Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Spider-Mate_MSA
Live And Fly Beyond
Honestly severely disappointed by this movie's entire plot. The setup and premise were good, but beyond that, nothing happens for me to even point out or talk about.
We get introduced to characters who vaguely matter and while they are interesting, I couldn't really care for what they were doing because most of the movie is massive filler. Only the beginning and the end are where something exciting happens. This movie feels like a really prolonged filler episode of a long running shounen anime, which is probably the worst thing I could compare a Ghibli movie of all things to.
I liked the overall message and themes of the movie, those that deal with the concept of life and death, but they feel very preachy and almost shoved down your throat at times, if I'm being hone…
Read at the sourceAmirTheGrey
I like studio Ghibli very very much. I also like EarthSea novel series a lot. It's one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read. But this movie was not perfect. It did aim to cover book 3 of the series. Even as an original anime it left a lot of stuff unexplained. But an as adoption it did commit the sin of changing the story and the outcome. As a fan of studio Ghibli and EarthSea I was thrilled to watch this but a bit disappointed by the result. With some mixed feelings I recommend this to EarthSea lovers, since there are not much graphic content related to the books.
Read at the sourceelumizu
Tales from Earthsea attempts to transport everyone into a fantasy world that is slowly losing its balance. From the very beginning, the film depicts a world where something feels deeply wrong. Dragons are appearing where they shouldn't be, nature itself seems unstable, and humanity appears to be drifting without direction. The world feels fragile, as if the natural order that once held everything together is beginning to unravel. Amid this creeping disorder, the story follows Arren, a young prince fleeing his past, and Sparrowhawk, a wizard trying to understand what is truly destroying the world. Thematically, the film raises several interesting ideas. The story deals heavily with the human fear of death, the desire to live forever, and how that fear can ultimately lead to a loss of humani…
Read at the sourceStarsoulMac
A tale as old as time is foreshadowed and portrayed in a complex and elusive way which may slip you grasp if you let it
The story revolves around a young Prince named Arren, who questions the very being of his existence which allows the darkness to take over him as he stabs his father and runs away from the consequence of his actions
Just as arren is about to be mauled to death by a pack of wolves a wizard saves him whilst scaring away the wolves and from there the true story begins to unravel
As arren continues to waver between light and darkness he saves a young girl from becoming a slave but little does he know that fate will tie their stories together and create an everlasting unbreakable bond
The cast is full of a wide variety of eccentric characters with their own unique perso…
Read at the sourcemaya_kotori
This is one of those films where I genuinely applaud the originality again and again. The world‑building, the atmosphere, the themes, everything has so much potential and such a unique vibe. But I have to admit, there were moments where the movie bored me a little. Maybe it’s because I naturally focus more on romance, and this story doesn’t lean in that direction at all. It’s slower, heavier, and more philosophical, which can make it feel a bit dragging at times. However, what absolutely deserves praise is the way the film handles dragons and magic. That part was seriously beautifully done. The designs, the symbolism, the way magic feels ancient and mysterious, it’s visually stunning and emotionally powerful. Those scenes alone make the movie worth watching. So even though it didn’t fully…
Read at the sourceYamiLoon
When I was a kid, I watched this movie and didn’t really understand much of it, but I liked it. Still I knew there were unanswered questions in the story. Last year, after I joined MAL, I added it to my completed list and rated it 6/10. Recently I rewatched it and realized that was a fair score.
I haven’t read the Earthsea novels, but from what I know this adaptation changes a lot. The issue is that the movie spends too much time on slow, uneventful scenes instead of really exploring the characters or building the story.
Arren, Therru, Ged, Tenar, and Cob all raise questions that the movie barely touches. Arren’s shadow feels vague and unresolved, Therru’s past is even more unclear, and Tenar sums up her history and connection with Ged in just a couple of lines, which isn’t enough for th…
Read at the sourceAchi88
I knew beforehand that the general sentiment regarding this anime was luke-warm at best, but I needed an anime to watch that suited both me and my wifes tastes (so hardcore action animes were out of the question), and this one seemed like a good fit.
It started out pretty well. Since it's a Ghibli-film it's obviously very well drawn and animated, and it set up a pretty interesting set of mysteries and worldbuilding early on. I liked the general set-up of a wandering wizard taking a boy with a strange and tragic past along for an interesting adventure, and the film kept this up for the first 30 or so minutes. The city they arrive in was vibrant and felt engaging, but after that they arrived at a farm and the story just stopped for a good while, and when it picked up again it never really…
Read at the sourceCasina
It was the worst anime I've ever seen, and I watched Bible Black (also not recommended for many reasons, even if you're just horny). At least in BB the creators knew what they wanted to do. Otherwise there was no plan or idea for this movie other than what they already had from the book.
Character sucks, story sucks, character's designs most of them sucks, main villain sucks. At least the backgrounds where nice but it's only good things in this movie. Atmosphere sucks. I love fantasy and they ruined it.
I do not recommend, even if you had to choose between watching it or watching the paint dry on the wall
Read at the sourceage25
This was the worst movie I've ever seen in my whole life. Yes, I'm aware that this was directed by Goro Miyazaki and not Hayao Miyazaki so I adjusted my expectations. However, after watching the movie, I now understand why Hayao Miyazaki walked out of his son's film to take a smoke break. Halfway through this film, I wanted to just stop watching altogether but I finished to give it a fair chance.
The pacing was bad, the story was bad, the characters were hollow. I could not give a fck about the characters or the story by the second half of the film, and that's not a good thing to feel as a viewer. Nothing made sense, nothing mattered. The lines the characters delivered were beautifully written however there was no impact behind the words. There's barely any build up and a whole lot of no…
Read at the sourceUncool_Slut
𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙖 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡,
𝙏𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮?
The vibrant, picturesque backgrounds and intricate settings shine brightly in an otherwise sluggish story presented in a rigid, serious manner lacking in both seriousness and enthusiasm for the subject matter. The captivating landscapes painted by the artist steal the show, but the story itself unfolds at a leisurely pace, lacking the liveliness and emotional depth that could make it truly engaging. Not that it was not enough, but not enough for a Ghibli. The world-building was scattered and the characters felt shallow but the animations were more fluid than ever. The lack of wit or fervor in the storytelling left me yearning for a spark, a touch of liveliness that would infuse energy into th…
Read at the sourceMossSilver
I generally enjoy Ghlibi movies, and I really enjoyed the Earthsea Cycle by Ursula Le Guin. However, this movie adaption failed to capture what makes the Earthsea Cycle so interesting and captivating with its deep lore and rich worldbuilding. It simply didn't match. While the aesthetic upheld traditional Ghibli standards, the experience felt alienated from the original novels. Although the movie shared many characters name and places, the movie was not a true adaptaion of the series, but rather a retelling of the Earthsea Cycle, like how there are many different versions and retellings of classic fairy-tales.
For those who are ne wto the Earthsea world, it may feature a different take fantasy tale. However, for fans of Le Guin's work, do not go in watching this moving with the novel in min…
Read at the sourceAugust_J
This movie would have been perfect if it weren't for the overwhelming amount of events occurring. Furthermore, it seems like all the action was saved for the second-half of the film, which was a major drawback for me. Another aspect I wasn't huge fan of was the insufficient character background. It would have been wonderful if the movie provided us with an insight into Ged, Tenar, and Cob's life (before these event happened). Finally, it's important to mention that there are a few plot holes in this movie. I never managed to figure out why Arren killed his father, the history of the sword and the significance of the dragons. Of course this could just be me and my limited knowledge of the manga.
All in all, this wasn't a bad movie, it just lacked clarity. However, I would like to mention…
Read at the sourceshdavitt
I really wanted to love Earthsea. When Miyazaki said his son had yet to become an adult after watching his film, it sounded unnecessarily cruel. Not to mention a bit funny coming from someone who's made a career out of children's movies. In the end though, I don't know of any demographic that would like this anime.
The MC has little to no explanation for his backstory. So does his travelling mentor, Sparrowhawk. So does his love interest (friend?). So does the main villain. And the side villain.
We don't hear what the characters are thinking. We don't see them emote that much at all. We are given a handful of flat persons moving from scene to scene as if the only job of adapting a book to the screen was to display various plot points with sequenced images and nothing more.
The plot its…
Read at the sourcelamaraptor
This movie does a great job of feeling like just a small part of a much larger fantasy epic. Not many of Stuido Ghlibli's films go for a full high-fantasy feel. Most of them are at least grounded in reality in that they take place in a post-war Japan. The few ones that take place in a completely different world stand out as special because of the sheer imagination on display. It really does feel like an entirely new world has been created here and we get just a peak into it.
The magic system is always a huge part of what makes a good fantasy setting. They seem to have used a soft magic system where the inner mechanics are not fully delved into, and what we as an audience know is possible with that magic is only what's shown to us. I like this approach when it's important to the story to m…
Read at the sourceOsushiateProf
This is the worst of my list. Sorry for fans. I really wanted to see Ghibli's masterpiece of my favorite Earthsea but Goro Miyazaki made it impossible.
The song by Aoi Teshima was great. The lyric of the song was also great. I like it more than the song of Princess Mononoke. However, the lyric with the credit Goro Miyazaki originally came from Sakutaro Hagiwara(1886-1942).
Great song, good art, good music, and Ghibli-like animation make me sad. I am always thinking about wrong points of the plot and story, mainly hero's mind. Then, I felt remorse of conscience again and again, that was never rescued. This experience is completely opposite to Guin's Earthsea.
Read at the sourcetuulikannel
I find it hard to rate this movie. It's ok, I guess, as a movie in its own right. But as it is, I'm a HUGE fan of Le Guin's books, and the Earthsea trilogy was my childhood favorite (and still ranks among the top 3 of books I've read, I'd say). And from this point of view, the movie was such a disappointment. It's a strange mishmash of all Earthsea books (the first three and the later ones) with a plot that's completely its own. Change the characters' names, and I wouldn't have even guessed this is based on Earthsea. Imagine watching a Harry Potter anime which begins with a scene where Hermione kills her father. It's just, what.
I feel like I'm being generous, scoring it as high as I did. 2/10 as an adaptation. (I'd say 1/10, but unfortunately the live action miniseries Legend of Earthse…
Read at the sourceElusiveEllie
A nice movie for the first two acts that petered out into a bit of a mess in the third act and didn't resolve many of the plot points it presented.
Story: 7/10. The story is presented competently, with plot points flowing well from one point to the next. However, there were lots of plot points that were introduced that were never resolved. At the start of the movie, the king is receiving reports of issues throughout the land and dragons fighting. These are basically never brought up again. I understand this movie involves part of the story from a series of books, so my assumption is that those plot points must be resolved later in the series past where this movie covers. Later in the film light and darkness are brought up and the story begins to lose some of its meaning. It culminates in…
Read at the sourcexraaki
This review contains *SPOILERS*.
Watched in Sub/Dub: Dub
Story: 6/10
Tales from Earthsea follows both the middle-aged wizard, Sparrowhawk, and the troubled young prince, Arren. Sparrowhawk has set out to discover what has been causing a disturbance in energy across the land of Earthsea. On his journey, he discovers Prince Arren who recently stabbed his father (the king) and ran off with his father’s magic sword. Together the two men set out to find their individual truths.
From this point the story gets much more complicated: Arren meets a standoffish witch his age named Therru. Therru lives with a kind farmer, Tenar, who Sparrowhawk and Arren help. There’s also an evil wizard Cob, who is searching for eternal life. As well as Cob’s main henchman and slave trader, Usagi.
As other reviews…
Read at the sourceEDOSHINRATENSEI
A directorial debut from Miyazaki’s son Goro.
Keeping with the Studio Ghibli standard, the animation was beautiful and colorful. The dragons looked mighty and cool.
Unfortunately, that’s the only thing that kept up with the standard. This movie was a major disappointment. The characters had little background, leading to them having unclear motivations. Some of the actions were quite baffling, and did not have explanations. Many aspects introduced in the movie were barely touched upon, leaving me feel confused and like I’m missing a lot about the movie’s universe.
Most of the background provided by the movie was shown through characters talking, and not actually showing any of past scenes. This was quite lazy and didn’t provide enough about the universe.
Apparently, all these flaws w…
Read at the sourceErnacram
Hello everyone, for today’s review I will be beating a dead horse! Yep! I will be talking about the worst Ghibli movie to be ever released: Ged Senki: Tales from Earthsea. This movie is Miyazaki Gorou’s first animated film.
“Miyazaki? Like Miyazaki Hayao, the frickin’ god of anime movies?” Indeed! But unfortunately, Miyazaki Gorou’s first movie is nowhere as good as the worst of his father’s movies. In fact, the dad left the movie theater after one hour and then said “I felt like I’d been in there for three hours”, that should give you an idea of how boring this movie is!
WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE ANIMATION?
Talking only about the first half of the movie, the scenery is really outstanding.
I wish I could say that the animation in this movie looks great, but unfortunately that can only b…
Read at the source
