20 years later, it's time to reassess Howl's Moving Castle as a love story at its heart
Nov. 20, 2024Opinion: Yes, Howl’s Moving Castle is an anti-war movie, but at its core, it’s a love story
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I think we can all agree that there’s nothing quite like watching a Studio Ghibli movie for the first time – especially one that was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki’s works have a magic about them that is almost indescribable, and each film is a vibrant, melancholic dream packed with complex characters, gut-wrenching storylines, and themes that often reflect political issues and topics such as environmentalism (Princess Mononoke), fascism (Porco Rosso), and Western consumerism (Spirited Away).
A heart’s a heavy burden
There are so many details and intricacies that make Howl and Sophie’s romance so magical, so much so that eight-year-old me cried her eyes out when they finally share their first kiss at the end of the film (and 31-year-old me gets tear-eyed just thinking about it). Howl and Sophie couldn’t be more different, but they end up complementing each other in a way that helps the other grow. Howl is a pretty boy, obsessed with his own beauty and vanity, and Sophie is less than confident in her looks and abilities, even when she’s in her normal, young body. Howl falls in love with Sophie despite the fact that she’s been turned into an elderly woman, and while the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” trope can be cheesy at times, there’s something so heartwarming about it here.
When Howl and Sophie meet at the beginning of the movie, he’s warm and excited and presumably taken with her beauty – and the excitement doesn’t waver after she becomes old. Some cynical takes on the film have posited that it was easy to fall in love with her because he already knew what she looked like as her normal self, but any viewer with an open heart knows that it’s about her selflessness, the way she takes care of both the castle and Howl and helps him confront the things he can’t bear to.
The other detail, perhaps the biggest one for me, is one that is often missed upon first watch. When Howl and Sophie meet at the beginning of the film, she’s being harassed by soldiers. Howl whisks her away, saying to her, “There you are, sweetheart. Sorry I’m late. I was looking everywhere for you.” Upon first watch, it might just seem like Howl is saying that to get her out of an uncomfortable situation, but it’s because – at the end of the film – Sophie creates a time loop where she meets a young Howl and tells him to find her future and tells Howl to look for her. He finds her, because he spent all of those years looking for her. Because of the time loop, they are destined to be together – and he would find her in every universe. In the end, the king’s sorceress and the prince from the enemy kingdom decide to end the war after observing Sophie and Howl’s unconditional love for each other. We get a beautiful, final shot of the two kissing on the balcony of a new moving castle as bombs fly overhead.
Howl’s Moving Castle has many beautiful and important messages tucked inside of it, but people seem to overlook the love story – the driving force of the film, and the thing that saves the world. I recommend watching the film with your significant other, your best friend, or your two cats, along with a big box of tissues.
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Howl’s Moving Castle is streaming now on Max. For more, check out our list of all thenew anime movies and showsyou need to know about.
Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent’s Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.
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