For the love of Howl! (character review)

    
               (Normally, Pixie would be here this Tuesday, but because of little mix-ups, I'll be taking over today)

       Howl's Moving Castle. .... one more time. Howl's Moving Castle. Ahh I just love this movie!! Not only did this movie make me go fan girl crazy over an anime character, but it also encouraged me to continue watching several other films by the brilliant Hayao Miyazaki. This film was definitely a big stretch from my typical movie interests, but I'm so glad I was able to see it. I think the thing that pulls most people toward Miyazaki's work is his characters! And in this film, they're are a huge number of important and wonderful characters.

              The first character we meet is the shy and quirky Sophie. A hatter in her father's shop, she insists to keep up her father's business since his death though her sister insists she go and live her life. Little does Sophie know that her life will change as the Witch of the Wastes visits her one night. As the witch gets angered by Sophie's attitude, she curses her to be an old woman. Sophie must get help from another wizard or witch. And his name is Howl.

Sophie

                Now I'll try not to over-write on this character, but for those fan-girls out there, you probably understand why this is so hard to shorten. The great wizard Howl. The handsome quiet wizard who roams around his moving castle, providing his powers for the common man. And when he's not helping in his shop, he's above the skies, defending in the great war. Though this war is crucial, Howl's powers are even more crucial. As he transforms into a strange bird~beast, this transformation is slowly turning permanent. And that's not his only problem, his hair color is a pretty big deal too as Sophie messes up his shampoos with his hair dyes.

Howl

               Next on our list is Howl's sidekicks Calcifer and Markl. Both are equally important to the story and are two super adorable characters. Calcifer, a cursed fire demon is just a little flame burning within the fire pit of Howl's castle. Calcifer provides heated water, heat and a sometimes cooperative stove. He and Howl both share a lot of trust with one another, and you could say that the two are very close. Markl, a young apprentice to Howl, takes care of the shop as his master is out. In the shop he practices his disguise tricks and takes care of magic orders. Both Calcifer and Markl meet Sophie first before Howl's return to the shop, and both are a bit stubborn to her orders. But in the end, they all become very close.

                   Within the film, we meet many other characters such as the Witch of the Wastes, The Queen~ Who's name I can't remember.... (shows how much I cared about her), Heen the dog, and most importantly,..... Turnip Head!

Sophie's first friend as she faces her aged curse, this odd scarecrow is rescued

by Sophie as she helps pull him from a bush. She names the scarecrow TurnipHead because his head..yeah.. it's a turnip. As she searches for Howl for help, TurnipHead escorts her in her frail state and pops up throughout the film during Sophie's time of need.

 

Ultimately, this film was a true masterpiece. However, I do recommend to

the first timers, that you watch it twice since this movie is full of a lot of info. And if you have a slow brain like I do, it takes a second time to understand the story fully. And if you have a Miyazaki master of a friend named Lyndsey, then you're all set! If I were to recommend you more movies from Miyazaki, I would recommend you my favorites: Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro.

 

Till Next Time,

   

 

                                    

 

Shingeki No Kyojin (aka) Attack on Titan - The Anime that Killed Me

   ✥ If you haven't seen Shingeki no Kyojin, or are not completely caught up with the episodes, please read this description and then turn away. There are MAJOR spoilers ahead, and it'd be a shame for me to ruin this beautiful anime for you before you have the chance to appreciate it for yourself.

   

   Now, if you're proceeding despite my earlier precaution, let me fist start out by saying that AoT is not for everyone. It's one of the most gory, depressing, and sometimes on the verge of 'oh my gosh, what did I just witness?' films ever. In fact, the pain protagonists are pretty much (to put it lightly) unclothed giants. (Though I will add, that they don't have the normal human structure and anatomy that we do.) 

   Leaving behind this preamble though, AoT is one of the most visually stunning and thought provoking animes I've ever seen in my life. I bawled through four episodes in a row, to the point where I used half a tissue box and the dry remains of my shirt to dry my face. This anime was a swift knife to my heart, and especially where Mikasa was concerned, was like watching a version of myself. 

"This world is merciless, and it’s also very beautiful."
Mikasa Ackerman

   Then there's Levi...

 

   Let's just say that I was smitten. 

   Sure, he's a cold-hearted brute of a man, but he's also the darn coolest character to ever grace my screen. I love how collected he always is, and how at small moments you can see traces of who he really is behind the mask he hides under. I'm totally shipping Levi and Mikasa. Eren is cool enough, but he tends to lean towards the annoying side more than my taste in guys can approve of. If Mikasa and Eren do end up together, I'll be fine with it. However, if Levi and Mikasa end up together, I'M FANGIRLING TO THE ROOFTOPS.

No one ever knows how it will turn out.
So, choose for yourself whichever decision you'll regret the least." 

- Captian Levi Rivaille

   My favorite characters:

•  Mikasa Ackerman  

 

•  Levi... (After chapter 56, last name is debatable)

   

• Annie Leonhart

   

• Sasha Blouse

   

• Armin Arlert

   

• Eren Yeager

     

   

     Again, let me reinstate that this is a very graphic anime. If you don't normally watch stuff in that genera, then don't! Though I loved the first series, I'm a little wary of what we'll be seeing next. 

   

   

   

  Until next time! 

   

  

   

Are they really bad guys?

   
Why hello there! As you've read, this whole blog is shared by three geeks, last week we heard from the talented geekling Lyndsey, and this week you have me... Rigby64...

 

  Now when you think maniacal laughs, you have to be thinking.. enemies, bad guys, the darks side, you get the jest. And when you think bad guy, a lot of us get pretty angered, cause really who want's the evil side to win? But as I began thinking about the many villains from some of my favorite films, I began to think, "Most of these villains had reason to why they were bad." And most reasons made sense, and I actually started defending their side. So now I give you, "Understandable Enemies,".

 

Ex. 1

Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker)

 Yes! the great and powerful Darth Vader!! One of my

personal favorites in the Star Wars Series, (well at least until he was out of the Anakin stage, sorry Ani.)

If you haven't watched the Star Wars series, I will put a link down so you can know his backstory,

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Vader

So as far as villains go, I think Darth Vader definitely is one of the best. He's cool looking, he knows the powers of the jedi, he's a pilot, and he has one of the best voices thanks to James Earl Jones! When I look at Anakin/Darth Vader, I really feel that the whole time he's just depressed. Leaving his mom, and then finding her dead, it can be a dramatic affect in your life. And he chose to take the negative approach, leading him to the dark side. In the end though, he finally (spoiler) breaks through his anger, and shows his more human, and kind side. Thus, making him a good guy after all!

 

Ex. 2

Wile E. Coyote 

 

I know he's a cartoon, but still,...Those of you unfamiliar with this character, he is a member of the Looney Toons cartoons which was wildly popular during the 1970's/80's. Throughout his cartoons, he would try every scheme to capture his nemesis, the Road Runner... And through ever plan, he fails and ends up dramatically hurt. And most cheer for that Road Runner, when really Wile is the true victim. He just wants food! Come on! Let him win once! Not a bad guy.

 

Ex. 3

Loki Laufeyson

 

"I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose."

Ah yes, the recently tumblr filled, heart renching prince of the movie screen. An abandoned frost giant, rescued by the frost giant's enemie, King Oden of Asgard, was used as a future peace maker among the two kingdoms, but all failed, and Loki is left to face his future as an enemie of his adopted home. And next he finds out that he can never be king because of his family background, instead his step-brother Thor, (A show off, muscle man, that does anything for a fight), gets placed as King, honestly not my first choice as king.

 

(Sorry Thor)

So really..... Loki has a reason to want to kill people, (Not that that's right), but we all know what he went through to get there.

Not really a bad guy.  

 

 Ex. 4

Severus Snape

 

Now, I'm not sure how to describe him

without spoiling something to those who haven't watched Harry Potter.... but I will try not to reveal anything!

 

Snape is a negative minded, silent teacher at the school of Hogwarts

~

Is a questionable character

~

In short though,.....

 HE'S THE BEST CHARACTER OF THEM ALL!!!!

ahem.. sorry I lost it there...

~

I think the best way to describe Snape though would be to compare him with Darth Vader. A depressed but awesome character.

Not a bad guy.

 

 

Our next and last example of a good villain also comes from Hogwarts only he is a student.

 

Ex.5

Draco Malfoy

          Okay, lets see if anyone else felt this way after watching the Harry Potter series, ... At the end of the last Harry Potter, you turn and ask your friend if you're evil cause you felt saddened for the enemy the whole time. Anyone else out there get swooned by Draco??? Anyone? Just me? .... well then. I personally felt that Draco was held to high on the responsibility scale by his father, thus driving Draco alittle crazy. I also felt bad for him because when Harry Potter came along, pretty much everyone at Hogwarts was meaningless..... seriously why does anyone even go there knowing Harry will attract death and unfair points toward his house (Gryfindor). But out of all the other students, Draco is not threatened by Harry, and I like that. Good guy approved, but needs to man up a bit from time to time!


         So there you have it, not all enemies are bad. But then they're really not all that good either. In short, this is a lesson to all of us. If something dramatic or horrid happens to you, you have a choice to either hate that person or whatever did you wrong or make a better choice and move on. Don't choose the dark side, even though it has Tom Hiddleston.

                     Till next time,

 

 

 

 

 Some villains however, deserve to die!!!

 

 

(What other enemies are actually pretty good? Leave a comment!)

What Doctor Who is really about...

  I saw this quote a while ago and couldn't help but fall in love with it. In relationship to the movies, books, games, music, and TV shows we come to treasure, this concept wraps up beautifully the image that what we love, is but a small fraction of ourselves as a whole. Often times, we mold ourselves around the ideas within the creativity and imagination of media, building our personalities and interests upon the things we adore. In essence, we can see that the things we love not only tell us who we are, but also become who we are.

   To focus on one show in particular that has become a huge part of my life, I want to talk a little bit about Doctor Who. Or perhaps show you.

   Doctor Who is so much more than just a TV show. It connects to people in a way that only deep empathy and understanding can achieve. It cuts open the raw emotion of what it means to be human, and portrays it all in its heartbreaking beauty. It reaches out to so many people, because it's not just about a plot line or characters, it's about pure feeling. It's about overcoming pain, and loss, and heartbreak. It's about smiling, even though you can't stop the tears from falling. It's about teaching us that no matter who you are or what you look like, you are worth something.

    If you aren't sold on that, then let me get into what sets Doctor Who apart from other shows. Firstly, it's one of the most unique productions I've ever seen. (Which is really saying something, because I've seen quite a bit of movies and shows.) It's energetic, intelligent, and well thought out. It doesn't wait for you to get comfortable, you have to keep up with it. Aside from the physical aesthetics of Doctor Who, it delves deeply into the real meaning of love and what it means to feel that way for someone. Apart from being brilliant, it's also heartbreaking. For those that read my blog, or know me personally, most of my favorites (for whatever reason) always end with earth shatteringly tragic endings. (Something's definitely wrong with me...) so, contrary to the popular dislike of unhappy endings, this only furthers my rather animated support for Doctor Who- because it's real! It's not just a fairytale with a bad guy and a good guy. It's about choices and consequences. Love and wisdom. Anger and forgiveness.
   Sometimes you get left behind. Sometimes they break your heart. Sometimes you feel like giving up. Yet, we keep going because we are alive. We wake up and we have to keep trying. Because really, sometimes it's worth getting your heart broken.

   Maybe after all this, you still don't think it's really all that. My best advice for you is to sit down and get through about three episodes of the first season. If you're not hooked then, there's probably something wrong with you too! 

   In conclusion, I just want to point out that that boy's teeth are where his forehead should be. Food for thought!

Until next time!  

♥