rocklobster (post: 1531302) wrote:I really wasn't impressed by it. I've read the books and I feel that, on the whole, Tales From Earthsea is wasted potential. I think Ursula LeGuin said it best when she told Goro "It's not my story. It's your movie."
And what a terrible movie. It seems as if it is trying to say something, but is not sure how to say it.
Well, it's not like Goro had any help or education barring watching movies himself. I'd actually say that the film showed a lot of promise, even if it was not a good movie, so I am guessing that now that Miyazaki the Elder is trying to stop being an awful father we could see some good things out of Goro yet.
Maokun (post: 1531381) wrote:I didn't see you comment about it in the New Anime thread, so not sure if you know already, but we now have some info about Watanabe's next project!
Oh yeah, I am fully aware of how he is going to make a glorious return. The news came shortly after I finished Samurai Champloo, actually. Have you seen Macross Plus?
Anyways, I have spent the last four or so months working on the by-now legendary 110 OVA series, Legend of the Galactic Heroes. This is a show often praised as the greatest anime of all time, and it has not disappointed.
LOGH is a show about the conflict between democracy and autocracy. I'm guessing that if I told you it was a show about an up-and-rising star in the fleet of the waning Free Planets Alliance and his battle against a corrupt Empire and its new brilliant admiral, it wouldn't seem particularly special. It might throw in some humanized villains and corrupt people on the Alliance side to add some "depth", but you would probably guess it would be a Star Wars-like adventure as good and evil clash. What makes LOGH different is that it is not a show about a protagonist clashing against his antagonist. Both Yang Wenli and Reinhard von Lohenngram can be thought of as the protagonist, but the conflict is ultimately less about them, but their beliefs. Both have legitimate reasons to believe in the form of government they fight for, and rather than show one as better than the other, LOGH shows the viewer the benefits and drawbacks of both and let's them decide which is superior.
If this sounds dry and boring, LOGH is anything but. You have Reinhard's awesome crew of admirals like Mittermeyer or Mueller, who are all really interesting characters and great to follow. Then you have Yang's crew, who follows him out of "whim and foppery" and are the biggest bros you could ever have. LOGH takes itself seriously, but it doesn't try to be boring, and I can think of episodes where I was rolling on the floor laughing or being like THAT'S AWESOME.
Speaking of battles, the combat in LOGH is great. On the ground side, you've got your standard laser shooting, but really, if you have a gun, you're probably not a match for one of the numerous axe-wielding characters. On the space side, you've got the various admirals having to defeat each other strategically, and not in a lolDeath Note way of declaring things just because they're smart. Things like stamina, fleet movements, and morale are all deciding factors in how a battle will turn out. One battle, I kid you not, is a showdown between two death stars. You can't deny that that is awesome.
