When Sophie is turned to an old lady, it actually set her free because the good thing of being old is that one has "so little to lose" She becomes more adventurous and takes control of her life. Even her sister asks her to "look out for yourself". When her sister asks her "Are you going to spend your life in that shop?" She replies "It meant so much to papa. She refuses the invitation from her friends and keep working at the hat shop. Sophie, on the other hand, is bounded by responsibilities. According to Suliman, Howl's power is too great for a person without heart, and he will eventually becomes a monster (some political figures come to my mind). He only wants to be free." But in Miyazaki's world, nothing is black and white. When Sophie confronts Suliman, she comments Howl as "selfish and cowardly and unpredictable, but he's straight as an arrow. He doesn't has a heart and even his home (which is usually characterized as a stable point in one's life) can move :-) He is disguised as different wizards in different counties, and when Sophie asks him how many identities he has, he said "Enough to guarantee my freedom".
But when I watch it again on the DVD, I realize the movie is probably about one thing: personal freedom. I felt the same way when I saw it in the theater for the first time! The story seemed arbitrary and I couldn't connect the pieces together (much like I saw "Ashes of Time" for the first time). Probably many people find the story confusing. Reviewed by kengoogloo 10 / 10 Try to decode the story. Seeing that she is under a curse, the demon makes a deal with Sophie-if she breaks the contract he is under with Howl, then Karushifâ will lift the curse that Sophie is under, and she will return to her 18-year-old shape.
In the castle, Sophie meets Howl's fire demon, named Karishifâ. Under the curse, Sophie sets out to seek her fortune, which takes her to Howl's strange moving castle. A love story between an 18-year-old girl named Sophie, cursed by a witch into an old woman's body, and a magician named Howl.