Gedo Senki - Earthsea Adaptation? [Archive]

Zero

12-13-2005, 12:13 PM

From ANN (http://www.animeacademy.com/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=2):

While Toshio Suzuki has been dropping hints about Ghibli's news movie, to be directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of Hayao Miyazaki, the movie hadn't been officially announced until today.

"Gedo Senki - Tales from Earthsea" (Record of the Gedo War - Tales from Earthsea) is being adapted from Ursula K. Leguin's Earthsea Cycle and will be released in July 2006.

A poster for the movie is available here

Goro Miyazaki's online production diary talks about the conflict between him and his father: Miyazaki senior does not want his son to become a director.

Tomohiko Ishii, a member of the production team, talks about the anime in his diary here.

Now this should be an interesting recipe to look out for. Established and Classic Fantasy Novel + Anime + Ghibli + son of famed anime director = ? Whether this turns into a recipe for absolute success or a classic case of hype gone too far, this is something to watch on the radar of future releases. Absolutely can't wait. :)

Two-twenty

12-13-2005, 06:38 PM

See, I have this affliction called "Temporary Fanboy Blindness" (TFB for short) and when it manifests itself it can have an adverse affect on how one co-ordinates internet. It's complicated stuff. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/Twotwenty/drooldaze.gif

Anyways, here's the shiznat from the thread I started:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/Twotwenty/GEDOposter.jpg

Gedo War History

It's based on the 1968 book A Wizard of Earthsea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wizard_of_Earthsea) by Ursula K. Le Guin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_K._Le_Guin). There are a couple of worries though. Having it officially directed by Goro Miyazaki is something I'm still a little uneasy about, it does seem alot like Howl's Moving Castle, at least in theme and setting and a July 2006 release seems pretty early, but hey! It's Ghibli, they'll pull it off.

The official Studio Ghibli website (http://www.ghibli.jp/) has gone through a re-vamp too. (Damn crappy Japanese skills).

currywu

12-13-2005, 07:36 PM

Having it officially directed by Goro Miyazaki is something I'm still a little uneasy about, it does seem alot like Howl's Moving Castle, at least in theme and setting and a July 2006 release seems pretty early, but hey! It's Ghibli, they'll pull it off.(Damn crappy Japanese skills).July 2006? That does seem really early, unless they've been working on this movie nonstop since Howl's. Either way, I'm not going to expect too much from it, maybe it'll just be a project to wean the younger staff like Neko no Ongaeshi was.

Frog

12-13-2005, 08:03 PM

Even if Miyazaki's son does screw up as the director i still wouldnt be to worriered about it because he has the whole Ghibli team backing him up. What i would be concerned about is why Hayao Miyazaki is not cheering his son on but instead revealing his concern for the project.

punkusa20_2001

12-13-2005, 08:07 PM

.........frog took the words out of my mouth...eerie.

Revolution

12-13-2005, 08:32 PM

I've very recently read "A Wizard of Earthsea", but not in preparation for this movie. ^^;;

Thanks for posting the movie poster. Ged (the main character) is supposed to have red-brown skin, though. The rest of the movie poster seems to convey the balance of the elements that is a central part of the book.

Of course, the movie is an adaptation of the book, so some things are bound to change. I haven't seen (or read) "Howl's Moving Castle", but I'm interested to see how this turns out because I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

shizukuchan

12-13-2005, 08:57 PM

Studio Ghibli...and Ursula K. Le Guin...two names that make me dizzy. Oh crap...I can't stop drooling...herupu miiiiii!!!Ursula K. Le Guin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_K._Le_Guin)Her official site is listed at the bottom. It will be interesting to see if she posts any comments.

Her bibliography (http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Biblio-Short.html) also shows three Earthsea books beyond the original trilogy. Will Ghibli also do a trilogy or series of movies? I think the anime adaptation will cut or change a lot from the original story, but I'm curious about how that will be done. "Gedo Senki" is the Japanese title for the entire Earthsea cycle, so does that mean this anime will use material from all three books of the trilogy?

And here's Goro Miyazaki's response (http://www.ghibli.jp/ged_02/10maekoujyou/000112.html#more) (in Japanese) to his father's opposition to him being the director. Someone translate please? - Onegai shimasu!

This archive of a Hayao Miyazaki discussion group may be a coincidence, but it's curious nonetheless: http://www.imasy.or.jp/~fukumoto/n/nshow.cgi?36182
Ryoko Toyama is on the staff of nausicaa.net, but note that the date of the post is in the year 2000. What's the connection here? Did Hayao Miyazaki mention something about Earthsea back in 2000, or was it something else that prompted the discussion group to bring up the subject?Even if Miyazaki's son does screw up as the director i still wouldnt be to worriered about it because he has the whole Ghibli team backing him up.I suppose the apparent differences from the work of the elder Miyazaki would give an idea of how much those films owe to the Ghibli staff or to Miyazaki himself.

shizukuchan

12-15-2005, 02:08 AM

Sorry to double post, but I thought some of the words on the picture that Two-twenty posted were very meaningful and poetic. My Japanese is lame, so it would be cool if someone corrects any of my mistakes. But I'll try my best:

The vertical print on the right: "Katsute hito to ryuu wa hitotsu datta." ---> "Once upon a time, people and dragons were as one."

The vertical print on the left: "Hito wa daichi to umi wo erabi, ryuu wa kaze to hi wo eranda." ---> "While people chose land and sea, dragons chose wind and fire."

Also, the horizontal white print just above the red title shows the name of Le Guin on the left portion and Miyazaki Goro on the right portion.

I'm also getting a bit confused about which of Le Guin's books this film will be based on. On the official Ghibli page that Two-twenty linked to, it says in green just below the red title: "Tales from Earthsea". If you compare that to the six Earthsea books in the bibliography I linked to earlier, Tales from Earthsea came after the original trilogy, so maybe Anime News Network made a mistake in saying it was adapted from the Earthsea cycle. Elsewhere on the web, some people seem to think this is going to be based on A Wizard of Earthsea. So does this film have anything to do with the Earthsea trilogy, or is it really based on Tales from Earthsea, a book which came out thirty years afterwards? :confused:

EDIT: Oh yeah! A translation of Goro Miyazaki's thoughts on his father's opposition to him being director (although it doesn't really tell anything): http://www.ghibliworld.com/news.html (for future reference, please note that Goro Miyazaki's statement can be found posted on 14 December 2005 on that site)

EDIT 2: Finally found out what book(s) Gedo Senki will be based on. It's an odd way to approach Earthsea, but it is what it is: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/earthsea/faq.html

Ghostmaster

12-15-2005, 07:27 AM

I know they did that original series on the Sci-Fi Channel with Krisitn Kreuk from Smallville and the guy who plays iceman in the X-men movies. That is based on this book correct? Anyway I am very exicted to see that Miyazki's son is interested in continuing his father's work, I just hope he can do a movie just as well as his father, or a good movie.

currywu

12-24-2005, 07:44 PM

A belated bump, for anyone interested in a translation of Guro Miyazaki's comments:

http://www.ghibliworld.com/news.html

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season.:)

Two-twenty

02-15-2006, 10:31 PM

*le bump

Nausicaa.net/Ghibli World have reported that in the upcoming movie "Ged" will be voiced by Bunta Sugawara who also did the voice of Kamaji in Spirited Away, and Prince Arren will be voiced by Junichi Okada (apparently from a singing group called V6).

Ghibli World also had two images from the actual movie!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/Twotwenty/Ged.jpg
I'm guessing this is Ged.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/Twotwenty/princearren.jpg
I'm guessing this is Prince Arren.

Resume geek-out. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/Twotwenty/squee.gif

Zee'd

02-16-2006, 07:06 AM

At first glance, I thought I was seeing scenes from Nausicaa... Even that funny cap looks the same!

loner

04-14-2006, 10:42 PM

Trailer: http://www.ghibli.jp/25trailer/ged_lg.html

Ghibli shows again that they know how to do trailers. Even though the movie Howl's is a bit disappointing, the trailer was absolutely magnificent. It looks gorgeous, but what else did you expect? Character designs brings back memories of Nausicaa, which is absolutely fine with me.

I certainly hope Goro can prove his dad wrong and turn out to be a good director in his own right. We need to see new blood coming in to keep Ghibli alive.

I wish they could do more movies like Whisper of the Heart though. No fantastic tale adapted from a tale by a foreign author. Just a simple, heartfelt story about real people going through real struggles.

C0MPL3X

04-15-2006, 08:39 AM

I prefer fantasy over realism when it comes to Ghiblies. Country roads is very nice but watching scenes like Nausicaa communicating with ohms near the end is what makes me truly respect the studio.

Ghostmaster

04-17-2006, 08:53 AM

Thank god it still looks like a Ghibli film, didn't know about Goro Miyazaki directing since I don't believe he's had any real experience directing a movie, but I'm sure he's learned from his father and it will turn out to be a good film.

Two-twenty

04-20-2006, 09:38 PM

Holy God! How did I not notice this until now?

* begins raging fanboyism

The theme song is just gorgeous and the vocalist has a wonderfully haunting voice. I'm glad the art for this is a bit more subdued color-wise, and the Mediterranean settings are absolutly breath-taking and make for a nice change to the other European-based Ghibli films, which seem to have influence from more northerly counties.

I really hope this will be a more mature movie then the last three, because the animation industry needs one at the moment, and we all know the only studio that could actually produce a successful one is Ghibli.

I really can't wait for this one.

A-R@D

04-20-2006, 11:58 PM

Trailer: http://www.ghibli.jp/25trailer/ged_lg.html

Ok that had me geeking out. I know that ghibli does great trailers but that looked fabulous! I get a feel that this one has a seriousness that hasn't been seen in ghibli movies for a while, im totally looking forward to it. Anyone know the name of the song playing in the trailer?

Rove

04-21-2006, 06:58 AM

Anyone know the name of the song playing in the trailer?

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4162/gedosenkimusic5gw.jpg

According to a subtitled trailer, the song is called "A Song of Therru" sang by Teshima Aoi, the music is composed by Terashima Tamiya. Now if you excuse me I have to go clean my drool.

Ghostmaster

04-21-2006, 09:42 AM

The music isn't going to be Joe Hisaishi? Nooo :bashhead

Rove

04-22-2006, 09:51 AM

The music isn't going to be Joe Hisaishi? Nooo

If the song from the trailer is any indication of what the rest of the soundtrack will be, I don't think I'll be missing Hisaishi Joe.

Ghostmaster

04-23-2006, 08:37 AM

I know, but Joe Hisaishi I always look forward to in a Miyazaki film. He's so great and the music always is different, but they're all amazing.

Carrie Asagiri

04-24-2006, 07:20 PM

OMG *______________________*
I'm drooling over the keyboard right now!!!!
When I found out about this movie, I couldn't believe it. Earthsea is one of my favorite phantasy sagas of all time.
Judging by this teaser, this movie will be great. I have my faith on Goro. And the song is just beautiful.

Zero

04-25-2006, 12:18 AM

Newly translated synopsis from UKL's website, in case if anyone is unfamiliar with the story.

http://www.ursulakleguin.com/GedoSenkiSynopsis.html

DarkKanti

04-25-2006, 01:46 AM

After finally watching the trailer and reading the story synopsis provided by Zero, I'm actually surprised to find myself liking what I'm seeing so far. I'm not a big fan of Ghibli (especially not to the extent that alot of people here are), but I found myself loving that trailer and the story really does sound pretty interesting. What I like the most though has got to be the music. I never really cared for Hisaishi Joe (not saying I didn't like him, but once again thought he was a bit overrated), and this new song just sounds completely awesome.

Two-twenty

04-26-2006, 01:56 AM

Newly translated synopsis from UKL's website, in case if anyone is unfamiliar with the story.

http://www.ursulakleguin.com/GedoSenkiSynopsis.html
Hmmmm, I hope it doesn't venture too far into http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/Twotwenty/emo.gif with all those 'inner darkness' references, but still, it looks like we're in for an epic ride.

A-R@D

04-26-2006, 06:42 AM

Hmmmm, I hope it doesn't venture too far into http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/Twotwenty/emo.gif with all those 'inner darkness' references, but still, it looks like we're in for an epic ride.

From what I gather, this inner darkness in this world actually manifests itself physically. So it wouldnt be him saying "oh my inner darkness might get me im so afraid!" He would actually see and feel something coming after him. (I don't know if this helps you..)

Rove

04-28-2006, 06:34 AM

http://www.ghibliworld.com/gedo_senki_second_trailer.wmv

New trailer released! It has the same song as the previous one but most (if not all) scenes are new. Some scenes reminded me of Princess Mononoke and Horus Prince of the Sun, seems very promising so far. Now to wait until July for its theatrical release...

Ghostmaster

04-29-2006, 01:56 PM

Yeah the second trailer I thought was put together better. I still like the song playing in the background. Both trailers start out exactly the same, but there are different scenes shown as Rove said.

Rove

05-24-2006, 03:52 PM

Tada! Gedo Senki is done! Off to wait till July for its theatrical release.

Alot of people could have predicted this coming, but Nausicaa.net reports an May 23rd entry in the Studio Ghibli Production Diary announced the completion of animation on the film. Below is a history of production:

Sep 06, 2005: animation production began
Jan 20, 2006: 149 cuts (12%)
Jan 27: 180 cuts (15%)
Feb 03: 230 cuts (19%)
Feb 17: 326 cuts (26%)
Mar 03: 422 cuts (34%)
Mar 10: 481 cuts (39%)
Mar 17: 517 cuts (42%)
Mar 30: 687 cuts (55%)
Apr 7 : 776 cuts (63%)
Apr 17: 844 cuts (68%)
Apr 25: 935 cuts (76%)
May 1 : 997 cuts (81%)
May 8 : 1,056 cuts (85%)
May 15: 1,176 cuts (95%)
May 23: 1,236 cuts (100%)

Animation production length:
Tales from Earthsea: 8 months and 17 days
Howl's Moving Castle: 17 months and 6 days (2/1/2003-7/7/2004)
Spirited Away: 16 months and 26 days (2/1/2000-6/27/2001)
Gedo Senki took less than half the time than Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, hopefully that won't affect the overall movie. I wonder if it was because this one had a larger crew than the other two, new director and all...

Two-twenty

05-24-2006, 08:24 PM

Damn, that was quick. Although it'll still take another 6 or so months for it to appear in cinemas elsewhere.

ant

05-25-2006, 03:29 AM

I am just a little concerned after seeing a few commercials with the same song and Earthsea clips advertising for mineral water. Not that there is anything wrong with this I just feel that it could be a slippery slope *ant points at Disney, then points at Burger King, McDonalds, Wen...hell all fast food chains that have Disney/ Pixar shit in kids' happy rip you off sets.

The Geomancer

05-25-2006, 07:59 AM

Personally, I hope this doesn't butcher the books as much as that ***tty movie did.

Even if ghibli is doing it, I'll still have a close eye on them, and prepare for the worst.

Ghostmaster

05-26-2006, 09:55 AM

I think they don't want to show that much in the trailer. I feel like there trying to keep it under wraps so that it doesn't ruin anything about the movie. I still think it'll be good.

A-R@D

07-26-2006, 10:18 PM

Here is an update on the Gedo Senki Front:

Gedo Senki Panned by Online Critics (2006-07-26 10:20:26)
Studio Ghibli's Gedo Senki, which is to be released in theaters this week, has received a 2.3 rating (out of 5) on Yahoo Movies Japan by people who have seen advanced screenings. Comparatively, recent anime TokiKake received a 4.7 grade, Pokemon a 3.9, and Brave Story a 3.0. Pixar's Cars has received a 4.2. Source: Anime! Anime! [ discuss (29 posts) ]

It looks as if Hayo Miazaki's fears about his son directing this movie were not misplaced. It looks as if virtually 90% of the people who saw Gedo Senki in theaters in Japan were disapointed by it. That is may be the first real Studio Ghibli flop, (some others films may be pretty close). Most of the people complaining seemed to think the narraration was hard to follow and that they really chopped up the script from the books.

ant

07-26-2006, 11:20 PM

Pokemon 3.9 is all I need to know that this poll is not worth a shit.

C0MPL3X

07-26-2006, 11:30 PM

I think the poll does matter at some extent. Majority of people might not have refined tastes (like giving pokemon 4 out of 5) but if a movie cant even get decent points from majority of people, that means its probably not that good. I would think that other ghiblies like nausicaa and mononoke will NOT get that bad points because most audience, refined tastes or not, can appreciate its details, imagination, etc etc. Clearly gedo senki does not offer much to convince a lot of audience.

oops but then again i dont know how many people have rated these movies

EDIT: bleh, underestimated tastes of majority.

loner

07-27-2006, 06:45 AM

Following is quoted from ANN forum by a poster named Lix:

This is pretty laughable. Really, it's humorous to me that you people are fretting over Goro's little Earthsea movie being "bad" based off two unsubstantial digits on a Yahoo site. When did we start basing all strata of critical consensus on votes by some Yay-hoos on a Yahoo site? To me, this idea seems comparable to anyone here being crestfallen because 9 out of 10 pandas agree that The Movie II was nowhere near as well-crafted and eucalyptus-flavored as The Movie I. I mean, who actually cares what pandas think, besides other pandas? They might be cute, semi-intelligent, and huggable as all hell, but no one is going to call a panda to help him brainstorm for his next literary masterpiece.

Let's assume, though, for a minute, that these people's opinion's are actually worth dissecting. If what I can glean from the information provided by various sources is somewhat true, then most of those Yay-hoos seem to be having two complaints with Gedo Senki:

1. It deviates substantially from the book. In my honest and utterly stern opinion, this is probably the least tolerable "complaint" someone should actually have with any type of art or entertainment. If someone isn't prepared to accept a film based upon its own merits, instead of just judging it by its level of hereditary retrofitted-ness, then they should simply prep themselves beforehand for disappointment.

2. The movie doesn't have as much of the typical kid-friendly style and flair that Hayao's films are known for, which is obviously what they were expecting. Once again, we have another reason that precludes them from enjoyment due to prior expectations, rather than disliking the film for its inherent worth.

Now I don't know about any of you, but I protest on principle the maligning of a film based on either of the above reasons. And judging by the tremendous glut of one star reviews for Gedo Senki, I am even further distrustful of people who can't even demonstrate the mental proclivity to reward the movie for the technical animation quality that we all already know it has (based on its Ghibli heritage) by giving it at least two stars.

Finally, here's a link to what is most likely a far more reasonable impression of the film, and one that us English-speaking folk can actually assess because we can read it. (Thanks AnimeNation!)

http://jasongray.blogspot.com/2006/07/tales-from-earthsea-screening.html

I thought this poster's words in the first paragraph was extremely elitist and condescending, but he/she does make good points. I'm not going to trust these reviewers until I've seen the movie myself.

What alarmed me about these reviews is not that Gedo Senki is going to be bad, OH NOEZZZ!!!, but that people are starting to typecast Ghibli films as happy, family-oriented films. Considering how gore and violent Princess Mononoke is, and how sad Grave of the Firefly is, I did not expect this kind of stereotyping. But apparently the Totoro logo and recent "happy family films" that blew the Japanese box office apart made people to start branding Ghibli as such.

fugupinkeye

08-25-2006, 12:59 AM

Not kid friendly enough might be a good thing. The cat returns, and even to some small degree Spirited Away made me miss the epicness of Nausicaa and Laputa and Mononoke, all powerful films without the lucasesque stuffed animal marketing potential of, say kiki or totoro.
Howl had potential, but didn't delve far enough in to the world it's characters inhabited to get there, either.
This bad yahoo vote thingie actually leaves me encouraged, tenatively, more than worried.

btw, I heard a rumor that Gedo Senki can't be released in the US until 2009 due to some wonky contract involving the author and that shit sci fi mini -series? anybody heard anything on whether this is true?

Two-twenty

08-25-2006, 07:47 AM

But apparently the Totoro logo and recent "happy family films" that blew the Japanese box office apart made people to start branding Ghibli as such.
Which I think really is turning Ghibli into the 'Disney of the East'. We need another Takahata film, stat.

btw, I heard a rumor that Gedo Senki can't be released in the US until 2009 due to some wonky contract involving the author and that shit sci fi mini -series? anybody heard anything on whether this is true?
That's the case according to Ursula K. Le Guin's website (http://www.ursulakleguin.com/GedoSenkiResponse.html):

When can we see "Gedo Senki" or "Tales of Earthsea" in America?

When the contract with the TV people for their film and rights runs out: not before 2009. Alas! There are dogs in the manger.

But I kind find anything on the subject anywhere else.

That link is an interesting read as well, becaus Ursula isn't exactly sining prasies for the film.

loner

08-25-2006, 10:46 AM

Reading Ursula Le Guin's opinion on Gedo Senki, it appears to me that no film adaption would really please her unless it's a completely faithful adaption that portrays the same message she is trying to. It's probably because of the shock caused by that horrible SciFi mini-series, but she seems really picky to me. From all the other reviews I've read, even if they are panning Gedo Senki, they still take note that the art and animation is at least up to par with usual Ghibli standards. It seems Ursula is the only person who is finding problems with it.

If nothing else, this movie boasts a brilliant soundtrack. Aoi Teshima has a beautiful voice, something that Ursula Le Guin herself noted.

currywu

07-08-2007, 09:23 AM

Timely bump, since the movie is finally "out" (wink wink) & 2-20's put a review up for it. Initial response is: bah, disappointed again even going in with zero expectations. While I certainly didn't think it was the trainwreck most critics were painting it as, the movie just didn't gel with me.

That's the case according to Ursula K. Le Guin's website (http://www.ursulakleguin.com/GedoSenkiResponse.html) I have to agree with a lot of the sentiments posted by the author.

It does not have the delicate accuracy of "Totoro" or the powerful and splendid richness of detail of "Spirited Away." The imagery is effective but often conventional.The visuals are suprisingly old school. CG is sparingly used, which is refreshing. But the color schemes seemed a little washed out. Much of the atmosphere & settings seemed VERY reminiscent of Nausicaa, so there wasn't any of that sense of wonderment I get from experiencing a new Ghibli locale.

Much of it was, I thought, incoherent.Probably my biggest beef. As a complete newcomer to the Earthsea series, I was full of questions about the story by the end. Much of the mythology of the world seemed to tossed out there without any exposition. Of course, it is never easy making an adaptation that is both faithful to the source yet conveys the director's vision. Regardless, it shouldn't be too much to ask that the movie be accessible as a standalone work to anyone.

I think the film's "messages" seem a bit heavyhanded...Partially agree with this. Several of the key turning points for the characters seemed rather convenient & contrived. When a character starts preaching about a life lesson after experiencing an epiphany about it only moments ago, it comes off as cheesy. While there isn't the flip-flopping villains like in Howl's, the standard swashbuckling good vs. evil routine isn't as interesting as the textured ambiguity in Miyazaki's (Hayao) movies.

Overall, I thought it was a rather by-the-numbers fantasy flick that had the benefit of Ghibli-level production values. The music is gorgeous if a bit overpowering at times, reminiscent of Hollywood composers. My favorite moments were the serene, pastoral scenes, the only instances where I felt I was really watching a Ghibli movie. Bottom-line: please, no more adaptations. I think being constrained by a blueprint really handcuffs a director's imagination.

laborpilot86

07-10-2007, 02:55 PM

The question for this one is...will the copyright issues with the Sci-fi channel tv flick be sorted out. You know Disney wants this one, with the 'adaptation of famous novel' thing going, but will they get all thier legal ducks in row?

KiraraKim

07-10-2007, 03:24 PM

There is no question. It will be officially released here in 2009 when the Sci-fi channel's copyright of the property runs out.

currywu

07-11-2007, 06:31 AM

Just wanted to share this video. This guy's such an amazing piano player:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urcrqy4Zg_A

Two-twenty

07-12-2007, 01:44 AM

I'm still very impressed with Tales of Earthsea, and I really can't understand why it recieved as much flak as it did in Japan. Perhaps it's because of this that when I went to see it (at the cinemas! Twice!) the incredibly high expectations I used to have for Ghibli films were gone, so it impressed me more. I was expecting a poor-man's Howl's Moving Castle, yet what I got seemed more like a cross between that and Only Yesterday.

I liked it becuase, even with the sudden epiphanies currywu described, I still believed in the characters. Despite the obviously fantastic setting, I found them to be very down to earth and their feelings and actions reflected their place in the Earthsea world perfectly. It's because of this that the lack of exposition on the mythology of Earthsea didn't really bother me. (It didn't need too much more anyway, given how long the film is). When you compare it to the likes of recent ghibli films--Cat Returns, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle--there isn't a lot of magic actually happening.

The were only a few things that really ticked me off and that was the pacing, how the characters weren't even half as black as they were described in the book and:

OH BY THE WAY I'M A DRAGON RAWR!

The visuals are suprisingly old school. CG is sparingly used, which is refreshing. But the color schemes seemed a little washed out. Much of the atmosphere & settings seemed VERY reminiscent of Nausicaa, so there wasn't any of that sense of wonderment I get from experiencing a new Ghibli locale.
I do hope you get to sea it in the cinemas one day. Hort Town, those massive abandoned ships, the sweeping meadows, etc, all look stunning on the big screen

The music is gorgeous if a bit overpowering at times
Really? Bar Therru's song, I barely noticed it.

In a related bit of news, The English cast (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-07-09/ghibli's-tales-from-earthsea-english-cast-announced) has been anounced. Willem Dafoe is going to play Cob, which pleases me to no end.

Just wanted to share this video. This guy's such an amazing piano player:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urcrqy4Zg_A
Beautiful.

currywu

07-12-2007, 12:18 PM

Perhaps it's because of this that when I went to see it (at the cinemas! Twice!)Lucky bastard.

I do hope you get to sea it in the cinemas one day. Hort Town, those massive abandoned ships, the sweeping meadows, etc, all look stunning on the big screenHowl's remains the only Ghibli I've ever gotten to see on the big screen. I'd sell a kidney to have been able to see Spirited Away when it was in theaters.

The were only a few things that really ticked me off and that was the pacing, how the characters weren't even half as black as they were described in the book and:

OH BY THE WAY I'M A DRAGON RAWR!The pacing was luxurious and never really got to me. Throughout the movie, I kept bracing for the "oh shit" moment where I would see why it was panned and for Goro's amateur background to reveal itself. It never really came as the film was very competently executed. However, plot questions kept building up until by the end, I felt rather unsatisfied.

Aside from the WTF transformation, I never understood the significance of the "true name" (I think it was called makoto or something.) Also, what was with all the doomsday talk at the beginning? Were all the ill-omens the work of Cob's sorcery? Why did he need all those slaves? What happened to cause all the mages to lose their powers?
I definitely need to watch it again. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention the first time. I forgot to mention one part which I really enjoyed were the two gossiping hens. Their facial expressions were freakin hilarious.

In a related bit of news, The English cast (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-07-09/ghibli's-tales-from-earthsea-english-cast-announced) has been anounced. Willem Dafoe is going to play Cob, which pleases me to no end.Oh noes, it's the Green "Cob"lin.

Kaikyaku

07-14-2007, 01:06 AM

Just saw this and wanted to make some comments. Without rehashing what has already been said too much, I thought the visuals were awesome. The animation was gorgeous and some of the shots were extremely creative. The music was also very well done.

What I had a beef with was the typical story and the gender stereotypes.

For me it was such a standard fairy tale. The rescuer always shows up right on cue. Magic prevails, but fails just when you need it most. The good guys are richeous and the bad guys have evil sounding theme music. It seemed very predictable. I agree that the mythology was not well explained and all of the events of the first 5-10 minutes are not really explained at all.

The four main characters were almost cookie cutter gender stereotypes. To start, Arron was in blue and Therru was in pink. They always turned to the men to save the day. When Arron jumped across a gap, Therru wailed "I can't jump that far!" and had to be helped across. The women were mothering while the men were strong brave. Being a Ghibli film, I would have liked to see stronger female characters. Especially the older lady (whose name escapes me), I though she had the potential to be more like Sis from NTHT. And I groaned when Therru
got into the castle and took the sword to Arron, and begged him to go save the other two. Save them yourself!!

Overall, though, I liked it. For me it was rather like Last Exile in that the story was not expectional and had some annoying features, but the stunning visuals and amazing music kept me interested and watching enthusiatically.