Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
A strange off-the-wall movie, amusing and fun. The bonus features are somewhat revealing. The Japanese to English (American) dialog translator dude says there’s no American archetype to match the powerful but flamboyant blond wizard. He goes on to say the wizard is effeminate. For the greater portion of the movie, it’s not totally clear the sexuality of the wizard. Only at the very end, does he kiss the girl/protagonist in happily-ever-after fashion. Still, at first I thought it strange for the translator dude to be confounded by this. There’s Ryan Seacrest and other metrosexuals. But then I thought more about it, and I couldn’t think of a single effeminate and flamboyant, but affirmed straight guy in American culture, so maybe the dude was right. It’s likely also be an indication that animus against effeminate men — or homosexual men – is much stronger in America than in Japan. Also, did I imagine it or was the Pixar chief a total asshole?
– updated 9/24
Today’s Simpsons episode was about Marge being a closet carpenter with Homer as the front man since no one is willing to hire a woman carpenter. Homer becomes an uber-man from the carpenter credentials. Marge wants Homer to come clean and stop claiming credit for her work. Homer responds: "But Marge, then you wouldn’t be married to a man but a sort of gay
jellyfish, cruising the waters off Key West looking for male
snorkelers." What makes this an interesting commentary about American culture is the idea that once a man loses his masculinity, he becomes gay.
