Ghibli Prince: Asbel

 

Film: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (English title)
          Kaze No Tano No Naushika (Japanese title)

Voices: Shia LeBouf (English)
               Yoji Matsuda (Japanese) 

 

 

The Character

In this humble fan’s opinion, Asbel is not the strongest Prince in the anime world. He is clearly overshadowed by Nausicaä. In fact, in his first proper scene, he has to be rescued by Nausicaä from the bottom of the Sea of Corruption.

However, he is not weak. He is in fact a very good pilot and mechanic. He can be forgiven for having the same views as Kushana and Torumekians for, just like them, he feels it’s the right thing to do. It is only when the pair reach Pejite that he finally stands up for Nausicaä’s beliefs.

Action-wise, he doesn’t get much of it. He doesn’t necessarily move the story along. You could call him a sidekick for he seems to follow Nausicaä. Due to their similar ages, Asbel would have made a potential love interest for Nausicaä and in a typical film, there would probably be a chance for a little bit of romance. But Nausicaä is not interested in romance; she has more pressing things on her mind until the battle and hate is over. I can see that Asbel and Nausicaä getting together but for the film and manga, they are mere acquaintances which could develop into something much much more….

 

The voices behind the character

I like Yoji Matsuda’s voice in this. He brings passion and gentleness to Asbel’s voice. Although the poor guy doesn’t have many lines, he does it well. Same goes for Shia LeBouf except I feel that he tries too hard. I really don’t know what to say about the voice actors behind Asbel as he doesn’t get much screen time. I think this is one for the audience to decide.

The Reality and Delusions Behind “Perfect Blue”

Year: 1997
Director: Satoshi Kon
Screenplay: Sadayuki Murai
Based on the Novel by: Yoshikazu Takeuchi
Producers: Hiroaki Inoue and Masao Maruyama
Production Company: Mad House/Oniro 

This entry is being written for one single purpose. I have been trying to write about Mima and Rumi for character entries but from watching the film so many times, I find that if I tried to write one of those characters on here, I will probably end up delving into psychology which is similar to what I wrote when it came to analysing Chiro and Toto. Maybe I will end up repeating myself in those entries but with all my thoughts being here, I can make little references there and not having to fill the character entries with psychology.

The most interesting thing I have found about this film is that critics have slammed the fact that it was made as an anime; that it would have worked as a live-action film. The irony of it is that it was initially adopted to be a live-action project back in late 1993. Production was delayed during early 1994 due to the Kobe earthquake and the decision to animate the film was made. The fact that it works as anime is basically down to the production team that was tackling issues and subjects never before addressed before in the anime world. To do this, the team worked hard so that the film did not fall prey to the constraints of traditional animation. It was felt that anime had not adopted the eclectic nature of manga and was in danger of confining itself to the same characters and subject matter.

Perfect Blue is different from most animes and I believe it is mostly thanks to the director, Satoshi Kon. This is his directorial debut and it gave him a promising start. He would later go on to direct films like Millennium Actress (2001), Tokyo Godfathers (2003) and Paprika (2006), the latter involves delusions and reality in a similar manner to Perfect Blue.

To understand why it works as anime, I will start by giving you the plot. Perfect Blue is the story of a J-Pop singer, Mima Kirigoe. She is the lead singer with girl band Cham. However, despite having a loyal fan base, none of the band’s singles or albums have entered the charts and possibly motivated by a lack of fulfilment, she now harbours aspirations of becoming an actress. Despite what her fans think, she quits the band after being offered a part in the psychological TV programme, Double Bind.

In the entertainment, crossing over is a risky move and sadly, for Mima, it does not seem to be worth the risk for the part is a minor, her first appearance being two lines. After some persuasion from her office manager, Tadokoro, the screenwriter does expand her part by giving her a rape scene and making her character much darker. It is at this point that Mima’s reality starts to decline and she is brought into the dark abyss of madness. And she is not the only one. The audience is too.

During the rape scene, Mima’s world becomes a haze and her mind and body relaxes as she is “raped” for the camera. The filming of the rape scene is arguably one of the most disturbing moments of Perfect Blue and although it is not an actual scene (it’s an acted scene for the camera and nothing sexual happens), the way it is portrayed in front of us, the audience, could make it one of the most disturbing rape scenes in any film for it can be hard to forget that it is a fake scene, unlike that in The Accused.

It is at this point, Mima appears in a nude magazine layout to sustain her career. It does not help that after leaving Cham, her band members have started on the road to success after appearing on the charts for the first time (not at a reasonably high position but it is enough for the band members to celebrate).

Also, she is being stalked by an obsessive and seriously disturbed fan known as Me-Mania. And to add to her problems, she is disturbed to find every detail of her life is being reported as a faked diary on an Internet website. Not only that but she finds herself confronted by a floating doppelganger that taunts her with what her life could have been if she had not chosen this path. The final icing on the cake is that the plot of the soap opera and the course of Mima’s life start to parallel each other in the most terrifying way, making us wonder what we are seeing is real or not.

The idea of reality and mental illness is not a new theme. It has been covered in many films such as eXistenz and Secret Window but Satoshi Kon brings a fresh look on the subject. With the typical Western film, when it comes to films showing off murder and a fantastic twist on who the killer, the trick used is never show the killer up close until the final twist. For example, we may see a silhouette or the killer is masked/covered by a hood so we never see who is doing it.

Perfect Blue goes one better. We see the photographer being killed at first by an unknown person in a cap. Suddenly the cap flies off and then we see Mima doing the killing. This is the cornerstone shot for Perfect Blue and has the honour of being placed on many of the film posters as well as many of the DVD covers.  

Before this point in the movie, there is doubt over what is going on but we are led to believe that there is something dangerously wrong with Mima. It is even brought up in the film through Double Bind when dissociative identity disorder is mentioned when it comes to the TV doctor analysing Mima’s character. The classic symptoms of DID are the distortion or loss of time, depersonalization, flashbacks and hallucinations, all of which are exhibited by Mima at numerous points. The appearance of these symptoms are exaggerated by the director through the heavy use of jump cuts, fantastical elements such as the ghostly floating doppelganger of Mima, and by the foreshadowing or revisiting of numerous plot points through scenes filmed for Double Bind

It can be argued that Double Bind itself is a hallucination as the scenes filmed (particularly after the rape scene) seem to reflect what is going on in Mima’s life at the time, in particular when she is on set filming a scene where she murders someone as part of the storyline and later when her character is being interrogated by the TV doctor. If it really a hallucination, then it could have been created by and incorporating past experiences from the dissociative personality responsible for creating and controlling the reality of the film’s world. It could be then stated that the doppelganger is her real self emerging through and that the TV show is a projection of the repressed memories of an abusive childhood.

It should be noted that the film follows a reasonably simple linear plot until Mima films the rape scene. After that, her fish are killed and she starts to have hallucinations and weird episodes happen around her and it can be interpreted that the following events could be created as a coping mechanism by Mima. Or it could be that Rumi could be having the mental illness and she sets out to destroy or kill off the various personalities within her identity state when one defied her control. This interpretation is reinforced by the role of Rumi within the film, wherein she acts primarily as an increasingly marginalized observer (a role characteristic of the depersonalization a dissociative patient typically exhibits) in conjunction with the amnesia, time distortion and the transposing of traumatic real events into the fictionalized narrative of Double Bind by Mima.

Some critics have complained that with with this beautiful confusion hanging onto the plot, the ending completely turns this idea around where the doppelganger and assassinations are mundanely revealed to be the mere machinations of one of the heroine’s friends. But is it really so simple? It can be argued that when it came to the murder scene where we think Mima is committing the crime, it is in fact the real killer believing themselves to be Mima and this works beautifully in an anime. However, in relation to DID, what we saw as the ending is Mima “killing off” the final personality that is trying to control her mind. True, the killer is incarcerated but this could be one final hallucination brought on by Mima as a way of setting herself free from all that have tried to control her.

Honorary Sidekick: Dragons of Earth/Dragons of Heaven

Film/TV: X (aka X/1999) (English title)
               Ekkusu (Japanese title)

Dragons of the Heavens     Dragons of the Earth

Kamui Shirō                         Fūma Monou
Sorata Arisugawa               Yūto Kigai
Arashi Kishū                        Satsuki Yatōji
Subaru Sumeragi                Seishirō Sakurazuka
Seiichirō Aoki                      Nataku
Karen Kasumi                     Kakyō Kuzuki
Yuzuriha Nekoi                    Kusanagi Shiyū
Princess Hinoto                   Kanoe

 

When writing this entry, there were different ways I could have written it. I thought I could do one whole entry involving every character. However, after reading about the TV series, I found this to be impossible as the TV series characters are far more detailed than they are made out in the film (which is what I watched first and how I got into “X” in the first place. In the end, now after watching the TV series, each character in accordance with the Dragons of Heaven/Earth will be given their own separate entry. This entry is purely to describe each faction in terms of their beliefs, their complexities and their accordance in life and relationships. This entry deals with the characters as a whole and will not be comparing the voices behind the characters.

Also, I know that technically, Kamui and Fuma are mainly hero and villain respectively and therefore should not be in the sidekick section. I also know Princess Hinoto and Kanoe are not Dragoens but rather seen as helpers. However, they played a key part in the factions and as they both have chosen a side, I believe they should be mentioned.

 

The Characters

The main belief behind each faction is every simple. The Dragons of Heaven and the Dragons of Earth are two groups consisting of seven individuals each that are fated to stand against each other on the Promised Day to determine the fate of the world and humanity. The Dragons of the Earth (that’s the group in blue in the picture above) represent the belief that humanity must be destroyed so that the nature of the Earth can be reborn. The Dragons of the Heaven (that’s the group in red) believe that humanity should be saved because that humans are no less precious than the Earth and that humans can learn to protect the Earth itself. The fate of the Earth and humanity rests on this: if the Dragons of the Earth win the final battle, humanity is destroyed and the Earth can go through what the characters call a “revolution”. If the Dragons of the Heavens win, everything stays exactly the way it was before the final battle begins. Nothing changes.

Sounds simple and straightforward, right? If this was a typical American film/TV series, the Earth Dragons would be written in such a way that you would easily root for the Heaven Dragons because they are the ones wanting to protecting humanity. But this is anime which is known for its complexities. The characters of the Earth Dragons are written in such a way that, despite their basic overall amoral characteristics, they are also intelligent. They bring up excellent points and question the rationality of the Heaven Dragons. So even though they are destroying humanity, in a way, you find yourself believing them and (secretly) rooting for them. That’s good writing!!

I have been trying to find an American Western format to compare this line of thinking too and I have thought of one: Air Force One. This film depicts the President (Harrison Ford) is on a journey home from Moscow when Russian hijackers reveal themselves and take over the entire plane. They want the President to ring Moscow and release an imprisoned General. The problem is that if the General is released, it could lead to slaughter in Russia. In this film, we are meant to root for the President to gain control of the plane and rescue his family. However, the head terrorist (Gary Oldman) brings home some very good points and the film brings forward the message that a killer in someone’s eyes can be a hero in another’s eyes and that who we are meant to be perceived as a hero could be a villain in another’s eyes.

The same can be said for the Dragons. Neither side is completely right or wrong. The Heaven Dragons believe that humans can be seen the error of their ways when it comes to preserving the Earth and maybe the Earth Dragons could have had this view too if they were not cynical and doubtful about this fact. If they were not so biased, then it could be said that both factions could in fact work together.

Neither side are hypocrites. They are following their destiny and they say what they believe. The Earth Dragons believe that the Earth can only survive if humanity was gone; it is not that they are doing it for power. In fact, at several points, an Earth Dragon mentions that the Earth is screaming in pain. On the other hand, the Heaven Dragons are being selfless and will die for the ones they love. It is possibly for this reason that that the Heaven Dragons of Heaven can create kekkai (barrier fields), an ability the Earth Dragons lack. This barrier fields are meant to preserve the battle field by placing the surroundings in another plane of reality and the effects will only show in the real world if the creator of the kekkai dies during the battle. Because the Earth Dragons wants all the buildings that human create will be gone if they win the war anyway, it doesn’t matter to them what ir who is destroyed during a battle as it all helps for the Earth’s revolution.

What makes the Earth Dragons different from the Heaven Dragons is the manner that they go about it. They tend to start the fights they are in whilst the Heaven Dragons are in defence.

On the whole, unlike the Heaven Dragons, the Earth Dragons seem to have no common rationality for their acceptance of their roles as the destroyers of humanity. One in particular openly admits that he is not too thrilled with the fact that he is an Earth Dragon.

The Heaven Dragons are more in tune with their emotions. They show a strong bond for each other and if another Heaven Dragon is in trouble, chances are another will come to their aid, even die to protect the Heaven Dragon in trouble. The relationship factor with the Heaven Dragons is stronger for at most times during the series (manga, film and TV), the Heaven Dragons tend to be in pairs at least. With the Earth Dragons, they tend to work alone although at some points, they are seen in pairs in communication. In fact, whilst the Heaven Dragons are seen as one unit at several times, the Earth Dragons are only seen only together in the entire manga (in the film, that is not the case and in the TV series, they are seen together only once in episode 14: “The Gathering”). The Earth Dragons are encouraged by Fūma to simply go their own ways.

Also, the Earth Dragons tend to be more avoidant when it comes to socialisation and they either lack the ability or desire to form meaningful bonds with other humans, or tend to form unhealthy relationships amongst each other.

I know what you’re thinking, “That’s it! That proves that the Earth Dragons are villains!”. No! This view on them is a general outlook. The concept and actions behind the Dragons are not as black and white as that. I’ll tell you why:

• There are at least two romantic relationships between both Dragons. One Heaven Dragon falls in love with an Earth Dragon who in turns risks his/her life to protect them. The other is far more complex and when one of the Dragon halls to kill their love, it sends them into catatonia.

• There is switching an betrayal on both sides. At least one Heaven Dragon joins the Earth Dragons. One Earth Dragon (who can be considered to be the least violent) actually helps the Heaven Dragons through dreams. One Earth Dragon will risk his life to protect a Heaven Dragon.

• One Earth Dragon is “civil” to the Heaven Dragons when not in battle. In fact, in battle, if something intervenes with the fighting, he will be happy to call the battle a “draw” although this could be more for his own safety. In fact, in one episode, he interacts with one Heaven Dragon, even praising their powers, although whether this is patronising or not is another matter.

• One Heaven Dragon has more interaction with the Earth Dragons than any other. He actually agrees with them on points when it comes to their beliefs.

• One Earth Dragon actually wants to believe in humanity.

(Sorry but I’m not naming anyone. I don’t want to spoil it completely for you lol)

Both Dragon factions are surperb characters and sidekicks. They are what make “X” so powerful and something every true anime fan should watch (although I would advise any new “X” fan not to watch the film first).

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 Princess: Sheeta

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

Voices: Anna Paquin (English Disney dub)
               Lara Cody (Streamline English dub)
               Yokozawa Keiko (Japanese)

The Character

This may sound like a bizarre thing to say but when it comes to think about this character and writing down points about her, I found it really hard to express myself. In the end, I realised that one of the reasons is the way she is shown in the film. I have seen most of the Ghibli films out there (except for Ocean Waves and My Neighbours the Yamadas) and I think that in all the Ghibli films, the story is not centered on a particular person. There is always one or two main characters but they do not become the focus of the attention all the time. With Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, although the title character is the main character, she is not the main focus. There is a story going on around her and how she saves the day. With Princess Mononoke, the focus is not completely on San or the main Prince, Ashitaka. It’s about a war between Gods, beasts, demons and humans. San and Ashitaka have a hand in bringing things to a norm. But like Nausicaä, the film is not completely fixated on the title character and getting deep in her. Not everyone is chasing after her.

And yet, in Laputa: Castle in the Sky, it seems like every faction is after Sheeta. In the beginning, there is the Army and Mushka and then it’s Dola’s pirate gang. Then Pazu becomes fixated on her. Through the film until the battle at the castle, it seems like the focus is completely on this one character rather than a journey. To me, it has a Mary-Sue aroma around her.

Also, Sheeta has an inner complexity. Okay, most of the Ghibli characters has a complexity but nothing on Sheeta’s level. It seems like everyone in a Ghibli film has a purpose or a category to fall into. Not Sheeta. She doesn’t fall into one particular category.

Please let me assure readers I do not say this as a bad thing but let me explain. Sheeta is brave. She has got guts!! In the beginning, she whacks Mushka on the head and then to get away from Dola, gets out of the window and proceeds to walk along a narrow ledge on the ship to escape, regardless of the danger factor. And despite falling, later she will risk her life again climbing up a ship to get to Pazu, knowing she could slip and fall to the ground again.

 Despite that, she is not totally brave. She is kidnapped three times by Mushka (although technically the third time, she charges at Mushka to stop him from shooting Pazu). To be fair, she is only rescued once. The crystal saves her the first time when she falls and Dola saves her the second time. She saves herself the third time by putting her own life on the line by saying the final spell.

She also seems to wear her emotions on the sleeves and seems more succumbed to them more than other Ghibli Princesses. Despite not knowing him very long, she develops a bond with the lead, Pazu and would only give into Mushka’s demands when Pazu’s life is put in danger. I believe this could be that her only family was dead before the film starts. It is unknown how long she has been living in the mountains alone but it could have been long enough for her to understand loneliness and that she craved any sort of companionship.

Despite being seen as ‘weak’ for most of the film, she is anything but. One of my favourite moments is when she is put on kitchen duty on the pirate ship. After getting over the initial shock over the mess in the kitchen, she determinedly rolls up her sleeves to get to work and she does it in style.

Later, during the storm, she insists on being with Pazu in the kite, despite what Dola says and shows her quickness and smarts by calling Dola on the phone before Dola has even finished talking. In the words of Louise, “She is good.”

Like Nausicaä, she seems to be in touch with nature, most likely due to her upbringing in the mountains. This possibly explains her speech with Mushka when she is in the throne room. She understands Laputa more than Mushka ever could, especially why the city was left abandoned in the sky.

The throne room scene shows another significance in Sheeta’s development in the film. There are three stages to Sheeta when she encounters Mushka. In the first on the ship, she is a mute and eventually attacks him from behind. The second time shows him bowing to him in the room of the robot purely to save Pazu. The third is in the throne room where she stands her ground, stating he will never get the crystal and that they both die together. Shortly afterwards, Mushka shoots off her pigtails as if to scare her but there is some symbolism to this new “haircut”. Pigtails are associated with little girls and now they are cut off, it represents her journey into young womanhood and maturity.

 

The voices behind the character

I think what makes it hard to express Sheeta is the voices that portray her and I mean all three of them!!! To be fair, Laputa is one of the most hotly debated dubs in terms of the English dub but I think when it comes to Sheeta, with all three dubs, she is probably the reason, along with Pazu on why the English dub is weak.

However, all three dubs are weak when it comes to Sheeta. Yokozawa Keiko is pretty realistic when it comes to portraying Sheeta as a child except, like the Japanese dub, she is guilty of screaming a lot, particularly in the throne room but I will talk about that scene on its own. Cody tries to copy Keiko but instead, all we get is a whiny high pitched robot. Out fo the three dubs, she is by far the worst.

Now, for Anna Paquin, I can honestly see why some fans would be against her. I think when it came to Pazu and Sheeta, actors were chosen deliberately so they sounded more like in their mid teens rather than their mid-teens and in a way, some of the characters’ innocence is lost in that. Lets face it, pigtails are not that convincing on a teenager. However, this symbolism could actually be in her favour for that, despite her teenage years and her bravery and maturity, the pigtails still show that she is still a vulnerable child and the departure shows she has finally grown up.

Despite her maturity, Paquin brings a sweetness to Sheeta. However, she seems to switch accents, particularly to an over-the-top stereotypical British accent. However, she also shows vulnerability for the character as well as a strong head on her shoulders (and to be honest, she did a better job in that film than she did in Steamboy, a film I personally stopped watching after 30 minutes and have never gotten back to it because it is so atrocious).

In my opinion, for all three, their crowning glory is the the throne room scene. Even though Lara Cody’s dub is the worst, this is her best moment, as well as Keiko and Paquin. However, Keiko and Paquin spoil the moment when Pazu enters. Keiko’s screaming at him to leave and Paquin doesn’t sound convincing enough to be desperate. Despite that, they rule over Cody anytime.

Ghibli Prince: Howl

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

Voices: Christian Bale (English)
               Takuya Kimura (Japanese)

 

The Character

Yes! Yes! I bet to many female anime/Studio Ghibli fans, Howl is the perfect Ghibli Prince. And rightly so too. First of all, he is handsome. There is a debate over whether he looks better as a blonde or as a raven head but he is gorgeous no matter what. Although if I have to chose, I would have to choose him with black hair. That is purely because after shedding the blonde hair through an accident by Sophie, he does mature. Through a flashback to his childhood, we lean that he was born with black hair. From my knowledge, I think he is the only one of two Ghibli Princes to show some skin. The other is Ashitaka who can seem baring his bare chest. Of course, Howl goes one better by running around just wearing a towel (ooo er!)

Yes, in terms of looks, he is desirable (I still have to find a gal fan who is not attracted to Howl) and at the start of the film, he shows affection to Sophie. I mean, he protects her when she feels threatened by two soldiers and then later, to escape from some of the Witch of the Waste’s minions, he takes her up in the air and they literally walk on the air before he gently places on the balcony of Cesari’s. Sigh. What a guy.

Yeah. At first. That is until the small hair incident. We learn then that he is a spoilt brat. Despite being an adult and magical wizard, he throws a tantrum and then literally turns into goo after moaning that he cannot see a reason to live if he cannot be beautiful.

However, after that incident, besides showing a wee bit of cowardice until near the end, he does mature slightly. As times goes on, he does showing that he cares for Sophie and even calls her beautiful. Now in the book, he learns on his own that she has been put under the spell. Whether he knows this in the film is questionable. Despite that, he shows a bond with Sophie and in the final moments before he flees to help in the war, he tells Sophie that he is willing to die for her.

There is another important relationship in terms of Howl: Caclifer. The two are co-dependent on each other and despite that, Howl still commands his little fire demon around as if he was the superior. Of course, Calcifer obeys. And it is obvious that Howl shows some caring and dependence on Calcifer for after Sophie accidentally pours water on Calcifer, he keeps the fire alive and warns Sophie about that.

Of course, in the final twist, we learn just how dependent and important their relationship is. It also explains why Howl has a lot of childish tendencies. Ironically though, at the end of the film, there is a kinda Wizard of Oz feeling that he never need his heart in the first place for he learned to feel and love Sophie, regardless whether she was young or old.

 

The voices behind the characters

OMG! OMG! Usually I can honestly say which version I prefer but in this case, it is difficult for me to say which one is best. No, not because they are phenomenally bad but because they are both so brilliant!!! According to some trivia, after seeing Spirited Away, Christian Bale immediately agreed to play any role in this film. I find this really that he would have taken any role just to be part of the Miyazaki and Ghibli magic.

I have little knowledge about Japanese actors so I cannot decipher whether Kimura was the best choice for Howl. As for Christian Bale in the English dub, I do not think anyone could do it as well as him. He is by far the best in the English dub, along with Billy Crystal as Calcifer. The rest of the case is mediocre compared to these two. Christian Bale gives Howl a husky, seductive voice in his first scene. When he says “There you are, sweetheart”, I literally melted, dissolving into a puddle when he says later on, “That’s my girl.” His tantrum is so funny and wonderfully whiny, perfect for a character that is still a child at heart.

Now before I get the purists bashing at me for my comment on Takuya Kimura, when I say that I cannot decipher whether Kimura was the best choice for Howl, I am not saying he was not perfect for the part. I just cannot compare him to other potential choices in the same way I can for Christian Bale. I must point out that I thought Kimura was beautiful as Howl. I admit I saw the English version first so I imagined Howl to have a soft, somewhat seductive voice and Kimura had me in his clutches. When, in his first way, he says “This way” in Japanese, I was giggling like a school girl and the rest of his lines for that scene up to “That’s my girl” were beautiful and in some sense, said better than Christian Bale.

However, to be fair, I think Bale was better at the big tantrum scene. Kimura was too calm and smooth whilst Bale really let rip which made it more convincing.

Either way, both were perfectly chosen and I urge people who have just seen the English dub to go and see the Japanese version even it’s just to hear Takuya Kimura.

Now I’m going to go and wipe of the drool I made from writing this entry

Honorary Sidekicks: Chiro and Toto

Film: Little Norse Prince (English)
         Taiyō no Ōji: Horusu no Daibōken (Japanese)
*English titles vary on the edition

Voices: Noriko Ohara (Japanese) (Chiro)
               Hisashi Yokomori (Japanese) (Toto)

Some sources say that Chiro is a female and some say the character is a male. I’m not too sure because even though Chiro was voiced by a female, the character could be male for in some anime, some male characters are voiced by women. However, for the purpose of this entry, as Toto can be confirmed as a male, I will address Chiro as a female.

 

The Character

I knew that as soon as I wrote about Hilda the other day that my next Sidekick entry would be about her sidekicks, Chiro and Toto. The interesting thing about sidekicks of the hero/heroine is that they may not always get on but they have the same goal and purpose and in the end, they will come together and help the hero/heroine. Chiro and Toto could not be any different from each other and unlike most sidekicks, they want Hilda to take down a different path.

The irony is that if this essay is correct, Toei Doga (aka Toei Animation) wanted the latest in a long line of family-friendly animated cartoons influenced, of course by the growing Disney animation trend and insisted that several cartoon characters were put in the film to appeal to the younger audience. Isao Takahata and his team possibly didn’t want that so to be sneaky, they brought in what Toei Animation wanted: cutesy characters. Of course, it is obvious that the studio didn’t ask for specifics because they made Chiro and Toto (especially Toto) much more than what is expected if you’re trying to create a Disney-style animation.

I originally thought I could analyse Chiro and Toto separately but since then, I have realised that is not possible. When it comes down to it, they cannot exist as separate entities. They seem to have only goal in the film: to influence Hilda any way possible into following their way of thinking. When I see these two, I immediately think of the old cliched angel/demon on shoulder idea used in cartoons. This has been used on Pluto, Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin (from Family Guy) and even as recent as Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove). The angel/demon idea seems to pop up in cartoon when the character in question suffers a moral dilemma.

 

In the case of Hilda, Chiro is her angel. This cute little squirrel could not be any sweeter. She is very timid and represents everything that is good about Hilda. With Hilda going at a crossroad and having a huge conflict, you could say that Hilda’s good side is manifested in Chiro and this is possibly what Hilda would be like if she destroyed Toto. However, I find it ironic that since Chiro wants Hilda to do what is right, she does not find her voice to others, such as Hols. In this sense, it can be said that Chiro has no personality except when conversing with Hilda. In fact, she doesn’t talk to anyone except Hilda.

Also, I find it interesting that in the main conflict with Hols and Hilda, Toto runs his mouth telling Hols who Hilda is and attacking Hols when Hols tries to persuade Hilda to turn to good. Chiro doesn’t say anything. We don’t even see her until the deed is done and then she shows off her emotions. The thing is before the deed, it could be said that Hilda has become succumbed (if only temporarily) by her dark side and Chiro was temporarily banished from Hilda psychologically. In my opinion, Chiro reappears again moments later because Hilda feels sad, remorseful and guilty which could reflect the good side of Hilda.

On the other hand, Toto is Hilda’s devil. He is arrogant, assertive menacing and a bully. Whenever someone tries to go against Hilda’s evil side and try to bring her to the light (ie Chiro and Hols), Toto attacks him. In terms of Hols, he attacks the boy whilst in flight and with Chiro, he chases her and torments her (although what really happens is never shown on-screen).

Toto’s involvement in the film is actually slightly more complex than Chiro. When it comes to Chiro, she is only seen when Hilda has a conflict. Toto has more lines and more screen time than Chiro. During an attack before Hols flees, Toto attacks Coro the bear to which Coro fight backs which indicates that they see each other. When Hilda is singing to the villagers, Toto stands next to Drago and makes a menacing line. Whether Drago hears this or not is questionable.

 

This is further questioned in two more scenes. Toto has a conversation with Grunwald in the underworld where we the viewer finds out that Hilda is Grunwald’s sister. This means that Grunwald can see him but then this could be due to his magical abilities and demonic personality. The only other person that Toto addresses directly to is Hols. However, he is by Hilda’s side at the time so maybe if he is around either Grunwald or Hilda, Chiro and Toto could become fully manifested in front of humans.

The same site I stated above also makes the assumption that Chiro is Hilda’s Id and Toto is her Superego. In case you are not up on your psychology, then basically your brain has three levels: the Id, the Ego and the Superego. The Id is what your inner desires are. When you are born, your brain is consumed by your Id because that is all you know. Your Superego is a completely different. It strives to act in a socially appropriate manner. The Super-ego controls your sense of right and wrong and guilt. It helps you fit into society by getting you to act in socially acceptable ways. Basically, your Superego commands what you want. Your Id tells you what you want. You cannot escape your Id and the sneakiest it comes through when you’re older is in your dreams.

I can believe the case the site in question argues, in particular, the argument I put forward that Hilda is not in fact a demon but a human taken in by Grunwald after her village was destroyed. I basically said that Hilda could have been given the choice to join Grunwald or die in a similar manner than Grunwald does to Hols in their first scene together. It could be said that when she chose to become his sister, Toto could have been created by Grunwald to push her and to make sure that she does do what Grunwald asks of her. Of course, that doesn’t explain the origin of Chiro for she does not appear in any scenes with Grunwald. Maybe Chiro became manifested after Toto was brought in to influence Hilda to come back to the light and become human once more.

It’s weird that when Toei Daga asked the team to bring in more fluffy characters, the team probably didn’t expect that these two characters would become two of the best sidekicks in animation (ever!) and would enhance the pyschology of one of the best female characters in animation. All I can say is respect for Takahata!!!!!

 

The voices behind the characters

The actors Noriko Ohara (Chiro) and Hisashi Yokomori (Toto) were chosen perfectly. Yokomori’s voice gives off the menacing, evil and dark tones that is demanded of Toto. Ohara is sweet but not sugary Disney-style sweet. She makes Chiro sound so cute and adorable that you cannot help but love the character. These two actors give the characters a lot of eprsoanlity to them, in spite of the fact that the characters are not meant to have much personality. Brilliant!!!!

Honorary Villain: Me-Mania

Film: Perfect Blue (English)
           Pāfekuto Burū (Japanese)

Voices: Bob Marx (English)
               Masaaki Ōkura (Japanese)

 

The Character

The weird thing about this character is he is the character that we the viewer can rely on to be what he is. I’m telling you, Perfect Blue is literally the most complex anime I have ever seen. What starts off as a simple thriller delves into a psychological nightmare, mainly thanks to the director’s heavy of jump cuts, fantastical elements and the foreshadow or revisiting of numerous plot points. In fact, this is my favourite non-Ghibli anime and I have seen it so many times I know it off by heart. And yet, I still get confused and the two main characters, Mima and Rumi are so unpredictable because due to the heavy theme of Dissociative Identity Disorder, it is hard to tell who is doing what when it comes to them two.

In comparison, Me-Mania is a pretty straightforward character and somewhat typical. Basically, he is a stalker. Not just any stalker; he is a hardcore fan of Mima (the main protagonist and singer of the J-Pop band Cham). He is the typical stalker. When he is not watching her at places where she is filming Double Bind or filming/attending Cham gigs, following her whenever she is going out, he is at his computer, looking at the website, “Mima’s Room” which he believes was created by the real Mima.

His first shot shows him not to be necessarily a bad guy. From the start at Mima’s final gig with Cham, he is watching intently and when some delinquents disturb the show, he gets in there and takes a small beating simply because they disturbed Mima’s performance. And despite gaining a bloody nose from the experience, he smiles at Mima, perhaps in an attempt to gain her attention. This shows him to be a loving if slightly obsessive fan but not dangerous.

This is how we see him through the most of the film, just a simple obsessive fan. In the film, we do see him and the way that he lives. His floor is cluttered with numerous magazines featuring Mima and he has pictures of her all over his wall, especially pictures of her posing nude.

This scene is very significant as we learn just how delusional, naive and how easily he can be manipulated. He receives emails from who he believes is from Mima, stating that the Mima who is now a TV star is not the real Mima but rather an imposter and should be rid of. The fact that Me-Mania vows to protect Mima by getting rid of who he is led to believe is the “imposter” Mima (who is in fact the real Mima) shows that he has a caring side and is being manipulated. In that respect, you got to feel sorry for him. However, the fact that he imagines Mima beside him, even hugging him shows just how delusional he is.

Of course, we do not know how far he goes to protect his Mima until his final scene where he attacks the real Mima (on the same set where she filmed her rape for Double Bind). It is therefore ironic that while he tries to kill her, he also tries to rape her. This is significant for him for this is the only scene where we actually hear him speak. He confesses to killing the screewriter and photographer who he was led to believe tarnished Mima’s good name and he is about to kill the real Mima believing her to be the fake Mima who tarnished Mima’s good clean image. It is here we learn that he has been a scapegoat for a higher power as it were and he was willing to go along with it for the love of Mima. Sadly it is his devotion that would lead to his downfall.

 

The voice behind the character

I’m sorry but Masaaki Ōkura is way more superior to the role than Bob Marx. Ōkura sounds determined as if he knows what he’s doing which adds to his delusional state. He sounds as if he is angry with Mima in his final scene. Marx sounds like he is not taking the role seriously. He is exaggerating his crazy tone to make Me-Mania sounds like more like a crazy cartoon character and you really cannot take him seriously. The scary thing about Me-Mania is that he truly believes everything he is told and like he believes that the real Mima is an imposter. That’s all I can say: Ōkura rocks!!! As for Bob Marx, he could have done better. With the way he makes Me-Mania, why didn’t they just get Bobcat Goldwaithe to play him?

Honorary Princess: Hilda

 

Film: Little Norse Prince (English)
          Taiyō no Ōji: Horusu no Daibōken (Japanese)
*English titles vary on the edition

Voice: Etsuko Ichihara (Japanese)
*no official English dub as of September 2009

 

The Character

 Ah yes an early pre-Ghibli Princess created by the Ghibli people and you can tell. She is the original Miyazaki heroine and the blueprint for Miyazaki’s future female characters. She is argued to be one of the most complex female characters in animation. There is so much to say about her because she has a strong good side and a strong evil side. Hilda is technically a psychology dream. Hell, she’s got her own angel and demon who represent her good and evil side fighting as she comes to find herself and where she truly belongs.

When we first see her, she looks angelic, apparently an orphan from a village destroyed by a monster . She has two companions: Toto and Chiro. She plays the harp and sings beautifully. Hols immediately feels for her because she seems to be as lonely as him and she is welcomed into the village.

Sounds simple enough? Wrong! It all changes when we the viewer learns that Hilda is in fact the sister of the main villain, Grunwald. As time goes on, we learn that the monster destroying man villages could be Hilda. We learn that this could be the case. When she sings and plays the harp, the men stop work and listen to her. She is like a Siren and it is through her that mistrust is brought onto the villagers which, if not stopped, would lead to Hols’ demise and eventually the destruction of the village. We see her as evil after that and we know she is a the sister of a demon and therefore a demon herself.

That is until the scene with Hilda and Mauni in the meadow. This is an important scene in terms of Hilda’s character development for we learn a little more about her. We also see Toto and Chiro in what their purpose in the film is. Despite planning to destroy the village, she aims to spare little Mauni which shows that there is love in her heart. Chiro and Toto fight to put their point of view across which leads to frustration. One line intrigued me which is said after Mauni lies on her lap and asks her to sing:

“I can’t really sing.”

Despite later Hilda saying that she’s “a devil, a devil’s sister”, there is some points to wonder what does she mean by sister.

The first clue comes in the taglines that surround Hilda’s character in the official film trailer:

“Am I demon…or a human being?….beautiful young Hilda’s love is awakened”

After seeing this trailer on the DVD, I thought back to the part of the movie to when Hols first meets Grunwald and as Grunwald holds onto the rope that Hols is climbing, he says:

“I’ve heard you are a promising boy and I want you to be my little brother……. Your life is in my hands. Just as the whole world is. Can you resist me? Nobody can resist me.”

It makes me wonder if Hilda is Grunwald’s sister biologically or is she address as his sister symbolically? I wonder if Hilda was really human until her village was destroyed and as the sole survivor of the massacre, she was given a choice to join him or die and she chooses the former. A clue is the Medal life given to her by Grunwald to give her immortality. If she was an immortal demon, she would not need this. Also, she could have been given her musical talents by Grunwald in a way to make sure the humans turn against each other.

Or it could be she is the biological sister, born by a human. Maybe Grunwald was once a human and became warped whilst she stays pure.

She is just as manipulated by Grunwald and Toto as much as she manipulates the villagers. I feel that Hilda is deep down vulnerable but she cannot be saved by Chiro or Hols. In the end, she has to save herself.

 

The voice behind the character

If it is Etsuko Ichihara singing, then she was perfect. It brings the viewer in like the villagers with her Siren-like singing voice and she makes Hilda sound girly, especially with that beautiful giggle. Sheer perfection.

Ghibli Prince: Baron Humbert von Gikkingen

 

Film: Whisper of the Heart (English title)
         Mimi wo Sumaseba (Japanese title)
         The Cat Returns (English title)
         Neko no Ongaeshi (Japanese title)

Voice: Cary Elwes (English dub)
           Shigeru Tsuyuguchi (Japanese) (Whisper of the Heart)
           Yoshihiko Hakamada (Japanese) (The Cat Returns)

The initial plan was to do Howl for my first official Ghibli Prince entry (with Hols being an Honorary Prince) but then again, that was when I had planned the Dragons of the Heavens/Dragons of the Earth to be my first Sidekick entry so I decided to do the Baron so two characters from the same film would not appear in two consecutive entries.

 

 

The Character

 Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (otherwise known and will be known from now on in this entry as The Baron) is an unique character because he is only one of two characters to appear in more than one Ghibli film (the other character is Moon/Muta who, like the Baron also appears in Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns).

The weird thing about the Baron is that in reality, he is a statue. The Baron that comes alive originates in the character Shizuku’s mind as she writes the story: Whisper of the Heart. In the film, Shizuku writes the Baron more as a sidekick helping the lead character in her story find a gem. The film viewer is given shots into the story on how Shizuku writes so we do get to see and hear the Baron in how she envisions him. Although there is not much to say about him, he has all the makings of a Ghibli Prince. He is sophisticated complete with suit, top hat and cane. He talks about his lost love which shows him as a romantic and he shows intelligence.

However, it is not until The Cat Returns that we see the Baron in a fuller form where he graduates from minor Prince to major Prince. The vague characterisations that we see in Whisper of the Heart are still there but fuller. He still has his trademark suit, top hat and cane. He is very level-headed and is good at giving advice. He is a gentleman through and through. He likes his tea (with either lemon or milk) and angel food cake. He is very sophisticated and very caring. He is willing to help anyone who comes to the Cat Bureau. Also, when he fights, he keeps his hat on. What a cat!

The most interesting thing about him is when Haru admits at the end that she had a crush on him and he doesn’t bring this to notice. Therefore, we never truly know whether he had feelings for him. However, I doubt he is. True, he dances with her and at one point, picks her up in his arms and runs up the stairs. How chivalrous of him! Despite that, I do not think he felt for her in any way.

 

 

The voices behind the character

There is not much to say about Shigeru Tsuyuguchi due to the few lines he has. Maybe, if he had been cast in The Cat Returns, I could give a detail opinion. However, Tsuyuguchi has a refined voice which matches the Baron beautifully. Yoshihiko Hakamada is just as refined in The Cat Returns although, when it comes to his speak, he is slightly sharp around the edges. Nevertheless, he makes a great Baron.

Cary Elwes was cast as the Baron for both Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns. I can see why. No offence to Americans but I believe that when it comes to bringing refinery to a character like the Baron, a level of sophistication is needed and in the past, Elwes has done it with a natural flair. I mean when he is a pirate in The Princess Bride, he is basically the most sophisticated pirate on screen. I see the Baron as an Errol Flynn type character and Elwes is as close to Flynn as you are going to get in modern times. Unlike Hakamada, he is able to say his lines without any sharp corners which adds to the refinery. After seeing the English dub of The Cat Returns, I knew exactly how Haru felt about the Baron because I had (and still have) a crush on him. If only he had been a human character….

Definitely one of the best English dubs in my opinion although it is a shame that earlier in his career, Elwes also did what I consider to be one of the worst English dubs for a Ghibli anime film (Donald in Porco Rosso but that is for another entry)