Perfect for art, but plot on the other hand...

Rating: 7/10 (4 May 2020)

This is the second time i watched this movie. The last time I watched it was when I was much younger, where I obviously didn't really understand much. Ten years later, I realize I still don't really understand the plot, especially around the last 30-40min of the film.
To be honest, the universe in which the story is set in is definitely interesting. It's hard to get tired of the magic universe in the end. However, I felt like this film fell short of its potential.
1. Loose climax with minimal explanation
In a 2 hour movie, too much time was spent building on a "climax", which was in the end rushed through with minimal explanation within the last 30 min. To be fair, the first half of the movie is really well done in the sense that it brought me into the world of the magical elements as well as the characters. However, this perfect sense of momentum and detail building built me to expect more from the what is to come - an exciting climax, a good explanation for everything that has happened, an adversity overcome and a happy ending. Of the four mentioned which I expected, the first two were not really there. The climax was apparent, but not exciting enough simply because it lost me in terms of its story. I spent more time being confused and annoyed at "huh, so what's going on?" and "why did Sophie do that?" when it was a period I should be most absorbed into the story. Explanation for why Howl looked the way he did like a bird; what Howl has been doing flying around so often and getting hurt; why Howl swallowed the fire when he was young, why the war was on-going (all was described was that it was "foolish"), why the war could end so easily in the end, etc ... pretty much left unexplained. I am honestly, truthfully, glad that Howl and Sophie got their happy ending (they deserve it), but I have to admit that the story left a mild bitter taste for me after I finished the film. After so much hardship for the characters, I felt like there wasn't a good enough closure for their story. I could have been happier for the first couple that "officially" ended up together, among the many movies I have watched of this animator - if I didn't felt like there's something missing to the story and their love as well.
2. Sophie
Okay, I was initially impressed at the female protagonist at the first half of the film... She was brave and optimistic despite the curse placed on her. Going beyond the first half though, I got annoyed at her character. The story tries to portray her as nice and kind, but I wonder why then, does she seem to treat Califer so badly? Califer kept telling her that he will go out if there's water, but she kept openly ignoring that. Near the end, when she tried to rebuilt the castle, she even brought Califer out into a rain without even a shelter for the poor fire despite wanting Califer to work hard to rebuild the castle. ??? It hardly made sense right. She could at least bring another pan to cover the poor fire... Then, she went on to dump water on Califer even AFTER she heard that it was Howl's heart inside Califer. I understand she is trying to save the witch, but really?? After claiming that she love Howl, her first instinct is to ignore that her action is about to kill Howl off, in order to save a witch who cursed her? I was about to bash her (and the witch obviously) after that scene. I feel like her character isn't portrayed very well in this sense. To me, several of her actions portray her differently from the image the story tried to build her as.
Well okay, the two points above are my main put-offs for the movie. The ending, while a tad cliche, wasn't that bad if I just pretend that everything that needs to be explained has been explained. At least Howl and Sophie ended up together in a happy ending.
In a nutshell, this is a movie worth watching if you like beautiful art and fantasy/magic alternate universe. Try not to expect too much of the plot (even if the story seems to build up an expectation right until near the end - when you finally realize it's not gonna meet it) and it's still a good watch. Howl's drawn so suave and beautifully may I say :P