#哈尔的移动城堡 #
Hayao Miyazaki's work "Howl's Moving Castle" set a record for more than 19.6 billion yen at the box office.
However, the evaluation of the work is mixed,
This has also caused a very polarized opinion of both pro and cons in the work of director Hayao Miyazaki.
And in the crowd, I often hear "vague" and "not quite understood" sounds.
Here, I will introduce you to some mysteries that can be slightly solved in "Hal's Moving Castle", and then deeply interpret the main points of the work.
It also explains "why there is such content".
※The following is a spoiler for "Hal's Moving Castle". Readers who have not yet read it are recommended to collect it and then read it after enjoying it.
<h1>Why does Sophie sometimes return to her original youthful appearance?</h1>
The most interesting thing about this work is that "Sophie, who was cursed by the Witch of the Wilderness and became a 90-year-old woman, somehow sometimes reverts to her 18-year-old appearance."
There are no lines in the play that directly illustrate this, and there is no explicit description of "the curse is lifted".
From the conclusion, the reason why Sophie often returns to old age,
No doubt because "Sophie's mental state or self-evaluation" is directly reflected in age.
The easiest scene for Sophie to regain her youthful posture is when she comes to see the sorcerer Salimah as Hal's stand-in, pretending to be Hal's mother.
Despite Hal's wishes, Salimman intends to use his power for the sake of the kingdom (war),
"Hal won't come, and he won't be the Demon King, I believe Hal!" Sophie loudly announced that she had returned to her original appearance, including the color of her hair.
At this time, the "young love heart" of "falling in love with Hal" restored Sophie to her original appearance.
After the flames of war came to Sophie and their eyes, Sophie (thinking of Hal) has been restored to its original form.
On the other hand, "when there is no self-confidence" Sophie will become an old woman.
The easiest to understand is when Hal was invited to the beautiful prairie where the flowers were blooming.
When she got off at Prairie Station, Sophie was back to her youthful appearance,
But when she said, "I'm not pretty, I can only clean it,"
As soon as she said this, she became an old woman
Later, she said to herself, "Good men are" and there is almost nothing to lose."
She always spoke masochistic rhetoric.
In addition, Sophie had no confidence in her appearance when she was young.
I remember there was a scene where Sophie's sister was worried about her sister,
Sophie said to her sister, "It's okay, Hal only targets beautiful women." ”
From here, you can also see how unconfident Sophie is in her appearance.
Sophie's low self-esteem may be the reason why she has suffered the curse of the Wilderness Witch for getting older (and getting uglier in appearance).
♠ What matters is the mood. I feel that when I am old, I will be old, and when I feel that I am young, I will become young...
This seems to be possible only in fantasy, in fact, it is more "mental" than the actual age.
Arguably, it transcends the universal nature of "aging", which may be more important than the "aging" of the body.
<h1>This is a story that affirms "old age"</h1>
♥ The young Sophie is not happy, but the "aging" Sophie gets the life she wants
The original novel of Hal's Moving Castle is called Hal the Sorcerer and the Devil of Fire.
Its author, Diana Winnie Jones, has this to say about Sophie's curse,
"It is unfortunate that the young Sophie is old, but fortunately, when she gets older, she becomes bolder."
If Sophie is still a young girl, she is still living in unhappiness,
At least as she gets older, Sophie doesn't have to worry so much, and the vitality of her youth is released.
In fact, Sophie has a lively sister, Letty, who once asked her, "Are you going to stay in that shop (hat shop) for the rest of your life?"
Sophie was obviously reluctant, but her answer showed her concern and helplessness.
"This is a very important shop for dad... I, because I am the eldest daughter",
It's the sense of responsibility that "the eldest daughter must take over the store" and not what she really wants to do,
She had been unhappy all along, and her life was tied down.
Ironically, however, Sophie was cursed to become an old woman and was freed from this responsibility.
The work of cleaning the castle room was also obtained through "one's own judgment",
Later, he also reunited with Hal, the super handsome brother who helped him, and became a lover.
♥ Sophie didn't break the curse and didn't end up getting younger
In addition, director Hayao Miyazaki also said: "Unravel the curse, Sophie returns from old age to youth and gets happiness, I can't do this, if I do this, all the old people will be unhappy."
From this we can also see that In fact, Sophie did not break the curse at all.
The important thing is that she (Sophie) forgot her age,
Even the original does not say that Sophie eventually changed back to her youthful appearance.
Author Diana Winnie Jones also wants to express that age is not a problem.
All in all, director Hayao Miyazaki and original author Diana Winnie Jones agree: "Aging is not unfortunate".
In the real world, it is easy for people to think of "youth" as something of value.
But in Hal's Moving Castle, aging can liberate people from a life of bondage (regardless of age)... It can be said that this is a story that affirms "aging".
What do you think? Did you understand Hal's Moving Castle?
Welcome to exchange and discuss, the next issue continues to update the "Hal's Moving Castle" series, pay attention to me, do not get lost, and are willing to support Ha with one key and three consecutive times.