Highlights
- Sophie and Howl’s relationship in Howl’s Moving Castle showcases the transcendent power of love, as they support and inspire each other through tremendous character growth.
- Howl’s acts of kindness, such as creating a Secret Garden for Sophie, demonstrate his understanding of her desires and his commitment to helping her achieve her true passion.
- Despite their challenges and imperfections, Sophie and Howl’s love remains strong and authentic, illustrating that even in a fantastical setting, relationships require overcoming hurdles and communication is key.
Studio Ghibli has some of the most beautiful depictions of love in any anime. But the couple that stands out above the rest is Sophie Hatter, a shy haberdasher, and the flamboyant wizard Howl Pendragon Jenkins. While they may initially seem like an unlikely match, their journey in Howl’s Moving Castle proves that love can transcend even the heaviest of burdens. Their relationship is one of the most memorable and romantic pairings in Studio Ghibli history, rivaling even the beloved Seiji Amasawa and Shizuku Tsukishima from Whisper of the Heart.
Throughout the film, their unwavering support for one another leads to tremendous character growth, with Howl helping Sophie gain confidence and Sophie helping Howl find purpose in life. Even amidst the chaos of war, they find peace in each other’s company. Howl, known for being charming and stealing the hearts of “pretty girls,” finds in Sophie a kindred spirit who complements his flamboyance with her calm and reserved nature. Sophie finds in Howl someone who helps her gain confidence and support. Through him, she learns to be more assertive and to believe in herself, and he also helps her break free from the curse placed on her by the Witch of the Waste. Their journey is marked by moments that highlight why they emerge as the quintessential Ghibli couple – some heartwarming, while others pose challenges.
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Howl Builds Sophie a Garden
One of the most iconic scenes in the movie comes when Howl creates a Secret Garden with beautiful flowers for Sophie, hoping to help her open a flower shop. This temporarily lifts her curse. This act of kindness and understanding shows that Howl understands Sophie’s desires and wants to help her achieve her true passion, which is not working at her late father’s hat shop.
Sophie is Not Afraid of Howl
Unlike everyone else, Sophie was not afraid of Howl partly because of the rumor that he only stole the hearts of “pretty girls,” and she didn’t consider herself to be one of them. While the other girls who worked at the hat shop, her mother, and sister enjoyed shopping, socializing, and flirting, Sophie preferred to spend her time alone working on hats. However, Howl saw Sophie in a different light than she saw herself. Despite her comments on being “not pretty” and only “good at cleaning,” Howl countered with “Sophie! Sophie, you’re beautiful!” His words demonstrated that he saw beyond her appearance and recognized her true inner beauty.
Howl and Sophie Protect Each Other
Another scene in Howl’s Moving Castle that illustrates the love between Howl and Sophie is the moment when Howl, in his bird-like form, protects Sophie during an air raid. In this scene, war has broken out, and bombs are falling on the town. Sophie, despite being terrified, is determined to stay with Howl. As the bombs approach, Howl spreads his wings protectively over Sophie. This shows the lengths they will go to protect each other.
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They Find Each Other in the Future
Another thing that makes this couple beautiful is that their love transcends everything – even time. Howl found Sophie in the future. After Sophie gets disconnected from the group, she goes into Howl’s memories and finds out that Calcifer is the demon that “stole” his heart. She yells to Howl to find her in the future. He does, at the beginning of the movie when he saves her from being harassed by the two soldiers.
But, Their Relationship Does Have Challenges
Sophie found strength in cleaning the dirty and disorganized moving castle to prove her worth as more than a “weak old lady.” However, mixing up Howl’s potions caused his beautiful blonde hair to turn an unflattering shade of orange, leading him to withdraw and secrete a nasty green ooze. Sophie tried to console him, but Howl remained absorbed in his pain, not following or checking on her when she ran outside to weep uncontrollably in the rain. Howl’s self-absorption and inconsiderate behavior were apparent as Sophie was left to cope with her emotions alone.
Another challenge occurred when Sophie, amid her cleaning spree, unknowingly removed Calcifer, who was Howl’s heart, and put him in a bucket. Despite Calcifer’s protests, Sophie continued to clean, focusing only on proving her worth and seeking validation. This incident revealed a major flaw in Sophie and Howl’s relationship – their lack of communication.
Despite these challenges, it’s precisely these moments of imperfection that make their relationship realistic and relatable. It shows that even in the most magical and fantastical settings, relationships are not always smooth sailing. The flaws and misunderstandings add layers to their characters and relationships, making them more authentic. The fact that they face these challenges together, learning and growing from them, is a testament to the strength of their bond. It illustrates that a strong relationship requires overcoming hurdles, and it’s the journey of navigating these difficulties that ultimately strengthens their connection.
A Lot of Other Ghibli Couples Don’t Actually End Up Together
Many of these couples either end up together, or their relationship is left ambiguous with no clearly defined resolution. For example, in Spirited Away, Chihiro and Haku’s relationshipit develops amidst the challenges of the spirit realm as Chihiro strives to rescue her parents. However, Chihiro and Haku part ways, with Haku staying in the spirit world while Chihiro returns to the human world. Similarly, in Princess Mononoke, the relationship between Ashitaka and San is left somewhat open-ended, as San chooses to stay in the forest while Ashitaka remains a bridge between the human and animal worlds. In Porco Rosso, Porco and Gina’s romantic relationship is left ambiguous by the end of the movie, with their feelings for each other expressed but their future together undefined.
Sophie and Howl Were Meant to Be
Despite imperfections and challenges, such as Sophie’s cleaning mishaps and Howl’s self-absorption, their love remains strong. These moments of imperfection make their relationship authentic and relatable, showing that even in the world of a moving castle, love is the real magic.
In comparison to other Ghibli couples, Sophie and Howl’s relationship will always stand out. While other couples may not end up together or leave their relationship ambiguous, Sophie and Howl’s kissing as they float away with their new family in their moving castle solidifies their status as the best Ghibli couple. From Howl creating a field of flowers or Sophie going into Howl’s memories and him finding her in the future, Howl and Sophie were always meant to be together. Their love transcends time. Howl and Sophie finding each other was not just a coincidence; it was destiny.
Howl’s Moving Castle is now available to stream on Max.
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