Nihongo-a-Go-Go :: Mandy's Journal

Howl!!

Well, not much to update with. Life has been work, training, all that jazz. The weather has been a terrible tease over the last week; Thursday was beautiful and balmy, Friday nice though there were periods of rain. And then...Saturday, back to the sort of weather we were having January. One of my students told me that it actually snowed yesterday. Blah...where are my cherry blossoms? Darn you, oh late blooming sakura! Darn you!

Ahem.

Anyway.

Other than that, not much going on. It's strange at work because so many people are leaving to go home, having served out their year. The really bizarre thing to me is that I probably will never see them again. People can pass in and out of our lives so quickly. I learned odd, interesting, and disturbing things from them. :) I miss Matt at my school, and I know that when Leon goes at the end of the month, I'll seriously miss him and his odd Kiwi humor. I am now a senior teacher at my branch, having been here two weeks shy of six months. Six months...isn't that bizarre?

Anyway, one thing I have done is finally finished Diana Wynne Jones' "Howl's Moving Castle." What a delightful book! I love Howl so much. He's such a fop and an angstmuffin (which immediately wins my heart). And Sophie is a delightful character. I love the way her faerie tale land upbringing is always prompting her to blame her misfortunes on being the eldest. I think from now on when something goes wrong for me while I'm here, I'm immediately going to pipe up with "Well, that's what comes of being the eldest and seeking my fortune!" How nice to see the eldest FINALLY succeed and be a clever and lovely heroine. Rock on!

As you may know, this book is now a Japanese movie, an animation that goes by the name of "Hauru no Ugako Shiro" by famed director Hayao Miyazaki. Most recently of "Spirited Away" fame. I love his work, and am desperate to see this movie, even though I know I won't understand a word of it. It's coming out in the States in June, but I want to see it here. Movie theatres here are so expensive (it can cost 30 dollars to see a movie), but Howl's worth it to me. I mean...look at this face!!

And look how cool his castle is!
Just so you know, I have my own personal fire demon out back constructing one for me. I'm sick of this subway mode of transport thing.

For more info, here is the director's English fansite and here is the official Japanese movie site. Enjoy!

Posted by Mandy at March 15, 2005 12:32 AM