I read Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea quartet quite some time ago – enough for some vague recollections of plot and character, and to wonder how it fitted at all with Japanese animation. The only answer I can come up with is that both remind me of childhood. As such, I did rather enjoy the nostalgia purely of the style of the movie, rather than the content. You really do need to have some background knowledge to follow the storyline, which is a weird mishmash of bits of the source material, I think. Certainly, I spent most of the movie wondering which book it was actually based on.

Overall, there’s not enough structure here to feel like a finished piece. You don’t get enough background to feel any context, and without that the denouement has no real impact – more, bafflement.

All in all, just a bit cold and pointless. Looked quite sweet, though.

A let-down to me: the story drags a bit, there are several plotholes (mainly important questions left unanswered), and unlike many other Ghibli-films, no heartwarming humour here, and I just couldn’t feel for the characters.