last night i saw "howl's moving castle" and i was so impressed. the animation, design and production quality was incredible and i loved the music as well. alot of it actually matched how i pictured everything while reading the book which was kind of comforting in a way. of course there was alot of trademark miyazaki spice added, and they kept the focus on the characters at the studio ghibli level. i guess the only gripe was the ultra-quick wrap up at the end... it felt very weird and forced. i also wish that the magic boots that let you move miles in a few steps were in there... i was looking forward to how they would handle that, but it never came up. all in all i loved it... i can't wait to watch it in japanese - the english dubbing was a little dry but mostly good.

more good music... check out M.I.A. - she's got refreshing beats and a cool vocal style. and her lyrics are relevant.