Long before I was an anime fan I was a Ghibli fan so when Tales from Earthsea (Gedo Senki) came out two years ago I couldn’t have been more excited. However until recently I’d completely forgotten about it because, due to a rights conflict with the Sci-Fi Channel that won’t expire until 2009, there is no North American release. I finally decided to just go ahead and see it anyway but unfortunately it wasn’t worth the wait.
Earthsea was directed not by Hayao Miyazaki but by his son Goro Miyazaki who was a complete newcomer and it really shows. Earthsea is a decidedly average film which for a Ghibli fanatic like myself is a huge disappointment.
Earthsea is based on a series of fantasy books by Ursula K. LeGuin. The premise of the film is that the natural forces in Earthsea have become unbalanced leading to pestilence, drought and other troubles including the ominous appearance of two dragons fighting each other. The main character is Prince Arren who kills his father the king and flees, taking his father’s sword with him. He meets a wizard named Sparrowhawk who invites Arren to accompany him in his travels.
Continue reading ‘Tales from Earthsea: Ghibli’s First Blunder’
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