Gedo Senki is an animated film based on Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series. It is produced by Ghibli but directed by Miyazaki Goro and not Miyazaki Hayao. This is Miyazaki Goro's first attempt at the director seat, and he does an okay job of it. Gedo Senki does not follow the story set by the books; instead, it forms its own story that has a few scenes inserted. The characters have the same name, but they are not the same. Ursula K. Le Guin said that it was a beautiful film, but it was not her Earthsea.
Gedo Senki follows The Farthest Shore in that magic is dying in the world, and the wizard Cob is the cause of it. Arren, the prince of Havenor, appears, but he is a much different person from the book. The beginning of the movie has Arren stab his father for no apparent reason and then run away. He is then saved from wolves by Ged, but this is not the same Ged from Le Guin. Then they go to the farm of Therru and Tener, characters that are from Tehanu. Tener loves Ged, and Therru and Arren are sort of a couple but not really. At this point, the main characters become Arren and Therru.
Therru is my favorite character in the film. She is, just like in the book, scarred from a fire, leaving the left side of her face burnt. In the anime, though, it is not much of a burn, but it makes her different. Perhaps because she has such a disfiguration, Therru is strong in character, but she also seems lonely. The best scene in the movie is Therru singing her song, and Arren listening to it. There the Earthsea of Le Guin is best expressed. And in that scene, I get the name for my name.
Rating: 7/10
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