Howl’s Moving Castle: MIYAZAKI Hayao’s stunning animation is set in a steampunk world with more than a bit of magic; the story follows a young milliner who unwittingly gets involved in a war as she is cursed for meeting the wrong person at the wrong time. She joins forces with a group of diverse and colourful characters, all of them interesting and magical in their own ways. Thematically profound, but above all else, staunchly anti-war, with a great protagonist, this is a rich and engaging experience. Visually, the film is marvelous: the world, characters (some of which have a fluidity to them that is amazingly executed), and the eponymous castle are incredibly designed and animated, with a great range of colours. The beautiful musical score, by Joe Hisaishi, hits all the correct notes. The voice work is quite good: BAISHOO Chieko plays the valiant and tireless heroine with the proper amount of energy; KIMURA Takuya plays the young and powerful wizard well, too.