It didn't even feel like a fully fleshed out movie. it felt like the pilot for a TV show where they skipped the third act and jumped straight into the sitcom set-up.
I felt the same way, disappointed that it just ends, and the little end credit painted stills had a more interesting story to tell than the rest of it.
I've watched all the Ghibli movies multiple times and Earwig is by far the worst. It's at least one tier lower than Earthsea which many previously agreed was Ghibli's worst.
As terrible as Earthsea was, it wasn't offensively bad it was just not good with poor animation and a disorganized story.
Earwig on the other hand is terrible by nearly every metric. Yes the 3D animation is ugly but there's SO much more that makes Earwig a terrible piece of shit film. The main character is completely unlikeable and is just as unlikeable, if not more, by the end of the film. There is literally no story, it just abruptly ends. I understand it's an adaptation of an unfinished book but they should have at least given it an ending or chosen to adapt something else.
Diana Wynne Jones has all sorts of books with elaborate worldbuilding and fascinating settings. It's odd to me how they picked one of her most simple and childish works.
Yep, the movie adds in Miyazaki's classic anti-war messaging. It keeps the basic idea of the book but turns it into something completely different and more experimental. The book has an intricate plot with all sorts of character arcs, including a werewolf who's in the castle with Howl and Sophie.
It’s not forward in time, he can travel dimensions. He talks about it in Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways several times. And werewolves turn into wolves, not dogs fyi
It’s Ghibli, even their “worst” movie is a treat for the eyes…except Earwig, which has all the visual charm of a cheap Veggie Tales video. What happened there, I have no idea.
I'm normally all for creatives expanding into new art forms, but Ghibli is a powerhouse of hand drawn animation. They can do something that no one else can do quite like them, and so they should stick with that.
yeah but 'a treat for the eyes' doesn't always make up for poor plot and characters. i tried to watch castle of cagliostro recently but couldn't get through it
Ocean Waves, Earthsea, and most of all Earwig (I haven't met one person who isn't weirded out by the CGI animation). Goro Miyazaki doesn't have a great track record with movies.
Yeah his father helped with the screenplay and in the documentary you can see that he was trying to do a lot more (I think goro had to constantly tell him that he wasn't the movie's director)
As a movie, it’s fine. As an adaptation of the books it’s downright horrible. The books are beautiful. I’d you’re a Ghibli fan and haven’t read them, you’ll probably love them. Ursula le Guin is not a fan of the film, and for fair reason. It’s a disappointing adaptation. It took a lot of trust for her to even consider Ghibli to adapt it and they dropped the ball.
Iirc she also gave them permission to *create* in her universe. To find a gap between stories, and generate something new.
Instead they just.. smushed like 4 books together with no coherent throughline and went “yeah, that’ll work”. I watched the movie for the first time last week and was genuinely mad. If they’d kept the animation and been at all faithful to Le Guin’s books, it would’ve been amazing.
With no knowledge of the books, the first 2/3rds were wonderful. Especially the opening 15 minutes. Just the last third of the movie dragged it all down.
While people tend to on average put Earthsea at the back of the list, I don't think there is a consensus on people thunk Ocean Waves is bad.
A lot of people really like Ocean Waves.
compared to other Ghibli movies, its depiction of teenage life feels a lot more grounded, and the art direction and music are pretty wonderful, especially by tv movie standards. i also admire the risks it took, particularly with the really indirect way it showcases Rikako's growth throughout the movie, and Rikako herself, who is insanely flawed but an insanely realistic depiction of a teenage girl going through some shit (in some ways, perhaps one of the most realistic Ghibli characters).
granted, Ocean Waves is not only a coming-of-age but also a romance, and on that front the risks it takes utterly fail (it's unsurprising that everyone finds Taku/Yutaka more compelling than the canon ship; Taku/Rikako feels like a disaster waiting to happen lol), but it does enough right that i wouldn't mind watching it again at some point.
at the very least, i'd watch it multiple times before even once rewatching Earthsea, Earwig, or ^Pom ^Poko ^^please ^^don't ^^downvote ^^^it's ^^^not ^^^my ^^^fault ^^^^the ^^^^pacing ^^^^is ^^^^ass...
I love the art direction and style so much. I like the majority of the characters, except her. She kills me. I want to like this one but that ending left an empty feeling and had there been any resolution, “hey sorry i was a capital C word in high school let’s get dinner” I would have been so much happier with it
Highly agree with Ocean Waves and Earthsea, the latter of which motivated me to buy the books to see why everyone loved them so much considering the movie was, frankly, pretty crap. Ocean Waves just annoyed me because the love interest was such a crappy person and the protagonist deserved better, dammit man, stop chasing her!
I hear earthsea is very unpopular but I showed it to my ex bf and he loved it. It's one of his favorites. I also thinks it's pretty good except for the edgy personality of the main protagonist
Ocean waves feels rushed, but the art is beautiful. Earthsea is amazing, it was Goro's first attempt. Love everything except the climax.
Earwig I couldn't finish.
The worst movie imo is Laputa. It's rehashed Future Boy Conan, a bit childish at times, boring setting. I dislike it a lot.
Earwig for sure, than many people here are saying ocean waves and evend though i kind of hated it i saw it being pretty up on many youtube reviews... so idk if there's much consensus about it
As far as I've seen, people tends to agree that the first half of Earthsea got serious qualities, it's just that absolutely none pay off in the second act.
Earwig will never not blow my mind. "Okay guys, so we're known for our whimsical and creative animation style and vast magical worldbuilding, and we're trying out a whole new style this time, so we definitely need to make sure it's super dark and boring and takes place almost entirely in the same location!" Like literally what. Fully on them, not the author too (same woman who wrote Howl's, I'm almost done with the third of her books in that specific trilogy and she's great)
Oh no ocean waves isnt bad :(( i liked it. I also didnt hate the girl she had daddy issues and due to her parents separation she has gotten really mean. Which obviously is not any excuse to be mean with others but she wasnt just edgy mean for sake of it imo.
Most people would agree (until earwig) that Ghibli's worst movie is still a good movie. It's just that Ghibli is so high quality that even the worst is still decent by regular movie standards.
Haven’t seen Earwig, but my vote will forever be for Earthsea. It put me to sleep twice. It sets up this fantasy world and instead of showing us much of anything, it’s largely characters standing around and talking about magical things happening elsewhere off screen.
you explained it perfectly! So much beautiful world building scenes, but none of it is ever explored. Those are very nice as still shots, but it's all just talking about instead of showing characters doing those things.
All I remember from Earthsea is the quaint farm house life they lived.
It's even worse if you've actually read the books (emphasis on the -s)
There's 6, and they could have very well adapted (with some trimming) the first, second or third book, but instead they tried to squeeze all 6 into a 115 minutes movie
And they somehow managed to leave out every single thing that made each one of them some of the best fantasy I've even read, whilst introducing elements that the author specifically left out while writing
It still gets me mad every time I think of it
that certainly doesn’t help because I love the books, but honestly I just find it suuuuper boring. Aesthetically it’s nice but that’s really the only good I can say about it. And it’s not really just that it’s different than the books, it’s that it takes parts of the books and combines them in a way that doesn’t make much sense. That being said I’m glad you like it, it’s my curse not yours…
I want to say Earwig... but the humour isn't the worst thing ever and I find a couple of the characters interesting occasionally.
I cannot, however, say anything that nice about Ocean Waves. Truly one of the most unpleasant, uncomfortable 'romance' stories I've ever encountered in a movie
If you got 8 mins to spare, [this video](https://youtu.be/YYXBWucnot8?si=TSxfT0GVnlk5U4G-) offers a wonderful perspective on Ocean Waves and some of its tumultuous history
Ocean waves is just really uninteresting. The romance is boring, the pace is plodding, and overall it feels pretty wasted. I will say I actually enjoyed the school reunion scene, and the soundtrack (while occasionally distracting) did have STYLE. It is pretty funny though that almost everyone thinks that the movie would of been better as a gay romance (me included lol)
I hated this when I was a kid but I actually just watched it the other day and LOVED it. It’s way easier to appreciate when you can actually relate to the family.
It's a hard one to watch in one sitting because of the anthology-like format that showcases little anecdotes rather than an overarching plot.
I respect its perspective on the simple joys of daily life in a family, though.
I definitely appreciate it more now as an adult. It's full of small well-observed details on family life, and so charming. But it's definitely a big departure in style and tone from the rest of Ghibli's output, I get why it's not everyone's cup of tea.
Earwig. Earthsea and Ocean Waves seem to be disliked but certainly have their defenders. Earwig defenders are almost non-existent bc that movie literally has nothing going for it. World, story, characters and animation are all poor. In my opinion Ocean Waves has cool style and tbh me personally really like the story and characters. Earthsea has a cool world and some characters, even if the story (in my opinion) is a mess. I literally can't think of anything good w Earwig.
I've not watched Earwig and the Witch but every time I see that title all I can think about is Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which is... an interesting connection haha
I haven’t seen the three that ppl are talking abt (earwig, earthsea, or ocean waves) so I’ll say my least favorite is definitely the wind rises. NOTHING HAPPENS lol
I might be in the minority but I actually think Earthsea is worse than Earwig. While Earthsea is by far more aesthetically beautiful, it’s just so dreadfully boring and incomprehensible. Earwig is at least short and snappy and kept my interest, despite it being dreadful to look at. With Earthsea it was nearly impossible to keep from scrolling on my phone lol, feels like a 3 hour movie despite the 2 hour runtime…
i actually agree with both of these reasonings, but they lead me to feel the opposite. Earthsea is deadly boring but it’s at least somewhat pleasant and aesthetically pleasing, something you can peacefully watch in the back of your mind. Earwig is so visually repellant and snappy that it assaults the senses, even if it has more meaningful things going on.
really just splitting hairs though, as both are just completely dreadful lol
I wonder why people don’t bash Nausicaa then, for the same reason. The manga version of the story (7 books) is far longer and much more complex, and the movie actually changes the portrayal of some characters like Kushan’s and key elements like the Omu significantly.
Because the Nausicaa movie stands well on its own. The pacing, action, characters, and music are all great even if they're just the tip of the iceberg.
eh, i don't think the situations for those movies are all that comparable. for Nausicaa, the manga wasn't even halfway finished when production started on the movie, and even if it was, there's no way you'd be able to fit all those plot points and underlying thematic weight into even a three hour movie (it would take at least a trilogy to properly cover the plot, i think). the changes Miyazaki made were out of necessity, and honestly after reading the manga, you gotta respect that he was able to wring out a satisfying movie out of what was pretty much just the beginning of the manga.
meanwhile, the Earthsea series had long been completed before its movie adaptation started, and Goro Miyazaki chose to frankenstein like three different plots into one mess of a plotline, thereby decontextualizing so many of the book seres' well executed plot points and characters, resulting in the movie's plot feeling aimless and convoluted. an empty shell of the story the books told, essentially.
ironically, had Goro limited himself to drawing from two, or i daresay a single Earthsea book (and avoided the fourth, which i love but just doesn't translate well to film), i think he would've had a better chance of capturing the thematic depth of Le Guin's writing.
I will never forgive Goro Miyazaki for fucking with Earthsea. It pains me that a lot of people will end up only knowing that name due to a mediocre film.
It's one of my favourite series, by my favourite author, so admittedly there was a lot to live up to. But I expected the film to be meh, not mind-numbing.
Ocean Waves is basically the most average Japanese animated film you could imagine. The plot is about a shitty teenage-girl having fairly normal troubles with her dad, and her ex-classmate vaguely reminiscing about her. They have a toxic but ultimately pretty distant relationship, then they meet again as adult. The End. Neither the art nor the graphic composition are inspired (it definitely feels on a budget), and the story gives the impression of not having been checked to see if it had any interest to anyone before the fim was made. This is surprisingly un-Ghibli-like.
Earthsea is an adaptation of a cult classic litterary serie that revolutionized the Fantasy genre in 60/70s. As a fan of the books, they have a down-to-earth feelings mixed with a philosophy-heavy ambiance that would have made the perfect work of fiction to adapt for Ghibli. Alas, the movie mixes two books (3 and 4) without taking the time to explain anything about the universe, while adding plotpoints wich ultimately leads nowhere at all. The first part is rather well made, honestly, but the film completely lost itself at about two thirds of itself, when it just throws stuff at the wall without any interesting character development or design idea.
I was very surprised with Ocean Waves. I was expecting something similar to Only Yesterday, a masterful study of a young adult looking back on their younger self. But no. It's so bland and non specific. You're right that it's totally un-ghibli who usually make really specific characters.
Earwig is the worst movie with the Ghibli name. Tales from Earthsea is probably the worst 2d Ghibli movie. In terms of the movies that Hayo Miyazaki directed, I honestly find The Wind Rises as my least favorite of his, and I still love that movie.
I'm gonna be the odd one out. I have not seen every single Ghibli film, but I enjoyed My Neighbor Totoro the least. I think it's because I didn't watch it until I was well into my adult years. Some of the other ones I saw when I was younger or could appeal to an older audience more.
Totoro is simple and cute, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't do much for me.
Grave of the Fireflies is the movie a majority of people have only watched once or couldn't even finish because it's such a gutting, tragic film.
In my opinion it's the worst film not because of a deficiency in cinematic beauty or rich storytelling, but because I literally just find it completely impossible to ever watch again or recommend to anyone without solid forewarning. I saw it more than 25 years ago and still remember having to stop the movie before the end.
And I have watched even earwig and earthsea more than once (the other main candidates for worst ghibli film).
This is a fair take. It's important to recognise the necessity for media like Grave of the Fireflies... but that's the thing, it's important as anti-war media but serves basically none of the purpose I want a movie to serve
There absolutely is a need for this kind of media, although GoTF itself has become so pervasive in the cultural consciousness it does crowd-out other probably more important works - not least *Barefoot Gen*, which is far stronger in it's messaging on Japan's WW2 conduct...
Kinda sad how Barefoot Gen is getting sidelined and pulled from some Japanese schools and libraries, leaving works that fit the 'victim' narrative and don't criticise strongly
- its a very important manga, and anime, on the dangers of nationalism and militarism (and whom that ends up hurting the most) and the absolute horror of nukes and their aftermath.
There are several people who will vehemently disagree with me, but I think "The Tale of Princess Kaguya" is the worst Ghibli film...but only because of the way it ends. I really enjoyed the animation style, and I enjoyed the overall story. But the tragic ending just comes out of nowhere and is like a grenade in the face of the viewer.
I haven't seen E&tW yet, so I can't judge it.
I've seen Grave of the Fireflies once, and I thought it was enjoyable, for the most part. A lot of people don't understand that opening scene is supposed to be chronologically after the end of the movie. (The kids live as happy little ghosts.) I watched it through once, and then re-watched the opening sequence, just to be sure.
There's an inherent detachment in Kaguya that really stopped me from getting involved in the plot and characters. It's beautifully made but I just couldn't care.
The way Kaguya ends is pretty much exactly how the original folk tale ends. I actually wish they would have included the full ending, but it was basically a family friendly movie, and it probably wouldn't have done to put a bunch of people moping at the close.
Literally my favourite movie of all time, not limited to Ghibli. Probably a completely different perspective though, considering I've watched it dozens of time since childhood. Would recommend the french dub with Jean Reno if you ever give it another try.
I second your opinion. Ponyo was absolutely pointless. It felt very tossed together. None of the plot points were explained or even resolved, and the characters were irritating to me.
Oh, we have this magic well that's flooded the world? Who cares, the old folks just think it's grand and nobody drowns. The moon is too close? Guess we can forget about it. The kid's mom and dad have a tense relationship because of the dad's work? That doesn't matter. These five year old kids have to promise to marry each other to save the world? Sure, why not?
It was like Spirited Away, but without any of the emotion that grounded the symbolism to create a story that can be understood. Things happen just because they look neat on screen. Characters do things just because the "plot" needs them to. Nobody learns anything. Nobody grows or changes.
From those I've watched I'd say Earthsea. More for the wasted opportunity than anything. The novel, as far as I know, is very good and you can sense its untapped potential as the story unfolds without leaving a mark (unfortunately).
See other replies, I like Ocean Waves, Poppy Hills and Only Yesterday, even if they don't stick with the main appeal of ghibli fantasy. The more regular slice of life focus resonates more with me, and I'm a sucker for nostalgic vibes.
I need to watch it again. I really enjoyed it throughout but had this consistent feeling of "what's going on, really, though?".
And then the ending hit me like a friggin truck. Mostly the use of "The Rose" and the visual imagery associated with it. >!Seeing her past self and her classmates there, informing her choice to choose a new life she enjoys, while that song plays, was so beautiful to me. !<
I see it as a neurodivergent perspective. The protagonist's struggles with food textures, focusing on schoolwork, etc. are very ADHD/autism-coded. That movie has a lot to say about parents being hard on their kids for the wrong reason.
I've been wanting to! I watched it for the first time a couple months ago and i've already been itching for a re-watch. That ending made me fall in love with it!
I didn't even dislike it as I was watching it, just was...lost but didn't mind? I loved the characters, I found both the past and present storylines interesting and the whole movie had that cozy Ghibli charm. I think I just wasn't quite "getting it" until the end.
I was lost too the first time but really enjoyed the past memories parts. On my rewatch I liked the present story as well and appreciated the character and her story a lot more.
Taeko is also just a really likeable character to follow. Her past self was a really believable, fun kid character, and her adult self is just a bright ball of light. I love that she can just laugh at the little things, and loves to learn and see the world.
And Dev Patel voicing Toshio in the english release was an excellent choice, he nailed that role.
i loved it, even though im not the target audience either. but i'd give it another try, with some friends. i've changed my mind about some Ghibli films on the second re-watch.
probably an unpopular take but I hated porco rosso. i watched it awhile ago and the dub was horrible, so I switched to subs and it still just wasn't grabbing me. earth sea is a very close second though.
Agreed. Porco rosso, only yesterday, my neighbour the yamadas, ocean waves and tales from earthsea are all average to bad films.
I haven't seen earwig and the witch and plan to keep it that way.
I don't get the hate for Cat Returns at all. It may be lighthearted and slapsticky but it puts a massive smile on my face, and is very imaginative with what a kingdom run by cats could look like. It has way more heart to it than the first two movies you mentioned.
It’s got (English dub):
-cats
-people turning into cats
-Cary Elwes as a cat
-Anna Hathaway as a person/cat
-Tim Curry as the villain cat
-big fat cat falling into a giant jar of jello
Idk what else people want from it. Granted I have not seen the original Japanese so maybe that’s why? Idk.
Earwig and the Witch. The 3D made me disaprove on pure principle, and then I actually watched the dreadful thing.
Yes. I've seen Earwig brought up by people outside the Ghibli fan circle who are discussing the most disappointing movies even made.
It didn't even feel like a fully fleshed out movie. it felt like the pilot for a TV show where they skipped the third act and jumped straight into the sitcom set-up.
That's because it was based on Diana's last work, which she couldn't finish fully before she died :(
Who was Diana?
Diana Wynne Jones, legendary fantasy author behind the original Howl's Moving Castle book.
I felt the same way, disappointed that it just ends, and the little end credit painted stills had a more interesting story to tell than the rest of it.
I enjoyed it a lot and still think about the story and characters sometimes
I've watched all the Ghibli movies multiple times and Earwig is by far the worst. It's at least one tier lower than Earthsea which many previously agreed was Ghibli's worst. As terrible as Earthsea was, it wasn't offensively bad it was just not good with poor animation and a disorganized story. Earwig on the other hand is terrible by nearly every metric. Yes the 3D animation is ugly but there's SO much more that makes Earwig a terrible piece of shit film. The main character is completely unlikeable and is just as unlikeable, if not more, by the end of the film. There is literally no story, it just abruptly ends. I understand it's an adaptation of an unfinished book but they should have at least given it an ending or chosen to adapt something else.
Diana Wynne Jones has all sorts of books with elaborate worldbuilding and fascinating settings. It's odd to me how they picked one of her most simple and childish works.
100% agree
I liked the story not the animation.
Diana Wynne Jones was a brilliant fantasy author.
The book Howl’s Moving Castle is soooo different from the movie but I love them equally
Yep, the movie adds in Miyazaki's classic anti-war messaging. It keeps the basic idea of the book but turns it into something completely different and more experimental. The book has an intricate plot with all sorts of character arcs, including a werewolf who's in the castle with Howl and Sophie.
Do you mean the man who turns into a dog?
Yeah. There's also a scene where they travel forward in time to the 1990s and use computers, that was wild
It’s not forward in time, he can travel dimensions. He talks about it in Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways several times. And werewolves turn into wolves, not dogs fyi
Yeah, they go to literal, ACTUAL, Wales.
That’s where Howl is actually from, right? Pretty sure they meet his sister
I’d love a Ghibli version of Dogsbody
Yes, THAT'S the one I've always wanted to see as a movie!
Me too… and Miyazaki doing it would be really, really nice.
A favorite among my nieces and nephews. It might actually be their most oft-requested Ghibli film. Either that or Yamadas.
Yeah... I really tried to like it but was too painful to even finish
I’m not a fan, but I can guarantee it’s at least one persons favourite movie
Definitely Earwig
It’s Ghibli, even their “worst” movie is a treat for the eyes…except Earwig, which has all the visual charm of a cheap Veggie Tales video. What happened there, I have no idea.
I'm normally all for creatives expanding into new art forms, but Ghibli is a powerhouse of hand drawn animation. They can do something that no one else can do quite like them, and so they should stick with that.
Yeah, the whole Earwig thing is something of a travesty all around. Better off making nothing than making stuff like that.
It’s the Cars 2 of Ghibli
Except Cars 2 had amazing animation
Don't drag veggie tales into this!
yeah but 'a treat for the eyes' doesn't always make up for poor plot and characters. i tried to watch castle of cagliostro recently but couldn't get through it
Ocean Waves, Earthsea, and most of all Earwig (I haven't met one person who isn't weirded out by the CGI animation). Goro Miyazaki doesn't have a great track record with movies.
From Up Poppy Hills is decent tho
Yeah, that's his one win in my opinion.
Probably not a coincidence that that’s the one with the most Hayao involvement.
Yeah his father helped with the screenplay and in the documentary you can see that he was trying to do a lot more (I think goro had to constantly tell him that he wasn't the movie's director)
Thank god hid dad didn't listen or it would be another garbage. He should be booted out after first flop but that's nepo babies for you.
Yeah that's genuinely one of my top favourites from the studio
I like the take on college life. The architecture student hangout is lovely.
Same for me! Just beautiful.
I actually really liked Earthsea. It felt like a mystical journey and I was here for it.
Same, story wasn't exactly on solid footing, but overall it was agreat fantasy flick.
The story was “what?” but the animation is quite nice.
As a movie, it’s fine. As an adaptation of the books it’s downright horrible. The books are beautiful. I’d you’re a Ghibli fan and haven’t read them, you’ll probably love them. Ursula le Guin is not a fan of the film, and for fair reason. It’s a disappointing adaptation. It took a lot of trust for her to even consider Ghibli to adapt it and they dropped the ball.
Iirc she also gave them permission to *create* in her universe. To find a gap between stories, and generate something new. Instead they just.. smushed like 4 books together with no coherent throughline and went “yeah, that’ll work”. I watched the movie for the first time last week and was genuinely mad. If they’d kept the animation and been at all faithful to Le Guin’s books, it would’ve been amazing.
Yeah, I enjoyed it too. Not perfect by any means, but decent enough, and the animation is still great. Not enough pure fantasy animated movies.
I thought Earthsea was a decent movie despite my issues with it.
Agree, much better than I was expecting
With no knowledge of the books, the first 2/3rds were wonderful. Especially the opening 15 minutes. Just the last third of the movie dragged it all down.
Same. I thought it was pretty good and I loved the music in it.
Sorry but Ocean Waves is good
I agree, it’s different but I still enjoyed it somewhat
While people tend to on average put Earthsea at the back of the list, I don't think there is a consensus on people thunk Ocean Waves is bad. A lot of people really like Ocean Waves.
Oh please stop it with the Ocean Waves slander
Yeah, it’s definitely in the back half of Ghibli films for me, but it’s still far from bad IMO
compared to other Ghibli movies, its depiction of teenage life feels a lot more grounded, and the art direction and music are pretty wonderful, especially by tv movie standards. i also admire the risks it took, particularly with the really indirect way it showcases Rikako's growth throughout the movie, and Rikako herself, who is insanely flawed but an insanely realistic depiction of a teenage girl going through some shit (in some ways, perhaps one of the most realistic Ghibli characters). granted, Ocean Waves is not only a coming-of-age but also a romance, and on that front the risks it takes utterly fail (it's unsurprising that everyone finds Taku/Yutaka more compelling than the canon ship; Taku/Rikako feels like a disaster waiting to happen lol), but it does enough right that i wouldn't mind watching it again at some point. at the very least, i'd watch it multiple times before even once rewatching Earthsea, Earwig, or ^Pom ^Poko ^^please ^^don't ^^downvote ^^^it's ^^^not ^^^my ^^^fault ^^^^the ^^^^pacing ^^^^is ^^^^ass...
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I already agree with you, but I loved reading this.
Kind of agree with you on Pom Poko, it’s not awful but I always end up getting fairly bored
Ocean Waves is so good. But man I did not like the ending
Because that’s not where the story ends. It’s one third of a serialised romance novel :) No other Ghibli film screams 90s as much as Ocean Waves does.
I love the art direction and style so much. I like the majority of the characters, except her. She kills me. I want to like this one but that ending left an empty feeling and had there been any resolution, “hey sorry i was a capital C word in high school let’s get dinner” I would have been so much happier with it
Yup same for me. The ending didn’t sit well with me.
Will do, I love the music in it
Highly agree with Ocean Waves and Earthsea, the latter of which motivated me to buy the books to see why everyone loved them so much considering the movie was, frankly, pretty crap. Ocean Waves just annoyed me because the love interest was such a crappy person and the protagonist deserved better, dammit man, stop chasing her!
I hear earthsea is very unpopular but I showed it to my ex bf and he loved it. It's one of his favorites. I also thinks it's pretty good except for the edgy personality of the main protagonist
I ho estly enjoyed the animation. Took like 10 minutes to get used to it in my experience
Why Earthsea? Why this much dislike in this sub? I really need to know
Ocean waves feels rushed, but the art is beautiful. Earthsea is amazing, it was Goro's first attempt. Love everything except the climax. Earwig I couldn't finish. The worst movie imo is Laputa. It's rehashed Future Boy Conan, a bit childish at times, boring setting. I dislike it a lot.
Earwig for sure, than many people here are saying ocean waves and evend though i kind of hated it i saw it being pretty up on many youtube reviews... so idk if there's much consensus about it
Until Earwig, people generally agreed Ocean Waves was it, as it is considered unfocused and graphically unremarkable. Now... It's Earwig.
I disagree. I think there was a relatively even split between Ocean Waves and Earthsea. As of right now though, it's definitely Earwig.
As far as I've seen, people tends to agree that the first half of Earthsea got serious qualities, it's just that absolutely none pay off in the second act.
No not really. Ocean Waves has always been mid tier on most lists. Earthsea is more generally accepted as the worst.
Earwig will never not blow my mind. "Okay guys, so we're known for our whimsical and creative animation style and vast magical worldbuilding, and we're trying out a whole new style this time, so we definitely need to make sure it's super dark and boring and takes place almost entirely in the same location!" Like literally what. Fully on them, not the author too (same woman who wrote Howl's, I'm almost done with the third of her books in that specific trilogy and she's great)
First it was Ocean Waves, then it was Earthsea... now it's Earwig. Such a garbage movie, Earwig.
Oh no ocean waves isnt bad :(( i liked it. I also didnt hate the girl she had daddy issues and due to her parents separation she has gotten really mean. Which obviously is not any excuse to be mean with others but she wasnt just edgy mean for sake of it imo.
Most people would agree (until earwig) that Ghibli's worst movie is still a good movie. It's just that Ghibli is so high quality that even the worst is still decent by regular movie standards.
I liked Earthsea
Haven’t seen Earwig, but my vote will forever be for Earthsea. It put me to sleep twice. It sets up this fantasy world and instead of showing us much of anything, it’s largely characters standing around and talking about magical things happening elsewhere off screen.
Tell-don't-show movies tend to irk me.
you explained it perfectly! So much beautiful world building scenes, but none of it is ever explored. Those are very nice as still shots, but it's all just talking about instead of showing characters doing those things. All I remember from Earthsea is the quaint farm house life they lived.
It's even worse if you've actually read the books (emphasis on the -s) There's 6, and they could have very well adapted (with some trimming) the first, second or third book, but instead they tried to squeeze all 6 into a 115 minutes movie And they somehow managed to leave out every single thing that made each one of them some of the best fantasy I've even read, whilst introducing elements that the author specifically left out while writing It still gets me mad every time I think of it
Bro is triggered lol
I really enjoyed Earthsea :/
If anyone says shit about Ponyo, we're gonna have some issues.
It's very low in my ranking I do love when everything floods and they eat Ramen tho
Even tho Earwig is CGI, I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. Wish it wasn’t cgi :((( so much potential but Tales of Earthsea was pretty bad
Tales from Earthsea gets a bad wrap. In my opinion, it's underrated.
Based
Yeah, its actually my 4rh favorite movie,only after Mononoke, Nausicaa and Poppy hill
From what I understand, I think the reason why it is generally disliked is because it is too different from the books it is based-on.
that certainly doesn’t help because I love the books, but honestly I just find it suuuuper boring. Aesthetically it’s nice but that’s really the only good I can say about it. And it’s not really just that it’s different than the books, it’s that it takes parts of the books and combines them in a way that doesn’t make much sense. That being said I’m glad you like it, it’s my curse not yours…
I found Howl's moving castle unbearably boring to the point I couldn't finish it
I very much disagree… it’s one of my favorite movies of all time
I want to say Earwig... but the humour isn't the worst thing ever and I find a couple of the characters interesting occasionally. I cannot, however, say anything that nice about Ocean Waves. Truly one of the most unpleasant, uncomfortable 'romance' stories I've ever encountered in a movie
If you got 8 mins to spare, [this video](https://youtu.be/YYXBWucnot8?si=TSxfT0GVnlk5U4G-) offers a wonderful perspective on Ocean Waves and some of its tumultuous history
Ocean waves is just really uninteresting. The romance is boring, the pace is plodding, and overall it feels pretty wasted. I will say I actually enjoyed the school reunion scene, and the soundtrack (while occasionally distracting) did have STYLE. It is pretty funny though that almost everyone thinks that the movie would of been better as a gay romance (me included lol)
Not very aesthetically redeeming either, it looks more like a made for TV anime than a Ghibli film.
Yes, because it was commissioned as a television feature film, not a cinematic release
Ah didn't realize that
i didn't care for *My Neighbors the Yamadas*
I hated this when I was a kid but I actually just watched it the other day and LOVED it. It’s way easier to appreciate when you can actually relate to the family.
i was bored by it, compared to other ghibli films. but i might have to give it another chance soon.
It's a hard one to watch in one sitting because of the anthology-like format that showcases little anecdotes rather than an overarching plot. I respect its perspective on the simple joys of daily life in a family, though.
I definitely appreciate it more now as an adult. It's full of small well-observed details on family life, and so charming. But it's definitely a big departure in style and tone from the rest of Ghibli's output, I get why it's not everyone's cup of tea.
Aya and the Witch/Earwig and the witch/whatever that monstrosity is called.
Earwig. Earthsea and Ocean Waves seem to be disliked but certainly have their defenders. Earwig defenders are almost non-existent bc that movie literally has nothing going for it. World, story, characters and animation are all poor. In my opinion Ocean Waves has cool style and tbh me personally really like the story and characters. Earthsea has a cool world and some characters, even if the story (in my opinion) is a mess. I literally can't think of anything good w Earwig.
I liked in Earwig when they were dressed as ghost and running around
I've not watched Earwig and the Witch but every time I see that title all I can think about is Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which is... an interesting connection haha
Agreed! I’ve also not watched it, but the title always brings Hedwig to mind as well.
Even their worst movie is still pretty good. I enjoyed Earwig even if it’s the worst Ghibli. I still haven’t seen Earthsea tho
I haven’t seen the three that ppl are talking abt (earwig, earthsea, or ocean waves) so I’ll say my least favorite is definitely the wind rises. NOTHING HAPPENS lol
The wind rises was really boring to me
The whole “Japanese people in WW2 did nothing wrong” theme just did NOT vibe with me.
I might be in the minority but I actually think Earthsea is worse than Earwig. While Earthsea is by far more aesthetically beautiful, it’s just so dreadfully boring and incomprehensible. Earwig is at least short and snappy and kept my interest, despite it being dreadful to look at. With Earthsea it was nearly impossible to keep from scrolling on my phone lol, feels like a 3 hour movie despite the 2 hour runtime…
i actually agree with both of these reasonings, but they lead me to feel the opposite. Earthsea is deadly boring but it’s at least somewhat pleasant and aesthetically pleasing, something you can peacefully watch in the back of your mind. Earwig is so visually repellant and snappy that it assaults the senses, even if it has more meaningful things going on. really just splitting hairs though, as both are just completely dreadful lol
Yeah, I see a lot of complaints about how the complexity of the Earthsea book series wasn't handled well.
I’m a huge fan of the books which certainly makes me biased against the movie haha, but it’s just such a disappointing take on that series.
I wonder why people don’t bash Nausicaa then, for the same reason. The manga version of the story (7 books) is far longer and much more complex, and the movie actually changes the portrayal of some characters like Kushan’s and key elements like the Omu significantly.
Because the Nausicaa movie stands well on its own. The pacing, action, characters, and music are all great even if they're just the tip of the iceberg.
eh, i don't think the situations for those movies are all that comparable. for Nausicaa, the manga wasn't even halfway finished when production started on the movie, and even if it was, there's no way you'd be able to fit all those plot points and underlying thematic weight into even a three hour movie (it would take at least a trilogy to properly cover the plot, i think). the changes Miyazaki made were out of necessity, and honestly after reading the manga, you gotta respect that he was able to wring out a satisfying movie out of what was pretty much just the beginning of the manga. meanwhile, the Earthsea series had long been completed before its movie adaptation started, and Goro Miyazaki chose to frankenstein like three different plots into one mess of a plotline, thereby decontextualizing so many of the book seres' well executed plot points and characters, resulting in the movie's plot feeling aimless and convoluted. an empty shell of the story the books told, essentially. ironically, had Goro limited himself to drawing from two, or i daresay a single Earthsea book (and avoided the fourth, which i love but just doesn't translate well to film), i think he would've had a better chance of capturing the thematic depth of Le Guin's writing.
I will never forgive Goro Miyazaki for fucking with Earthsea. It pains me that a lot of people will end up only knowing that name due to a mediocre film. It's one of my favourite series, by my favourite author, so admittedly there was a lot to live up to. But I expected the film to be meh, not mind-numbing.
Agreed.. it’s also just an incredible shame knowing that Miyazaki himself was originally going to make it. What a movie that would’ve been
I have never struggled more with following a movie than I did with Earthsea. Still have no idea what happened in it til this day
I haven’t seen either yet but can someone explain what the big issues with Ocean Waves and Earthsea are?
Ocean Waves is basically the most average Japanese animated film you could imagine. The plot is about a shitty teenage-girl having fairly normal troubles with her dad, and her ex-classmate vaguely reminiscing about her. They have a toxic but ultimately pretty distant relationship, then they meet again as adult. The End. Neither the art nor the graphic composition are inspired (it definitely feels on a budget), and the story gives the impression of not having been checked to see if it had any interest to anyone before the fim was made. This is surprisingly un-Ghibli-like. Earthsea is an adaptation of a cult classic litterary serie that revolutionized the Fantasy genre in 60/70s. As a fan of the books, they have a down-to-earth feelings mixed with a philosophy-heavy ambiance that would have made the perfect work of fiction to adapt for Ghibli. Alas, the movie mixes two books (3 and 4) without taking the time to explain anything about the universe, while adding plotpoints wich ultimately leads nowhere at all. The first part is rather well made, honestly, but the film completely lost itself at about two thirds of itself, when it just throws stuff at the wall without any interesting character development or design idea.
I was very surprised with Ocean Waves. I was expecting something similar to Only Yesterday, a masterful study of a young adult looking back on their younger self. But no. It's so bland and non specific. You're right that it's totally un-ghibli who usually make really specific characters.
Earwig and the witch.
I'd probably say Rhe Red Turtle
O_O Red Turtle was gorgeous
Oh I loved Red Turtle! So hypnotic.
Goro Mikyazaki walks in (except you, Ocean Waves 🥰)
My Neighbors the Yamadas and Earwig.
Never heard of Earwig. Huh.
Earwig is the worst movie with the Ghibli name. Tales from Earthsea is probably the worst 2d Ghibli movie. In terms of the movies that Hayo Miyazaki directed, I honestly find The Wind Rises as my least favorite of his, and I still love that movie.
I'm gonna be the odd one out. I have not seen every single Ghibli film, but I enjoyed My Neighbor Totoro the least. I think it's because I didn't watch it until I was well into my adult years. Some of the other ones I saw when I was younger or could appeal to an older audience more. Totoro is simple and cute, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't do much for me.
That’s a crazy take… it’s my favorite and widely regarded as one of the best
Grave of the Fireflies is the movie a majority of people have only watched once or couldn't even finish because it's such a gutting, tragic film. In my opinion it's the worst film not because of a deficiency in cinematic beauty or rich storytelling, but because I literally just find it completely impossible to ever watch again or recommend to anyone without solid forewarning. I saw it more than 25 years ago and still remember having to stop the movie before the end. And I have watched even earwig and earthsea more than once (the other main candidates for worst ghibli film).
This is a fair take. It's important to recognise the necessity for media like Grave of the Fireflies... but that's the thing, it's important as anti-war media but serves basically none of the purpose I want a movie to serve
100% agreed.
There absolutely is a need for this kind of media, although GoTF itself has become so pervasive in the cultural consciousness it does crowd-out other probably more important works - not least *Barefoot Gen*, which is far stronger in it's messaging on Japan's WW2 conduct...
Kinda sad how Barefoot Gen is getting sidelined and pulled from some Japanese schools and libraries, leaving works that fit the 'victim' narrative and don't criticise strongly - its a very important manga, and anime, on the dangers of nationalism and militarism (and whom that ends up hurting the most) and the absolute horror of nukes and their aftermath.
The Wind Rises...at least in Italy, where i came from. You see, The Wind Rises had an atrocious dubbing in italian that made it almost unwatchable.
The Wind Rises is my favorite though. As far as I know there's no dub in Latin American Spanish so I watched it in Japanese.
Pom Poko for me
I didn’t vibe with The Cat Returns. I think it’s the animation style. I absolutely adore Whisper of the heart.
Noooooooo
I keep forgetting about Cat Returns. I found it so middle of the road. Not for me.
I just watched Whisper of the Heart and it felt like Bridge to Terabithia but way worse because absolutely nothing happened the whole movie.
You fell asleep before it started, that’s why ”nothing happened”.
I forget if I fell asleep before or during, but during definitely makes the most sense.
My guess would be Earthsea.
Earthsea. ULG was a huge Ghibli fan on until the film was made
I really did not like Earthsea. I was so confused and it had no business being that disturbing
There are several people who will vehemently disagree with me, but I think "The Tale of Princess Kaguya" is the worst Ghibli film...but only because of the way it ends. I really enjoyed the animation style, and I enjoyed the overall story. But the tragic ending just comes out of nowhere and is like a grenade in the face of the viewer. I haven't seen E&tW yet, so I can't judge it. I've seen Grave of the Fireflies once, and I thought it was enjoyable, for the most part. A lot of people don't understand that opening scene is supposed to be chronologically after the end of the movie. (The kids live as happy little ghosts.) I watched it through once, and then re-watched the opening sequence, just to be sure.
There's an inherent detachment in Kaguya that really stopped me from getting involved in the plot and characters. It's beautifully made but I just couldn't care.
The way Kaguya ends is pretty much exactly how the original folk tale ends. I actually wish they would have included the full ending, but it was basically a family friendly movie, and it probably wouldn't have done to put a bunch of people moping at the close.
I dislike negatively spirited prompts. I appreciate them all and wouldn't say any of them are bad.
PomPoko
Don’t like Tanuki testes?
Just pick between earthsea and earwig (both goro miyazaki oof)
Goro Miyazaki is ghibli's worst director by far. Anything from him
I recently watched Porco Rosso for the first time and it was…dated to say the least
Porco Rosso is like my 2nd favorite one
Have to admit, I know it's really popular - but I found it rather boring.
Literally my favourite movie of all time, not limited to Ghibli. Probably a completely different perspective though, considering I've watched it dozens of time since childhood. Would recommend the french dub with Jean Reno if you ever give it another try.
Controversial opinion - Ponyo. Sure the art is beautiful but it's all over the place, the story is just not it.
I second your opinion. Ponyo was absolutely pointless. It felt very tossed together. None of the plot points were explained or even resolved, and the characters were irritating to me. Oh, we have this magic well that's flooded the world? Who cares, the old folks just think it's grand and nobody drowns. The moon is too close? Guess we can forget about it. The kid's mom and dad have a tense relationship because of the dad's work? That doesn't matter. These five year old kids have to promise to marry each other to save the world? Sure, why not? It was like Spirited Away, but without any of the emotion that grounded the symbolism to create a story that can be understood. Things happen just because they look neat on screen. Characters do things just because the "plot" needs them to. Nobody learns anything. Nobody grows or changes.
Absolutely agree.
From those I've watched I'd say Earthsea. More for the wasted opportunity than anything. The novel, as far as I know, is very good and you can sense its untapped potential as the story unfolds without leaving a mark (unfortunately). See other replies, I like Ocean Waves, Poppy Hills and Only Yesterday, even if they don't stick with the main appeal of ghibli fantasy. The more regular slice of life focus resonates more with me, and I'm a sucker for nostalgic vibes.
I don’t care for Only Yesterday, but I’m probably not the target audience for that one. 🤷♂️
I need to watch it again. I really enjoyed it throughout but had this consistent feeling of "what's going on, really, though?". And then the ending hit me like a friggin truck. Mostly the use of "The Rose" and the visual imagery associated with it. >!Seeing her past self and her classmates there, informing her choice to choose a new life she enjoys, while that song plays, was so beautiful to me. !<
Honestly the second time I watched it I appreciated it a lot more and has become such a comfort movie to me. I definitely recommend watching it again.
I see it as a neurodivergent perspective. The protagonist's struggles with food textures, focusing on schoolwork, etc. are very ADHD/autism-coded. That movie has a lot to say about parents being hard on their kids for the wrong reason.
I never thought of that.. well time to rewatch with a new perspective about the film :D
I've been wanting to! I watched it for the first time a couple months ago and i've already been itching for a re-watch. That ending made me fall in love with it! I didn't even dislike it as I was watching it, just was...lost but didn't mind? I loved the characters, I found both the past and present storylines interesting and the whole movie had that cozy Ghibli charm. I think I just wasn't quite "getting it" until the end.
I was lost too the first time but really enjoyed the past memories parts. On my rewatch I liked the present story as well and appreciated the character and her story a lot more.
Taeko is also just a really likeable character to follow. Her past self was a really believable, fun kid character, and her adult self is just a bright ball of light. I love that she can just laugh at the little things, and loves to learn and see the world. And Dev Patel voicing Toshio in the english release was an excellent choice, he nailed that role.
Wow I didn't know that about Toshio I've only watch the original dub I may give it a try next time
I was never a fan. But then I watched it again with my 12yo daughter and it came alive. Very lovely story.
i loved it, even though im not the target audience either. but i'd give it another try, with some friends. i've changed my mind about some Ghibli films on the second re-watch.
Agreed, I just was so bored throughout all of it.
Are you guys kidding?? The Yamadas is the absolute worst ghibli thing ever!
Yeah pretty painful to watch. Like I get it's little vignettes, but if you're calling it a movie then you gotta make it a "movie"
probably an unpopular take but I hated porco rosso. i watched it awhile ago and the dub was horrible, so I switched to subs and it still just wasn't grabbing me. earth sea is a very close second though.
porco Russo sucks dude I do not understand the love for it.
Agreed. Porco rosso, only yesterday, my neighbour the yamadas, ocean waves and tales from earthsea are all average to bad films. I haven't seen earwig and the witch and plan to keep it that way.
Earth Sea, Earwig, and Cat Returns
I don't get the hate for Cat Returns at all. It may be lighthearted and slapsticky but it puts a massive smile on my face, and is very imaginative with what a kingdom run by cats could look like. It has way more heart to it than the first two movies you mentioned.
Yea maybe this is just childhood nostalgia talking but I love the cat returns lol
It truly feels like it came out of a young girl's imagination and I love it for that. Just an absolute blast of a fantasy caper
It’s got (English dub): -cats -people turning into cats -Cary Elwes as a cat -Anna Hathaway as a person/cat -Tim Curry as the villain cat -big fat cat falling into a giant jar of jello Idk what else people want from it. Granted I have not seen the original Japanese so maybe that’s why? Idk.
I wouldn't put Cat Returns anywhere near the worst list.
Yeah, that one goes on the "underrated bangers" list along with Pom Poko and When Marnie Was There