Review of Castle in the Sky

Ghibli films are wonderful movies that seasonal fans who just want some cool animation and critical viewers who want more than just flashy animation, can enjoy. But out of all Ghibli film makers, one who probably got the most fame would be "Hayao Miyazaki", who's award-winning film was also one of my first experiences to the Anime medium. But I wasn't too fancy about the film. My immature brain was some what got an idea as for why it got an award but I wasn't really impressed outside of it's animation and other technical aspects. But after taking a Ghibli spree few weeks ago (with afew films left), I wanted to share my thoughts on them. This is going to be more about my overall perspectives on Miyazaki's films, the changes in the said perspectives; and how Laputa was a great start to the said change.

"They need to be strong, so they will be strong".
A lot of newer/modern Anime has female characters... actually, not just female characters but pretty much every character, has this archetype of 'need to be saved/protected' in some way. I guess it's a representation that the audience themselves wanted to be saved from whatever hell they feel like struggling with but, stories and characters became more and more insertable & escapist. This isn't to say that they're necessarily bad, they just get misused.
Miyazaki characters are the opposite. They don't need saviors, they are the saviors. They have strong personalities that will never lose to the world and fight until the end, they are like the typical heroes you see in old films, which I initially found as bland & unimpressive. They are engaging but they are pretty one note. Unlike many Anime where they give a long narration to say that the MC is a weak highschooler or something along those "It's so ME" lines, the characters in Miyazaki films are straight forward. This was very noticeable in Laputa. Pazu's entire characterization can be summed in simple lines.

'My head is stronger than my owner's fist'.
'My father isn't a liar'.
'I could've protected her if I was stronger and intelligent'.

And it doesn't end with him. Laputa doesn't take lengthy time to make engaging characters but it is also doesn't do it haphazardly. You'll be engaged into their adventurous journey with sharp dialogue and strong personalities. But characters are not the main focus in Laputa or many of the later Miyazaki's works. Bluntly put, characters are merely tools to drive the story, a story about a message, then what was the said story is about?

It's about sending a message
"The Earth speaks to all of us... and if we listen closely, we can understand".
Miyazaki films always deliver a message about human connection with nature, whether it be in more playful tone as in Totoro, or in a more serious tone as in Mononoke Hime, but I found Laputa to be a mixture of both. There are some bubbly moments between our heroes, as they try to know each other better and there are tense moments between heroes and antagonists, as they fight each of their ideals.
The movie can be divided into 4 parts, depending the location of where the story is proceeding.
- The slums where the story starts with Pazu catching Sheeta, a place where Laputa is believed to be just a myth;
- The castle on the ground where Sheeta meets the main antagonist, a place where Laputa becomes more than just a myth;
- The flight in the sky, where Laputa becomes the destination for our characters to reach;
- The Castle in the Sky, where Laputa becomes a stage to deliver it's message about human neglect towards nature in the name of technological advancement.
And when the conflict ends, the said stage flies away into the sky leaving the viewer with a fun & meaningful journey. Though there are parts where it felt a bit dragged, especially during the ending.

While "Laputa" might not be my favourite Hayao Miyazaki film, it is definitely a great classic that still holds relevance and one that's definitely worth experiencing.