Tales of My Dad, the Bounty Hunter From Earthsea - Renegade Animation #122
In this episode, Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru discuss the 2nd volume of My Dad the Bounty Hunter, while continuing the Ghibli journey with Tales From Earthsea!
What’s going on, everyone? This is your Captain speaking, and I’m excited to share this episode! There are way too many movies and TV shows available both in theaters and on streaming, and there’s no guarantee that we’ll be able to get to everything on time. That’s the main reason Cameron and I are only now getting to the second part of My Dad the Bounty Hunter, but tune into the podcast to hear the full discussion!
Tales From Earthsea
Look, I tried to go into this one with an open mind, but I just couldn't do it. Because I haven't read these books, I can't say with any authority how well this works or doesn't work as an adaptation. However, I can still tell SOMETHING went wrong, which has resulted in a film with poor pacing, and characters with very little personality. The movie isn't without at least some merit. I really enjoyed the score composed by Tamiya Terashima, and while the animation wasn't amazing, it still retains a lot of that Ghibli charm. I seldom use the word “boring” to describe a film, unless it fails to live up to the standards of an otherwise "exciting" genre. However, that unfortunately is a fitting descriptor for this movie.
“While it still has Ghibli's high-quality animation, admirable themes about life and death, some of the ghibli charm you can only find in their films, and noting the bad production cycle this film went through, it doesn't absolve the fact the film is terribly paced, has a forgettable cast, and shows Goro's limitations as a director.“ -The Animation Guru
My Dad the Bounty Hunter Part 2
Like most Netflix shows, I am NOT calling this “season 2,” because I know too well how the production pipeline works. That being said, this still remains one of the best new animated series of the year, and a great continuation of a story thread only teased at the end of the first half. I love how much of these episodes were focused on fleshing out Tess, her relationship to her family, and the past she’s been running from for so many years. We get to meet some fun new characters, and travel to fun new worlds, while the action sequences, lighting, and overall animation gradually improves as the series progresses.
“Part 2 improves and build upon this grand sci-fi adventure with adding more layered family drama between rip-roaring adventures among the stars.“ -The Animation Guru
That’ll do it for this episode! Thank you all for joining us! Please visit https://entertainmentcommunityfund.org/ and donate under the designation of Film and Television if you wish to support those that are effected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA Strikes!
