Howl is an interesting departure from Miyazaki's more classical wabi-sabi anime style that most of his heroes and heroines are drawn in as Howl is definitely a very contemporary bishonen. Also, from a quizzical character design perspective, Howl is certainly one of if not the most beautiful characters that Miyazaki has ever created. Although it flirts from theme to theme to theme with a kind of animated attention deficit disorder, the landscapes and utter unabated surrealism left me stunned and never bored. I think this is a very smart movie in many subtle ways and it's one that I look forward to watching again on the big screen and then on DVD. Some people have complained about the lack of plot or story or serious character development, but even though the characters are fairly static, their emotions and the physical changes they undergo as they go through these emotions brings out a higher truth that is seldom given such artistic and natural freedom.

It is as if the characters go from one emotion to the next, in a world that is as random as one's own dreams.

In this way the film is simple, pure, and extremely beautiful. What I love about this movie is that it's highly emotional without a great deal of logic or plot or story to get in the way. All of his other films are very linear and even though their highly varied worlds may be visually stunning and highly creative, I feel the dreamy world of Howls Moving Castle is by far the most captivating, bizarre, and imaginative of all the worlds Miyazaki has ever envisioned. I think this is possibly Miyazaki's most intriguing movie.

Wallpaper howl's moving castle