I have been a fan of Ghibli for some years now, but despite this I approached Gedo Senki warily. I have read the first Earthsea novel (and wasn't particularly impressed), yet I resolved not to let my lack of enthusiasm for the book soil what enjoyment I might glean from the movie. Despite this, I have to say that I was disappointed with Ghibli's latest effort. As I said, I have not read the novel upon which it is based, but I found the pace to be too slow in some parts, and far too expositionary in others. The voice acting is good all round, (and the theme song Teru no Uta, sung by Teshima Aoi, is beautiful), however, I found the animation to be of rather low quality. Character designs are extremely simple, so one would imagine that more time could then be spent on the animation itself. I understand that it was made in half the time of Howl's Moving Castle, and it shows.
Without giving any spoilers, I did enjoy the end of the movie which incorporates some good set-pieces. It's just a pity that most of what leads up to this is so average.
Without giving any spoilers, I did enjoy the end of the movie which incorporates some good set-pieces. It's just a pity that most of what leads up to this is so average.
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