” I think that this tale is more than sufficiently told through the movie adaption. To the point where I’d argue that it’s sometimes improved upon. For example, through visual cues, we see how Sophie’s old woman curse seems fluid, constantly changing rapidly throughout the film, implying that it was more of a metaphor for her resignation in life, and we get to see the curse break every time she feels passion and love for Howl, showing that she had the power to break it within herself the whole time. Or how, on the flip-side, after falling in love with Sophie, Howl’s appearance loses its extravagant and flashy nature, showing that he’s more comfortable being “his true self” around Sophie, without all the glam and glamour. I'm more than happy with metaphors, I don't need literal, in-universe, explanations for the these things. Anyway, woah, lots of comparison talk, huh? I feel like I have to keep saying it... but don’t worry, like I said, I liked this book. Quite a bit actually, it's different but still good! Even if I’m more partial to the movie adaption, the book version managed to muster up more than enough magic and whimsy to keep me enraptured.

“Don’t you think I did any of me myself, then?” Howl asked. “Put in just a few touches of my own?”
“A few, and those not altogether to my liking.”