History YMMV / TalesFromEarthsea

* CriticProof: Despite being considered by critics and audiences alike to be one of Studio Ghibli's weakest films, and winning both Worst Picture and Worst Director at the Japanese equivalent of the Razzies, the film still managed to be Japan's highest-grossing film of 2006 and the highest-grossing film not in the English language of 2006.

* {{Narm}}:
** No matter your opinion on the movie, the scene in which Cob's arm is dramatically cut off definitely qualifies as this.
** Therru's singing in the English dub, where it isn't that good and doesn't match the lip-flaps.
** Any time Arren gets angry. He comes off like an {{Emo Teen}} trying to look tough.

* FoeYay: Cob toward Sparrowhawk, ''especially'' when they finally meet in the castle.

* HilariousInHindsight: Arren's [[TheHerosJourney journey]] echoes Goro Miyazaki's career during and after production of the film. A son kills his [[Creator/HayaoMiyazaki beloved father the king]] for [[OedipusComplex Oediptic reasons]] and [[TakeUpMySword takes his sword]]… Only to find he is incapable of using it and can only lash out in confusion, until he fully accepts his own fears and weaknesses, [[Anime/FromUpOnPoppyHill after which he improves.]]

* AssPull: Therru [[spoiler: turning into a dragon]] in the climax. The only foreshadowing it really gets is a brief scene at the beginning where it's mentioned dragons and humans were once one, but became different species due to their differing desires (and this doesn't mention [[spoiler: shapeshifting]] and being able to [[spoiler: come BackFromTheDead]]). On the other hand, if you read the books, then you've been waiting for her to [[spoiler:turn into a dragon]] the whole time she's in peril.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Therru's Song is a sad, beautiful, and lonely melody. Hearing this amazing song made the watching the film worth it.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
** Some world-building elements--such as slavery--are introduced but never touched upon in detail.
** Not only that, but many plot points introduced in the film's opening are dropped almost immediately after. Dragons returning, the murder of the king and the implications of a war on the horizon all seem like they'd be major plot points later but are never brought up again.
** Many Earthsea fans will tell you that the series has quite a few characters who deserve a movie more than Arren.

* AssPull: Therru [[spoiler: turning into a dragon]] in the climax. The only foreshadowing it really gets is a brief scene at the beginning where it's mentioned dragons and humans were once one, but became different species due to their differing desires (and this doesn't mention [[spoiler: shapeshifting]]) and being able to [[spoiler: come BackFromTheDead]]). On the other hand, if you read the books, then you've been waiting for her to [[spoiler:turn into a dragon]] the whole time she's in peril.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: A big problem for a lot of viewers is that Arren, the protagonist whom we're supposed to root for, begins the story by murdering his own father for no discernable reason, then steals his sword and skips town. Arren's father is characterized as a good king and a loving father; Arren himself says he doesn't understand why he would kill him. It's vaguely explained that Arren was seemingly possessed at the time by the curse that plagues the land (and the beginning does state he's not been himself lately) and so he wasn't in control of himself, but this doesn't happen until well over the halfway point, so for a lot of the film we're following this guy who murdered his dad just...because. Although the fact that the first thing established in the movie is that there ''is'' a curse plaguing the land that affects, among other things, people's minds, makes it blisteringly obvious that it has something to do with it.

* AssPull: Therru [[spoiler: turning into a dragon]] in the climax. The only foreshadowing it really gets is a brief scene at the beginning where it's mentioned dragons and humans were once one, but became different species due to their differing desires (and this doesn't mention [[spoiler: shapeshifting]]) and being able to [[spoiler: come BackFromTheDead]]).

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: A big problem for a lot of viewers is that Arren, the protagonist whom we're supposed to root for, begins the story by murdering his own father for no discernable reason, then steals his sword and skips town. Arren's father is characterized as a good king and a loving father; Arren himself says he doesn't understand why he would kill him. It's vaguely explained that Arren was seemingly possessed at the time by the curse that plagues the land (and the beginning does state he's not been himself lately) and so he wasn't in control of himself, but this doesn't happen until well over the halfway point, so for a lot of the film we're following this guy who murdered his dad just...because.

* {{Narm}}: No matter your opinion on the movie, the scene in which Cob's arm is dramatically cut off definitely qualifies as this.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Some world-building elements--such as slavery--are introduced but never touched upon in detail.

* SoOkayItsAverage: What makes this so disappointing is the strength of the source material and that this is GHIBLI we are talking about. They just don't make mediocre material.

* HarsherInHindsight: A drug that provides an intense euphoria, but is highly addictive and usually kills those who use it after a few doses.

* AwesomeMusic: Therru's Song is a sad, beautiful, and lonely melody. Hearing this amazing song made the watching the film worth it.

* LoveItOrHateIt: According to sites like Rotten Tomatoes, while most professional critics dislike the movie, the general audience is more evenly split.

** Not only that, but many plot points introduced in the film's opening are dropped almost immediately after. Dragons returning, the death of the king and the implications of a war on the horizon all seem like they'd be major plot points later but are never brought up again.