Customer Reviews

Howl's Moving Castle: Image Album

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It's true that if you liked the OST of Howl's Moving Castle then you'll like this. It runs along the same lines, but feels much more like classical music and is far more orchestral and elegant. The pieces take themes from the original soundtrack and expand on them in the typical Hisaishi way. The tracks aren't for parts of the movie, but aspects of the movie, and the result is a very pleasant one. Each track feels as though it's from the movie, but then you realize that they're longer and more elegant and classical-like.

There isn't much of a common theme between all of the songs, except for the one that they're all lovely. Cave of Mind is especially nice, a great ending to a very good CD. Like all of Hisaishi's soundtracks or image albums, this is a wonderful CD and choice, though not as good as some of the other image albums (like Princess Mononoke). It's still recommended. It's a CD that evokes memories from the movie but at the same time feels fresh and original.

If you liked the original Howl's OST, this is a must buy.

1. Mysterious World
2. The Wizard of the Moving Castle
3. Sophie's Tomorrow
4. Boy
5. Moving Castle
6. War War War
7. Wizard's Waltz
8. Secret Garden
9. The Allure of Dawn
10. Cave of Mind

I highly recommend this to anybody who even slightly liked the music in Howl's Moving Castle. The Image Album is great to listen to while reading, surfing the internet, or just sleeping! It contains arrangements of the following tracks from the Original Soundtrack:
??? (Mysterious World)
The Magical Door (The Wizard of the Moving Castle)
Moving (Sophie's Tomorrow)
Wandering Sophie (Boy)
To the Lake of Stars (Moving Castle)
The Courageous Cavalry (War, War, War!)
The Witch of the Waste (Wizard's Waltz)
??? (Secret Garden)
Return to the Castle (Allure of Dawn)
The Secret Cave, The Boy Who Drank Stars (Cave of Mind)

I highly, highly recommend buying if you can spare the cost. You shan't be disappointed (except for the fact that the carosel theme never does appear-- not even in Boy, which happens to be the arrangement of that Accordian-Waltz version).

I have a sneaking suspicion I may have written a review for this already when I was much younger.

Another review on Amazon does a good job at this already, but these are the English titles for the album tracks:
1. Mysterious World
2. The Wizard of the Moving Castle
3. Sophie's Tomorrow
4. Boy
5. Moving Castle
6. War War War!
7. Wizard's Waltz
8. Sophie's Garden
9. The Allure of Dawn
10. Cave of Mind

Anyway, the review. Most English viewers of Miyazaki's 2004 movie, Howl's Moving Castle, may recall the memorable music from the movie, particularly the recurring theme on the piano (usually) that is so perfectly captured from "Wandering Sophie" (a track on the movie's soundtrack) on Disney's still-running website for the English dub. However, as I learned soon after discovering this album, that recurring theme is at no time present here.

Some of the music on this album is not present in the movie. The rest are all more or less symphonic orchestrations--the name "Image Album" hiding the album's true identity as a symphonic suite companion to the movie's soundtrack--revolving around almost every other theme or motif the movie's score has to offer, but in such a way that it would have never been given justice had it been set to a screen. You may recognize tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 as being in some manner from Miyazaki's film (of important notice, track 4, "Boy," is the closest thing to the recurring piano theme from the movie, consisting of an arrangement of the opening to "Wandering Sophie"). Here's what they "really" are:
1. -not occuring-
2. "The Magical Door"
3. "Moving"
4. "Wandering Sophie"
5. "To the Lake of Stars"
6. "The Courageous Cavalry"
7. "The Witch of the Waste"
8. -not occuring-
9. "Return to the Castle"
10. "The Boy Who Drank Stars"

The importance of reviews is to give the potential buyer a little insight from those who have already experienced the item. It therefore follows that I should inform you that this is, perhaps, some of the best music ever written. Every single track tells a story of its own, each blending seamlessly into the next, beginning with the invigorating "Mysterious World" and ending with Joe Hisaishi's masterpiece "Cave of Mind."

Whenever I want to listen to music while reading, I always save this album for the special, best stories in my library. Hisaishi's symphonic suite will whisk you away to an enchanting, magical, romantic adventure no matter what book you read, and you'll be listening to this album over and over again whenever you pick up a favorite novel. Listen to it in the car, on your iPod, on your computer, anywhere, and it sweeps you off your feet and into one of Miyazaki's fairy tale experiences. When you reach the end, with the breathtaking "Cave of Mind," you'll be quick to hit the repeat button to ensure you listen to the same album again--every single time.

"Howl's Moving Castle Image Album" isn't rough, it isn't harsh, it isn't fast, it isn't loud (well, except for Hisaishi's characteristic crescendo lead-ins), and it isn't anywhere a disappointment. Every song has a different personality. You'll find yourself full of power and dignity in the thunderous "The Wizard of the Moving Castle" and "The Allure of Dawn," dancing and dipping slowly to the dark "Wizard's Waltz," busying about to fickle "Boy," reminiscing about all your happy memories to "Sophie's Tomorrow," and thinking philisophically about both yourself and the world to "Sophie's Garden" and "Cave of Mind." And if you need a bit of a lift, look no further than "Moving Castle" and "War War War!"

The initial price of Hisaishi's masterpiece on Amazon is pretty steep--$50+ dollars. You may be inclined towards the direct soundtrack to the movie, which is at a kinder $49.99. But if there is any doubt among you at all, choose this album. It contains all the character of the movie without all the repetitive, 15 second tracks the direct soundtrack holds, and with all the continuity and flow that the direct soundtrack doesn't.

You will never at any time in your life regret making this purchase. Highly, highly recommended.