It was.....fine I suppose. (some spoilers ahead)

Ultimately, it has the energy of a mini-series that got edited together into a 2 hour long movie. The plot is convoluted, and while I did find some good string of logic that linked the movie together (Sophie's feelings for Howl and how she grows younger the more she cares for him-love breaking the curse and such-, Howl learning not to run away from his issues, the Witch's ego), other things like the war backdrop, and the fantastical elements felt half-baked. It's like the movie expects you to just go with it. Which wouldn't be a problem if other Miyazaki films like Spirited Away dealt with that just-go-with-it energy a lot better and naturally, and Princess Mononoke had similar layered plotting that kept you invested all the way through. Even Nausicaa, while hard to follow, still had you engaged through the spectacle and urgency. I just couldn't stay madly invested in this.

Had it been a more calmly-hearted slice-of-life style, where we focus on the characters' interactions solely, and gradually gotten to see them fully grown by the end, I think it would've been better.

But as it is, it comes across as a surface-level antiwar movie where the war message is an afterthought that barely connects to the heart of film, which is Sophie and Howl. At best, it's similar to Totoro in its lovable, quaint energy, and at worst, it's half-baked drama that's held plot point to plot point with glue that isn't strong enough (this fantasy war just deciding to stop at the end on a whim and you just go "OK"). What's more, I can SEE this movie working, but it's just, not, there. It's cloooossseee, but never feels like it's pushing itself. Again: half-baked.

But as for positives: the characters themselves are really splendid, and are more than enough to keep you rooting for them. Sophie's back-and-forth between youth and old age is handled interestingly, Markle is cute, Calcifer is lovable, and Howl himself shines not through brooding, so much as he's a kind young man who needs relationship help. And the scenes he shares with Sophie are very sweet. And unsurprisingly, the animation is a force to be in awe of. With the castle room makeover scene being the best on a technical level, and the castle itself being a really well-made effect. Though it's not as stellar as Spirited and Mononoke.

I don't think it's some masterpiece or anything, but it means well. The happy ending is still wholesome stuff.

Watched the dub, and Christian Bale is fantastic, not to mention Billy Crystal.