I was instantly charmed by Malta Kano’s character, as she reminded me of the female version a character named Howl from a childhood manga movie, “Howl’s Moving Castle”. From the beginning, I had the impression that Malta Kano would be the type of character that sweeps you off your feet the moment you meet her, a woman full of surprises devoid of rational explanation. This is precisely why she reminded me of Howl- he magically enters the protagonist’s life without any logical reason, overwhelming her with questions she dares not to ask (questions she knows he will not answer anyway), and exits her life just as quickly and abruptly. There is something evidently magical about Malta Kano, yet she is still believable and realistic in some odd way. The conviction in her tone and narrative makes you believe her instantaneously; it is hard not to doubt her. It is as if she expects you to follow what she is saying, even though you (and Toru Watanabe) have absolutely no clue what she is on about, as she provides very vague (or no) background information concerning her odd topics of discussion! Similarly to the relationship between Howl and the protagonist in “Howl’s Moving Castle”, Toru feels too intimidated to ask any questions during his first meeting with Malta; he is overwhelmed by the phenomenal being in front of him, and listens to her without a word. I was a bit annoyed by the fact that she does not appear much in the rest of book one (only once in Toru Watanabe’s dreams), but I guess that it should not come as a huge surprise, since characters like that only appear at the most haphazard instances. I am looking forward to her next appearance in the book...
Does Malta Kano remind you of a character from another movie/movie/literary piece?
Above: Howl from “Howl’s Moving Castle”
I wish I knew who Howl is, but I get the general idea. Despite being 'employed' by Noburu Wataya I think Malta is supposed to be a positive force in the novel. Her magical powers of clairvoyance give us hope that she will help to solve the various mysteries and disappearances, begun with the cat. Somehow Toru has lost the 'flow' - like the dried up well - and must rediscover it to solve the mystery. Malta and Creta are there to help him in this quest, but like all syphinxes, they are elusive, ambivalent and enigmatic in their advice. I like Malta's red vinyl hat which sets her apart, despite its ludicrousness. As to characters she reminds me of, I somehow picture her as a Japanese version of Amelie.
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I think that there might be a dark side to the Malta character. See chapter 30 titled Malta Kano's tail when she is having tea with Toru Okada in place with bloody scalps hanging from the beams. After all she is doing work for Noburu Wataya and in this chapter she is sided by Noburu's man Ushikawa in the form of a dog. Actually the chapter has two titles the second is Boris the manskinner which can mean that Malta can be considered a manskalper. I can imagine even that she might be even the slasher killer of Nutmeg's husband.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the evidence you have mentioned about the dark side part, plus in chapter 37, when the protagonist asked Creta Kano about Malta kano. and Creta did not reply, instead she gave a sad look. I feel that dark side of Malta took over her.
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