Castle in the Sky (Laputa)
Simplistic beautiful artwork, enchanting music, and a warm, yet soft atmosphere make up the stunning anime that is Castle in the Sky AKA Laputa. Ghibli studios have done it again, pumping out yet another masterpiece. From this point on I’ll just refer to this anime as Laputa because I find that it rolls off the tongue easier then Castle in the Sky. Laputa revolves around a girl named Sheeta, whose noble birthright makes her a prime target of evil government agents, an ambitious military, and a band of greedy air pirates. Following Sheeta's harrowing escape from her government captors, the viewer is thrown into an amazing story of action and adventure.
The entire movie is wrapped around the legend of “Laputa” – the castle in the sky. It was said that Laputa contained untold riches piled atop of military technology so advanced that anyone who got their hands upon it could rule the world. I loved the plot. It was quite unique and entertaining.
I found the characters memorable, as well as lovable. Sheeta and her male companion, Pazu, made a cute couple; their relationship remained unresolved which bummed me out a bit, but I recovered quickly enough. The character development was nice and solid (most of the important characters had a good back story), a factor that I try to always analyze, so that aspect of Laputa gets an extra thumbs up from me.
Ghibli studio has always been known for their distinctive art style. I love the simplistic backgrounds and the soft shading. It gave the movie a warm feeling that matched the overall tone. I appreciated the music as well. The musical scores were appropriate for the scenes, and exuded a feeling of peace and tranquility throughout the entirety of the feature.
Laputa was an amazing movie that was entertaining from beginning to end. I give it 7 out of 10. I recommend this one for the action and studio Ghibli fans out there. Enjoy!
