Honorary Villain: Rumi Hidaka

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

Voices: Rica Matsumoto (Japanese)
Wendee Lee (English)

The Character

The character, Rumi is probably as mysterious as Me-Mania but in many ways, she is much more. Me-Mania does come across as the villain at first. After all, he is obsessed with Mima but when you come to the end, you realise that he has been used as a pawn for a much higher power and it is her who is the main villain. Of course, how many of us were shocked when we discovered that the main villain, the one posting the TRAITOR fax, killing Mima's fish, sending the bombed letter and killing the photographer and agent was Rumi? This was kinda of a let down, more to the fact that Mima is showing symptoms of DID and in the end, it is Rumi who is suffering from the disorder.

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here. I'll start at the beginning. Rumi is Mima's agent but she is more than that. She communicates more with Rumi more than her own mother and in a way Rumi is a mother figure. She is against Mima's choices to be an actress, especially when she has to do a rape scene but as it is Mima's choice, Rumi is powerless and can only give advice.

We learn that Rumi was once a pop star, just like Mima and you have to wonder if Rumi's main concern is to protect Mima and have a long-standing career, something that Rumi may have desired but never got the chance to. She could be compared to a mother who is pushing her child to live her dreams. The concern comes in as she watches Mima act out the rape scene; she cries and flees and it is at this point, we can speculate that she went to Mima's room and killed her fish.

It could be this longing to be like Mima that the DID developed and that she thought she was Mima. Not just Mima; the real Mima and she sees Mima as the fake Mima out to destroy the real Mima. Of course, instead of getting her hands dirty, she gets Me-Mania to do some of the dirty work. In the climax, as we see Rumi as Mima, we see the floating Mima in real life and Rumi only in mirror reflections. This is significant for this signifies that the Mima persona of Rumi has surfaced and Rumi has been pushed into the background. It should be noted that some of the symptoms of DID include blackouts so it could be that Rumi is unaware of her Mima persona which would make her just a victim of her own mind as Me-Mania and Mima are.

The voices behind the character

Wendee Lee is pretty good as Rumi. She’s really convincing as Rumi and she makes the twist so much more fun and heightens up the theory that Rumi has no idea that she has problems and is actually the one trying to hurt Mima. She gives off the impression of Rumi as a concerned mother rather than a pushy agent. And the fact that she makes Rumi sound almost robotic in the climax works in her favour for we know then that Rumi isn’t conscious of what she is doing.

Rica Matsumoto is softer in her tones than Lee is. She is less abrasive and angry in her confrontations although the assertive is still there. In the final climax, she is less robotic than Lee but is more girlish almost matching Junko Iwao’s Mima perfectly.

Honorary Princess(es): Gunslinger Girls

TV Series: Gunslinger Girl (English title)
Gansuringā Gāru (Japanese title)

Gunslinger Girls

Henrietta
Rico
Triela
Angelica
Claes
Elsa
Beatrice
Petrushka (manga only)
Silvia (manga only)
Chiara (manga only)

To make it clear, I know that for this entry and all for Guslinger Girl character entries, I will be basically focusing on the characters featured in the anime series, not the manga so for the entries, the list is Henrietta, Rico, Triela, Angelica, Claes, Elsa and Beatrice. The latter two are not featured in the picture above as they are minor characters in comparison to the other five. If there are any more anime series/films that feature more Gunslinger Girls as main characters, they will be included in the blog.

The Character(s)

"The girl has a mechanical body. However, she is still an adolescent child."

The title and tagline says it all about the main characters in this anime/manga. Basically, these girls are child assassins. Set in Italy, the show revolves around the Social Welfare Agency which is a charitable institution sponsored by the Italian government. The aim of the SWA is to aid the rehabilitation of the physically injured. Or, to be precise, that is what it wants the government and public to think they are doing, In reality, it is a military organisation that specialising in counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism. The Gunslinger Girls are a part of Section 2 which employs young girls as agents to assassinate terrorists, gangsters and other undesirable elements of society.

Doesn't sound realistic, does it? The truth is that it is based on a true fact of life. In some countries, South America and Mexico for example, children (especially pre-teens) are used as assassins. In truth, children are seen as perfect as assassins due to the overall perception that all children are innocent. Also, in most countries, minors are not jailed. Also, minors are very naive and can easier to control than adults are so they are more obedient overall. The perfect weapon.

The tragedy is not just about these girls being child assassins. That is merely the tip of the iceberg. These girls started off as patients brought into the SWA for several reasons, whether it'd be assault or illness. They have suffered at least one traumatic experience in their early lives and it is this that has brought them to the SWA. Once there, they are brainwashed into forgetting their pasts and they are fitted with cybernetic implants. The implants consist of synthesised muscles which result in heightened strength within the girls, improves their reflexes and give him a high resilience to physical damage and pain. As well as that, these girls are conditioned to use weapons and obey their Handlers.

Each girl is assigned to her own Handler (which, strangely enough are all male) who either have a military, police or intelligence background and therefore capable enough to provide the girl in his care with training as well as act as mentor. They are referred to as a fratello, which is Italian for "brother". Because of this authority and care, he is free to choose how to train her and how much his girl is conditioned (otherwise known as brainwashing).

The relationship between each girl and their handlers are different and range from the indifferent to an almost romantic aspect. How each girl feels towards her handler and how he treats her is an important element of the plot.

Although all the girls do not complain about their life in the SWA (one even states her life is happier), it should never be forgotten that these girls have been brainwashed and it is hard to know whether part of this love is from the brainwashing or whether they are truly happy.

The ultimate tragedy of this anime/manga is the outcome of these girls. They all experienced a traumatic experience before they were brought in the SWA and were turned into cyborg killers, conditioned to obey their handlers (and maybe even conditioned to love them to some degree). However, it is implied in the manga and anime that the cyborg program is a relatively new one and was only developed to use them as assassins when their first cyborg was quick in her reflexes during a fight between two older men. The SWA knows that the brainwashing process alone limits her life span and the more intense the conditioning, the shorter her life span but the cyborg process is not perfect as is shown through their first cyborg, Angelica and later through the second cyborg, Triela. Regardless of their swiftness and coldness when on the job, it is easy to forget that they are mortal and as seen in the manga and anime, does not last as long as the SWA would like.

They are seen as Princesses because a feeling comes that anyone with a heart would want to take these girls from this life and try to let them have a normal life. Sadly, one gets a feeling that even if this did happen and the conditioning was reversed, they are doomed girls anyway.

Ghibli Prince: Porco Rosso

Film: Porco Rosso (English title)
Kurenai no Buta (Japanese title)

Voices: Shuichiro Moriyama (Japanese)
Michael Keaton (English)
Jean Reno (French)

The Character

If there is one thing that every true Hayao Miyazaki fan knows is that in almost of all his Ghibli films, there are two aspects: pigs and flying. In most of his films, there is flight and in a few, there are pigs (in Laputa: Castle in the Sky, you see pigs for a brief second and in Spirited Away, the main character's parents are turned into pigs). With Porco Rosso, you get a flying pig!!!

He is like a prince from a fairy tale. When you peel away many of the elements, you find a story that resembles Beauty and the Beast or The Frog Prince, in the sense that Porco is a man cursed to look like a pig. However, what makes this story interesting that although the origin and nature of the curse is not revealed in the film, there is a strong opinion that the curse is self-inflicting.

Before he was cursed, he was Marco Pagot who was an ace pilot of the Italian Air Force during World War I. Now, in 1929, 11 years since the War ended, he works as a bounty hunter tracking down "air pirates" and he lives alone on an island. Between the Great War and 1929, he has quit the IFA due to the rise of fascism, become disillusioned with humanity and has "quitted" being a human. He seems to hate his human form for there is only one picture of him as a human that hangs on the wall of Gina's restaurant and he has crossed out his face on the picture, much to Gina's dismay.

It is not just that he looks like a pig either. He is also crude and lazy. He can be blunt and carries some sexist attitudes towards women, particularly 17 year old Fio. He cannot believe that she can be an excellent architect and he is not too comfortable about her tagging along for the ride when he tests the new place she created. In this case with his attitude and sexist ways, he is a "pig". Whether these attitudes were there before he turned into a pig or not is debatable as it is not mentioned in the film.

However, he has got heart. His sexist attitude towards Fio, in particular changes to concern when she is crowded by air pirates and then when Donald Curtis proposes to her. Although, he has sexist attitudes, he dims them down a lot when he is talking to Gina.

Of course, every Prince has his Princess. Not this guy: he's got two!! Yes, Fio and Gina love him so much and yet he cannot see it. In fact, Gina has loved him for years. It is implied that she could have been the first man she fell in love with but due to unexplained actions, she ends up marrying his best friend, who later dies whilst fighting alongside Marco/Porco. In fact, as Marco flies, he sees his best friend fly up to join the flying line of deceased pilots. Marco screams that he has to take care of Gina which shows he genuinely cares for her. It could be the realisation of his friend's death that sent him down on his path to self-hatred. It could be that he suffers from post traumatic syndrome and feels guilty that he lived whilst his best friend dies which would make Gina sad.

He also has a rival in the form of Donald Curtis. He falls in love with every girl he meets, Gina and Fio included and in a possible quest for pride and ego, he constantly attacks Porco. However, at the end, even Curtis brings Porco to realisation.

In the end, it is these three people that bring Porco down to having faith in humanity. Gina loves him unconditionally and when Fio and Porco are alone in the island, Fio sees a glimpse of Porco/Marco and later, he hugs him. The conversation between Porco and Fio at the camp set up the "kiss the frog prince" theory and she even hugs and pecks him on the cheek.

During the battle, Donald makes Porco realise that Gina loves him to which Porco is shocked and the final act is when Fio hugs his bruised body and kisses his cheek. It is implied that his features became changed because Donald demands a look at his face as if he is seeing things. However, this is not confirmed or whether the transformation (if any) was possible. The ending is left open if Gina and Porco eventually got together but we are left with the feeling that he did and that he overcame his self-loathing and, like all good Princes, lived happily ever after.



The voices behind the character

Shuichiro Moriyama has a gravelly voice that does show bitterness which is perfect for Porco. Once you know about the character, it is so easy to understand why he was chosen.

When it comes to the English dub, Michael Keaton is an interesting choice. He does have this dark almost gravelly voice of Porco but there is something lacking. He sounds like he's straining when all other dubs mentioned in this entry are way more natural. He can be a big too loud like he's in a theatre and trying to make the audience at the back hear him. Not the best dub ever BUT he's not the worst Ghibli dub, not by a long shot.

There is one version that outstrips even the Japanese version. It's true that the Japanese ones are very strong when it comes to anime but there is one non-Japanese version that is considered to be the strongest of all the dubs possible for this film, or any Ghibli film. That dub is the French dub. The cast is incredibly strong throughout but there is one actor that was not only good as his character but was downright perfect. That person is Jean Reno.

Yes, Jean Reno as in Leon: The Professional and The Da Vinci Code amongst others. Anyone who has seen any of Reno's films, English or otherwise can understand that his gravely voice was perfect for this kind of role. I see Porco as a bitter and apathetic character, traits that Reno brings out beautifully in his voice, particularly in Leon. He is even more gravelly than Moriyama which is a strength in Reno's favour. However, he can also show the emotion needed when possible, particularly when he shows concern for Gina. I just cannot find any reasoning as to why this guy is so perfect. It's one of those "watch it to believe me" kind of scenarios.

Honorary Sidekick: Princess Hinoto

Film: X (or X/1999) (English title)
Ekkusu (Japanese title)

Voices: Yuko Minaguchi (Japanese) (Feature film)
Stacey Jefferson (English) (Feature film)
Aya Hisakawa (Japanese) (TV series)
Bridget Hoffman (English) (TV series)

* I know I have mentioned this many times in this article but I want to make my point clear: the manga is INCOMPLETE. It was put on hold due to a dispute and finishes at Volume 19 Chapter 5.

* I know I mentioned Hinoto in the manga and I would love to put up pages from the manga to prove my point. However, Clamp have stated that fans do not upload or post images from the manga. I will respect their wishes but when I mention specific points, I will type in the volume number, chapter number and page number. There are many pages where you view/download the manga for free. Just go onto Google have have fun!

The Character

The thing that first struck me when I first saw "X" (the film...I did not see the TV series for the first time until about 7 months later) was that Princess Hinoto reminded me of a china doll. After seeing the film and TV series, I still feel the same. She is a dreamseer who is employed by the Japanese government whose dreams have never failed to come true which makes her a perfect asset to running the government.

She has long white hair and red eyes. She is blind, deaf, mute and crippled; the only way she can communicate with anyone is telepathically. She is assisted constantly by two female servants (Sōhi and Hien) as well as Seiichirō Aoki's nephew, Daisuke Saiki who is besotted by her.

Her powers as a dreamseers are her biggest strength in the battle between the Dragons of Heaven and Earth as well as the advent of Kamui. However, it is also her biggest weakness and although all her dreams have always come true, some of her dreams can be vague and open to interpretation. For example, she cannot determine whether the true Kamui will become a Dragon of Heaven or a Dragon of the Earth.

In the film, there is little to know of her except she has a younger sister, Kanoe. Also, she assists the Dragons of Heaven in any way she can, even teleporting Kamui away from near death by Fuma. She later holds her drying sister in her arms and then teleports Kamui to the final battle ground before she dies.

In the manga and anime, she is far more complex for several reasons. Because of the fact that her dreams have never been wrong, she conceals several facts from the Dragons of Heaven. This is not out of spite but purely to protect them. The first of these is revealed after Kotori is killed by Fuma. Hinoto reveals that she knew that the Kamui of Earth would kill Kotori, regardless whether Kamui (Kotori's love interest) or Fuma (Kotori's brother) would do the deed. Hinoto found that revealing this beforehand not only would have not affected Kotori's death but that it would have been too painful for Kamu to take. She only conceals the fact that she has foreseen that the Dragons of Heaven will lose the final battle.

In the anime, episode 22 ("Betrayal") could be seen as Hinoto's crowning moment. At the start, we see Hinoto crying over what has happened and what is going to happen. She is tortured by the fact that her dreams are coming true and it does not help that she is tormented by her sister, Kanoe who is helping the Dragons of Earth purely to spite and torture Hinoto. This episode is important for we also see a side to Hinoto not mentioned in the film but appears in both the anime and manga: Dark Hinoto.

Dark Hinoto is literally her dark half, mostly played in Hinoto's own consciousness. In the episode, "Betrayal", it is revealed that it is Hinoto who is behind several attacks on Kamui by using charms called shikigami (most of them happening within the first half of the series, with the last intervention being in episode 20 ("Ripple") when she stopped Kamui and Sorata from helping Arashi and Yuzuriha from Fuma by telling them that the Dragons of Earth will appear in two different places. However, after a spell sheet is left behind, Kamui is able to figure out that there are two sides to Hinoto: one that is fragile, like air or water but the other, a sense that comes from the spell sheets, is dark, passionate and evil. In the manga, Kamui suspects her of foul play and relays this to Sorata who, in turn, confronts Hinoto (Volume 19 ,chapter 5, pages 12-14). There is no outcome to this confrontation as it is at the end of that chapter that the manga comes to a halt.

In the manga, Dark Hinoto uses shikigami more often in particular to prevent the Dragons of Heaven from aiding each other but she has also committed acts not mentioned in the anime or film. Byt he end, she has taken Lady Arashi into her dreams, stating that when Arashi woke up, she will become a Dragon of Earth. (Volume 19 ,chapter 5, pages 6-8). When Kanoe steps into Hinoto's dream, she is killed (Volume 19 Chapter 3 pages 13-17). However, it has become a debate on who actually killed her; whether it was Hinoto, Dark Hinoto or even Fuma for he is seen holding up her body (Page 17)

While her evil persona is controlling Hinoto's body, the good persona is trapped in the dreamscape. This is true in both the manga and anime. However, there is closure for Hinoto in both the film and anime. In the film, she dies when a building crashes on her. She is the penultimate person to die. In the anime, her good side is trapped in the dreamscape and kills herself. thus taking her own life in the waking world as well so as to end her possession and save Kamui. With her death, the protection around the Sacred Sword becomes nothing and this leads onto the Final Battle played out in the last two episodes of the series. .

In the manga, her dark side has taken over and her last scene is when she is confronted by Sorata about her actions, claiming she is not the Princess and demanding to know where Arashi is. Of course, as the manga was put on hold due to a dispute with the publishers, we fans can only hope what happened next and pray that the manga will be complete.

The voices behind the character

In the feature film, Yuko Minaguchi brings a softness to Hinoto and brings out a gentle vulnerability in her. There seems to be genuine sadness in her voice towards the end of the film as I personally feel they should be.

Stacey Jefferson, on the other hand is deeper and louder. She sounds more authoritative and assertive in her voice. Towards the end, with some phrases, she sounds robotic and slightly unconvincing in comparison to the better performance of Minaguchi

In terms of the Japanese voices that have portrayed Hinoto, Hisakawa is overall better but then again, the film does not show many sides to Hinoto. In the film, she is more straightforward whilst in the anime, she is complex which meant a diversity of ways to do the voice. She sounds more fragile compared to Minaguchi.

Bridget Hoffman is calmer than Hisakawa overall and is definitely less authoritative than Stacey Jefferson achieved. She definitely sounds more fragile and is more natural in how she says the lines. When it comes to the revelation about Kotori's destiny to die, she shows more sadness than Hisakawa but the Japanese TV Hinoto is more genuine with her words.

For both Hoffman and Hisakawa, their strength seem to be when they portray Dark Hinoto. Hisakawa brings out a beautiful contrast between the good and bad Hinoto. It is really hard to tell that both are voiced by the same actress unless one really listens. She is dark, yet soft, almost as seductive as Kanoe in the film. And of course, who can forget the beautiful OTT performance of Dark Hinoto's last performance? The laugh....the OTT speech....need I say more? :-)

Whilst there is a difference in both characters when it comes to Hoffman, it is not as great as the Japanese version. Hoffman tries to be more Kanoe-like, laying on the seductive voice very thick. Hisakawa also does this as well but it is done without gaining any resemblance to that of Kanoe. The final moments of Dark Hinoto seem to be more OOT than that of the Japanese version but bizarrely, it works.

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.

Honorary Princess: Mima Kirigoe

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

Voices: Ruby Marlowe (English)
Junko Iwao (Japanese)

The Character

Mima Kirigoe is one of the most realistic characters portrayed in anime. In fact, Perfect Blue is realistic in the way it tackles the celebrity world. It is real because we have all seen a Mima at least once in our lifetime, where a singer will try to attempt making a success in acting and actors will try to make a success in singing. Sometimes, it is a success but most of the time, it is a failure. And of course, in the case of some celebs, they will stoop to any level for a slice of success.

Mima is one of these celebs. At the start of Perfect Blue, she is the member of a J Pop and called Cham. Despite having a strong fan base, the band has never reached the charts and it could be this lack of fulfilment/satisfaction that makes her want to try her hand in the acting.

You would think that taking this life-changing path would mean she is a confident woman, knowing what she wants. This could not be more off the mark. She is humble, cautious and timid. In one of her scenes, we see her bubbly and confident as she sings but then seconds later, when she announces her departure from the band, one of her band members is the one who eventually starts the announcement after the fight between some yobs and Me-Mania breaks out.

Also, whilst we see her singing on stage, we get glimpses of her in an office as her friend (and business agent), Rumi and her talent agency manager, Mr. Tadokoro discuss Mima's upcoming part in Double Bind. Rumi challenges Mr. Tadokoro by asking, "What about how Mima feels?" but the irony is that neither ask Mima what she wants and she sits quietly like an obedient child as two adults argue over her. Later, as criticisms mount about the lack of screen time she has, she refuses to challenge or rationalise this.

She lives alone and doesn't socialise when she is not working. She has no boyfriend or any love interests. She seems to prefer her own company. The film suggests that her only friendship resides in Rumi where during a scene where Rumi teaches her about the internet, it is almost a mother-daughter relationship. We see or hear nothing relating to her family or nothing about her past.. When she and her ex-band members are in the same room, it is a case of little acknowledgement. Whilst Cham celebrate their first single to enter in the charts, Mima checks any incoming mail for her. She does not socialise with her band members.

Her most significant scene involves when her character in Double Bind is gang-raped. For her, this starts when Rumi challenges this change of events. This is the only time where Mima openly speaks out and ironically, we find out later (after the rape scene is filmed) that she never wanted to do it in the first place. It seems that her acceptance to do the rape was secretly reluctant and that she is willing to go with the flow of others for two reasons:

a) to please others

b) she believes that others know best for her

At this moment, we see her losing her soul (as well as her sanity) especially when she poses for some provocative pictures for a magazine. At this point, she is surrendering her identity for fame which does not help by the fact that she is losing sense of the real world (as well as seeing the doppelgänger Mima). Now as I mentioned in my analysis of Perfect Blue, Mima could be suffering from DID.

However, the ending suggests otherwise and it is only after encountering Me-Mania as well as the real killer in the film, she is able to set her self free. It is also ironic that all this occurs the night that Double Bind has finished filming. It is as if to say that Mima loses her identity and sanity whilst filming the TV series and now that has finished, she confronts the enemy and able to take back her life.

In her ending shot, it is important to notice that her hair is noticeably longer than it was at the climax which suggests at least several months have passed. She is more confident in herself and smiles at the fact that even though her schedule is not as busy as imagined, she is happy to have her identity back. It could be even suggested that she has turned her back on the celebrity and is no happily normal.

The voices behind the character

Junko Iwao is beautifully vulnerable and girl-like , aspects one would expect for a vulnerable creature like Mima. Her screaming is also spot-on, not to OTT that is expected from most Japanese anime. Ruby Marlowe is Mima-worthy but there is the loss of girlish charm and vulnerabiliy that Junko Iwao displays beautifully (and Iwao's screaming is far more precise for someone who is running for their life) although she does it well for the doppelgänger Mima.

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

Kamui Shirō
Sorata Arisugawa
Arashi Kishū
Subaru Sumeragi
Seiichirō Aoki
Karen Kasumi
Yuzuriha Nekoi
Princess Hinoto

Dragons of the Earth

Fūma Monou
Yūto Kigai
Satsuki Yatōji
Seishirō Sakurazuka
Nataku
Kakyō Kuzuki
Kusanagi Shiyū
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