# Legend of Earthsea



## dwndrgn (Jun 7, 2004)

*Cast for Earthsea set*

The cast is set and apparently production has begun.  They plan to air the miniseries in December of this year on Scifi.

http://www.scifi.com/earthsea/updates/


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## Brian G Turner (Jun 8, 2004)

*Re: Cast for Earthsea set*

I hope we see that here in the UK - le Guin is someone I've always meant to catch up with.


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## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy (Jun 8, 2004)

*Re: Cast for Earthsea set*

Do you have access to a library, Brian? The Earthsea books are good of course but I suspect you should try one of her three great sf works - The Left hand of Darkness, The Disposessed or The Lathe of Heaven - first.


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## SDNess (Jun 8, 2004)

*Re: Cast for Earthsea set*

Sounds good. I can't wait.

The Disposessed is a very good utopian-dystopian novel. Very thought provoking.

The Left Hand of Darkness is very good too, but many of my friends who have read it don't like it. They disliked the lack of action. 

But Le Guin isn't famous for action though...


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## Brian G Turner (Jun 8, 2004)

*Re: Cast for Earthsea set*

I'd love to read some Ursula le Guinn - but I am so pressed for time at the moment. Maybe one day...that's why TV would be so accessible - a a couple of hours max, rather than lots of hours over a few days reading. Gosh, that sounds so incredibly sub-intellectual, but its a true reflection of my rushed life.


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## The Master™ (Nov 23, 2004)

Anyone in the US/Canada watched this yet???

Seems that quite a few of the cast are drawn from Smallville... And with Kristin Kreuk *DROOL*, I'll be watching!!!

So, is this a watcher or should we avoid like the plague???

[EDIT] When do you think we are ever gonna get "true to life" fantasy films/tv programmes??? With all the dirt and bad teeth and skin problems and the like??? Everybody looking so fresh and clean and having enjoyed good hygiene and good nutrieous food just does my head in!!!


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## Princess Ivy (Nov 23, 2004)

when and where will it be shown in the uk? i loved the books, but as always have reservations about these things being adapted to film and television.


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## McMurphy (Nov 24, 2004)

I have seen this series advertised on the Sci-Fi channel.  I defidently hope to get into it. 

A part of me, however, feels a bit guilty for not reading the book series yet.


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## erickad71 (Nov 24, 2004)

McMurphy said:
			
		

> I have seen this series advertised on the Sci-Fi channel. I defidently hope to get into it.
> 
> A part of me, however, feels a bit guilty for not reading the book series yet.


I've seen the commercials for it too...and I also feel a bit guilty for not reading anything by her yet. I just have too much stuff I want to read!


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## Teresa Edgerton (Nov 24, 2004)

I'm looking forward to it the same way I looked forward to the LOTR movies before they came out -- with a mixture of hope and dread.  If good, this should be very good, considering the excellent source material.  If not so good, a major disappointment for this long-time fan of the original.

The cleanliness and great dental hygiene doesn't bother me; I am Trying Very Hard not to be bothered by the color-blind casting.  (In the book, most of the characters are dark-skinned.)


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## The Master™ (Nov 24, 2004)

it is one of the great shames of tv... white actors seem to attract the most attention... dunno why!!!


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## dwndrgn (Nov 28, 2004)

I finally saw the ad for this tonight, was at work though so I couldn't hear it.  It is to begin on Dec. 13 here in the States.  Maybe I'll give the book another go before it airs.  The first time I just couldn't get through it for some odd reason.


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## Quest (Dec 4, 2004)

Earthsea will be shown on December 13th on SciFi Channel.  Yes, the cast does look good and that does seem to be what attacts initial attention--at first.  However, if the show is good, it's the story that people talk about later on.  I'm going to watch it to see how it is.  SciFi seems to be on a roll lately, with new series (Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica) and mini-series.  A lot better than the mis-mash they used to be.


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## Thadlerian (Dec 13, 2005)

*Studio Ghibli adapting Earthsea!*

News as good as news probably can be... _Studio Ghibli_ (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) will adapt the works of Ursula LeGuin! 

Imagine that. The world's best animators adapting a story by one of the world's best writers...

From nausicaa.net:


> Studio Ghibli has officially announced that their next feature film will be Gedo Senki (Gedo War History), directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro Miyazaki. The film will be an adaptation of Ursula K Le Guin's "A Wizard of Earthsea," and will be released in the Japanese theatres in July 2006.



There's a link to the official site (all in Japanese), where you can se a concept picture. It disappoints me a little that the person appears to be white (Sparrowhawk is coloured). But on the other hand, it says "Tales from Earthsea" (name of a short story collection), not "A Wizard from Earthsea", so it may perhaps not be him.

Still something to look greatly forward to!


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## kyektulu (Dec 13, 2005)

*Re: Studio Ghibli adapting Earthsea!*

*I am exited now... cant wait!

 I havnt seen the movie yet but I am going to buy it.*


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## Jeremy (Dec 13, 2005)

*Re: Studio Ghibli adapting Earthsea!*

Thank you for tellings us, Thadlerian.  I am a great fan of Studio Ghibli, and I have heard great things about LeGuin, but I never got around to reading any of her books.  Now I'm going to go buy a copy of Wizard of Earthsea as soon as possible!
Which Studio Ghibli films are your favorite?  For me, it's between Laputa and Graves of the Fireflies.  I like Laputa a little better.


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## GOLLUM (Dec 13, 2005)

*Re: Studio Ghibli adapting Earthsea!*

Sounds like it could be a worthwhile project...


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## Thadlerian (Dec 14, 2005)

*Re: Studio Ghibli adapting Earthsea!*



			
				Jeremy said:
			
		

> Which Studio Ghibli films are your favorite?  For me, it's between Laputa and Graves of the Fireflies.  I like Laputa a little better.


The obvious number 1 is Spirited Away, of course, followed by Whisper of the Heart and Pom Poko. But further discussion on these should take place in the Oriental Theatre forum.


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## edott (Dec 19, 2005)

*Re: Studio Ghibli adapting Earthsea!*

considering how badly the sci-fi network mangled it, i am glad to see that we will have something that I am quite sure will be fantastic. Was watching Laputa: flying castle,  with the kids just this weekend. His worlds are so wonderful.


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## the_faery_queen (Dec 19, 2005)

*Re: Studio Ghibli adapting Earthsea!*

yeah i was about to say, i hope its better than the tv type version i saw


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## Thadlerian (Feb 27, 2006)

*Earthsea Trailer (minor book spoilers)*

I wasn't sure of where to put this -  in the Ursula Le Guin or the Oriental Theatre forum - so I put it here.

The Studio Ghibli animated adaption of Gedo Senki (Tales from Earthsea/The Deed of Ged) has already been mentioned a couple of times here, mostly by me. But now at last the trailer is available at Ghibliworld (both as realmedia and an MPEG available through BitTorrent).

So - what will this movie be like?

One thing's for sure, this will be a _very_ liberal adaption, apparently combining storyline and characters from The Farthest Shore and Tehanu. One thing I can say right away: This will be very beautiful, and probably also very sober; there are practically no action scenes in the trailer.

I don't recognise much of the scenes as seen here. There is a great-looking city - but is it Great Port on Havnor, Thwil Town or Hort Town? There is a scene where Therru is being pursued by guards and confronted with a character looking quite like Kurotowa from Nausicaä. Arren and Ged seem to travel on land rather than at sea... a little disappointing. Arren and Therru appear to be at same age. Therru's wound is only superficial, and does not prevent her from expressing herself, nor mar her appearance.

Therru is seen herding a flock of sheep. Another unfortunate rendition, in my opinion. In the books, they're goats, which I think is deliberate from Le Guin's side. Not least because the sheperd is a symbolic and often used character in Fantasy and Christianity (Rand, anyone?).

The most serious problem, however, is visible at once: _All the characters are white._ According to the books, Ged, Arren and Therru are all various shades of coloured. I think this is rather serious. Sci-Fi Channel's miniseries adaption, The Legend of Earthsea recieved a lot of criticism for rendering the main characters as whites. Earthsea is one of a few Fantasy series with black characters. As Le Guin herself states:


> I have received letters that broke my heart, from adolescents of color in this country and in England, telling me that when they realized that Ged and the other Archipelagans in the Earthsea books are not white people, they felt included in the world of literary and movie fantasy for the first time.


And about the Sci-Fi Channel adaption:


> In the miniseries, Danny Glover is the only man of color among the main characters (although there are a few others among the spear-carriers). A far cry from the Earthsea I envisioned. When I looked over the script, I realized the producers had no understanding of what the books are about and no interest in finding out. All they intended was to use the name Earthsea, and some of the scenes from the books, in a generic McMagic movie with a meaningless plot based on sex and violence.


But on the other hand, Le Guin has already approved of Ghibli's work, and she has probably seen the white characters. My theory is that she has forgiven this, in the light of the rest of the concept seeming very much in the spirit of her stories. Also, she is known to be an admirer of Hayao Miyazaki (though the director of Gedo Senki is Hayao's son, Goro). This would be rather inconsistent of her, and I don't think all Earthsea fans may feel likewise.

I don't know. I still think this is rather offensive. It seems the movie will be beautiful beyond any Ghibli movie to date (which says quite a lot), and I don't think the other rewritings will matter (except perhaps the lack of the earth_sea_...). But it's too bad they won't take a chance and try something different than the ever-present white faces. Even though it is animé, or Japanese, or that it hurts sales, or whatever reason has been the incentive for repeating this crucial part of Sci-Fi Channel's big blunder.


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## Jeremy (Feb 27, 2006)

*Re: Earthsea Trailer (minor book spoilers)*



			
				Thadlerian said:
			
		

> The most serious problem, however, is visible at once: _All the characters are white._


 
Well, we don't know that, unless you include Asians in the category of white.  All of the characters that I've seen have dark brown hair.  The Japanese drew Asians with pale skin, hair of all colors, and big eyes in a lot of anime that I've seen.  I think it's less egregious if what they are doing is simply to populate the story with Japanese characters, because it is after all a movie made by the Japanese mainly for Japanese consumption.


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## Thadlerian (Feb 28, 2006)

*Re: Earthsea Trailer (minor book spoilers)*

From what I've heard, the Japanese audience doesn't connect the appearance of regular anime characters to ethnicity or race, neither Asian nor Western. I think it's supposed to be some sort of generic trans-ethnic concept, though I've never seen any anime in which ethnicity has been relevant.

I know that the Ghibli animes are meant for the Japanese audience; Hayao Miyazaki himself has said so at occasions. But I still think that anyone living in a globalized world were expressions are being heard the moment they're spoken and not limited to national borders, has a responsibility for these expressions. And then there's Le Guin, what does she think? She had very definite reasons for making the characters coloured, and the idea of selling it to the Japanese for them to make their own interpretation for private use... well, I just don't know.

I'm planning to write Ursula Le Guin a letter, as it's hard to know if she'll be issuing any statement on the matter anytime soon. I've always been looking for an excuse for writing to her


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## McMurphy (Mar 2, 2006)

*Earthsea Television Series and Anime Link*

I must admit that I am a bit hestitant on this Earthsea adaption.  Not really because of the lack of multiple race representation, but because I wasn't overly impressed by Howl's Movie Castle, which was another adaption of an English piece.  To me, Howl's Moving Castle felt clumsy in delivery, and I was never entirely convinced that the transition of that Western story to an Japanese interpretation was successful. Hopefully, the Earthsea project will not suffer from the same molding.

There is an interesting anime connection to the television mini series adaption of Earthsea. Some of the people that starred in the television series are more famous through their voice acting for anime or animation. Usually, actors end up later voicing for high profile animation, not the other way around. Take for example, the following people:
*
Mark Hildreth* (Earthsea as "Jasper"), ("Dr. Briefs" in Dragonball Z)
*
 Alessandro Juliani* (Earthsea as* "*Skiorch"), ("Kid Icarus" in Captain N:  the Game Master and "Gambit" in X-Men:  Evolution)

*Dave 'Squatch' Ward* (Earthsea as "Dunain"), ("Guldo" and "King Kai" in Dragonball Z along with "Garlic Jr." in the Dragonball movie Dead Zone)

*Mark Acheson* (Earthsea as "The Gebbeth"), ("Fisto" in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and "Shimazu Yoshihiro" in the video game Kessen)

*Anthony Holland* (Earthsea as "Master Namer"), ("Master Sebrian" in The New Adventures of He-Man)

*Ellie King* (Earthsea as "Busty Wench"), ("Lara" in the Lupin the 3rd film "Secret of the Twilight Gemini")

[Credit must be given to my girlfriend---the anime, Dragonball Z, and cel collecting nut---for pointing out the connection and the website "voicechasers" for filling in the rest of the blanks.]

Of the anime ethnic concern, I agree with the notion that, typically, anime is not concerning itself with the race of the characters.  Shows like [SIZE=-1]Kodoma no Omocha will have characters "from the West" who are drawn exactly like all the rest of the Japanese children.  Since Le Guin did make a point to include different race types in her story, however, it would have been nice if the [/SIZE]Ghibli film followed suit.  I do think that it is more forgiveable than casting mostly white actors in a live-action adaption, though.  The latter seems a bit more blantant than the former.


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## Ainu (Mar 13, 2006)

*Re: Earthsea Trailer (minor book spoilers)*

I'm eagerly waiting this anime.
I'm a huge Ghibli fan.

Goro Miyazaki's blog about Tales of The Earthsea at nausicaa net is worth checkin' out.

The trailer can not tell everything about the film.


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## kyektulu (Mar 14, 2006)

*Earthsea movie... anyone?*

*I have been having a look at this movie on Amazon, and after reading the book years ago naturally I want to see the movie.
However I remember someone saying to me it is rubbish?

I would appreciate any feedback on this film, I will probably buy it anyway...*


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## Thadlerian (Mar 14, 2006)

*Re: Earthsea movie... anyone?*

I haven't seen it myself, but after what I've heard, the Earthsea miniseries is utter and complete rubbish. Hardly any relation to the story, the concepts or the characters of the books. And white actors in almost all roles.

Ursula Le Guin herself has condemned it on several occasions, this one being the most direct.


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## YOSSARIAN (Mar 14, 2006)

*Re: Earthsea movie... anyone?*

I thought this movie was great...for people who like adaptations that have nothing to do with the source material.  Also great if you dislike being entertained.


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## steve12553 (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Earthsea movie... anyone?*

I only watched part of it. It was pretty hokey.


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## kyektulu (Mar 15, 2006)

*Tales From Earthsea*

*I am so excited.

I found a little treasure online yesterday.

A new animated version of Ursula Le Guin's 'Earthsea' has been made in Japan, it is due out there soon.

As soon as I find out when it is available over here I will let u guys know.

Here is a link to a short trailer:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SAAnGlakbYg
*


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## Thadlerian (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Tales From Earthsea*

Yeah, made a thread about this a couple of weeks ago: Here[/u].

I made some comments on the appearance of the skin colour of the characters, but otherwise it seems it'll be a great movie.


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## kyektulu (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Tales From Earthsea*

*Sorry didnt know. 
*


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## kyektulu (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Earthsea movie... anyone?*

*Apparently the movie I have been looking at is the Tv series... 

Im still going to buy it tho... *


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## steve12553 (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Earthsea movie... anyone?*



			
				kyektulu said:
			
		

> *Apparently the movie I have been looking at is the Tv series... *
> 
> *Im still going to buy it tho... *


 
It was a mini-series that may have been released on DVD as a long movie. I think it was only 2 parts.


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## kyektulu (Mar 16, 2006)

*Re: Earthsea movie... anyone?*

*I have just bought it today, I will be watching it tonight... looks good. 

I will let you guys know what I think of it soon.*


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## kyektulu (Mar 18, 2006)

*Re: Earthsea movie... anyone?*

*I watched the tv series last night.
Yes it wasnt what I was hoping for but still watchable.

When Harry Potter came out I knew she had taken her ideas for a wizard school from Ursula's Earthsea, seeing this again has just confirmed it.
Dont get me wrong I do respect Rowling for getting children reading more butsaying her ideas are origional is rubbish.
There are too many factors in Earthsea that are exactly the same as her Harry Potter... coincidence, I think not.*


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## Thadlerian (Dec 28, 2007)

*Re: Tales From Earthsea*

OK, now I've seen it. Anyone else? Opinions?
(give me yours, and I'll let you hear mine - and I'm in two minds, so don't draw any conclusions  )


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## GOLLUM (Dec 28, 2007)

*Re: Tales From Earthsea*

If you're talking about Studio Ghibli's production then yes I saw it. In fact I visited Studio Ghibli in Japan during WorldCon to get a first hand view of the production techniques enmployed in making their films. Very interesting stuff.

As far as the movie goes I liked certain aspects of the film but not others. It was far better than that TV production they trawled out but it's less than perfect. I would give it 3 stars out of 5 vs. the TV production 1 star max.... I don't know what LeGuin's thinks of the Ghibli production but I wouldn't think she would be over the moon with it.

I read these books incl. Tehanu many years back so my memories are a little vague. Therefore I can't really go into hard details vs. book until I reread it.


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## williamjm (Dec 28, 2007)

*Re: Tales From Earthsea*

I saw it last summer, I had fairly mixed feelings about it as well. The animation quality was good (although not Ghibli's best), and it was an entertaining film, but I felt the plot was a bit muddled, some things weren't explained very well and it never really seemed to adequately explain why the protagonist stabbed his father at the start of the film.


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## GOLLUM (Dec 31, 2007)

*Re: Tales From Earthsea*

For those interested Le Guin's own viewpoint after watching the film...


*As my son and I could not go to Tokyo for the premiere of the film, Studio Ghibli very kindly brought us a copy, and gave us a private screening at a downtown theater on Sunday August 6, 2006. It was a joyful occasion. Many friends with children came. It was entertaining to get the kids' response. Some younger ones were rather frightened or confused, but the older kids were cool with it. *
*After the screening we went to have dinner at my son's house. Elinor the corgi behaved with great propriety, while Mr Toshio Suzuki did headstands on the lawn. *
*Mr Goro Miyazaki asked me just as I was leaving, "Did you like the movie?" It was not an easy question to answer, under the circumstances. I said: "Yes. It is not my book. It is your movie. It is a good movie." *
*I did not realise that I was speaking to anyone but him and the few people around us. I would have preferred that a private reply to a private question not be made public. I mention it here only because Mr Goro has mentioned it in his blog. *
*So, in the spirit of everything being public all the time for fifteen minutes, I will give a fuller report of my first response to the film: *
*Much of it was beautiful. Many corners were cut, however, in the animation of this quickly made film. It does not have the delicate accuracy of "Totoro" or the powerful and splendid richness of detail of "Spirited Away." The imagery is effective but often conventional. *
*Much of it was exciting. The excitement was maintained by violence, to a degree that I find deeply untrue to the spirit of the books. *
*Much of it was, I thought, incoherent. This may be because I kept trying to find and follow the story of my books while watching an entirely different story, confusingly enacted by people with the same names as in my story, but with entirely different temperaments, histories, and destinies. *
*Of course a movie shouldn't try to follow a novel exactly — they're different arts, very different forms of narrative. There may have to be massive changes. But it is reasonable to expect some fidelity to the characters and general story in a film named for and said to be based on books that have been in print for 40 years. *
*Both the American and the Japanese film-makers treated these books as mines for names and a few concepts, taking bits and pieces out of context, and replacing the story/ies with an entirely different plot, lacking in coherence and consistency. I wonder at the disrespect shown not only to the books but to their readers. *
*I think the film's "messages" seem a bit heavyhanded because, although often quoted quite closely from the books, the statements about life and death, the balance, etc., don't follow from character and action as they do in the books. However well meant, they aren't implicit in the story and the characters. They have not been "earned." So they come out as preachy. There are some sententious bits in the first three Earthsea books, but I don't think they stand out quite this baldly. *
*The moral sense of the books becomes confused in the film. For example: Arren's murder of his father in the film is unmotivated, arbitrary: the explanation of it as committed by a dark shadow or alter-ego comes late, and is not convincing. Why is the boy split in two? We have no clue. The idea is taken from A Wizard of Earthsea, but in that book we know how Ged came to have a shadow following him, and we know why, and in the end, we know who that shadow is. The darkness within us can't be done away with by swinging a magic sword. *
*But in the film, evil has been comfortably externalized in a villain, the wizard Kumo/Cob, who can simply be killed, thus solving all problems. *
*In modern fantasy (literary or governmental), killing people is the usual solution to the so-called war between good and evil. My books are not conceived in terms of such a war, and offer no simple answers to simplistic questions. **Though I think the dragons of my Earthsea are more beautiful, I admire the noble way Goro's dragons fold their wings. The animals of his imagination are seen with much tenderness — I liked the horse-llama's expressive ears. I very much liked the scenes of plowing, drawing water, stabling the animals, and so on, which give the film an earthy and practical calmness — a wise change of pace from constant conflict and "action". In them, at least, I recognised my Earthsea. *


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