I just finished the book and thought maybe the bird form was a nodd to the big showdown Howl has with the witch of the waste and they both turn into creatures or illusions at different points! I also like to think them walking on air at the start of the film was maybe a nodd to a moment near the end of the book where they're rushing back home and Howl is being honest :^) I definitely love the book a lot and honestly think its one of my all time fave reads! Its so cozy and funny and whimsical, and I think Howl being from Wales actually almost brings you closer to the magic, he's just a normal guy but became a Wizard and Sophie thought she was a normal girl that wouldn't amount to anything but was a powerful witch all along

15:16 that's wrong its very briefly hinted that a war will soon break out. Similar to the movie Sophie meets the kind twice and in the second meeting the king mentions the real reason he needs his brother back. Prince Justin is a really good general and the king needs to start preparing. Its not as overt as the movie. Mostly because Miyazaki was harshly criticizing the usa Iraq war and that is why he refused his academy awards for spirited away. 20:02 actually it does happen. Towards the end of the book as howl and Sophie go back to the castle to fight Miss Angorian's/ the fire demon Howl quickly conjures a wind. Its far more elegant in movie as the book version they are bickering and howls is finally being honest whihc means his curse is carcing up to him.

I knew Howl's Moving Castle was a famous movie, but I wanted to read the book first before I watched it. I am so glad I did, the characters are so much more 3-dimensional and flawed to me than they are in the movie. Unfortunately because of this I was disappointed watching the movie because I was expecting a comedy with all of Howl's antics. However, I love the movie for what it is and I have come to see it as a different story with the same basic premise. It's as if Diana Wynne Jones and Miyazaki were given the same story prompt and came up with different stories.

I just read the book again and then watched the movie. I know Martha wasn't in the movie. But they do mention in the movie (A scene at the beginning when in the hatshop right after howl's castle walks past close to town) that Howl's last victim was a girl named Martha. Which I thought was a fun nod to Howl courting Martha when the book starts.

I thought the characters were written over the top mean in the movie too. So glad I wasn’t in the minority of noticing that.

wait.. so all this time howl's moving caslte is actually an isekai anime?! by thegods

I love Coraline so so much! I was obsessed with the movie when I was growing up and still know all the words to the movie. I recently re-read the book and it was fun seeing the differences between the two. I really do love the pieces with the doll and Wybie that they added to the movie. It made it extra creepy and added more depth to it 🥰🧵🪡 Loved hearing your thoughts about the two!

I'm more than a few years late to this So it's entirely likely that somebody else has already said what I have to contribute Howl turning into a bird monster in the movie was representative of an comparison between him and the airships. This is important if you know hayao miyazaki's feelings about aerial warfare, and crimes against humanity

Watching this after just finishing the book. I love your channel! Filming, editing, movie/book comparison, everything! So glad to have stumbled upon it.

As much as I love the film, I never got the bird thing either

wish there was a time stamp to the actual comparison

Don’t forget Coraline calling Wybie “Why were you born” for extra mean points haha

As a troll from Michigan's LP I love the change to Coraline's origin. I feel like my home state doesn't get enough recognition in media. I also like the addition of Wybie.

8:51 I need to read it

I'm so glad to find someone who shares my general opinions on both the book and movie ❤️ Just one correction, though: there is actually a war in the book. It's a fairly obscure reference, but when Sophie is "blackening Howl's name to the king", the king mentions that one of the reasons he needs Howl to find Prince Justin is because he has two neighbouring kingdoms preparing to come to war against him and Justin is his best general. This same war is also referenced in the next book Castle in the Air as one of the characters is supposedly a soldier from the losing army now vagabonding across Ingary. I love that Diana Wynne Jones has a very satisfying way of building plots that resolve in a way that is both surprising and logical, yet you kind-of have to read the book two or three times to get a good grasp on what actually happened. It means you can truly enjoy repeat reading because you're always finding little details that you missed!

I really liked the book! Definitely very different but I really liked the banter between Howl and Sophie! It doesn’t really feel like much of a romance until when howl pops the question at the end, but I didn’t really care because I found their banter so fun to read!

And also the other dad is different

howl is awsome🙂

Hello! Thank you for your recs!! May we have recommendation videos that don’t include spoilers pls?

so book howl is isekai? That's a new info for me

hii before telling you my opinion of the two versions. I'd love to comment on your attitude which is soo loveable. so I watched the movie years ago and I found it confusing. It was aesthetically beautiful but the story didn't honestly appeal to me. But then I discovered there was a novel so I read it and things made much more sense. what I didn't like much in the movie was making the witch of the waste a sort of their friend which quite happened suddenly. but other than that I don't find the other changes annoying: the charming walk in the air is a masterpiece for real. I watched the movie again after reading the book and I like it more now. it's funny how the movie made me love the book as I imagined everything like the movie using it as a mould. and also the book made me love the movie more as the missing pieces are no longer missing.

If I had a nickel for every time Keith David played a cat, I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

I saw the movie first, but love the book more! I like that Sofie has more agency in the book 😍 Don't always understand why she falls for Howl though... Other than his dashing good looks 😂

The fact that in the book it’s Howl who was hitting on Sophie and called her a mouse is so freaking funny to me😭😭😭😂😂😂

Why's nobody talking about the age gaps?? 😭💀💀

are the sequels worth reading?

I love miyazaki's work, but unfortunately I couldn't really get into the movie. I read Howl's moving Castle when I was a kid and immediately began devouring her works. So much of what I loved about that story it was, well pretty much every exact detail of the world building, the complexity of the characters, the images it put into my mind. And that was mostly gone in the movie. Of course I know it's a good movie, it's just nothing like the book. Honestly though, as somebody who's a huge fan of Philip Pullman's work, I would have much rather see a book become a good movie albeit a very different story, then see it become an embarrassment.

I can agree with most people that the book is worth reading. But personally, I think the film adaptation from studio Ghibli is a lot better, and more memorable. I love it so much!😊

I just read the book and watched the movie. I loved the book 5/5 ⭐️s. The book was way better than the movie in my opinion but I didn’t hate the movie. They made a lot of unnecessary changes and left a lot out which is understandable for the sake of time. My main complaints were the whole beginning like you said with Darby being an addict in a rehab center. I didn’t like that at all and her doing the drugs to get the nail out of her hand. I didn’t like that. I also hate that the relationship between Ashley and Darby was not built up and it was so quick that she told him about the girl in the van without any of the buildup. I loved Lars character in the movie. The actor did a perfect job and I liked Ashley too but they just cut so much out of his dialog so you couldn’t get to know him as much like in the book. I liked that Sandy was the maid rather then the school bus driver. It actually makes more sense that way I think. I loved Ed’s character more in the movie. In the book he seemed a bit useless and in the movie he seemed smarter and more capable. I don’t really like how he was killed in the movie though vs the book but I guess it makes sense for the story line. I like that Darbys hand was nailed to the wall. I feel like that was more realistic then it stuck in the hinges. I didn’t really like the whole hinge story in the book.

I love Coraline, the movie is fantastic. However I still haven't read the book yet, I know I have too. Maybe somebody will get me to book for a birthday present in July. Anyway I was hoping that there would have been a part 2 or a sequel to Coraline.

I love the movie. It's my favorite Studio Ghibli movie, even. But the book ruined the movie for me-it's SO much more in line with what I like, and Howl is so much more fun in the book that I can't see him any other way. My dramatic ass boyfriend and his magic tantrum over his hair turning pink LMAO The fact her sisters are kind of important in the book also means a lot to me, it also gives more layers to Sophie… who is a lot more dynamic and like. Her own person in the book, to me

Please change your name in to "Lexicon"❤

In the book I love that Sophie's world has these weird superstitious beliefs like "eldest children never amount to anything much", which Sophie believes and is resigned to, until the spell happens and she is now not only the eldest but elderly! I like how the book shows the characters fighting against life's expectations for them, Sophie of course when she is old and feels more empowered, but also both her sisters Lettie and Martha scheming and identity-swapping to live their best life. :) Every main character gets a transformation.

I've always thought that a more "faithful" adaptation of the book would have had a tone similar to the movie/book Stardust. Lots of similar themes, similar fantastic settings, similar convoluted/circuitous plotting... The vibes are a lot more similar, honestly.

What does sophies gray hair mean at the end? Its the only thing that does not change back

Read the book but couldn't finish it. Book Howl is so annoying that saying he is a brat is putting it lightly. I just couldn't.

19:55 that scene where they run in the sky does happen in the book, it's when they run away from the waste. 9:13 they kept describing howl as cowardly and bad mannered in the book, but in the end sophie reveals that, the entire time he has actually been very noble and kind. They didn't change his character that much. He comes across rude when he insults her by calling her old, but that's recontextualised when you find out he knows that's not actually what she looks like. He's also not a coward, he just believes himself to be because he has fear. In the same way Sophie thinks she is an old soul just because she is the eldest. At the end of the day he fights his own battles, and she is a young woman. In the book and the movie, his issue is his detachment to things. In the book he doesn't reveal too much in effort to keep a distance, in the movie it's the same with the additional idea that he throws himself into other people's battles due to poor self worth.

nooooo! I imagned takkan blonde! (or brownish-blonde/ash blonde)

Now i wanna read the book soo bad😑😐

i think the whole bird thing is abot ptsd and other veteran issues, maybe a lost idea, that Howl WAS a soldier and that new war brings up the worst depths of his soul. also i think for this part we should „blame” all the pacification of Japan after ww2, that provides sometimes a bit confusing narratives of indistinction of defending and attacking :/

Where are you Lexie, I'm missing your content 😭

I love your LOTR hard covers. What is the name of the edition that you have?

I love when she called him a 'slither-outer'. That is my favorite thing in the whole book.

Thank you for this and for showing which books to get for the jackets! That is quite the collection you have there! I hope you continue to enjoy them!

Just finished the book and the movie. Super disappointed with the movie, even if the book didn’t blow my mind either. I paid attention to the email in the beginning of the book, so I saw Ashley’s involvement from the get go. But the movie is a pale shadow of the book. Even understanding adjustments have to be made to fit the timeframe of a movie, it didn’t give me the overall tension, dread and Darby’s badassness feeling as the book did. Also, they flattened Jay’s character in the movie. She actually kills Ash and that shouldn’t have been changed, imo. Plus, I liked the twist that Darby didn’t actually die and the funeral was for her mother instead. I lacked the wholesomeness of them getting back together again, with Darby as the saviour. Devon visiting Darby just felt short and underwhelming.

Well remembered. Beldam nowadays is associated with an 'old, especially ugly woman or witch' it used to be a term used for a grandmother. You could even trace it back to the french term 'belle dame' which would translate to 'beautiful woman', not sure about when the shift happened, but I think it was linked to a poem that was written about 200 years ago? You might want to fact check this part. :)

Both versions are great!! But to me, I just love the movie it has my whole heart and I was able to relate to it so much. I'm more in love with the movie howl than the book howl as well. Weirdly all the changes in the movie I honestly liked. Though some I was shocked by.

Your review of the movie was the best I watch so far.

I was soooo mad when they didnt show the part where Darby says look away Jay and slits his throat and then ash comes in and she says he cant talk right know I slit his throat, lIKE THATS SO BADASS

I honestly think Letty’s character was merged with Sophie since some of her characters seems to manifest her, the same way happened to Penstemon and Suliman I believe