Ghibli Villain: Witch of the Waste

Film: Howl’s Moving Castle (English title)
          Hauru no Ogoku Shiro (Japanese title)

Voices: Lauren Bacall (English Disney dub)
               Akihiro Miwa (Japanese)

The Character

There is always a major problem when bringing a book (especially a popular one) to the screen. In some adaptations, some characters remain faithful, some are tweaked but some are changed so completely on screen, they become a shadow on of what readers have known them to be. The Witch of the Waste arguably comes dangerously close into belonging into the third category.

In the book by Diana Wynne Jones, she is the central villain and in the book, Howl is called upon by the King of Ingary to kill her. In the book, whilst her first appearance in the film is similar to her first main scene in the book, her story quickly changes and although some traits remain, she quickly changes from main villain into a character of very little importance. This also includes the change in her personality and how she is viewed.

As mentioned before, her first scene is almost identical to that of the film. She becomes offended by the main character Sophie and turns into an old crone, stating that she can’t tell anyone about the curse. Fair enough but there is a main difference: the reason as to why she cursed Sophie. In the film, it is because she found out about Howl and Sophie’s encounter and becomes extremely jealous. In the book, it is far more complex. It is because the Witch mistakes Sophie for her sister, Lettie and believed Sophie had some information she needed about Howl as well as the fact that Sophie inadvertently offends by unknowingly working magic on hats.

After this moment, the Witch changes from the book. In her next scene, after “being humiliated” by struggling to walk upstairs, she has her powers removed by Madam Suliman and instantly becomes as old as (if not older than) Sophie. After this, she becomes a character who smokes and seems to talk nonsense whilst clinging to Suliman’s dog, Heen. There are some references that she fell in love with Howl and was rejected by him. This indeed happened in the book and in the book, this becomes the reason why Howl was cursed so that upon falling in love he would have to return to the Witch. In the book, what is also interested is that due to the Witch’s involvement with her own fire demon is the reason why Howl and Calcifer are desperate to break theirs in the first place (a fact that is never brought up in the film as well the Witch’s fire demon).

She becomes the reason and cause of most events in the book (such as the disappearance of Prince Justin) and is far more sadistic in her plans. It’s a shame that Ghibli could not see just how much they could have done with the character because with the change of the main villain, it meant a almost complete change of the story and it sorta lacks the Wynne Jones magic. Also, considering how powerful and evil this character is meant to be, her punishment in the film seems rather light and she seems to regain redemption without doing much (well, except after taking the heart, eventually gives it to Sophie who uses it to break the contract). This last action by her is symbolic for while it is never speculated on whether the Witch still loves Howl in the book, it is very clear in the film that she does. She clings onto his heart with dear life like a child until she realises that Sophie and Howl love each other. By giving the heart to Sophie, it means she has let him go, something emphasised by the fact that minutes later, she flirted with Prince Justin.

So it is important that for all fans of this anime film, when it comes to the book, changes of opinion of this character are expected.

 

The voices behind the character

I think I’ll start with Akihiro Miwa who is an interesting choice for the Japanese voice. It’s a well-know fact that in some cases in anime, particularly with portraying voices of pre-adolescent boys, women tend to be used. This is the first time I have ever known for a female character in anime to be voiced by a man. Yes, in case you did not know, Akihiro Miwa is a male drag queen (his real name is Akihiro Maruyama but he goes by his stage name: Akihiro Miwa). Not only that but this is not the first time he has portrayed a female character in anime. Another notable role is that of Moro, the female wolf in Princess Mononoke (don’t believe me? Google/Wikipedia it or go onto imdb.com)

What can I say? Miwa was perfect as the Witch, both young and old. As the young Witch, there is a dark voice to the Witch and is very effeminate although you can detect a hint of masculinity in her tone. As the old Witch, Miwa is far more convincing. Maybe his voice is a little scratchy in some places but that gives off the impression that the Witch is indeed a cackling old witch and the voice is completely female. It becomes really hard to believe a man is doing the voice.

Lauren Bacall was also spot-on. As the young witch, her voice is very low, posh and dark as if she is trying to mimic Miwa’s performance. She makes the old Witch weaker and more empty as if to reflect her powers and beauty being drained away from her. The darkness has gone from her voice and there is more emotion to her.

Ghibli Villain: The Cat King

 Film: The Cat Returns (English title)
          Neko no Ongaeshi (Japanese title)

Voices: Tim Curry (English Disney dub)
               Tetsurō Tamba (Japanese)

 

 

The Character

When it comes to this character, I have often wondered if he can be truly be considered as a villain. He is crazy but his motives seem to be justified when it comes to the Ghibli Princess, Haru. However, my justifications in calling The Cat King a villain comes from here. The Ghibli studio (and in many cases, most anime studios) sets itself apart from Western animation studios, such as Disney and Pixar in how they portray the ‘bad guys’. Without the exception of a certain few (such as Mushka from Laputa), anime villains cannot be seen as pure evil and heartless. In most of the Ghibli films, the villains are those who produce obstacle for the protagonist or disrupt their lives in a bad way. With Princess Mononoke, if it had not been for Lady Eboshi’s greed, Prince Ashitaka would not have been cursed and the war between humans and beasts would not have become an issue in the film. However, she is destroying the forest in the place to provide a home and work for the people that civilisation rejects, such as lepers.

So it can be justified that from this point of view, the Cat King is the bad guy in The Cat Returns. The film is bizarre all the way through but he is the character that brings the surreality. The other characters seem to be straight. They have their complexities but they can be worked out pretty quickly. I wish I could say the same for the Cat King. When I first saw this film, I immediately thought of the film Labyrinth and there are similarities between these two films. Like Toby in Labyrinth, Haru must return to her own world before a specific time for she will be a cat forever. She is forced away to this beautifully bizarre world. And both films involve a very deceptive labyrinth which leads to a location in which the main character can go back home.

And in my eyes, the Cat King has a lot of qualities of Jareth (played by David Bowie in Labyrinth). The king’s fur resembles the wildness of Jareth’s hair but the interesting thing is their relationship with the main character. It has been analysed and debated on what Jareth wants from Sarah in Labyrinth and the same can be said about what the Cat King wants from Haru in The Cat Returns. In the end, they both wants the main female character for themselves; for Sarah, Jareth wanted her as his own all along. On the other hand, Haru is kidnapped purely because he wants her to marry Prince Lune and everything he does after that is to keep her happy and show gratitude for saving his son in the first place. It is only when she asserts herself that she does want Prince Lune (and the Prince says he has fallen for palace servant, Yuki) that the King offers himself to Haru. This could lead back to his first lines in the film when he calls Haru ‘babe’. It could be interpreted that the Cat King secretly wanted Haru for herself but maybe he could not marry her so the closest he could be to her was for her to be his daughter-in-law. 

  

The Cat King seems to have a dual personality. When he thinks things are going smoothly, he is calm. However, when something upsets the balance, such as Haru being unhappy at the ball, the Baron coming to get her and the King’s plan to get her back are thwarted, he becomes almost insane. His actions become clearly over-the-top which adds to the overall bizarre feel of the film. This can be said for his motives in keeping Haru in the Cat Kingdom. However, to be fair, there is only one act he does that could put her life in danger; when he instructs for the tower to be blown up, bring it lower and thereby changing the top of the tower into Haru’s world. When he tells this to the Baron, he laughs manically.

 

However, unlike many villains, he does admit defeat in the end. When he is humiliated by the Baron in the short sword fight and Haru finally gets back to her world, he contemplates retiring from the throne, leaving Prince Line to rule.

He is definitely not the most evil person in the Ghibli world but overall, he is definitely the craziest.

 

The voices behind the character

When I say that I see the Cat king as crazy, I think this is more to do with Tim Curry’s voice. There is a slightly over-the-top tone whilst Tetsurō Tamba seems to be genuinely emotional and seems to think he is doing right. Tim Curry’s Cat King sounds and acts like he needs to be in a straitjacket asap.

Ghibli Villian: Mushka

 

Film: Laputa:Castle in the Sky (English title)
          Tenku-no Shiro Rapyuta (Japanese title) 

Voice: Mark Hamill (English Disney dub)
            Jeff Winkless (Streamline English dub)
            Minori Terada (Japanese)

The Character

Ah yes, my favourite anime villain par none. Amongst most anime villains, particularly those created by Hayao Miyazaki, there is a sense of complexity about them, like they are not all bad or they are seen as good in some eyes and bad in others. In Princess Mononoke, it is Lady Eboshi. In Ponyo, it is Fujimoto. In the non-Ghibli anime film, X, it is the Dragons of the Earth (especially in this one as although we are meant to root for Dragons of the Heavens, the Dragons of the Earth make a strong argument and you want them to win).

Mushka (or Muska) is not like that. Yes, he is complex and holds secrets but he has no heart at all. By the end, he cannot be seen as good from any point of view. He does what he does purely for power and for his own gain. He has his minions and when he finally gets what he wants, he is not hesitant to dispose of them. I swear, if this guy wasn’t created by a Japanese anime genius, he could be mistaken for a stereotypical American villain.

The wierd thing with most anime villains is that they tend to be bad at first and then show some good in the end. Take Lady Eboshi from Princess Mononoke. Yes, she is trying to destroy the forest to mine for iron and expand her city BUT she also takes in prostitutes and lepers from the streets and gives them jobs. In Laputa, there is the pirate gang. At the start, you think they are the villains and Mushka is the good guy trying to protect Sheeta. By the middle, you realise that the pirates aren’t evil and they just want the city’s treasure. However, they are not malicious or evil. They are honest and do not want to mainpulate. By the middle, their position changes from villain to sidekick and really good sidekicks. They are considered the best characters in the film.

Compare with Mushka. The viewers’ view of him changes from bad to worse as the film progresses and what is interesting is that out of all the Ghibli villians (and I have seen all but two films), he is the only one of TWO villians to be punished for his demise. All the other villians either call a truce, change their character completely and gain some redemption. It seems the message in the Ghibli world is learn a lesson about being good and you will survive to the end of the film. Mushka doesn’t and he pays for it dearly.

 

The voices behind the character

Oh boy this is a good one to do because I have had the honour of watching all three main versions: the original Japanese dub, the 1980s English dub made hastily by Streamline and the more famous, underrated and mostly debated Disney dub.

First of, I’ll start with the original Japanese version. I’m sorry to say but I actually saw this one after buying the DVD. The first version I saw was the Disney English dub so this may have affected my judgement on this version. Minori Terada is hard but not dull at all. He plays Mushka as the emotionless person he is and he gives him an authoritative tone.

Next is the Streamline dub. My God! I only got to see this thanks to You Tube and I wish I could clean my brain out. Seriously. Whoever says the Disney dubs are bad should definitely see this and call THIS the worst. I thought the cast from the film X was bad until I saw this. The whole cast was bad in this dub but the thing is that Mushka is meant to be bad and somewhat scary but Winkless does not do this. He sounds bored and well the dub overall was done in a rush so it is possible that the actors were told to do it in one take and left it at that, regardless the imperfection of it all. The thing is with Mushka is that when he finds the real treasure of Laputa and when he shows Sheeta the robot, he is meant to be emotional, something that Winkless does not do. And it has to be said. He says the worst line I have ever heard in a line: “Now say bye bye!” He is holding a gun at SHeeta and he says that!? Is he serious? The scriptwriter should hang his head in shame for that! Yes you laugh the first time you hear it but after that, it’s just cringey. You can watch it to judge for yourself but be prepared to regret it.

The Disney English dub of Laputa is a hotly debated dub. Most of the Disney dubs are like Marmite: you either love them or you hate them. However, some may just have the most perfect voice casting possible that it justify the average casting for the rest of the film? In The Cat Returns, it is Carey Elwes as the Baron (although he was awful in Porco Rosso). In Howl’s Moving Castle, it was Billy Crystal as Calcifer and Christian Bale as Howl. In Laputa, there are two: Cloris Leachman and Mark Hamill. Regardless of the mixed views on the rest of the cast, there seemed to be an overall, almost unanimous opinion on Laputa: Leachman and Hamill are superb.

Out of all the versions, Hamill is definitely the best Mushka. Hamill has become famous for two thing: Star Wars and voiceovers, the latter which he is brilliant at. He is famous for doing some of the best voiceovers in animation, in particular his villians. His most famous are the Joker (Batman: The Animated Series) and the Hobgoblin (the 1990s Spiderman TV series).

Whilst Terada is authoritative and Winkless is just not worthy enough to mention, Hamill gives Mushka a level above Terada. As well as being authoritative, he makes Mushka slimy, oozing with seduction. For example, he tells Sheeta to stay down or she’ll be hurt. In the Japanese version, he is not that caring. In the Streamline dub, he is even less caring but Hamill’s Mushka is caring and this is the first sign that you think he’s the good guy which makes the realisation he’s a baddie more shocking. In his next major scene with Sheeta and the robot, he has you totally convinced that he wants to stop Laputa’s power from going into the wrong hands when in fact, it is he that should be prevented from gaining the city’s power. Sheeta is lured into his power like a snake to Adam and Eve. When he finds Laputa’s power, he was so emotional and almost crazed and of course, the laugh. He definitely has the best laugh which is very chilling and all I can do is point and say “The Joker!”

One line that always get to me is when Sheeta is running away from him and he is telling her to be reasonable, you get a hint of Luke Skywalker. He was trying to be calm and seductive again. He is brilliant all the way through!

What can I say, Hamill was perfect to me. He is by far the best in the dub, alongside Cloris Leachman and out of all the English Disney dubs, he was one of the best, if not the best all the English Ghibli dubs!