The titular flamboyant wizard from Howl’s Moving Castle receives a feminine makeover in a stunning Studio Ghibli cosplay.

The genderbending Howl cosplay by milkuvvay recreates the character’s iconic pink-and-black oversized coat and gives the wizard slightly longer blonde hair. Of course, Howl isn’t the only popular Studio Ghibli character to recently inspire imaginative cosplay; for example, YouTube Ginny Di shared her pensive take on the young witch from Kiki’s Delivery Service and Angelwings_Cos reimagined the titular forest spirit from My Neighbor Totoro as an adorable dress.

Howl’s Moving Castle’s History

Based on the 1986 children’s novel of the same name by Dianna Wynne Jones and directed by iconic filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, Howl’s Moving Castle debuted in 2004 and went on to gross over $236 million at the worldwide box office. The impressive earnings make the title one of the most successful anime movies in history, alongside other Studio Ghibli classics like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. Moreover, it received a nomination in the Best Animated Feature category at the Academy Awards in 2006, but Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit ultimately took home the prize.

The story of Howl’s Moving Castle follows Sophie, a young hatmaker, who is cursed to become an elderly lady by a petty and jealous witch. While trying to break the spell, Sophie finds herself employed as a cleaning lady by the titular wizard and ends up helping Howl fix his own magical problem. The movie hasn’t only inspired creative anime fans; it also serves as the basis for a plethora of Studio Ghibli merchandise. Notably, Donguri Kyowakoku stores now offer adorable plushies of some of the toys that appear in Howl’s colorful, trinket-filled room.

Studio Ghibli’s Upcoming Film

Studio Ghibli fans have more to be excited about than just new cosplay or fuzzy collectibles; Miyazaki’s next highly anticipated movie, How Do You Live?, will premiere next month. Reportedly, the narrative will explore the impact of Yoshino Genzaburo’s real-life novel of the same name on the film’s main protagonist.

Interestingly, the animation studio has decided not to promote How Do You Live? beyond the single poster that dropped in December 2022. The legendary filmmaker explained the reasoning behind the unique marketing choice, stating, “Really, it’s an issue of over-supply. From the perspective of the viewer, it’s like they’re taking away all the truly interesting parts. So, since it’s come to this, I thought we should just go with a single poster.”

Many of Studio Ghibli’s classic films, including Howling’s Moving Castle, are available on HBO Max.

Source: Reddit