The character I liked most in this one is Prince Arren, the tale's male lead along with Ged/Sparrowhawk. Prince Arren is definitely very reminiscent of Prince Ashitaka from Mononoke, and Haku from Spirited Away. All three have very somber and serious demeanours -- almost equating to a "dark side" -- but what makes Arren different is that his dark side shaped what was most of his character. Not wanting to spoil too much of the plot, but it was even a catalyst to the whole story. That doesn't make him less likeable than Ashitaka or Haku tho. While Ashitaka had the royal bearing of a prince and the battle light of a warrior, and Haku had the mysterious aura of a mythical river god, Arren on the other hand had the vulnerabilities of human emotion succumbing to fear and pain -- which he overcomes in the end, placing him on equal footing with the other two princes.Also, I was pleasantly surprised that the Law of True Names was utilized in the story to illustrate how magic worked. I first encountered this concept when I played Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark, and I thought it gave things of the arcane more depth and complexity. For a time, I even believed it was true. To name something, after all, was to gain power over it. Seeing it used in Earthsea tickled my senses into resuming my readings about it once again.
While I've read a lot of reviews online saying that the movie was not at all very faithful with the novels from where it was based, I'm still very happy I was able to watch it -- especially at a time when I rarely get to indulge my inner child. I'm sure the book was good -- and I'd love to read it one of these days -- but the film, on its own, was good too.
