Howl's Moving Castle: A Lesson On Insecure Love

#anime #howlsmovingcastle #videoessay
Howl's Moving Castle is a beautiful film and the first Studio Ghibli film I've ever seen. If you haven't already, I hope one day you find your Howl or Sophie too.

⏰ Chapters ⏰
intro - 0:00
Sophie's Insecurities - 1:30
Howl's Insecurities - 2:53
Final Point - 4:36
outro - 6:09

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[erik]

It's weird how relevant this is to me now. Insecurity should never be the gatekeeper of love. Instead, it's an opportunity to find a partner that can provide you with the uplifting reassurance that helps you heal together.

[NeverLoveNiila]

I think what's important is that despite their insecurities they both still have boundaries. Sofie doesn't let Howl get away with all his childish behaviour and Howl protects his way of life from Sofies changes. They are both still individuals ready to stand up for themselves despite being Insecure.

[ola]

While the statement, "you gotta love yourself before loving others" is true, when you receive the right kind of love, loving yourself is alot easier ❤

[malakistrying]

2:39 “her sense of self worth is tied up into her usefulness to others” ):

[Ukubayley]

It's even more interesting to think about this within the context of the book, where Sophie is less insecure about her beauty but more insecure about feeling trapped by the complex of being the "eldest child destined to fail".

[thomastanita]

Notice how one of the first things Howl says to Sophie is that he’s been looking for her …. And the. In the past Sophie tells him to find her.

[ricekrispies]

Litterally in tears. Had never been able to put my finger on why I loved this film so much. I never caught onto the parallels. The counterargument to perfect love wrecked me

[lizmarieghiardi]

Finally someone who gets this movie 😭 I’ve seen so many ghibli reviews or tier lists where people go “idk man this one just didn’t make sense to me”. This is my favorite ghibli movie.

[marissaneduncheliyan]

I feel like Sophie. I look around and see girls with boyfriends younger than me when I’m in my mid twenties and have never had a boyfriend. I Hope to meet my howl one day. Someone who’ll love me even if I don’t have the figure of a model.

[TidleFrat]

This is the perfect video to explain to people what I'm looking for in a relationship. I just want to lift someone up when they need it, like Howl and Sophie do. I want my Sophie too. Which is probably why this is my favorite Ghibli film.

Loved the video, great look at this classic. Hope we can all find our Howl's and Sophie's

[Helfirehydratrans]

It’s so sad that some people can’t see past the anime, and just get bored, and not pay attention to the story

Like I’ve tried, showing Howells, moving castle to several people that are older, and they just can’t see past anime

[tatianaaa]

As someone who just got diagnosed with body Dysmorphia, it’s kinda crazy how much this video sticks with me. like my self love for myself atm is a big fat 0, I never buy myself clothes or makeup because I don’t wanna pay attention to myself, and whenever I get complimented or hit on I make the automatic assumption that people are lying. It’s kinda crazy how relatable I find Sophie now. I think I needed this video, to remind myself that I’m still worthy of love even if I don’t see myself that way.

[Cherrycreamsoda]

I totally agree with what you're saying. I used to defend the whole 'you can't love someone else until you love yourself' notion but people would point out its still possible to heal in relationships, rather than avoid them to work on yourself. I think the reason I resisted this view and got mad is I can't find anyone who's willing to do that, even if I want them, and no matter how I try its very hard to find ways to love myself. When the rejections pile up enough you start to believe you are not wanted or worthy, and that is a very depressing thing to deal with :(

[stoic_rose]

short n sweet, heartfelt, analytical, i love it ! you did a great job analyzing these character's relations with each other, as well as their own inner demons. a great analysis, keep up the good work man :]

[justcruisinaong]

Insecurity isn't an issue if the other person is not a toxic, narcissistic person. In this instance, Howl wasn't a toxic narcissist. He was just an immature vain guy with his heart in the right place (no pun intended). Hence why it's not a big deal that Sophie was also insecure. Had Howl been an a-hole (as the novel Howl was more so than the Studio Ghibli animated Howl) it might've caused problems for Sophie. I found the novel Howl was more problematic and can't see the novel Sophie blossoming to be as strong as the animated Sophie, tbh.

[zebrafigs]

What a great analysis of one of my favorite movies. As someone who herself is insecure, this makes me think of my partner who loves me and recognizes me for the things i forget about myself.

[Davi-sprt]

I luvvvv how she was able to handle Calcifer, I feel like Cal was somehow a metaphorical idea trying to make implications towards Howl’s heart.
☺️

[MightBeMilla]

I love this movie to death and have so many thoughts on it, but you worded this in a way that offered me a whole new perspective on the characters and myself. Amazing video!!

[fluffycloud]

It's so funny how in the book, their personalities are way different. I totally recommend reading it because the story beats shown (with the wicked witch etc.) suddenly start to make so much more sense when you understand what it is all really based on. The very British writing is delightful and very humorous too and I personally loved the illustrations as well

[jaouna]

This was such a sweet and yet profound video. I think the saying "you should love yourself before you try to love another" is superficial, as ironic as that is. In my opinion, we should accept ourselves and with that comes accepting that we are beings worthy (but not entitled) to love. It's also very important to acknowledge that this is a lifetime process. You're never just done with it; as such, one is never perfectly content with one's self, for one has always things to work on.

It's also important to mention that in a healthy relationship, both partners can positively contribute to this journey of self acceptance, they cannot force it upon one another as it's mostly an individual process, but they'll not hinder it.