Fall 2004 Anime

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl’s wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world.

[Source: GKIDS]

Set in an alternate universe, Japan has been divided since World War II. To the north, Hokkaido has been annexed by the "Union" while Honshu and other southern islands exist under US sovereignty. A gigantic and mysterious tower has risen in the north, easily viewed across the Tsugaru Strait from Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Honshu.

In the summer of 1996, three 9th-graders had made a promise that one day they'll build an aircraft and unravel the tower's mystery, but their project was abandoned after the girl, Sayuri Sawatari, began experiencing sleeping sickness and transferred to Tokyo for better treatment. Three years later, Hiroki Fujisawa has accidentally found out that Sayuri has been in coma since that time and with the help of his friend, Takuya Shirakawa, he will seek a way to revive her.

What the friends don't know is that Sayuri's unconsciousness is somehow linked with secrets of the tower... and the world.

[Source: Animelab]

A short amateur movie by Kojiro Shishido. Winner at the 10th annual Student CG Contest held in 2005.

It shows great sensitivity towards the delicate gradations of light and shadow in the natural world, with a matching delicate soundtrack by Shishido himself.

[Source: AniDB]