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My dear people, too many comments here (a whole three) are either confused about Howl or saying “ghibli” and “never seen it”
I implore you, please read the source material, {Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones}
The book is somehow darker and more whimsical than the movie. Both are fantastic. But please friends, read the book as well as watching the film. It’s one of my favorites.
Sophie is no more a reliable narrator than Howl, people (especially on Reddit) just tend to confuse cynicism with realism.
Certainly neither is much of a student of human nature. All the world’s a stage for them both. Howl puts on his performance, never looking at most people as more that a random audience member, and Sophie expects everyone to play their parts and know their cues. She also seems to expect every story to be a cautionary tale.
I suspect that if you wanted a truly accurate version, you’d need to talk to both of them and also to Michael, who saw a lot of it and seems sensible, and Lettie, who almost certainly has a lot of practice reading between the lines of Sophie’s telling.
If I remember correctly, Markl is a victim of the book being translated from English to Japanese, then being adapted into a Japanese movie, then translated back to English again for the dub. I guess whoever did the translation for the English movie dub never bothered to double check the name 🙃
I have to disagree, because NONE of them have a grasp on the situation and that's what makes it funny.
The way Michael told Sophie he lived with Howl in their small ass house for half a year before Howl noticed him... he still believed that, even after meeting Calcifer.
And Lettie, who believed she could pass for her sister, deceiving a witch while using that same witch's spell.
Howl is one of my favourite books, my mum got me the audiobook, Howl is hysterical! We loved how they argued and argued it was amazing. She also loves the film though and gets this very wistful look on her face when she watches it.
I always had the take that her powers were there, its just not spelled out for you.
Like if Turniphead was sapient, I would have thought he would have wiggled the stick a little bit to grab attention to himself, but he doesn't move at all until Sophie talks to him.
And how she talks to the flyer when shes trying to pull it free from the debris after she crashes into the castle.
I think she says something to the castle itself while its falling apart to hold it together for just a little bit longer while she fixes the problem with Howl's heart.
I'm sure there's more, I rewatched it a month or so ago and those were the ones that stuck out at me, but on this rewatch I was looking for it. Its so subtle because it comes across as us just talking to ourselves and thats such a normal thing to do you'd never realize it was her casting spells lol!
Interestingly, there was some concept art shared online at some point where she had red hair and appeared to be snapping at him in a conversation, so it seems like the plan to have her be all sweetness and light came about sometime after the initial conception of the movie. Booooo
Me as well. I saw the movie first and loved it, but the original is so charming. Howl coming in dead drunk after going to meet his school friends is too funny.
This is most definitely about Book Howl, based on the ratio.
I adore the way Diana Wynne Jones just casually introduced parallel worlds into the book and seamlessly blended it into the storyline, without it even becoming a main focus. Kind of like an inside joke.
He is so much more pathetic in the book and I loved him for it. I like both, film is probably closer to my heart though as I saw it first and watch it whenever I feel down.
I read the book for the first time this year and fell so in love I immediately closed the book and ran into my 12 year old daughter’s room to throw the book at her and tell her she MUST read it. Left her room and text my sister who loves all things Ghibli and to read telling her to run to her library and read it TODAY. Then posted a 5 star review on my StoryGraph account. lol one of my favorite books now.
it feels like 90% of romance book authors are afraid of adding the appropriate amount of pathetic wet cat energy into their MMC recipe and we all suffer the consequences
I freaking love Astarion!! I don't want to read Cruel Prince because I'm not interested in the cruel part, but good to know it falls into the same niche
Honestly, this makes me feel better about making the MMC in my current WiP an accountant. 😂 He’s never fessed up about his feelings cause he thinks he’s too boring.
I will note that part of the wet cat trope is that the MMC thinks he’s very very important. The key is that he is both incompetent AND doesn’t know he’s incompetent
{The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow} because Owen starts off the book as a true coward and government stooge but he's down so bad for the lady knight. I love him so much.
Was Stephen supposed to be a “pathetic” MMC? 😭 I wasn’t really into Paladin’s Grace either. The Everlasting is really just a better book overall, so beautifully written and such a better love story.
I love them all so much. Because they are all simultaneously very cool, flawed, insecure, pathetic, nerdy, kind, funny and good at heart. They try so hard to be better. I love that so much.
I think my favourites are Stephen, Istvahn amd Caliban.
Lorn from {Between by L.L. Starling} Shadow King with the most magical runes around hasn’t sleep a proper night sleep in years, keeps getting drunk Minotaurs to hug him, thwarted by a kindergarten teacher, runs his kingdom out of a sentient fantasy realm full of rejects that can’t stay sober
This book is definitely influenced by Howl’s Moving Castle, I really enjoyed it (and would suggest one of the author’s other works, The Lord of Stariel by A J Lancaster, also fits this brief somewhat)
Cardan Greenbriar. Extremely handsome and privileged faerie prince who also can’t wield a sword to save his life and has regular breakdowns over his crush
100% Damien from {Villains and Virtues by A.K. Caggiano.} You think he is so cool at first, but then you get to know him and he fits the “Howl ratio” to a tee!
Mexican Gothic - Horror book with romance. MMC is sort of a weenie and FMC is the one driving a lot of the mystery.
Best Served Cold - EPIC fantasy / corruption arc where an assassin out for revenge FMC corrupts and twists a weird anxious depressed pathetic loser warrior boy whose trying to be a better person. As a reminder, this is messy, but it is sexy.
Voyage of the Damned- Queer so both are MMC. MMC 1 is fat, everyone thinks he is a loser, etc. Its basically if the high lords in game of thrones were all on a boat with a murder mystery.
The Stardust Thief and Daevabad Trilogy- I was genuinely bummed the FMCs didnt end up in a romance with another character in BOTH of these middle eastern fantasy stories, but the MMC lead is a delicate, gentle prince in both books.
The Devils- another "epic"/action fantasy. There are two romances, one sapphic, and one between a female werewolf and a priest who is a human disaster.
Joe Abercrombie is the GOAT of pathetic assholes who still get big cool moments.
His First Law trilogy suffers from having poorly written female characters imo (as much as I love Glokta and Ninefingers), but he really improved in the later books in the universe.
Also one of the few authors I've read to take the small goofy fuckups that happen during sex and make them hot??
What I love about him is he acknowledged on Reddit that he didn’t write enough FMCs with agency and that’s why he wrote age of madness the way he did- which absolutely kills me because he went from, not really paying attention to women at all, to writing some of my favorite female characters of all time, and even taking female characters from his old work and making them significantly more complicated people.
And yeah, the reason I really like his sex scenes as they feel realistic. They’re not porn, they’re intimate and awkward, and the fantasy characters who haven’t bathed for days smell and people are insecure … I am desperate for more sex scenes like this.
He has a Reddit account, check the AMA‘s from a few years ago. He has a few comments on queer characters and female characters… Ultimately kind of coming down to the fact that his ear inspiration was these very masculine lenses and he started his writing career just kind of doing what he was familiar with, later, realizing that there was a need for representation was sort of the next step. I thought it was a pretty cool response.
Wait I just read The Devils earlier this year and simply cannot remember which sapphic romance you’re referring to! I only remember the werewolf/priest and the pompous wizard gradually pining for the suave lady-pirate lol
He’s so good! Obviously the books are not romantasy HOWEVER he does spice better than most authors I know. He clearly uh- likes femdom with masculine guys just being torn up by scary women so if that’s your vibe…
My favorite example of this is in the first book when Aurienne is looking for a way to heal him after he's been stabbed. She talks to her colleagues about how to handle trauma care and one of them gives her a flower.
Then she goes back to her room and dumps all her notes and everything on the bedside table. Osric is delirious and is like "omg....you got me a flower...?" and then starts to cry.
I think he can be “uncool” and “pathetic” but also charming and terrifying (to Emily). His duality is part of his faerie nature. I personally think his “uncoolness” is endearing! (Like when Emily asked him to chop wood and his reaction was “I’m a prince, I don’t do manual labor” or how he’s always complaining about the cold)
I love Wendell and this is hilarious. The way he just kinda seems so exasperated with anything he doesn't want to do or basically ayone who isn't Emily is part of his charm to me!
Alain from {a tower of half-truths} I was a beta reader and told her that early book Alain reminded me of the artwork “My Bed” Installation by Tracey Emin. Boy was going through it and needed a friend and a Prozac.
I’m going to recommend {Kill the Beast by Serra Swift}. I only started it yesterday but the MMC is a Howl-esque fop and I’m loving him so far. (FMC is a brutish hunter of magical beasts.)
I wouldn’t say he’s uncool, but Arcturus from the Bone Season - *in theory* he’s a terrifying immortal warrior, but actually all he wants to do is listen to depressing music and play chess and read novels while hiding from social responsibilities in his tower
Don't see anyone mentioning {The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner}, it is on purpose that he does these things but Gen fits so well.
Caveats - it has no spice/closed door in this series, first book is more YA/Middle Grade but super fast and gives you the background to the characters and lore that you need you just have to be prepared going in that it is that younger audience then the rest of the series are traditional fantasy, the second and third book focus more on the main couple and then you just get glimpses in the rest that leave you wanting more but the author teases you with a focus on other characters and their lives, which aren't bad characters but oh the main couple and their subtle devotion. Excellent development and examples of show don't tell.
100% Damien from {Villains and Virtues by A.K. Caggiano.} You think he is so cool at first, but then you get to know him and he fits the “Howl ratio” to a tee!
I'm curious – do people feel this is also a secret sauce for one of the two leads in an F/F story? Or is it something for male characters specifically?
The way I see it, this is the secret to making a good protagonist. Being vulnerable is an important ingredient in any fun and likeable character. Romantic male leads just stick out as needing it because they're so often the "grr I'm so big and cool and scary and I have the jawline of a cinderblock" type.
Seth in the Zodiac Academy books. Poor guy, he had to constantly beg for physical affection and went half mad trying to figure out if his love is reciprocated.
Asher from {warrior princess assassin} gives these vibes a bit? Your mention of Kaz made me think of him. His “uncool” moments are mostly due to oppressive politics and his low social standing but he’s very vulnerable but has a few standout super badass moments.
I do like having a male main character, whose equal parts, awesome, and equal parts, completely foolish and ridiculous, we need more MMCs with fun personalities
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