While this movie has presentation that goes miles above what the original show offered, and a strong core, its secondary parts fail to cohere into a greater whole. The revues of the secondary cast felt somewhat lacking in necessary context, and treading the same ground covered by the original show. They were excellent visually and musically, but they did not manage to tie themselves into Hikari and Karen's relationship which left them feeling kinda pointless.
The visuals and presentation are the strongest point of the movie. The scenes flitted between sets without any concern for physical reality, everything was allowed to be metaphor. The show
...
Feb 2, 2025
Howl no Ugoku Shiro
(Anime)
add
This movie utterly fails as an adaptation. It is based on a book it seemingly has no interest in, and thus leaves everything it doesnt absolutely need from the book out. The plot of the movie doesnt make sense just on its own because it leaves so much unexplained. But it also doesnt make that much sense if you have read the book because it diverges so much. It is thematically about different things, the characters are just barely recognizable. It really should not have been an adaptation.
Despite all this it is an enjoyable experience to watch. It is impeccably animated, the emotional beats work, ... |
