Escaflowne - The Movie (Ultimate Edition 3-Disc Set)
BL I thought this movie could have been longer . You get traped to one scene and then waiting for more . In other words part of the story needed a little more explaination . A little more characterzation . English dudding needed more help . Forgive me mister Marrow , but someone esle should have done Van ` s english vocie . At least for this movie .
The other thing , like everyone esle had said . Is the plot . Nothing much to it . Also not as complex as the series . In which at times can be a good thing . It was in a way for this movie . The downside is this : you are left on asking the question of how did they get there ? What the heck did I just miss ? Those are not always good questions for a movie buff to ask themsevles .
Yet the movie also gives a message about sorrow and how people handle it . Not very well , but there nonetheless .
The most astonishing about the movie : ANIMATION MUSIC
both are excenllant .
One more thing then I will shut up . Yes the ending left me hanging , but I did ` nt hate it ( thank god for spoilers ) . I hope and pray there will be a sequel to this movie or the series .
The Four Stars are for the animation music and the dvd limited edtion .
The DVD limited edtion I enjoy very much . granted the interveiws aren ` t great or groung breaking . I felt sorry for them . Most were pretty tounge tied .
The real reason I got the Limited edtion : IT ALSO INCULED THE SCORE ! I enjoyed the music almost more then the movie .
Okay now I am done . Yet a few last words . I Do mean a few .
Good movie , great animation and music , If you want the movie and soundtrack buy the limited edtion it will cheaper then to buy them serpate . Just want the movie buy standard .
111 4 Okay I will admit it . I like the tv series better . now that ` s out of the way . Like Vampire Hunter D : BL I thought this movie could have been longer . You get traped to one scene and then waiting for more . In other words part of the story needed a little more explaination . A little more characterzation . English dudding needed more help . Forgive me mister Marrow , but someone esle should have done Van ` s english vocie . At least for this movie .
The other thing , like everyone esle had said . Is the plot . Nothing much to it . Also not as complex as the series . In which at times can be a good thing . It was in a way for this movie . The downside is this : you are left on asking the question of how did they get there ? What the heck did I just miss ? Those are not always good questions for a movie buff to ask themsevles .
Yet the movie also gives a message about sorrow and how people handle it . Not very well , but there nonetheless .
The most astonishing about the movie : ANIMATION MUSIC
both are excenllant .
One more thing then I will shut up . Yes the ending left me hanging , but I did ` nt hate it ( thank god for spoilers ) . I hope and pray there will be a sequel to this movie or the series .
The Four Stars are for the animation music and the dvd limited edtion .
The DVD limited edtion I enjoy very much . granted the interveiws aren ` t great or groung breaking . I felt sorry for them . Most were pretty tounge tied .
The real reason I got the Limited edtion : IT ALSO INCULED THE SCORE ! I enjoyed the music almost more then the movie .
Okay now I am done . Yet a few last words . I Do mean a few .
Good movie , great animation and music , If you want the movie and soundtrack buy the limited edtion it will cheaper then to buy them serpate . Just want the movie buy standard .
116 4 I bought this movie as a bootleg , when I was a brand new fan of anime in general and didn't know about such things . The movie is totally awesome ! It is also violent and bloody ( and gory too ) so it might now be good for someone with a weak stomach-even if it is animated , it can be pretty realistic ! I loved the movie-because of its ' softer ' side ( Van + Hitomi kawaiiness ( cuteness ) ) and because of the artwork . The artwork is simply AMAZING ! I just - had - to buy the movie's artbook , just becuase I was so awed ( too bad I can't read much Japanese . . . ) . Anyways , the movie is very very very VERY good . . . and you should SO buy it . All the extra features and whatnot . . . at that price ! - - bargain !
117 4 ok , here's the deal . i bought escaflowne the series and stayed up all night watching it . i was VERY VERY pleased with the series . it's a real adventure from start to finish . ( despite those moments when you wish you could strangle hitomi . . . ) after i finished the series i jumped straight to my computer and tried to find out more about escaflowne and the art . i came across pictures and art work that i didn't see in the series and shortly found out there was a movie . glory be ! i had to have it . finally , after impatient waiting i had my hands on it . i watched the movie and was amazed by the music and animation . . . it's just the plot that fell short . most of the movie you in the dark and have no idea where this is going . i was smiling simplily towards the end of the film , then went into a rage whent he credits came on . the only thoughts going through my head , WHERE THE HELL IS THE REST OF IT ? ? ? ? maybe i fell asleep or something . . . but i'm quite sure i've found art , that looks like it's from the movie , THAT'S NOT IN THE MOVIE . . . T_T i was quite disappointed . i found that they wasted time on unimportant parts but you had no idea what was happening in another . as much as i adore lord van , i was disappointed with him as well . there is no character development and it's like those stupid chick flicks you wish people would stop making . guy meets girl , guy falls for girl , guy and girl swear love after only one day . . . there was never that connection like in the series . and meryl , allan , yukari and malerna were completely unimportant to the story in the movie . ( which i didn't mind so much because i want to shoot allan multiple times in the series . but that's what makes an anime great . one that grabs you and doesn't let you go , one that connects you to the characters . i can tell it's a good anime if i'm yelling at my tv set at 3 : 00 in the morning . HITOMI YOU @ # % * ING MORON ! VAN , STUPID ! NOT ALLAN , NOT AMANO , VAN ! V-A-N ! ( ahem ) anyway , if you're looking at buying escaflowne the movie , you should either get the series first , then the movie , or just the series and maybe some cowboy bebop . ^ _ ^ those are sure not to disappoint . Laters
132 4 damn . . . that movie is a little bloody considering that it was based on a kids show . i mean , the horse ripped in two and you could see it's guts and everything , ( shiver ) . but this movie did have sweet action momenets and you can really see the force when the two mecha's are fighting . all around a good movie .
BUT IT NEEDS SOME SPECIAL FEATURES DAMMIT
The Movie . The film version is very different from the television series as the film is much more darker and the protagonist , the happy and chirpy Hitomi is anything but that . In fact , she's a person who is depressed and contemplates suicide . While the character of Van , is more reserved and willing to slash and kill anyone in his way .
Needless to say , the film is quite different as it focuses on these two main characters but most importantly , the film is for those who are and aren't familiar with the television series and can enjoy it in the theaters . The film received mixed reviews with diehard fans who had a hard time seeing a different version of their characters and of course , knowing that there is only so much story from the 26 - episode anime series that is going to get covered in a 95 minute film .
The film begins with Hitomi , sad and depressed , you learn that she is a person who wants to kill herself and is prepared to say goodbye to her best friend via a letter . Fortunately , her friend discovers her and the letter and tries to convince her that suicide is not a good way to go . But no matter how much she tries to cheer up Hitomi , Hitomi is resigned with herself and with life .
The film then switches to the character of Van . We see Van , who is violently slashing through many soldiers in order to find the behemoth known as Escaflowne and the Winged Goddess which he wants to use towards defeating his brother Lord Folken and his army .
Meanwhile , while Hitomi is alone and wanting to end her life , she sees an image of Lord Folken who calls her the Winged Goddess and wants her to join him . Confused and not sure what is going on , blackness starts to envelop the area and Hitomi is immediately sucked up into darkness and not knowing what is happening , by the time Hitomi awakes , she emerges out of Escaflowne and encounters Prince Van .
Van believes her to be the Winged Goddess but immediately Escaflowne disappears and then believes that she may be a spy and a fake . Because of her more modern school girl clothing , many of Van's friends believe she is the true Winged Goddess despite Van not believing in her and almost wanting to kill her .
On the other side of the battle , we learn that Lord Folken and the Black Dragons are preparing their attack Van's crew and capture Hitomi for his goal to use the power of the Winged Goddess to destroy the world .
Because of the increased attacks and attempts to capture Hitomi , Van is ordered to protect Hitomi at all costs .
VIDEO & AUDIO :
Escaflowne : The Movie is presented in 1080p High Definition . It's important to note that the film was created in late 1999 and then released in theaters in 2000 . Also , the film was produced by Sunrise but animated by Studio BONES and for the most part , a few talented animators took part in the action sequences as well as new character designs for the film . With that being said , when I first reviewed this film when it was first released on DVD , I commented on how gorgeous the film looked . It's very detailed backgrounds but also the film's awesome animation .
Here we are in 2009 and the film now making its HD debut and I still stand by that . The film looks great and although it may not look as digital and clean like today's modern anime , the film still looks incredible for an anime film nearly a decade old . But what is the primary difference between the picture quality from the DVD versus the Blu-ray ? There are several segments in the film that I tested out and that was the outdoor sequence ( 50 - 54 minutes into the film ) and on Blu-ray , the first thing you will notice is how vibrant the outdoor scenes look . The green and blues just pop out , especially during sunset with the red of the sun also popping out . Needless to say , the film looks quite vibrant during the outdoor scenes .
The print is not 100% clear of dust which I think I may have seen a few specs but overall , I didn't see a whole lot , nor did I see any major compression problems throughout the film . Blacks are nice and dark and there is grain present . Again , I'm a person who supports film grain and not supportive of excessive DNR ( Digital Noise Reduction ) , so overall . . . I was pretty pleased with the picture quality for a film nearly 10 years old .
As for the audio , this is where Escaflowne : The Movie shines . One thing that I noticed quickly is how immersive the soundtrack was in utilizing the soundscape of each channel . The film's dialogue is front and center channel driven but sound effects from the whisping as Van flies in the air , the clanging of the swords during battle , the blasts that are being shot and the destruction in the city is well-captured on your surround channels , especially via LFE . I definitely enjoy when anime uses the subwoofer quite a bit , so it was great to hear that LFE usage . And of course , one thing that the film is noted for is the music and the music comes out nice and clear through your system .
I did notice one thing with the audio though . The Japanese lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sounds awesome but the English DolbyTrue HD 5.1 soundtrack seems a tad lower with the English dialogue . In fact , through the beginning of the film while watching it with the English lossless soundtrack , I felt that I had to increase the volume a little in order to hear the dialogue clearly and when I switched to the Japanese soundtrack , the dialogue was consistent and much louder . By no means are the two lossless soundtracks like night and day ( like FUNimation Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Origin ) but overall , sound effects seem to be consistent on both soundtracks . But overall , Escaflowne : The Movie does have a wonderful and immersive soundtrack .
Subtitles are in English only .
SPECIAL FEATURES :
Escaflowne : The Movie comes with the following special features ( in 480i Standard Definition ) :
* Trailers : The Girl Who Leaped Through Time and Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society
* Staff Interviews : ( 23 : 00 ) Featuring staff interviews which include : Director Kazuki Akane / Composer Yoko Anno , Kazuki Akane and Kelly Sheridan ( Voice actress for Hitomi ) , Masahiko Minami ( Producer / BONES ) , Maaya Sakamoto ( Voice Actress / Singer ) , Masuo Ueda ( Producer / Sunrise ) and a performance by Yoko Kanno , Maaya Sakamoto , Kim Su Jin perform The Ring ( Escaflowne Ending Song , Special Duet Version ) .
* Original 2000 Premiere : ( 7 : 20 ) Featuring the following segments : The line at Anime Expo 2000 in Anaheim , CA for the screening of Escaflowne : The Movie , Minoru Takanashi ( Producer / Bandai Visual ) speaking to the audience before the movie and the Post-Movie Panel Highlights at Anime Expo 2000 .
JUDGMENT CALL :
When it comes to Escaflowne : The Movie , the film has received different results from fans when it first came out . Diehard fans who were not used to the change , of course , complained . And for those who treated the movie separately from the anime TV series found the film to be enjoyable , creative and musically wonderful . Needless to say , I'm part of the latter . The fact is that many anime series that get a theatrical treatment usually has a story that is not part of the TV series timeline . And there have been quite a few anime films that have been released that either try to take parts from a long series and condense it down to two hours or try to come up with something different .
With Escaflowne : The Movie , you get something different and it's a reimagining that I was open to and at the time , I was very impressed with the results . The animation was stellar and the music , Yoko Kanno's music and the ending theme by Maaya Sakamoto was just fantastic .
So , needless to say . . . I was excited to hear that Escaflowne : The Movie : was receiving its HD treatment and for the most part , I was more curious to see how a film that was created in the late 90 ' s would look on Blu-ray . Already , Bandai Entertainment has proved to us that they can make it happen as evident with the release of Akira earlier this year . So , I had no doubt in my mind that Bandai Entertainment was going to release a solid product . What I was more concerned about was the lossless soundtrack . And fortunately , the soundtrack for the most part was immersive and great to hear via lossless .
If you are a fan who owns the Ultimate Edition of the DVD , you may be wondering if it's worth the double dip ? Well , for one , you don't want to get rid of that Ultimate Edition because you get the awesome CD soundtrack and also there are special features such as the galleries that are not included on the Blu-ray . But to answer the question , yes . . . it's worth the double dip . This is the best looking and sounding version of the film yet . So , if you loved the film , you will definitely want to pick up this Blu-ray .
Overall , Escaflowne : The Movie is a solid Blu-ray release and for those who want to add to their anime on Blu-ray collection , this title is definitely recommended !
001 4 I noticed an interesting trend in the negative reviews this Movie was getting . By and large , people who found this movie slow or boring did not watch the original series . Well folks . . . that explains it .
Unlike most Anime movie tie-ins , I.E . Cowboy Bebop or Blue Gender , the Escaflowne movie is really a re-imagination of its progenitor . While in the series the Escaflowne armor was a royal heirloom , in this it is the embodiment of destiny and a living being . And while Hitomi was painfully innocent and upbeat in the series , here she is dark , lonely and suicidal . Best of all , Van is equally dark and has lost the heroic stoicism for apathy and a-moralism . All these things are so different from the series its like watching Alice in Wonderland then playing American Magee's Alice ( which , if you haven't seen or played , you should ) .
I will admit that when I first bought this DVD I too was disappointed . The action was neat and all but the story dealt too much with ethereal Fate and Destiny , thing I really could care less about . But then I watched the series , which brings in these subjects a little less jarringly and I found the whole idea much more edible . And , while I was initially disgusted with the characters of this DVD , namely Hitomi and the cat girl , when I understood the origins of these characters , I loved the change . The basic story you can get from the other reviews , I hate to give stuff away . But while the series focused on Van's travel and growth into a warrior , the Movie focuses on the dark prophecy to which he is chained .
But if you really want an endorsement from me , here it is . Escaflowne the Movie is an awesome experience for the initiate to the series . Escaflowne the Movie is a sub par experience for those who are bereft of the Series . But above all else , Escaflowne the Movie is worth watching for the absolutely amazing music , which really steals the show . If nothing else , then rent this DVD and stick in a system with surround sound . Then turn off the TV and crank the volume . . . you will not be disappointed .
002 4 In 1996 , the Sunrise Studios anime television series The Vision of Escaflowne aired on television and although not a tremendous hit in Japan , when the series was released on DVD in America , it became a big hit . Not just in the US but worldwide .
Despite being released on Saturday morning television on Fox Kids ( albeit heavily edited ) , the series would receive appreciation and a lot of love by fans for the Escaflowne's characters , it's beautiful artwork and character designs , its story but most of all , it's enchanting music .
With the fanfare strong worldwide , in 2000 , Sunrise and Studio BONES began on a reimagining the television series through a 95 - minute film titled Escaflowne : The Movie . The film version is very different from the television series as the film is much more darker and the protagonist , the happy and chirpy Hitomi is anything but that . In fact , she's a person who is depressed and contemplates suicide . While the character of Van , is more reserved and willing to slash and kill anyone in his way .
Needless to say , the film is quite different as it focuses on these two main characters but most importantly , the film is for those who are and aren't familiar with the television series and can enjoy it in the theaters . The film received mixed reviews with diehard fans who had a hard time seeing a different version of their characters and of course , knowing that there is only so much story from the 26 - episode anime series that is going to get covered in a 95 minute film .
The film begins with Hitomi , sad and depressed , you learn that she is a person who wants to kill herself and is prepared to say goodbye to her best friend via a letter . Fortunately , her friend discovers her and the letter and tries to convince her that suicide is not a good way to go . But no matter how much she tries to cheer up Hitomi , Hitomi is resigned with herself and with life .
The film then switches to the character of Van . We see Van , who is violently slashing through many soldiers in order to find the behemoth known as Escaflowne and the Winged Goddess which he wants to use towards defeating his brother Lord Folken and his army .
Meanwhile , while Hitomi is alone and wanting to end her life , she sees an image of Lord Folken who calls her the Winged Goddess and wants her to join him . Confused and not sure what is going on , blackness starts to envelop the area and Hitomi is immediately sucked up into darkness and not knowing what is happening , by the time Hitomi awakes , she emerges out of Escaflowne and encounters Prince Van .
Van believes her to be the Winged Goddess but immediately Escaflowne disappears and then believes that she may be a spy and a fake . Because of her more modern school girl clothing , many of Van's friends believe she is the true Winged Goddess despite Van not believing in her and almost wanting to kill her .
On the other side of the battle , we learn that Lord Folken and the Black Dragons are preparing their attack Van's crew and capture Hitomi for his goal to use the power of the Winged Goddess to destroy the world .
Because of the increased attacks and attempts to capture Hitomi , Van is ordered to protect Hitomi at all costs .
VIDEO & AUDIO :
Escaflowne : The Movie is presented in 1080p High Definition . It's important to note that the film was created in late 1999 and then released in theaters in 2000 . Also , the film was produced by Sunrise but animated by Studio BONES and for the most part , a few talented animators took part in the action sequences as well as new character designs for the film . With that being said , when I first reviewed this film when it was first released on DVD , I commented on how gorgeous the film looked . It's very detailed backgrounds but also the film's awesome animation .
Here we are in 2009 and the film now making its HD debut and I still stand by that . The film looks great and although it may not look as digital and clean like today's modern anime , the film still looks incredible for an anime film nearly a decade old . But what is the primary difference between the picture quality from the DVD versus the Blu-ray ? There are several segments in the film that I tested out and that was the outdoor sequence ( 50 - 54 minutes into the film ) and on Blu-ray , the first thing you will notice is how vibrant the outdoor scenes look . The green and blues just pop out , especially during sunset with the red of the sun also popping out . Needless to say , the film looks quite vibrant during the outdoor scenes .
The print is not 100% clear of dust which I think I may have seen a few specs but overall , I didn't see a whole lot , nor did I see any major compression problems throughout the film . Blacks are nice and dark and there is grain present . Again , I'm a person who supports film grain and not supportive of excessive DNR ( Digital Noise Reduction ) , so overall . . . I was pretty pleased with the picture quality for a film nearly 10 years old .
As for the audio , this is where Escaflowne : The Movie shines . One thing that I noticed quickly is how immersive the soundtrack was in utilizing the soundscape of each channel . The film's dialogue is front and center channel driven but sound effects from the whisping as Van flies in the air , the clanging of the swords during battle , the blasts that are being shot and the destruction in the city is well-captured on your surround channels , especially via LFE . I definitely enjoy when anime uses the subwoofer quite a bit , so it was great to hear that LFE usage . And of course , one thing that the film is noted for is the music and the music comes out nice and clear through your system .
I did notice one thing with the audio though . The Japanese lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sounds awesome but the English DolbyTrue HD 5.1 soundtrack seems a tad lower with the English dialogue . In fact , through the beginning of the film while watching it with the English lossless soundtrack , I felt that I had to increase the volume a little in order to hear the dialogue clearly and when I switched to the Japanese soundtrack , the dialogue was consistent and much louder . By no means are the two lossless soundtracks like night and day ( like FUNimation Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Origin ) but overall , sound effects seem to be consistent on both soundtracks . But overall , Escaflowne : The Movie does have a wonderful and immersive soundtrack .
Subtitles are in English only .
SPECIAL FEATURES :
Escaflowne : The Movie comes with the following special features ( in 480i Standard Definition ) :
* Trailers : The Girl Who Leaped Through Time and Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society
* Staff Interviews : ( 23 : 00 ) Featuring staff interviews which include : Director Kazuki Akane / Composer Yoko Anno , Kazuki Akane and Kelly Sheridan ( Voice actress for Hitomi ) , Masahiko Minami ( Producer / BONES ) , Maaya Sakamoto ( Voice Actress / Singer ) , Masuo Ueda ( Producer / Sunrise ) and a performance by Yoko Kanno , Maaya Sakamoto , Kim Su Jin perform The Ring ( Escaflowne Ending Song , Special Duet Version ) .
* Original 2000 Premiere : ( 7 : 20 ) Featuring the following segments : The line at Anime Expo 2000 in Anaheim , CA for the screening of Escaflowne : The Movie , Minoru Takanashi ( Producer / Bandai Visual ) speaking to the audience before the movie and the Post-Movie Panel Highlights at Anime Expo 2000 .
JUDGMENT CALL :
When it comes to Escaflowne : The Movie , the film has received different results from fans when it first came out . Diehard fans who were not used to the change , of course , complained . And for those who treated the movie separately from the anime TV series found the film to be enjoyable , creative and musically wonderful . Needless to say , I'm part of the latter . The fact is that many anime series that get a theatrical treatment usually has a story that is not part of the TV series timeline . And there have been quite a few anime films that have been released that either try to take parts from a long series and condense it down to two hours or try to come up with something different .
With Escaflowne : The Movie , you get something different and it's a reimagining that I was open to and at the time , I was very impressed with the results . The animation was stellar and the music , Yoko Kanno's music and the ending theme by Maaya Sakamoto was just fantastic .
So , needless to say . . . I was excited to hear that Escaflowne : The Movie : was receiving its HD treatment and for the most part , I was more curious to see how a film that was created in the late 90 ' s would look on Blu-ray . Already , Bandai Entertainment has proved to us that they can make it happen as evident with the release of Akira earlier this year . So , I had no doubt in my mind that Bandai Entertainment was going to release a solid product . What I was more concerned about was the lossless soundtrack . And fortunately , the soundtrack for the most part was immersive and great to hear via lossless .
If you are a fan who owns the Ultimate Edition of the DVD , you may be wondering if it's worth the double dip ? Well , for one , you don't want to get rid of that Ultimate Edition because you get the awesome CD soundtrack and also there are special features such as the galleries that are not included on the Blu-ray . But to answer the question , yes . . . it's worth the double dip . This is the best looking and sounding version of the film yet . So , if you loved the film , you will definitely want to pick up this Blu-ray .
Overall , Escaflowne : The Movie is a solid Blu-ray release and for those who want to add to their anime on Blu-ray collection , this title is definitely recommended !
003 4 The best advice to give anyone seeing this movie who is a die-hard fan of the series is to let the series go for an hour and 40 minutes . For those of you who are not familiar with the movie , it is not a sequel or a prequel . It is more of an alternate telling of the Escaflowne story . The story cannot possibly maintain all of the plot lines of the series ( which is about 13 hours in total ) . However the themes remain the same : lonliness , friendship , honor , love , family , and redemption are all integral parts of both the movie and series . Some of the key characters had to be omitted for brevity's sake and it is my opinion that this was a wise decision . It stripped down the plot and concentrated on the development of Van and Hitomi's relationship ( for details read the amazon.com editorial review ) . Now , I haven't seen the American DVD release but I do own the Japanese limited edition DVD . I also saw it both dubbed and subbed in the theater . The dub ( both translation and voice acting ) is a bit of a dissapointment . Although the voice acting is improved from the series dub it still pales in comparison to the Japanese cast and I just didn't feel that the intensity of the on screen situations was conveyed well . The animation is superb , some of the best I've ever seen in an animated feature film ( that's all animation not just anime ) . To top it all off , Yoko Kanno does another breathtaking job with the score . So please , when watching this movie , sit back , relax , and enjoy one of the best films I've seen in recent years - and by all means watch it in Japanese !
004 4 . . . Or were the producers ?
As a bit of a disclaimer , I award this production the distinction of two stars ( as opposed to one ) solely for its music , and partially for its animation ( it seemed to fluctuate between brilliant and mediocre , whereas the music was just brilliant ) .
And another disclaimer : I have no experience in the initial Escaflowne series , so this review will be focused on the movie alone .
That said . . . what happened ? Where were the characters ? Where was the plot ? Where were the motives ? With all the liberal granting of wings , you'd think they'd taken a pair and flown into obscurity .
Yes , there were characters . Little bits of compiled animation cels , rather . There were two types of actual personalities : Those who had none , and those who were , shall we say , overly dynamic .
Excluding our [ extremely abrasive ] protagonists , nearly the entire cast falls into the former category - little Grecian sculptures granted movement and tongue . Maybe I'm a critic , but I somehow fail to sympathize with a character whose most impassioned line of the entire work is : I'd hate to spill the blood of a woman .
As for the latter category , for those who received the rare benediction of a somewhat identifiable personality , it seemed as if that benevolence was immediately betrayed . Van is an angst-riddled , introverted , scampering desperado , yes ? No - wait ! No , he isn't ! He's a kind-hearted jolly good fellow because the ' evil within [ him ] has been healed ' . It has ? Did I miss something ? Wait a second . . . here it is again ! He has a heart of stone ! He's instigating Armageddon ! Oh , wait ! No - he isn't ! He's just an innocent bystander ! No , wait ! No - he isn't ! He's counterattacking his wantonly sadistic brother ! No , wait ! He isn't ! He loves his brother ! Don't let his brother get hurt ! Why is he bleeding ? I love you , brother !
Don't even get me started ( well , I've done that myself . . . ) on the perils of creating an evil villain who has no viable cause for devilry other than his baby blue mullet .
Not only were the characters highly flawed , but the plot itself was fraught with cliché . In fact , I couldn't identify one iota of screenplay that in any way struck me as somehow original . Not to mention this , but whoever wrote aforementioned screenplay obviously has no knack for dramatic timing and , more imminently , character development . Give the girl a few harried seconds before she collapses - build up some tensions in discourses between characters before they fall in love . Give them a reason to love one another aside from a claim to being ' kindred spirits ' - we are depressed and lack social capabilities and depth of personality , hence we are undeniably made for each other ? Great logic , really . Fits right in .
( A few things that score a few ' good ' points : Merle's tail expression , Dilandu's voice , small children of the village that was never identified , the brief ' Hyena race with barrels of gunpowder on their backs ' , ' forehead magic ' . )
I do agree that this movie is well-fit for a good laugh - that's what we got out of it , to be sure . ( Especially the Mecha battle - kind of like angular Pillsbury doughboys ) . If you enjoy henpecking , I'm sure you'll have an hour well-spent of predictable dialogue , cliched characters , struggles to define a plot which never is , and countless other confections that I have failed to mention in my review . Have a ball .
Otherwise , sample the soundtrack and leave the movie to rot amongst the scattered feathers .
005 4 Hitomi , a young high school student has lost her interest in life . She fears things will never change , is so depressed that she hopes that somehow she will just fade away . What she doesn't expect is that her desire to escape would catapult her into the mythic world of Gaea . From a young highschool student , she finds herself thrust into the role of the Wing Goddess , who can call up Escaflowne , a terrible suit of giant armor destined to destroy the world . Hitomi's first encounter on Gaea is with Van , a king whose people were destroyed by his jealous brother . First , she is badly frightened , then deeply attracted to this lonely , tormented boy .
Unfortunately , there is hardly time for romance . Van and his brother both attempt to gain control of Hitomi and , through her , Escaflowne . A war is building and Van must fight repeatedly for his life . Director Kazuki Akano is kind to his viewers , and the fight scenes alternate with visions of the loveliness Gaea contains , as reflected in both the scenery and the wondrous creatures that people it . We do not need to be told for what Van and Hitomi are fighting , we see it repeatedly before our eyes .
The documentation and extras that come with this set repeatedly make the point that this film is not a recap of the series , but an alternate tale set in the same world with the same characters . Hitomi and Van are older and more mature , and the film spends far less time on the theme of destiny that drove the series , focusing instead on the feelings and emotional contexts of the characters . For me this adds great impact to the film , which is already notable for artistic imagery and a superb score .
I'm not a big fan of the interviews which make up many disks of extras , but I found those that came with this set quite interesting . All of the participants seem to conscious of having made a truly special film , and are justifiably proud . I even found myself repeatedly listening to the CD of music from the lush score by Yoko Kanno .
One of the reasons I have come to like anime as an art form , is that it always manages to surprise . Born from the world of comics and manga , the Japanese have taken a relatively straightforward medium and turned it into something where magic works , giant robot suits are used to fight for the futures of planets , and comedy , romance and horror can cheerfully coexist in settings both rare and commonplace . This is the world of ' Escaflowne . ' A story made richer for the retelling .
006 4 I went into this movie as a lover of the Escaflowne series , but I knew not to set my expectations too high . I read the reviews and most people said that it is best if you take the movie on its own terms without comparing it to the series .
Well I have to admit , that's a little hard to do . People who have seen the series will be absolutely flabbergasted that their favorite characters and storyline have been butchered into something boderline incoherent . People who haven't seen the show will likely be very confused and bored by the storyline which seems to cram way to much into too little time ( hardly a surprise considering the source material ) .
Although I didn't really care for the character redesigns , I have to say that visually Escaflowne is a spectacular movie . The opening scene where Van bisects the crew of an airship is worth a rental at least . The problem is that the creators forgot what made Escaflowne the series so special to begin with . It wasn't the animation , the giant Gymelfs or even the storyline ( although it was excellent ) . No , Escaflowne's biggest appeal was the endearing characters , especially Van , Hitomi and Folken . The problem with the movie is that I actually detested the characters movie counterparts as they exhibited exactly none of the facination of the series .
So what are we left with here ? A boring movie with stale dialogue , uninteresting characters and an absolute affront to fans of the TV show that has some remarkably stunning visuals . Would I recommend it ? No , visuals alone do not make a movie and if you liked the Escaflowne series even a little bit then you probably don't want to see this movie as it will likely leave a very bitter taste in your mouth over all the wasted potential that is here .
007 4 OK , I see a lot of negative reviews for this film . I have to dissent . I have purchased the series on DVD and I have watched the film . I found the series to be disappointing and the movie much more to my liking .
First of all , in the series , other than being a Draconian and a King with no country van is just annoying and single minded . Except concerning Hitomi , who he can't seem to decide whether he likes her or is merely interested in her psychic skills .
Hitomi is whiny and fickle , flitting back and forth in her affections between Van and Allen the Knight . Allen is like a playboy himself , flitting back and forth between Princess Millerna and Hitomi . Not to mention he has an illegitimate son by Millerna's sister .
This series was like a soap opera / fantasy cross over that never really works that well and neglects some of the more interesting aspects of the series . Who are the Ispano and how do they make their suits of armor so different ? Does Van EVER rebuild his kingdom , or is he going to wander around like an idiot forever ?
Not to mention the constant furry-human love relations as Merle the cat girl is obviously obsessed with Van , which is a trait that runs in his family as his brother has TWO cat women in love with him .
The movie was faster paced and to the point . The characters were darker and had more flavor to them ( except for hitomi , who is annoying in both ) , and the fact that those of Draconian blood have magic powers inherited from their Atlantean ancestors made them more special than simply having retractable wings that they are forced to hide .
Sorry , but over all I would have to say the movie was less detailed , but far more interesting to me . As for the Escaflowne armor not being in it much , it didn't help the series much as most of the time Escaflowne seemed to simply be an outdated version of these armors with the Zaibach Guymelefs being far superior .
008 4 I have to say I was really impressed with this movie . Especially the artwork , which was absolutely stunning . The Music CD makes it worth purchasing this set all by itself . It almost makes you feel as though you are in the unique world of Gaia .
However , at some points , it takes far too long to continue with the storyline in my opinion . For example , it captured my attention at the very beginning when Van flew in and cleaned up the guards on the ship , but then there was just a long , boring part where I was wondering why they did not edit some of the scenes . Honestly , some of my friends were literally falling asleep when we were watching it as a result . On the other hand , the movie on a whole was really well done , considering its short time.And with the exceptional ( but rare ) fighting scenes , I really couldn't complain .
I find it ridiculous to compare the movie to the series . Of course the series would have better character development , that is obvious.Simply because it has a much longer time for that . The same can be said for the depth of storyline . So , I don't believe it is reasonable for people to just say bluntly , The series is better . I'd say they are both special in their own way .
Personally , I liked the movie very much , and I believe it deserves the 5 stars I gave it . But , I would recommend renting it first , just in case if you have second thoughts .
009 4 I saw Escaflowne - The Movie without having first seen the series - and found myself completely confused at times . The characters aren't strongly established ( the assumption seems to be that viewers will know them and their relationships ) and the action is often darkly animated , with pivotal moments arriving so quickly and then left behind just as abruptly , robbing the viewer of the significance .
Having said the above , I still enjoyed the movie . Hitomi , even in her two-dimensional angst portrayal , is charming . Van is better developed ; his character drives the film with his anger and loneliness . Although the animation is a little uneven - breathtaking at times , static at others , it is well executed overall .
If you purchase the ultimate edition set , you'll love the CD of the soundtrack . The disk containing the production art gallery is less interesting . ( The art gallery pictures are difficult to make out , for one . )
I recommend watching at least a few episodes of the series Escaflowne before watching this movie . Fans will probably divide into two camps : those who hate the cursory compilation of the series ' storyline , and those who can't get enough of Escaflowne .
010 4 The Vision of Escaflowne was quite a remarkable work of anime . An artistic piece that was wedged between the productions of Macross Plus and Cowboy Bebop . Not surprising considering they were all made by the same team . However , it is surprising ( to the point of baffling ) that Escaflowne : The Movie is a dissapointment .
The story is a twist on the original 26 - episode TV series . In the magical world of Gaia , two ancient Dragon Clans ( Black and White . . . how original ) are vying for the control of the mystical armor , Escaflowne . Meanwhile , Hitomi , the standard so-full-of-angst-I-should-open-a-store-for-it teenage girl dreams of leaving her existence . But lo and behold , through the magic of film , she * gasp ! * leaves her existence only to be transported to Gaia where she is hailed as the Wing Goddess who will set the world right .
One of the main problems with this film is the source material . It's hard to watch this without feeling a bit left in the dark , if you haven't watched the series . Yet , at the same time it's hard to watch it having seen the series because the movie manages to mash up the high points of the series , leaving the viewer with something that resembles a parfait that met its demise under a mallet .
The characters act as they did in the original TV series , but minus the full fleshed out stories and lives that made them interesting . So , you really can't feel anything for these poor cardboard cutouts . Most of that can be thanked by the lame script which features such lines as Lord Van . . . Lord Van ! ! . . . Lord Van . . . and Pleased to meet you , Mister Folken . As if they didn't make enough brain destroying drugs , in walks the dialouge .
Gaia has changed in the same manner as well . Gaia , for a world teeming with magic and imagination , has somehow lost it all . Now everything seems to be borrowed from other anime . The animals look like something out of a Miyazaki film , the battle scenes seem like they took lessons from a poor man's Ninja Scroll , the soldiers seemed to have bought their armor from a Lodoss War garage sale , and in the funniest way possible , soldiers now have magic powers that are NEVER explained only to make them resemble rejects from Akira .
Oh , and one more gripe , WHERE'S ESCAFLOWNE ? ? ? Seriously , for something that could either shape of destroy the world you think it would be on-screen longer . Every scene where the massive armor is not in you wonder where the hell is it , and why isn't doing anything important . Oh , and Escaflowne has also changed , but I will not dis-hearten anymore of the fans .
The only saving grace is that the film was , as stated before , created by the same team as Cowboy Bebop . And that means that the music is done by , that's right , Yoko Kanno . Kanno's score permeates through the film and actually keeps your attention a whole lot longer than anything the script ahs to offer . Another grace is the animation . Things look great , but sadly that's it . Too bad these good things were severly wasted .
In the end , Escaflowne boasts a lot of appeal , but sadly leaves everyone in the dust wanting something with , I don't know , taste perhaps ? One must ask themselves , who is this movie really for ? Is it for the fans , or is it for those who are interested but haven't visited the world of Gaia ? Sadly , it's for neither . Music's good though .
- RW
011 4 I have heard so many mixed reviews about this movie , the best advise I could possibly give is also the most cliche . Rent it before you buy it . I've talked with several people , equally fanatical over the original series . They either love the movie or they hate it .
Personally , I love it .
The art is totally differant from the series , less bishonian . The english dubbing effort FAR surpasses that of the series . Taking it down to only having two melef units in the movie really made you belief they were something special . Maybe it's just me , but the Escaflowne , even though it did have some nice tweeks compared to others , still seemed like just another melef unit to me in the series .
As stated before in other reviews , the characters are completely differant from the series . Some characters don't even get more than a few seconds of screen time . I personally would have liked to have seen more of Naria and Eriya . But then , only being 96 minutes long , I can see why they had to cut down some of the characterization . This is also much much darker than the series . The series had it's share of violence , but it's really nothing compared to what's seen here .
Final words : Just because you like the series is no garuntee you're going to like this . Rent it first . Also destroy ALL expectations . This is nothing like the series and really has very little if anything to do with the series . If you go in with any expectations from the series , you will be dissapointed .
012 4 Have you ever watched a movie after reading the book , or watched a remake of an old movie , and said , wow . . . ? I did after seeing Escaflowne : The Movie the first time . Then I watched it again . Immediately . That's how much of an impact this movie made on me even after knowing the entire storyline from the original series . It's dark and it's fast . The action scenes are incredible and the detail was unexpected . If you're expecting more of Hitomi being confused , you're in for a surprise . She is a much darker girl than in the TV series compilation . Van is at the center of the movie from the beginning instead of being overshadowed by knightly Allen . As usual , the music of Yoko Kanno is superb and sets the mood of the entire film . The only thing that _ might _ turn Esca fans away is the violence of the movie in comparison to the original series . However , if you watch this with an open mind and don't compare it to the TV series , I think you'll be pleasantly surprised .
013 4 After watching the series , I found this movie to be an excellent summation of everything in its entirity . However , those who haven't seen the series may find it a little hard to follow , as some characters have little or no introduction . If you have seen the series though , its the perfect addition to your collection , as it is very entertaining and has a wonderful sound score .
014 4 For buyers who aren't familiar with the TV series of Escaflowne , the movie will seem rushed and the characters lacking depth . This movie is intended to be an alternate setting to the TV series , so it should be considered as a separate show and not a sequel to the TV series . It's true all the characters in the movie aren't too deep in terms of personality , but the main focus is on Van and Hitomi's emotions . The action in fight scenes is quick and often brutal , but it's not so violent that the movie should have a R rating . The music sets the mood perfectly , whether it's a scene filled with action or a sad moment .
The second and third discs are extras and the soundtrack . These are typically for serious fans of the Escaflowne series and is not necessary if all you're interested in is the movie . The extras disc has some fun facts about both the TV series and movie due to a number of interviews with the staff . There is even a live performance of the movie's ending song by the singer , Maaya Sakamoto . The soundtrack is the same as the original Japanese one , only the titles are now translated into English . An excellent listen with many various tunes emoting dread , thrill , depression and even laughter , despite the grim atmosphere of the movie .
If all you want is the movie and the thought of a DVD filled with interviews doesn't appeal much ( which is what the extras disc mainly consists of ) , the regular edition would be your purchase . If you are truly interested in staff interviews as well as a soundtrack , the Ultimate Edition box set is well-worth a purchase .
015 4 I can't believe all the bad reviews that this DVD has gotten . I really enjoyed it . True the characters are different but that is what makes it fun . If you ask me Hitomi actually looks good looking in this version as compared to the TV version . The animation is very clean and well animated . Some of the best I have ever seen . People say the story felt rushed but it felt as though it went on in a smooth pace to me . True it isn't as detailed as the TV series but no movie ever will be . Well the fight scenes are fast and beautiful . Vahn never looked so good while taking out his enemies . There is pleanty of eye candy .
Now the music really sets the mood . When you need fast and upbeat it gives it to you and pulls you into the action but the music that stood out to me was the ending song , Yubiwa , with vocals by Maaya Sakamoto . That song alone made it worth buying the Ultimate Edition 3 - Disc Set .
I believe that this anime is one of the few that I can rewatch many times and an anime that allows that is well worth the price tag . Don't listen to what others have to say about it . Go and rent it or buy it and make up your own mind . Trust me you wont be disappointed .
016 4 Yes , this movie is a work of art but it seems that it wasn't made from scratch . I figure that this movie is sort of in the style of Rahxephon's movie , meaning it's almost like a recap of the series . So if you've seen the series you don't really need to see this . Watching it before the series make this movie a gigantic spoiler . When I was young gun in anime I saw this movie before Escaflowne the series and I could only imagine what the series would be like , so I can give a review not influenced by the series .
It blends so much that you really have no choice but to let your eye catch the beautiful but a bit spotty animation . The true magic that brings you in is the sort of calm feeling the depressed and suicidal Hitomi gives off in the beginning , though she's supposed to be those things she's really to meek to do any of it . I can't lie because it can get a little boring and dark with too much talking and badly dimmed scenes , even the heart pounding music cant bring you out of a power nap .
I have tried but for some reason I haven't been able to watch this movie more than a few times so I guess it's time to move on to the series . It's obvious that this film is not all close to it's original series but it is a nice way to get into wanting to see Escaflowne the TV series . It can get a little too dark and talkative at times . I really think there isn't enough action to keep you coming back to see this . Some of the boring stuff comes from them trying to re-explain stuff . Hitomi's character doesn't develop the way you want and she spends the entire movie being scared and a pain in the neck . Hitomi can really give you a headache with her whining too . This is still an Ok movie but not as good as expected and in a way it didn't need to be made but if it wasn't some would have never known about the amazing series .
017 4 Let's get one thing straight before we get started : I've seen a grand total of 10 minutes of the Escaflowne TV series ( I can see the otaku turning up their noses already . . . ) .
All right , now for the review .
Escaflowne was probably the best anime movie I've ever seen in the eight years that I've been watching the stuff . I was very skeptical as to whether or not I'd like this movie , since I didn't particularly enjoy the time I spent with the TV series . The movie was breathtaking . The animation quality , the art style , character design , everything in the artistic realm of this movie has been improved from its TV form . The soundtrack was amazing . Watching Van fall through the sky to the isolated score is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen / heard .
As far as I can tell , the story's been condensed a lot , but that's the case with all anime movies ( X , anyone ? ) . The plot and characters enthralled me , although I don't know how much it would do for those who have watched the TV series . They've left out a few * minor details * , I'm sure ( although the only one I can pinpoint concerns Dilandau ) . I've heard that a lot of the characters have been downplayed , too ( i.e . Allen , Meruru , etc . ) . Other than that , though , it was thoroughly entertaining .
Again , I'm not sure how much it would appeal to fans of the TV series . However , if you've never seen Escaflowne , I'd say this is a good place to start . It feeds you the plot with relative consistancy , and it'll probably get you itching to see the TV series , too .
All in all , it was a good movie . It had me glued to the TV screen for an hour and a half , that's for sure .
018 4 Man , did I love the Escaflowne TV series .
I guess that's why I was disappointed with the movie so much . Don't Get me wrong ; this movie has all the trimmings of the show ( albeit with a slightly more Asian aestetic ) : Midieval swordplay , mecha , magic girls , a love story , characters you can easily get into .
The problem is that they tried to cram 26 episodes of the show into about one hundred minutes . The end product is a movie that could have been an extremely interesting film if it were about two hours , but unfortunately everything seems sort of rushed , key characters from the show take a back seat , and the disappointing ending leaves the viewer yearning for a cool sword / magic duel .
In all , I have to rate the movie for three people . If you hate anime , this movie won't change your opinion . but if you're into this kinda stuff but have never seen the show , it's at least worth a rental . But if you're like me and you love the show and everything about it , then you may walk away complaining .
019 4 First of all , I have to point out that I am a fan of the original twenty-six episode series , which I consider to be an absolutely stunning production and story , with a slightly disjointed ending .
That said , I admittedly watched this with an existing bias .
As a movie in its own right , this is very nice ; compared to the original series it was adapted from , it's a bit of a let down . The production standards were excellent ( after all , it appears to use the same cast and crew as the original series ) , but to somebody who had already experienced the richness of the original , the retelling was rather abrupt .
In my opinion , it is best to consider this to be an alternative history type of tale , that happens to feature many of the same characters . The storyline only bears a superficial resemblance to that of the original , but it's a decent storyline in its own right . If I had seen this before watching the series , I would probably have considered it a 4 of 5 overall .
Character designs are nice , and the animation is excellent . The sound quality seems to be very good , but they don't seem to be trying for the immersive audio experience of the series . I cannot comment on the quality of the dub work ( didn't listen to it ) but considering the company , it's probably decent . Acting on the Japanese audio is excellent , and , if I'm recalling names correctly , features the same cast as the series . The subtitles are nicely legible , although I was watching it on a 31 display using an S-Video hookup .
I can't comment on the extra features available , as I've only seen a rental edition ( no bonus disc included ) , but the extra features on the main disc are minimal .
020 4 Lots of things have been said about this movie , the animation's great , music's great etc . Technically , this is one of the best anime films ever made , for those reasons . The DVD edition is no exception to this . Packed with interviews on the extra's disc and the soundtrack , along with technical drawings leave any other extra discs that I can recall in the dust .
The story and characterization are the main points to make here . Let's be clear . This movie is about Van and Hitomi . All the other characters exist to move the plot along so we can see the development between these two . Some of the other characters do have some depth to them , but you have to think about it to understand that . The movie simply does not have time to spell out all the details that the TV series did .
Where this movie truly shines though , is in the emotions of the characters . These really transcend the movie , as everyone has at some point experianced the emotions that Van snd especially Hitomi feel .
Here's my advice on wheather you will like it or not .
First , watch it at least twice . I really didn't care for it the first time I watched it , I came back a week later and found that my view had changed .
Second , this has very little to do with the TV series plot , If you think you might enjoy a vastly different portrayal of the TV series , then this movie is for you . If you want more of the TV series , then don't give the movie a second glance .
Third , This is not an action oriented film , though it does have some great action scenes in it .
Finally , the creators are not concerned with building an in depth world here , as that has been done with the TV series , and the movie can't hope to match that depth .
021 4 This is an action fantasy film , that tells the story of a depressed girl who has her wish granted to fade away and is taken to the magical world of Gaia . There she is believed to be the prophesied Wing Goddess who will either save Gaia or destroy it , with the help of the dragon armor Escaflowne . Battles ensue and 2 brothers square off where the outcome of Gaia is decided . The animation is very well done , except for human faces which look very flat . The direction of the battles is also well done and exciting . That's about it though . The story is not that interesting , or believable . By the time I got to the end of the film I really didn't care to see what happens . There are a lot of characters but we never really get to know any of them . Most scenes are not needed , or go unexplained or undeveloped . Only the beginning scene and final confrontation scene have any drama or interesting events . Because of that , and the battle scenes are done well , I can only give this 2 1 / 2 stars . Rent this , but don't buy ; I hear the series which this film is based on is way better since there is more time for the story and characters to be developed and seen .
022 4 As stated in the title , the only way to enjoy this movie is if you have an open mind , and if you do not compare it to the Vision of Escaflowne TV series . Escaflowne : A Girl in Gaea is a retelling of the series , and much is different , in order to make it a decent 2 hour movie ( which it is by all means ) .
The characters have all undergone makeovers , in fact , the character designer for the hit Squaresoft videogame Chrono Cross has redesigned the characters , and the similarities between Chrono Cross and Escaflowne : A Girl in Gaea's characters are almost uncanny . Van = Serge . The new designs take some getting used to , but once you are used to them , the change is welcome .
The story is different as well , some character's motives have drastically changed ( especially Hitomi and Folken ) . The music is fantastic , I own the soundtrack so I can say that safely . The movie is a great one when compared to nothing else . . . and one must do just that when watching it .
023 4 Magical girls . . . Seers . . . Dashing knights . . . Shirtless bishies ( guys ) . . . And our favorite pyromaniac ! Welcome to Escaflowne !
Yes , the movie is way different from the anime series ( which , btw , is also : really : good ) , but it is supposed to be a completely different interpretation . It's a stunning retelling and I just : had : to get the Japanese version . For those of you die-hard otakus ( or even if you aren't an otaku ) who don't know Japanese , get this version of the Escaflowne movie .
Go buy it . Now .
024 4 Escaflowne : The Movie is an example of how individual producers and performers can overcome the limitations of a genre . The story , which varies greatly from that of the television series , actually features a degree of originality . Scenes involving the over-sized robot battle suits are kept to a bare minimum , thereby making what is seen of them much more effective . The voice work by the Japanese performers is among the best you will find in anime . The English track , as usual , hurts the film badly , as the rhythms of English simply do not fit with the rhythms of the film , particularly in this case .
There are visual moments in Escaflowne which also transcend the limitations of anime . It is true that the story is marred by the visual inclusion of the cute and decidedly comic-book minor characters that so often keep anime in the realm of children's films . And too much of it is rather static . But there are also scenes of great visual beauty and innovative technique . Somewhere inside the people who made this film is another Princess Mononoke .
Perhaps the best aspect of this film is its score : a full , richly-toned orchestral suite . The inclusion in this three-disc boxed set of a CD containing the score is a definite plus . The score of Escaflowne is , bar none , the best done for an anime film . . . and deserving of far more attention than it is likely to get .
The second disc is exras . . . some interviews with the three principal Japanese voice actors ( fun but not very interesting , really ) ; some moments with the producer , the composer , and the director ( who seems almost unable to speak when he is around other people ) ; and lots of details about design and planning and production that will be of enormous interest to anime devotees but are quite boring to everyone else .
In brief : Escaflowne is a superior anime with a brilliant score , and this boxed set of three discs is a good value .
025 4 The coming attractions for this movie are what drew me into Escaflowne , so I suppose I can credit it that much . Obviously , when compared to the series , anyone will say that the series will be better . But that's a give-in : how can you compare nearly 13 hours of plot and character development to a little over an hour and a half ?
But the movie isn't good as a movie . It can't stand on it's own . Hitomi Kanzaki is a depressed teenager who wishes she could fade away ; and she does , to the world of Gaea , where she is percieved as the Wing Goddess , the only one who can call Escaflowne . Escaflowne is said to be able to destroy the world . Van of the Dragon Clan wants to use it to stop the Black Dragon Clan from destroying the world , while Folken , Van's brother and leader of the Black Dragon Clan , wants to use it to destroy the world so he can end all suffering ( if everyone's dead , no one suffers anymore . )
There are several problems . For one , aspects of the movie need parts of the anime to explain them , as they get none here . That's minor . Another problem is that Folken's intentions are never really explained properly . We know why he was set on his path , and what he wants to do , but there's no real connection between the two . The major theme of the movie is of specific characters being depressed and over-coming that depression .
Worse , many characters are added in simply because they were in the anime . The movie really only needed Folken , Van , Hitomi , and Allen's crew . The rest were easily disposable , particularly Dilandau , who has no real closure in the film ( perhaps setting up a sequel that doesn't deserve being made . )
People watching this movie without seeing the series will get what's going on , but they won't be impressed by it . The story is horrible , plain and simple . The story is what carried the series when there wasn't much action . The audience for the film is supposed to be impressed by the animation , but that's hard to do when so little is going on . The movie isn't a re-telling of the series either , aside from Hitomi going to Gaea . It's very different . That's the right thing to do , as it'd be impossible to re-tell the entire series in such a short timespan . However , the alternative story should have been good . The idea of one clan wiping out other clans and taking in their survivors is interesting , but it isn't really fledged out . It would have been interesting to see Van's group taking in other survivors . But those are minor side-notes . The movie goes nowhere , from start to end .
The art is an improvement over the series , but it's not very impressive . The characters all look good , but they don't do much . As I said , the story is what carried the series . The fact that characters are standing around not doing much here without a good story to be told at the same time is nothing but frustrating . No character development , no plot development , aside from Hitomi's conversation with Van in the forest .
The music is very good . The composers use themes both from the series and some news one . They fit well with what's going on and are entertaining to listen to . I recommend the soundtrack , but not the movie itself .
This isn't just a shadow in the face of the anime series , it's a shadow in the face of anime films . Its idea of ringing in characters for a quick quest is something that works for Dragonball movies , that aren't trying to be anything more than children's fun , but this movie plays itself seriously , and such thin development of plot and character does not hold well at all . A disappointment considering its strong advertisements and the work it follows . Not worth the money .
026 4 I picked up this DVD before seeing the series , and I have to say that I enjoyed it thoroughly . The movie itself was filled with lots of great action , and as much story evolution that one could expect from the feature-length adaptation of an entire series . It did seem a bit disjointed , but that's forgivable , considering . The movie has really piqued my interest in the series as well . On whole , though , I think the movie would have earned 4 stars from me if it weren't for one thing , the included Soundtrack CD . This baby alone is worth laying down the extra green for the set . Allot of great orchestral pieces spotted with a few great J-pop tunes , and one . . . . curious . . . . English adaptation of a J-pop song . All in all , I would say , if your an Anime fan , you really can't go wrong with picking up this disk , and don't skimp out and get the bare bones disk , the soundtrack is worth it , trust me .
027 4 Escaflowne : The Movie is a very good movie , in my opinion , because it recaps the whole series in about an hour in a half ( 26 episodes ) and it has such a great story line . There are , however , dislikes about it . As in I was hoping the movie would be a continuation of the series , but it is a recap ( So that's an upside and downside ) . The actual Escaflowne also is not shown very much , but that's what they strive for . Without Escaflowne , then nothing in this series could happen . True , it didn't have as much interation with Escaflowne as the series did , but it's still an essential key part ( Thus , the title of it ) . The animation is really good as well . There is more . . . life . . . to the characters , I guess is how I'd put it . But if you have seen the series , keep in mind that this acts as if it never existed . That's good and bad because if you've never seen the series , you're not left out . You don't have to go buy all 8 volumes just to watch this movie . But if you have seen the series , keep in mind that a lot has changed . But overall , I think it's great . And this Ultimate Edition is also great . I have not looked at the extra's CD , but the soundtrack is comes with is good . Especially track 25 , You're Not Alone ( which is sung in english ) .
028 4 What the hell is this ? Because it sure isn't the Escaflowne we all know and love . ' Escaflowne : The Movie ' is essentially a re-telling or re-interpretation of the original TV series , but with literally everything from the original radically changed . This is not a good thing .
Take the characters : it's bad enough that Van and Allen have been turned from fairly chivalrous heroes into ruthless men of action . But to make the awkward-but-endearing heroine Hitomi into a depressed borderline-suicide case is unforgivable . Why you'd want to butcher such a fantastic character , who became the pinup girl for geek guys everywhere , is beyond me . And the antagonists fare no better , with the well-developed Folken of the series reduced to a cardboard-cutout Bad Guy .
Remember how the TV series contained elements from nearly every genre : mecha action , fantasy , drama , comedy , and romance ? Well , very little has been retained here except the action . The epic feel of the series has been replaced by a more straightforward action-driven plot , and the mood is much darker and more intense than the original . The animation quality certainly is an improvement on the original thanks to a movie-strength budget , but not even the best artwork will turn a poor anime into a good one .
Really , you can hardly call this ' Escaflowne ' at all . None of the characters are how they used to be , the plot is a fairly derivative action-fest compared to the series , and the mood is more suited to a dark , violent thriller . It's hard to understand what the creators were hoping for with this movie . . . . was it for the fans of the series or for newcomers ? Either way , it fails at whatever it was trying to achieve , since newcomers will be confused and die-hard fans outraged . Obivously somebody forgot that you don't mess with a winning formula .
I strongly recommend the original TV series , which was one of my personal favourite anime . But definitely not this .
030 4 Let me begin by listing all the great things about the movie .
1 . It is incredibly beautiful animation
2 . The music is amazing
3 . I happen to like how the movie is darker than the tv series
The Things I don't like about the movie :
1 . The characters are not developed at all
2 . You get the feeling your only skimming the surface , like a starving person being tost a crumb of bread
3 . It almost seems that every seen in the movie was stopped half way through the writting process .
Ok you may have see that I gave this moive a 2 out of 5 , well that is becuase of the story line and plot.The story line of any movie is much more important to me than the animation . The movie left me with a odd emptiness from begining to end . I just kept thinking there has to be more . But there wasn't . The best way I could describe it would be to say it was as if the movie were a lost child at the carnival that no matter how hard it looked it just couldn't find its parents . This movie is for the person who likes action and no character development fluff . But if you are the person who likes well developed characters and story line please don't buy it rent it first . I'm not saying its a bad movie by any means , just a bit empty for me.Just one more thing the Escaflowne series is very very good don't let any bad reviews of the movie discurage you from getting the series !
031 4 The Vision of Escaflowne Series is a wonderful anime , anyone who thinks otherwise needs to watch the un-edited version NOT on Fox ( Basically they butchered it and took out all blood and gore ) Then I heard about The Vision of Escaflowne MOVIE ! When I saw the blood and gore put back into the series , I was kinda shocked to see how much there really was , yet the Movie is a whole new aspect .
The Series was originally aimed at boys but with the light , sunny atmosphere girls were attracted to it more . To regain the attention of boys , The movie was created so much darker . The characters , although looking different , still capture your attention with their intense detail and stunning colour . What is there to not love about them ?
The storyline is not the same , though still great , with Hitomi as a suicidal depressive girl who has nothing to aim for . The basic storyline is meeting up with Van and the others and learning that there is so much for her to live for .
The character interaction are a little shallow but they are there , you only have to watch the series to understand where everyone lies .
I promise , if you buy this movie , you will not be let down no matter what anyone else says .
032 4 I got the single DVD movie , and I recommend buying the Ultimate Edition instead that has the soundtrack .
Graphics and sounds are up-to-date , but you will need a widescreen to fully enjoy the movie . I've watched many times this movie during my free time , and like it a lot . I had a chance to watch it in a friend's house once on a widescreen TV , and the experience had been much more different .
This movie is a classic . Don't expect extraordinay sword fights nor grandiose inner-power a la DBZ . It's more like a short romance . . .
033 4 When I saw this movie , I really didn't like it that much . For one thing , there is very little character development and that just leaves the movie a bit empty . Even though I didn't care for the movie , I loved the soundtrack . Yoko Kanno is one of the best composers out there . Even if you don't like the movie , you should still buy the box set for the soundtrack , which is what I did . If you buy this set somewhere a little cheaper , such as deepdiscountdvd.com , you'll be paying only a few dollars more ( or perhaps less , after shipping costs ) than you would pay for the soundtrack alone since there is no domestic version sold separately . For a few dollars more , you get the movie and a bonus disk . Even if you don't like the movie all that much , why not get it too if it's not going to cost you much more ?
034 4 A lot of fans who have seen this movie are more familar with the Escaflowne series than the former . I guess I fall into this category myself . When I first spotted images of the movie , it didn't exactly catch my eye . The animation is a lot different to the TV series ( I probably say something similar to the comparison of the Rurouni Kenshin OVAs to the RK series ) . Who cares about the pointed noses in the Escaflowne TV series ? Anyway I digress . . . : P
The movie is a lot different compared to the TV series . The plotline of Hitomi going to Gaea still remains but she enters the world differently ( okay finding yourself inside Escaflowne the Guymelef is scary ) . The real flaw about this movie was that there wasn't enough character development . I found Hitomi's character weaker than I normally see her in the series . Things went fast , especially when Hitomi fell in love with Van soon after he saved her with his wings unleashed . Since the animation is different , the characters looked different too . Millerna had a sword but never used it , which was a shame really . Gaddes had knives instead of a sword and Allen wore a headband across his forehead plus didn't pop up as much in the movie - - like a lot of other people .
Van seems to be more hotheaded and have a larger thrill for violence ( really , seeing him chop people's arms off and blowing up Dilandau's horse with powers , surely that's a more violent Van ) . Dilandau is so scary , as is Folken . These two looked evil I have to say and I couldn't exactly appreciate them as characters as I normally would . Dilandau , Folken , Van and the rest of the Ryuugekitai seem to have special powers which they didn't have in the series . You also see more of Jajuka's loyalty towards Dilandau , who is much more informal to his guardian / servant and does slap him near the beginning .
The action between Van and Dilandau's Guymelefs was breathtaking and I was stuck in my chair as I watched the action breeze by in the movie . Apart from action , there was great music . Kanno Yoko , you are a Goddess in composing music .
The movie in general was a challenge to watch and I did point out some flaws and good points although it is something I wouldn't sit through again . I would have given the movie a 2 star rating however the extra star was for the great music and for making Gaddes look rather handsome ( damn he looks good with those knives XD and he looks so much more like Wolfwood off Trigun . LOL ) . Allen looks okay as well even though he didn't get much screen time XD .
The story went too fast IMO and the pace of how the characters met or interacted could have been done slower like in the TV series . So , if you are someone who has seen the series , you may as well take a peek at this movie once in your life . If you have never seen the series , watch the movie and then compare the series after that . There are many missing holes in terms of character and story .
035 4 . . . I haven't seen the series , so this was my first take on Escaflowne . I've never experienced a movie that could move so fast one minute and be so boring the next . And what was so special about Hitome ? She was so depressing , I kept expecting her to kill herself . If the series plays on network tv again , I might check it out to see if it makes more sense , but I sure wouldn't rent it after seeing this . I'm popping Cowboy Bebop back into my DVD player .
036 4 I saw the whole TV series and became intrested in the dvd movie edition being put out . I bought the DVD knowing full well that the movie was not going to be exactly like the series . I love the animation , well done all in all . There are some new twists to the movie which I found made it all the more intresting than the series . However the movie was way to short and left the characters undeveloped . If I had not seen the series it would have left a lot of unanswered questions . So yes it does feel rushed . It's a shame the story had great potential to be a classic like Ninja scroll or other great anime movies . There should have been more of a variety of mechs and fight scenes . The opening sequence in the movie kinda puts you in that setting to be prepared for awesome battles and unfortunately leaves hanging . Plus the mech fight scene you do get is bland . Perhaps there will be a sequel and maybe they will invest more in the story and battles scenes than eye candy . I suggest not to bother investing in the 3 disc edition and purchase the regular movie edition used or rent it , otherwise you'll feel cheated . Though I feel it is still worth getting to add to your anime collection .
038 4 As a stand alone movie it was enjoyable . But some of the characters where rather weak . Like Dryden and Millerna . Why even bother with those characters . I liked how Hitomi and Van seem older than in the series . In the series some of the chracters could be whiney at times .
I had watched the series first and loved it . So it was difficult to seperate what I knew of the characters and the storyline while I watch the movie . The storyline basics was so different from the series that it made it a letdown for me .
If you are going to watch the movie , don't watch the series first .
039 4 Some people criticized the movie because it did not continue off of the TV version . Well I have seen the TV series and love it , but I like the movie just as much . The characters are the same as well as the basic story line . But the plot , character special moves , and everything else is different . It may confuse some people , but if you take the movie and the series as different stories then you will enjoy the movie just as much . The good thing about the movie is that it is independent of the series , so a complete newbie can watch it and not be confused . The voices are the same which is also a plus . Overall , I highly recommend the movie and the 3 disc set is worth the extra money since the soundtrack is pretty impressive as well . You cannot go wrong with this movie , especially if you like anime .
041 4 First , I suppose I should admit my bias : I LOVE the Escaflowne tv series . It's my favorite anime . I tried very hard , however , to set aside those feelings so I could enjoy the movie , knowing full well it wouldn't be the same as the series .
The main problem with the movie is that there are FAR too many characters and weak characterization for them . It's okay to have that many in a tv series , where you expand on them over time , but in a movie like this , it's too confusing . Dryden , for example , is in the movie , but is just tossed in there haphazardly . The same with the catgirl sisters , Eriya and Nariya . What is the purpose ? There isn't one , except to show their new design to fans . I feel like the movie's makers thought fans would be upset if most of the secondary characters of the tv show didn't make an appearance here somehow . The movie would have been MUCH more enjoyable if there weren't so many one shot appearances .
The music isn't quite up to Yoko Kanno's usual fare , for some reason . However , it's still good compared to a lot of other music .
Had the movie itself been a TV series , I feel it would have been much more enjoyable . I don't mind remakes of things , though in this case I feel we would have been much better served with a sequel to Escaflowne , rather than this retelling .
042 4 As the opening sequence finished and the title fell into place , I slowly let my breath out - it was absolutely fabulous . The animation was fluid , sharp and absolutely gorgeous , while the musical score fell right into place . I was pumped . Admittedly , I had thoughts about the high quality plot of the TV series swirling through my head . Next we meet Hitomi , there's a sword fight between Van and Allen , I was still pretty pumped . After that . . it was just bad .
Instead of coming up with a new plot , they just compressed the plot of the TV series . It just didn't work . I think Hitomi decides she is in love with Van and changes her whole perspective on life in about 2 minutes . The namesake of the movie , Escaflowne , is hardly even there . What the heck is Escaflowne ? Where do they come from ? Judging from this movie alone , I would assume they grow underground , like turnips . It is never explained why Van has wings . Speaking of wings , where the hell did Hitomi get hers ? Also , the only character we get any background information on is Van and Folken , however they managed to keep every main character from the TV series except Dornkirk himself . There are just too many loose ends .
It was so bad , I didn't even take the time to look at the extras DVD , which is the only reason I bought the special edition .
043 4 Watching this movie is like listening to a familiar song remixed . I am not a huge fan of the TV series , but had watched it on and off for its imaginative worlds and mechas . The biggest turn off of the original series are the character designs of the main characters , which is something that this movie fixed . The redesigned characters are way better looking and sexier . Some of the fight scenes and CG sequences ( the opening sequence for example ) are very well done but at other times , the quality drops to TV series quality . The biggest flaw of this movie is that if you haven't watch the series on TV , you will not have much compassion for the characters and the plot . It seems that Hitomi's character in this movie has no clue at all what's going on in Gaia , even towards the end of the movie . Now for a main character of a movie to do that is quite strange ! And some of the important relationships between the characters are not explained at all . What is feels like is an epic story squeezed into under 2 hours with not enough deveopment . Nonetheless , the visual flair makes this film entertaining . Just don't expect everything to be explained .
044 4 I give this move five stars because it finshes what it was set out to do , and that was to make an entertaining movie . It has action and beautiful animation through out the whole picture . I think why some people have a problem with it is becuas this film is a retelling of the much beloved TV series . Well I honstly like them just the way they are . And as always Yoko Kanno's music was wonderful to hear .
045 4 Truthfully , I was dissapointed . This doesn't work well as a stand alone film . It seems like it's more of a 1st 3 episodes of an entirely new series feature . They attempt to tell the Escaflowne story over again , instead of directly connecting it with the TV series , and this hurts it considerably .
In the begining your introduced to Van in a wildy entertaining fashion . He sky dives , with no parachute onto an enemy ship , and slices up the entire crew in what has to be called one of the best action sequences in a anime ever , you'll want to watch it again at least 2 times . The animation is beautiful throughout the film , but it espcially shines during the action .
Then the movie slows to a crawl , your introduced to the puesdo-suicidal Hitomi Kanzaki and her best friend . Hitomi's problems seem to be unfounded . In that there are no roots for her depression . She just is . This part of the film totally destroys the monumental momentum the opening sequence creates .
Finally she is transported to the world of Escaflowne . She meets Van and his crew . And her connection with the Escaflowne is established . Take a good look at the cool looking giant mecha-like knight armor because you won't see it for at least another hour . The film goes into Hitomi's interaction with the crew , and a few less important discoveries , more pacing , and less core story telling .
Finally an action sequence breaks out when the Black Dragon Clan attacks . This is a lenghty event that you will enjoy . Van faces off with Dilandau , in a cool display of supernatural powers . After that Van is injured and then the momentum created is shut down . Hitomi takes him to a village , and then they finally meet up with Van's crew . This takes up about a half hour of the movie , and it seems to be more of a filler episode for a series than scenes in a film .
The film finally crawls to the climax . Van and his Escaflowne face off with Dilandau and the Black Dragon's Escaflowne . The fight is well animated , and the action is intense . My problem with this is they seem to be paying homage to or , just maybe ripping off the way the Evangelion look and fight in Neon Genesis Evangelion , even the animation looks similar . This is a far cry from what the Escaflowne are in the TV series . They are much smaller , and are controlled mechanically , with strings and levers . In the movie they are controlled in an almost organic manner , in which the pilot is connected to the mech in a more physical and painful way . Something else that seems to be an Evangelion concept . Van's Escaflowne even goes into some dark true form causing him to go beserker . Just like Shinji and Eva - 01 .
The ending is the most dissapointing part of the anime . Lord Folkon and Van do not have the world-ending fight you would expect . He meets with a rather weak end . That begs the question , how was Folkon the head honcho if he was that easily defeated . Loose ends and holes in the story are not tied up . And the pacing of the film forces them into this anti-climatic sequence . All in all , maybe you will enjoy it if you haven't seen any of the TV series . If you have seen the TV series , you'll most likely be dissapointed . If this was the 1st 3 episodes of the Escaflowne series it would be more acceptable , but as a film this fails . If you are a fan of Escaflowne , this is just for the collection . If you're not that into the series , rent it .
046 4 Escaflowne is about an earth girl who gets transported to a fantasy world where people use swords , flying ships , and giant robotic battle armor .
The Escaflowne movie has no real relation to the Escaflowne series other than its name and the names of its characters . The story itself is almost completely different ( including the ending ) .
Good parts :
1 . The artwork and animation are excellent ( far superior to the series ) .
2 . The music is decent .
3 . There are some good action scenes .
4 . The story is significantly different from the series .
Bad parts :
1 . Too many really slow , almost waiting scenes . It was like the artists wanted to show off some of their excellent artwork , but couldn't figure out how to integrate some meaningful dialog with it .
2 . The story and character development are not nearly as good , deep , or meaningful as the 26 episode series .
Overall , it's very watchable , it just seems weak when compared to the series . If you are going to watch both the movie and the series , you should probably watch the movie first , because the series is truly excellent and you'll end up disappointed by the average quality of the movie . Again , the movie does NOT ruin any part of the series as long as you understand that the movie characters are NOT the series characters . They simply share the same names and have similar appearances . The movie characters ' abilities and backgrounds are typically significantly different from those of the series .
047 4 As an Escaflowne fan I was excited when they finally released this in America . It is a great movie with awesome fight scences . The only downfall ( in my opinion ) was that the characters look different . I had gotten so use to them looking one way ! But that's easy to get over too . This also has some great back ground music . Everyone should get this movie !
048 4 The series that this movie belongs to is actuially one of my favorite shows ever . This movie is a re-telling of the series , not a continuation . They took the themes and arcatypical characters , and threw them into a more primal world . Sadly this lacks the depth of the series , which kinda ruins it for me , but the movie does have some good points . The soundtrack is absolutely stunning . I bought the version with the sound track included because it was cheaper than paying the $40 - 50 for the music alone . In fact , the soundtrack is really the only reason I got the movie . The video itself is beautiful , and will be perfect for the blue ray release coming out in spite of it not being a newer movie . The English cast is much better than the series , but still rather rough ( more on the side of the scripting than the actors themselves ; perfect example is that of the are you the wing goddess ? followed by someone saying YOU ARE THE WING GODDESS and poor hitomi crying I dont know ! ) .
Sadly I will probably only watch this show once more when it comes out on blue-ray to see the visuals , because the story ( while a good idea ) is actually that bad . I mean , you cant watch it before you watch the series as the old / cheap animation of the series will bother you after watching the movie . But at the same time you cannot watch the movie after the series because it ruins the characters , the story , and the general romantic wonder that is Escaflowne . But buy it for the soundtrack , it is worth it .
049 4 Escaflowne is the re-telling of the television series , The Vision of Escaflowne . A depressed high school student named Hitomi wishes to just fade away and is magically sucked into a world called Gaea where they called her their Wing Goddess . Multiple forces are struggling against each other there for control of powerful dragon armor that the Wing Goddess is supposed to control so they have to try and win her favor as she has the power to save them or destroy their world entirely .
Some of the rag-tag band she befriends includes a kitty-cat girl with a somewhat annoying voice and Van , the last of his kind that can wield a special power that runs in his genes .
What I liked most about this movie were the action sequences , fighting over Hitomi and getting to see the dragon armor being used . When a person enters the armor , they have to give blood for it to work so they are pierced all over their body and blood drains from them . For me , I thought that was a pretty powerful way to make the inhabitants sacrifice something before they go running off with a suit that can bring about so much destruction . Having a high price to pay means not just anyone would jump in it .
Hitomi is clearly depressed throughout and I'm not sure if she ever really overcame that . She said enough nice things to keep Van motivated and alive when he was hurt but I have this feeling that if she goes home to her own world , her outlook will not have changed .
There was pretty music , the plot was occasionally confusing . I never felt emotionally involved or connected to any characters . Only when they were fighting did there seem to be something worth cheering for . It was ok for one watching , but not close to the best I've seen .
050 4 This review is from :
Escaflowne : The Movie [ Blu-ray ] ( Blu-ray )
Being one of my favourite animes the Blu-Ray release of the Escflowne movie was always on my shopping list , despite owning the DVD already .
The film itself is a lot cleaner and with noticeably more detail in the darker scenes compared to the DVD , and it also comes with the added bonus that the Japanese track is now in Dolby 5.1 TrueHD . Therefore , I am not remotely disappointed by the Blu-Ray release and feel it was well worth picking up .
Thus , if you want to own Escaflowne the movie , the Blu-Ray is the only release to get imho .
051 4 Being one of my favourite animes the Blu-Ray release of the Escflowne movie was always on my shopping list , despite owning the DVD already .
The film itself is a lot cleaner and with noticeably more detail in the darker scenes compared to the DVD , and it also comes with the added bonus that the Japanese track is now in Dolby 5.1 TrueHD . Therefore , I am not remotely disappointed by the Blu-Ray release and feel it was well worth picking up .
Thus , if you want to own Escaflowne the movie , the Blu-Ray is the only release to get imho .
052 4 This review is from :
Escaflowne : The Movie [ Blu-ray ] ( Blu-ray )
I absolutely Love the Escaflownea Movie and series , however this is got to be the worst release in history the Video looks washed out & heavily pixelated . The video looks like they used a VHS tape as the master & thought we the users would not notice ! Then there is the audio when is sound coming from 1 speaker and not the other 5 considered True HD 5.1 . This is just another reason to prove that Bandai America and the F # & * % ed up Hominese should be shut down permanently and sell there licenses to companies that know what there are doing . If you see this product in a store don't buy it , you will see better video results on the stuff on there youtube channel than this piece of garbage .
053 4 I absolutely Love the Escaflownea Movie and series , however this is got to be the worst release in history the Video looks washed out & heavily pixelated . The video looks like they used a VHS tape as the master & thought we the users would not notice ! Then there is the audio when is sound coming from 1 speaker and not the other 5 considered True HD 5.1 . This is just another reason to prove that Bandai America and the F # & * % ed up Hominese should be shut down permanently and sell there licenses to companies that know what there are doing . If you see this product in a store don't buy it , you will see better video results on the stuff on there youtube channel than this piece of garbage .
054 4 This review is from :
Escaflowne : The Movie [ UMD for PSP ] ( UMD for PSP )
Manga , Anime Movie , Anime Series are all quite different . I must admit I really did like the movie and the sountrack is just as wonderful . The animation itself if breathtaking in certain scenes . It played well on the PSP3000 .
055 4 Manga , Anime Movie , Anime Series are all quite different . I must admit I really did like the movie and the sountrack is just as wonderful . The animation itself if breathtaking in certain scenes . It played well on the PSP3000 .
056 4 This review is from :
Escaflowne : The Movie [ UMD for PSP ] ( UMD for PSP )
Very touching movie , although a different plot from the Escaflowne 26 episode series . Great voice actors , very well drawn , and a plot that sucks you in . What more can you ask for ?
057 4 Very touching movie , although a different plot from the Escaflowne 26 episode series . Great voice actors , very well drawn , and a plot that sucks you in . What more can you ask for ?
059 4 I had never seen this movie before though I had seen the show . I was surprised to find out the movie is something completely different than the show . I for one like when there is stuff like this where they'll use the same characters but make a whole other story to go with them . If I had to give this movie a rating , it'd definetly be 5 / 5 stars .
When it comes to the actual product , I give it 5 / 5 as well . The picture quality is superb , the sound is very , very clear . It has both japanese and english dubs , and even though I watch it in japanese , I have taken a look at the english dub as well and it too is very well done . There are a few special features and some trailers as well . The case is just a standard 15mm case so it doesn't take up too much room on your shelf .
060 4 The Escaflowne film takes many of the same characters from the series of a year before , and places them in an entirely new world and storyline . The characters themselves are similar to those in the series , but this story is separate . For those looking for another chapter in the story , I'm sorry to say you'll not find it here . Thought the story is unrelated , it is interesting in it's own right , and worth seeing . The tone and color palette are darker , with many of the scenes being drenched in shadow and darkness .
The music is of course superb , Yoko Kanno once again taking the helm . This DVD also has the option of watching the film with the orchestral tracks and no other sound , which can be a godsend for fans of Yoko Kanno's work . All in all , a good film , but not exactly related to the original series .
061 4 This was ordered for my daugther , and she loved it . We received it in a short time , and she has watched it many times already .
062 4 If you like animes that have crossed over the movies , then you'll love Escaflowne .
Upon watching the opening scenes of this movie , the feeling of the grassy-mountainous-hills of a foreign country , is immediate . The scene is interrupted though when a warlike airship appears , and the feeling of peace is completely lost .
This here sets up the main theme of the movie . War is ravishing the world of Gaia ( or Gaea ) and the fallen and now King , Van , is trying to regain is honor and slay his brother , who massacred the royal family , by using the legendary mecha called Escaflowne .
In enters the heroine , Hitomi . A normal Japanese high school student who has the same reoccurring childhood dream all of her life . Life goes normal for Hitomi until she starts hearing voices and is inevitably transported to Gaia . Upon arrival , Hitomi discovers that she is locked inside the cockpit of Escaflowne , which by now , Van has discovered and is calling for it's aid . When the cockpit opens , Van and Hitomi meet , and Van instantly deems her the Goddess of Wings . The Goddess of Wings , as explained later on , is seen as an omen . In Gaia , when the Goddess of Wings appears , she will us the power of Escaflowne to destroy the entire planet and then to start civilization all over once again .
Beautifully animated , Escaflowne is just one of those crossover movies that you don't want to miss . Just because its an anime , doesn't mean that it doesn't target situations in real life . War , revenge , honor , love , and hope are some of the themes that are depicted in this movie .
On the downside , you're kinda left in the dark . Literally and metaphorically . If you haven't watched the anime series , you're probably not going to have any idea to what the story is REALLY about . So if you want to know what is going on , what the story is about and who the characters are , you might want to look it up . And no doubt about it , the artwork and animation is wonderfully created , but I personally think that it's often too dark and the scenes are sometimes too dark and you can't tell what is what .
All in all though , I found that Escaflowne is one of those animes that was captured and reproduced very well as a movie . It's a must see .
063 4 As far as anime movies go this one isn't ground breaking . It has the impact of a feather dropped from waist height . If you purchased the Escaflone series be happy with the great series you just purchased , and let this one sit in amazons warehouse .
064 4 The Escaflowne movie is one of the animes that I would definitely advise to see . It is beautiful , has a strong storyline ( unlike the tv series ) , has lovely music and lots of action . Please , do not be discouraged by negative reviews from fans of the tv series , who just cannot seem to understand that 120 minutes of the movie time is not meant to include the character development of the soap opera that is the tv series . I found most of the characters in the movie much more interesting and less annoying than in the series . Except for perhaps Hitomi who is pretty annoying in both . But besides that - a definite improvement from tv series .
065 4 I was into the Escaflowne anime series on tv , it was impressive , from the story , to the music , to the battles . For a while , Escaflowne had its anime series on television , on saturdays , and it was a very good alternative to the shallow cartoons that were on . Strangly the show stoped airing over here , just when i was getting more and more interested .
Anyways . . . i discovered the Escaflowne movie a while ago and recently found it on sale at the store , and i was looking for a good anime film to buy , and i had good memory of Escaflowne as a quality anime show , one of the very few well done animated shows aired in the USA , and id allways wanted to see the movie , i figured it would be epic and powerfull , like award winning .
It turns out that this movie sums up the Escaflowne story . Without giving away anything , it starts out with Hitomi on Earth and somehow being transported eventually , to this other world and meeting these new people . So it doesnt apparently start where the series left off , its the story of Escaflowne condensed to fit into movie form .
The animation is not bad . . . but isnt exactly theatrical release quality , i was expecting something on the lines of Miyazaki quality , but the animation is just a bit above the anime series , with the characters looking slighty more matured and a bit more well defined . Im not sure , but maybe this was made for DVD , perhaps it didnt get the big motion picture treatment in Japan .
The characters are allright , all the voice actors who did the characters on the anime series reprise their roles i believe for the movie , like Lord Vonn , Hitomi and Meryl , not to mention the villians .
There is battle between Lord Vonn and one of the bad guys , where Vonn uses Escaflowne against the bad guys own armor , right before the confrontation with Lord Vulcan ( Vonns older brother ) . Its good , but it made me wanna see more . There wasnt much battles in the movie , it was more story driven i guess .
The story is not bad , it just made me feel kinda bored in areas , i didnt feel too involved in it . But thats just me . It just didnt unfold as great or as grand as it seemed it would judging from the movies trailor .
The music in this movie is good , i really like Escaflowne theme that has the choral singing , its one of the most impressive themes ive heard for an anime .
The series of Escaflowne is definatly worth watching if you like this movie but felt it lacked some things or if you felt like you didnt get enuff . The anime series is real well done , and has intense battles , a complex enjoyable story and even more memorable music , like its opening intro music . Very good .
The one thing the movie has over the series is its graphic violence . Its done in good taste , and it is showcased in a powerfull way . The blood that is spilled in this movie is neccasary and respects your intelligence .
So , in the end i think it was an allright movie . I dont see myself watching it again anytime soon in the future , but its an okay fantasy / mecha anime movie .
066 4 First off , I am a fan of the original series - Escaflowne . It's by far up there in the top 5 of favorite anime . It had a lot of memorable characters , good action and a pretty decent story .
This is not an original Escaflowne . It does not take part before or after the series . It doesn't take place somewhere in the middle . It takes most of the main characters from the series and totally retells the entire story to fit into a movie . The result ? Not a fan . Basically , because the entire movie you see a 30 second introduction to old characters in suped up animation with no depth . For example , the twin cat girls that were so fond Lord Falcon , show up instead for a brief 30 seconds as singers on stage in a bar . Ummm yuck . Lots of the more memorable characters are subjugated to this . Perhaps , if you seen this first it would be a decent watch . For myself , I was very disappointed .
The good points of this movie is the animation is upgraded and the soundtrack is well done .
Even as a standalone product , the movie has no flow or depth to it . It's basically just a compressed retelling of Escaflowne . I'd rent this and skip it as a purchase . If you want to purchase something , get the Escaflowne series . You will be much happier .
067 4 The movie is better then the series cause of the animation and the action violence makes it a PG - 13 rating no wonder it's good enough to come on Adult Swim . This has 3 disc and english voices sounds are 5.1 digital .
068 4 I've seen the series the vision Esacflowne and have to ta ' say I liked it much better when it was Edited on FOX KIDS because it focused more on Van Fanel , although the uncut version wasn't bad but it didn't appeal to me . That said , you do not have to see the series to watch Escaflowne : The movie [ Girl in Gaia - - Japanese title ] .
The movie is more of a retelling of the series with better animation and slightly better drawings with dimension to them . The plot is fairly different from the series , Hitomi's slightly the same wimpy high-school girl , with the exception that she has a Death wish no longer wanting to be apart of the world , but cannot will herself to commit suicide . Depressed and down on her luck , Hitomi unconsciously transports herself to the world of Gaia ( which is the correct spelling of the word , not Gaea ) where she meets Van Fanel ; a survivor of small kingdom attacked and is apart of a small group consisting of Allen , Melerina , and the rest of the characters in the series , only this time everyone except Van and Hitomi have very minor roles .
Everyone believes that Hitomi is someone called The Wing Goddess sent to help them in their time of need but Hitomi knows nothing of this . Thus , she begins her quest to find her way home and help the people of Gaia out in any way she can despite the fact she knows so little about what's going on around her . For a movie over 60 minutes , it lacks a strong plot and depth .
The story is sort of shallow compared to the almost non-consitent series plot and it moves rather slowly at times and then sometimes too quickly to even keep up with the events that are going on , there is no character development either .
For instance they never explain why Hitomi Kanzaki quits the track race , why she ( or Folken and Van for that matter ) are depressed and want so badly to die in whatever type of danger come's their way , or who , for that matter , the Wing Goddess is , her origins , and purpouse she had in the destruction or salvation of Gaia . And Lastly , why'd Folken attack his so-called homeland ( aside from the reason they pointed out ) Fanelia and who this character Sora is .
The creators must've decided that the one thing that would keep you watching this movie is heavy and uneccesary useage of blood in all the action scenes , and a violent Van Fanel , blood thirsty and war hungry . The only improvement on Hitomi's character is that she doesn't object to Van killing his brother Dune or Folken of the black dragon clan or killing for that matter , but she still does nothing to protect herself when danger is afoot .
She just stands there excepting Van or the others to save her ( they do , naturally ; she is their so-called savior ) . The relationship between Van and Hitomi is not romantic , its platontic this time thankfully . The English dub has gotten much better retaining all the original voices , the Japanese dub is not bad at all either , the special features consists of trailers , subtitles and language slection , etc . All in all the movie isn't bad , its a lot of fun to watch action-wise but lacks in depth and a good plot . [ a 3 out of 5 ]
069 4 This movie was great . I loved every minute of it . Being a huge fan of the tv series , I was looking forward to seeing this movie and was not disappointed . The movie differs largely from the tv series in that it is darker , more brooding , and is , in my opinion , more realistic . The inner turmoil of the characters is explored more fully here , and the cuteness of the tv series is overplayed with the more gruesome reality of sorrow , war and hate . Folken's character probably changes the most , as he is completely evil and his only goal is to kill Van and control Escaflowne ( whereas in the series he still cared for Van ) . And I have to admit that after seeing the series ( in which I was always waiting for Dilandau to get his come-uppance ) , I enjoyed watching Dilandau get blasted by Folken a couple of times in the movie . I did notice some similarties and common themes when compared with the tv show . For example , the same voice actors are used , which I was very glad to see because it made the story flow better ( at least for me ) . There are also some scenes that look exactly like the series , such as when Van sprouts wings and saves Hitomi from falling , and when the Escaflowne goes black , submerging Van into a spirit world where Hitomi has to travel in order to save him . The ending was similar too , although instead of Hitomi rising up into a beam of light to return to Earth , she sprouts imaginary wings and then just disappears from Van's sight . It was a nice ending to the movie and once again , left me wanting more . Escaflowne 2 anyone ?
070 4 I am sick and tired of hearing everyone complain about this movie . It's just one movie , the world will not end if you watch this . This is the OVA , or original video animation . In other words , it's the original story for Escaflowne or alternate story . This has nothing to do with the series but I suggest you watch the amazing series first before you watch this . Overall the animation and music are superb . Spoliers . Since Dornkirk is out of the equation , most of the elements from the series are gone . But I think they made this movie focusing more on the relationship between Hitomi and Van . In this movie she is depressed about her unfulfilling life and not passionate about running . Yes it does in fact use a lot of the characters less but we know how they are in the show , although they change greatly in the movie . Folken is much more darker and more powerful in this and he leads the Black Dragon Clan . Thankfully they stayed true to Dilandu making him spastic and blood thirsty as ever and he is not you know who's sister . You just have to see this for your self . But appriciate this people . All it is , is a different look on the series with more darker versions the characters . This boxset is worth it , i love the soundtrack and special features . Content wise it contains strong violence ( For a PG - 13 rated film mind you . The MPAA thinks animated violence is fine in anime ) and language . Just have an open mind . The only thing is that I am not a fan of is the short length of the movie . I really think they could have made a rich 2 1 / 2 hour film . Escaflowne is a great companion to the show and the critic should be you the veiwer , not someone with anger issues and problems comprehending diffrent styles of anime throuhgout a series . Lets see those people make anime themsleves . Escaflowne is forever a classic .
071 4 I liked the movie but not as much as i did the series . The movie basically compacts the entire television series into a 2 1 / 2 hour movie and changes the characters we've grown to love in the series to , almost seeminly , dark doplegangers . Hitomi is suicidal and Van is a dark brooding boy who cares nothing about others , until of course he meets hitomi . And what of escaflowne itself ? It's a god of either death or rebirth . . . . wow . . . . go figure . I love the music init if your into that kind of thing . . . but i found the movie to be not like much of the anime at all . So if you were expection the movie to be a continuation of the television sereia im sorry to dissapoint you . All in all , the movie is basically like an alternate or parralle universe to what happens in the series . It is good , so i would recommend watching it . . . i loved it myself but was dissipointed in the chnage in character profiles .
072 4 As an anime enthusiast I must say it was thoroughly entertaining . While being an alternate story-line to the show , Vision of Escaflowne , as opposed to a tie-in , it did little to deminish it and while I admit it could have been tweaked a little more , it was still a resounding success in my humble opinion . The movie is great for anyone interested in anime in general and can be watched without prior viewing of the show , but is even better once you've seen it ( and vice-versa ) .
I personally think that the differences between it and the show are quite irrellivent seeing as it's entertainment quality isn't , for the most part , dependant on viewing the show , however , they are worthy to note for the most die-hard viewer . Van and Hitomi's personalities for one , where altered ( though I would debate Van was still much like the original Van if only a bit more dark and Hitomi didn't come off as an entirely different character , again , it played more on her darker side ) . The other star players of the show where put more notably into side character , but I feel for one , that it didn't harm the movie and that they still held much of what they where in the show just not spotlighted so much , which I would add would be where watching the show benefits the viewer of the movie , explaining their actions a bit more than the movie did and such . Another notable difference was how condenced the movie was , which I quite enjoyed , as utterly enjoyable as the series is , it would trail off on tangents from time to time and had some extremely minor , yet notable , goofy or almost irrelivent themes ( such as her Tarrot Card reading ) though that is just my opinion . Condensing the show allowed to play off more on the relationship between Van , Hitomi , and to a lesser extent , Folken , which where the most interesting of the cast to me . As I said in the very beginning , they could have tweaked it a bit and I do agree it would have been a bit more entertaining if they lengthened it to develope their relationship a bit more , but I for one still came off satisfied . And last ( but not least ) , the animation and music in the movie are absolutely second to none , even it's predicessor can't match the level of detail the movie produced . The animation was simply exquisite , a true feast for the eyes . Words can't do it justice , one simple has to view it's entirety to understand the careful , marvelous balance it maintanes . The music is equally impressive and flows perfectly with the movie .
All in all , as an avid anime enthusiast , I found it utterly entertaining and would suggest it to anyone interested in anime new or old . I give it 5 full stars for it's overall high quality that anyone should be able to enjoy .
073 4 After reading many reviews , most of them focus on the differences between the show and the series , but there are those few reviews who actually get why they rehashed the series into the movie . In my views , as well as the views of many others , which is explained at lizzard.com , the movie is not about all the characters from the the series , and involving all the plot twists and turns that anime series usually have . It was about two people : Hitomi and Van . The movie does a fantastic job of bringing them to the foreground , as it is supposed to . We watch as Van evolves from that-as one reviewer put it - apathetic and a-moralistic individual , into a caring person , with the end realization of both Hitomi and Van that they are not alone , and that there are people who love and care for them .
Hardcore yet close-minded fans may not enjoy the reworkings of the movie , but if one can see the movie for what it is : a semi-love story and loneliness diminisher , then a fan can really get to enjoy the movie , its fantastic soundtrack , and great art .
074 4 I have never really watched many anime movies / series before , except for Cardcaptor Sakura , Sailormoon , Kodomo No Omocha ( I think that's how you spell it ) , and Dragon Ball Z . My friend bought this movie and we all watched it together , along with one of my friends who knew much about anime . The movie could be slightly confusing in the beginning , but later on it would start to make sense . But for me , I think if it weren't for my anime-loving friend telling me what was going on , I'd be pretty lost throughout much of the film . The animation was quite nice , even though I found all the blood and violence to be a little disturbing . What really got me addicted to the movie was the music and characters , though . Yoko Kanno's work is really impressive . The whole movie was kind of rushed , with little character development and Hitomi falling in love with Van in less than a day ( I found her to be somewhat helpless and loser-ish ) . But the ending ( I won't spoil it for you here ) really got me saying , they belong together ! ! Anyhow , I'd say this movie is a good start for anime newbies like me , preferably if it was around ten dollars .
075 4 I have to say that this movie is the best movie EVER . . . .
When i first herd there was an Escaflowne movie , i thought it be like a sequal of the T.V . series , like Van goes to Earth to see Hitomi but something goes Wrong and so they work as a team again with the others to save the universe , but i was wrong . It may be just a replay of the 26 episode Series all put into an hour and 30 minutes , but it's really cool . I wish they'd make a sequel of both the movie and the T.V . series . It's so cool . Although it's rated PG 13 , this movie is ok for kids 10 - 11 and above . I can say thatthrough the fact that i was only 11 when i got the movie , but my parents didn't know it was rated PG 13 till i saw the movie a second time , and when my mom and i watched , i had to tell her when the bloody parts where about to begin and end . The only thing i don't like about the movie is how Millerna , Allen , and the others don't have as big rolls as they had in the series . And what i hate about both the series and the movie is how in the series , Hitomi addmit they love eachother but they don't kiss or Hitomi doesn't stay with Van , and for the Movie , it's the same thing , but { i don't mean to be a movie spoiler } at the end of the movie , we see hitomi with wings on her back , then all of a sudden she's gone . That leads alot of people in suspence , they thingk , wow she has wings , so whats going to happen know . but we won't know what happens next because there is no sequel to both the series , and the movie , { and also the manga , i think } . Anyway , for those of you who want to get this movie , i say Go for it man this is a totally awesome movie .
076 4 Exercise in critical Thinking ,
For those of you who have seen this series and love it . . . this movie cannot be compared to the series . One must go into this movie knowing that it is a different perspective on an already existing series . In all honesty the creators of this movie were able to portray another Destiny or Fate for the world of Gaea using the same characters in sometimes different roles . If you apply what you know about the characters from the original Escaflowne series to the characters in this series then it is fairly easy to understand the plot devices of this movie . In essence if you have not had the pleasure of watching the original animated series then it fruitless to watch this movie on its own . . . the experience , in my opinion would not be the same . The only reason I do not give this collectors set a 5 star rating is the seeming excessive use of blood in some scenes . Overall definitely worth adding to any collection !
077 4 i have never seen the series but i rented this movie and i loved it ! the only thing that i dont like about it is that its too . . . . . . romantic . i mean that be cuz only at the beginning it was bloody and had sword fighting in it and then Von becomes all nice and romantic to hitomi ( i think i spelled it wrong ) . i like romance but i also like sword fighting in it ( or it to be like fighting ( like the inu yasha series or kenshin ova series )
078 4 I would not advise watching this movie if you have not seen the original series yet . The series is much better . It seems to me that this movie was put together as a well , we wrote a pretty good story , but this is what we were also thinking of doing even though it didn't make the original cut . After you've seen the full series it may be worth seeing this movie if you are a die-hard fan , but you really don't need to . Nearly every character's storyline or personality has changed . The overall sweeping epic journey found in the original series is lost because the movie is short . Many things that happen are not explained , which would confuse you if you haven't seen the series . Bottom line : if you are interested in the series , watch the series , not the movie .
079 4 I first bought the movie at a K-mart and liked it and then I heard about the Ultimate Edition 3 - Disc Set then I just had to have it . The box art on the collector box is just simply beautiful and amazing . It comes with a rememberable booklet ( just a small one nothing big ) , the original movie , a disk of extras , and the original soundtrack with the amazing vocals of Yoko Kanno XD . But just to warn you this movie is nothing like the series its very confusing but over all great movie . The animation is wonderful and stunning as same with the story line . Well enjoy .
080 4 For those of you who are fans of the series , i would urge to buy this movie , even if you saw it before and didn't like it . I reviwed this item shortly after purchasing it , and blasted it completely . I hated the movie , because it completely re-told the story of Escaflowne , and the characters were drastically altered . So I'll tell you this . DON T watch it expecting the series , with beloved characters returning for a movie feature . This is an amazing movie , full of fresh , luxurious visuals , rich music and colours . Each time I watch it , I like it even more . You just need to give it a chance .
This edition comes with a whole bunch of special features , and the soundtrack to boot , which is a nice addition . My favourite songs were Sora and Birdsong but they're all lovely .
The movie introduces a whole bunch of new characters , such as the enigmatic Sora , each with unique personalities and deeper motivations than what meets the eye . . The only character design I didn't care for was that of Folken , who looked a lot better in the series than in the movie . He's still excellently portrayed , however , very melancholy , which completely won me over . . . : )
I honestly don't think you'll regret buying this movie . Watch it more than a few times . You'll be enchanted , just as I was .
081 4 Escaflowne has a great fantasy / sci-fi balance imho . I love the robots , and the fantasy elements . It was wonderful entertainment , and I believe it just gets better after you've watched it a couple times in a row .
082 4 Admittedly , I watched Escaflowne The Movie before I saw the TV series and this may change my perceptions a bit . I enjoyed many things about the movie ; the animation was very smooth and detailed , the characters were interesting ( though many , sadly , were not terribly deep ) .
After watching the TV series , the movie seemed a bit rushed and it didn't really adhere to the TV series ' plot , but nonetheless I enjoyed it thoroughly . The two go together really well as a set . Additionally , the movie's boxed set had a lot of cool extras - like the soundtrack , which is excellent ! The box is high quality , and doesn't easily show wear .
While some may find the story lacking at times , Escaflowne is still an enjoyable anime and well worth the purchase . I would , however , recommend that you watch a bit of it before making the investment .
083 4 In my opinion , Escaflowne is an awsome movie ! If you are an anime lover this is the movie for you . I loved all the sword fight scenes and the characters are designed very well so go check it out .
084 4 I bought the regular dvd of this movie , having absolutely no previous knowledge of the original series , and i found it pretty good , espeically the mecha fight scene at the end . And the story was pretty good too , though the skips in the story line kind of confused me . But what blew me away was the music ! It ranges from gregorian chant to almost a pop / techno-y , to full blown choral symphonic . I later found out that this movie is only loosely based on the tv show . The names and some elements are the same . I would like to see the original show someday .
Anyway , i had gotten the regular dvd , and was contemplating buying the cd soundtrack , which was . . . import . But , i found THIS set in the store , and i went for it . Mostly for the soundtrack . IT IS THAT GOOD ! the music i mean , which is why i gave it 4 stars . It's one of my favorite cds now . The story's so-so , but amusing .
Bad thing : the sound is kinda bad . Hitomi's hard to hear at times , and so is the elf-looking lady with Faulkon . and some times , it's too loud . so be warned .
085 4 I really liked the movie , but I only watched a few of the series . The 3 disc collection was worth it also with the memorial book . It's a great anime film , but I've seen better ones like Princess Mononoke and Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust . Those are my very favorite anime movies so far . Escaflowne is one of my favorites , too . Wish I can buy the Escaflowne - Series ( Limited Edition Box Set ) , but don't have the money for it .
086 4 I have seen a couple of previews about the series and thought about watching it . However , I am not a big fan of major fantasy animes , at least not the hard core fantasy . Sometimes the fantasy storylines seem to be overstuffed with magic , characters , legends and twists . Complex stories are too much work . Call me lazy , I don't care .
Yet , my husband mentioned he saw this Escaflowne Movie at the video store , so I picked it up .
I was pretty impressed with the artwork . The characters were uniquely drawn . Sometimes their eyes looked kind of freaky . It reminded me of the sequence in the Evangelion Movie where Shinji is a boy playing in the sand with those two dolls . The roundness of how they were drawn was a bit over done . But it added to the surreal effect they were trying to achieve .
Also I really like how venerable the main character was portrayed . She did not have special skills or weapons to defend herself . All she had was her powers and good heart .
The Van character was the typical hero that you find in an anime . He sort of resembled Hiro from Gundamn Wing with his anger issues and quest for vengence . But I wouldn't expect anything less from Japanese writers .
I have read the other reviews about how the series was better and how the movie is rather disappointing . That may be , but since I have never seen the series , I wouldn't know . The movie is a bit rushed as others have written and the characters are underdeveloped , but it is still a very good anime . The music is mesmerizing and the story is very interesting . Looking at this movie as an independent move away from the series , it definitely deserves more credit than people have given it .
The only problem I found with the movie : you want to story to continue ! So my next step is checking out the series . : o )
087 4 This is one of my Fave movies . I watched it after watching the series , and was expecting an ending to it . But this completely retells the story , very well I might add for a two hour movie .
The animation is amazing .
Yoko Kanno's music in this movie is some of the best my ear's have ever had the pleasure of hearing ( Check out her work in Cowboy Bebop , jazz ) .
The Japanese dub far surpasses that of the english ( Trust me ) .
If you have seen the series , rent it first , you may not like the changes . If your thinking of getting into Escaflowne , then rent this movie . I HIGHLY recommend that you rent this before buying .
This is my second favorite movie . Metropolis first .
088 4 Well , many ppl i know thinks it's an OK movie , coz 96 mins included all the episodes of escaflowne . .
but the whole movie is just . . . . enchanted , the story lines , the songs , when i was watching it , it felt like i was in a different world . lol The ending isn't like a whole happy ending , which is the thing about the movie , it left a mysterious feeling to let you think . It's really sad though , I don't really wanna spoil anything = P Anyway . . . the movie is not merely a fantasy anime , it gave me feelings that are really different than the episodes . If you like anime , it's definitely worth a buy .
089 4 Hi there from merry ol ' England ! My beloved country suffers from a serious lack of quality anime ( unless you like tripe like Urotsukidoji et al ) , so thank Merle for the internet ! Import is so marvellous ! Anyways , to my review of the movie . Personally , I adore the tv series , though I never really adjusted to the overly-cartoony character designs myself . I also think this movie is absolutely fabulous - not a sequel or ' clip show a la ' Death Rebirth ' , but a total re-interpretation of the esca-verse using many of the characters and plot elements , but little else . This cleverly avoids any real comparisons with the series , and helps to overcome the problem of attempting to compress 9 hours or so into a 96 minute movie - a common enough practice in anime , but one which is rarely successful in producing anything more than a refresher for those who have already watched the full series ( Again , this brings to my mind ' Death Rebirth ' , which made very little sense to the non-anime fans I have tried to show it to ! ) With this in mind , full marks to the creators for the courage they have shown in ' re-imagining ' an already successful franchise .
The film is simply gorgeous , even watched on my mediocre 4 : 3 television managing to look incredible to all who I have inflicted it upon ! In fact , this movie gains the impressive accolade of converting more non-otaku to the joys of anime than any other show I have attempted to gain believers with ( including such gems as ' End of Evangelion ' , ' X - the movie ' , ' Perfect Blue ' , ' Macross Plus ' and ' Ghost in the Shell ' ) . All have found it an exhilarating experience indeed , and some even ( shock , horror ) requested to view it again ! My only dislike personally is the anamorphic presentation , which made it impossible to ' get the full picture ' until I watched it on the PC which allowed me full control over the aspect ratio . Give me black bars over cropping any day !
The sound is fantastic , Kanno Yokos ' music equally so , my special edition version having the added bonus of the soundtrack on cd - the only way to obtain it officially other than importing it from Japan at horrendous cost ! The extras disc , though interesting enough , does not really bear up to repeated viewings , though I don't care as I am too busy rewatching the main feature . My sister watched the film , despite hating my ' cartoons ' , on the strength of the theme tune , Sakamoto Maayas ' ' Yubiwa ( The Ring ) ' alone !
Whether or not you are a fan of the original , I beg you to suspend your inhibitions and preconceptions and view this film on its own merits - if you can catch it at the theatre , all the better . Just forget ' Vision of Escaflowne ' altogether for 96 minutes or so , that cannot be so hard , can it ? One phrase to sum up the Esca movie experience ? ' QUALITY , NOT QUANTITY ' .
P.S . The English dub could be better , but I have heard far worse . At least the release is Bandai , so is mercifully free from the ' dulcit ' tones of Tiffany Grant . . .
090 4 Alright , so it isn't a straight interpritation on the series , it doesn't even take up where the series left off . This is sort of a what-if . I won't go into what the what-if is . Escaflowne-The Movei ( E-tM ) is much like the X-Men movie in that it's a great interpritation of the origional concept , but not so much with the origonal plot details . This version is more stremlined ( Celena isn't in it ) , and much darker ( the first seane has Van slicing and dicing a whole betallion ) , but is also better . But in a different way . See it . Love it . Or I'll sic Van on yer . . .
091 4 This movie , aside from being wonderfulling animimated and superbly dubbed , it has a rich and fantastic story that makes one think about the world in a different light . This movie is sad and dark , beautiful and tragic . I would recomned this movie to any one who wanted to view a beuatiful , touching and sincere movie .
092 4 This show used to air on Fox Television or whatever back a while ago , before it was taken off within like it's first season ! I never watched it because I had heard it was very lame ! Well , in the end I found out it was because of it being edited for young audiences ! But the movie , uncut is really awesome ! The story isn't bad too , but it's an action-packed , with bl00d , lots ! It makes a good addition to any movie collection you have going !
093 4 Fans of Escaflowne will enjoy this movie .
If you have never seen one episode of Escaflowne ,
you will enjoy it as well .
The complaints of other reviewers about the movie
not pertaining to the series are true ,
but they don't matter .
This film , just like the series ,
explores the possibility of remaking our fates to end suffering and ,
more importantly , war , as its main theme .
There isn't a good or evil
only people trying to put an end to their pain ,
or , in Folken's case , all pain and all suffering .
As in the series , the soundtrack is fantastic and
the action is furiously intense and stunning .
The characters are the same and yet newly remade .
The plot is about 180 degrees from the series ,
but that's why it works ;
the plot is meant to be new and different ,
evoking new thought and new emotion ,
unrelenting in its devastating effect .
The artwork is fantastic , and this DVD is easily on par with Princess Mononoke .
Whether you all ready enjoy Anime , or are new to it , buy this .
The hopelessness of some characters ,
the pain of others , and the love that saves them all
will etch a permanent place in your mind .
094 4 I watch lots of anime movies and shows and this is one of my fav.s ,
But I really wish ( as do all the fans of escaflowne ) that Hitomi and Van would stay to gether ! Why do all anime love storys do that anyways ? Oh well , but that movie is very worth it !
095 4 When I first thought about seeing this movie , I heard a lot of negative feedback by the diehard fans of the TV series . Then , when I finally got the movie , I was in awe .
During the first twenty or so minutes , I was trying to figure out why they changed the series so much , then , when Hitomi met Van , it all fell into place . This is the MOVIE , not the TV series . From then on , I watched with an open mind .
About three quarters of the way through , I was again slightly disappointed because they made Naria and Eryia be singers in Dryden's club , but , several minutes later , I forgot about that . This movie is totally pleasing to the senses . Yes , there's violence , but , there's also a lot about human discovery and the exploration of life .
It's totally worth it to pay the fifty or so dollars to buy this . The movie is great , the special features are good , and the soundtrack is beautiful .
Even if you think that this movie will [ stiks ] because of the fact that it doesn't hold totally true to the Escaflowne story line , it's worth spending the money just for the soundtrack and cast interviews .
096 4 Careful this review contains some spoilers !
The movie when not seen as a part of the series , but by itself , was not the most overwhelming thing I have ever seen , but still a good movie . It is well drawn and has an engaging story , if somewhat shallow and clichéd . The best thing about it is the musical score , I loved that soundtrack .
So what didn't I like ? Well , unfortunately I happen to know the series and therefore have come to like the characters and seeing some of them reduced to mere decoration , while completely changing the personalities and reasoning of others , was painful for me .
For example we have the two cat women , Erya and Naria , reduced to barsingers . The reason for this was pretty obvious since Folken as portrayed in the movie couldn't inspire much of anything and certainly not the kind of loyalty as displayed by those cats in the series .
The series was so diminished as a matter of fact that it seemed almost unrecognisable . The cast was reduced by about three quarters and their respective storylines went with them . The most obvious of those cuts being the deletion of the entire Zalbach empire , emperor Domkirk and the fate machine . The black dragons , bane of Vahns people , had to go as well . Since by then not much of the storyline of the series was left , the producers came up with the pretty lame alternative that a seer had forseen Vahn to be the better king than Folken , who left his home in a huff and after murdering his own people , now wants to destroy all of Gaia to take revenge on his brother . I always wondered at that kind of reasoning so regularly displayed by villains .
As to Hitomi . Of course Vahn couldn't meet her while fighting a dark dragon on earth as proof of his ability to take the throne , since there are no dark dragons and his kingdom is gone as well . Hitomi can no longer read tarot cards and has no influence on fate , which was important for her interaction with Dormkirk and the Atlantean faith machine , but not here .
What do we need her for ? Well , apparently she is the Winged Goddess and the only one able to summon Escaflowne , the armor no longer being a legacy belonging to the throne of Vahn's kingdom . Folken is the one who brought her to Gaia , because he needs Escaflowne to destroy it .
The relationship between Vahn and other characters in the movie is described with the wonderful sentence , we met on the battlefield , so Hitomi is also added to alleviate Vahns loneliness .
While cutting not only most of the cast , but also the plot from the series , the producers still managed to add at least one character to the movie . A seeress , singing a part of that amazing soundtrack , allied with Folken , though not out of loyalty but some other unfathomable reason . Since not much is known about her , I really believe she was only added for the enrichment of that amazing soundtrack .
And on that thought I give my final verdict : the movie has a beautiful soundtrack , not much of a storyline , but in itself isn't that bad . Compared to the series however it is a bitter disappointment . My advice : watch either the one or the other , but not both .
097 4 It may have not been just like the show but who cares . It was a great movie with great animation and the ending was my fave . . . sent chills and i got so happy when everyone looked up and saw at the end . . . oh you'll know see it when you watch it . : )
098 4 ok . . . . . so it's not the show . I enjoyed the movie very much , although it doesn't go into as much detail as the show it has a good story line . It doesn't jumble up all the characters lives together . This movie is about Van and Hitomi . I am a giant Van and Hitomi fan and it was great to see them like this . I'm glad it came with the soundtrack because the music is so good . It sets the mood for the scenes and is great to listen to alone . If you're hoping for a continuation of the show this isn't what your looking for . . . . . . although I've heard there might be a second series ! ! ! ! ! ergh . . . I'm getting myself all hyper and it's time for bed . Happy movie watching ! ! ! ^ _ ^
099 4 Escaflowne : The Movie is an Anime fan's dream . I don't think I've ever seen such a masterpiece come in DVD . Although I have only seen the movie and not the Ultimate Edition , I still can say that this will be a movie remembered for all time . The stunning settings drew by the artists are so life-like , at times , you'll have to remind your self that it's animation . And the music and scores are the best ( what else and you expect from Yokko Kanno ) . As for the characters , the relationships protrayed in the TV series are altered a bit , but it does not leave you disappointed .
The Japanese and English versions are suberb . The Japanese is always the most popular because it is the original , however in with this movie I would have to say that the english is not far from behind . In my opinion , the voice acters and actresses do a 90% job with acting in general and with comparison to the japanese .
In conclusion , I believe that Escaflowne : The Movie is a must see . Even if you have not watched the TV series before , you can still pick this up and admire the great story line , the intriguing characters , the harmonious sounds , and the ultimate animation you'll ever see !
100 4 This is just the kind of movie you'd love to watch over and over again and you wouldn't even get bored . It's just marvelously well done and I personally would recommend this title to anybody who is a true fan of anime . The songs are amazing , the story is breath taking and the characters are the sweetest .
101 4 The film is darker and more disturbing than the TV series ( which is excellent in its own right ) . It has the same characters and settings , but a vastly different story . The artistry is fantastic , and the limited use of CG is not overbearing . The music is absolutely superb ( we expect no less from Yoko Kanno ) and the isolated soundtrack on the disc is a nice feature .
Loneliness , isolation , and despression are a strong themes in the movie and they are presented in a way that makes you think .
102 4 I have a true fondness of Escaflowne the tv series . The movie is a complete waste of time . I have not talked to a single person who has seen this and like it . The plot ( what little there is ) comes and goes with little regard for things such as coherency . Maybe the animation is well done , but the character design still includes deformed triangles for noses . This will be a horrible investment to anybody's anime collection , so don't buy .
103 4 This movie was quite boring . In the interviews the director and cast said the movie is a total retelling of the story of Escaflowne compared to the TV series . . . . Every concept and sequence throughout the movie was predictable if you have seen any fantasy film .
The only good stuff about the set is the second and third disks . The second disk holds all of the interviews of cast and crew of the movie . You learn many aspects on what was going on during the production of the film and TV series . The third disk is the soundtrack for the movie . I have listened to the soundtrack . The CD has beautiful music . The best two songs are You're not alone and one other I cannot think of right now . All in all a very good music score .
104 4 Great Story . Great Artwork . Great Soundtrack . Great voice cast ( Japanese voice that is . . . ) . Buy it , this one is well worth it . If only they would come out with a Cowboy Beboop version just like this one in the US . That would cause a BIG ruckus .
105 4 WhenI first saw this movie , I was horribly disappointed , because I expected Escaflowne the TV series . On my original rating , this scored a 2 . . . . but I watched it again . . . and again . . . and again . I'm now completely hooked . It's no Vampire Hunter D or Spirited Away , but it doesn't need to be . It's Escaflowne , all over agian .
To enjoy this movie , you really need to forget everything about the series . It is not a continuation , it's whole new world . . . and it is beautifully done . New characters are introduced , old characters re-vamped , and a whole new bad guy plot is unveiled . The scenery is gorgeous , the music superb , ( which is why I recommend buying the 3 disc set ) There's an option to hear just the soundtrack on the DVD , and it's tempting . . . . . .
To fans of the series , prepare yourself for an amazing experience . . . so long as you can watch it more than once .
Newbies of the Escaflowne universe , there is no way that you will not like this film , not if you love mysery , adventure and no small amount of tragedy .
Every time I watch this movie , I like it even more . . . . I'm sure you'll feel the same . . .
106 4 I really liked this DVD and would recemend it to all anime fans . The only thing that bothered me was there are only two guymelefs and no mention or diologe about atlantis which was supposed to be how van has wings and revealing an origin for escaflowne . Overall this is a great movie for anyone who likes fantasy , Mech battles , and sword fights this is perfect .
107 4 If you've ever taken the time , effort , and cost into watching the Escaflowne TV series , you may notice an air of comic-bookish romance about it . Hitomi is the lovely high schooler who reads her friends ' fortunes etc . ad nauseum . Suddenly , she's transported to Gaea and has the power to change destiny with her will . Then there's the intensified luck soldiers ( I call them a dubbing nightmare ) , and Allen being a monstrous ladies man and all that .
So now you're looking at the movie . Does it look interesting ? It damn well better . This film is a major step up from the TV series . Hell , it took ' em four years to make it . Hitomi is no longer your sappy airheaded ( if you pay careful attention , she really is an airhead ) girl but a troubled , depressed and suicidal ( though not really . Follow me ? Hmm . . . ) young woman , who just wants to fade away .
Lord Faulken of the Black Dragon Clan ( Zaibach ) grants her wish , and Hitomi lands in the cockpit of the Escaflowne . When she gets out , the Escaflowne changes into a little pendant , and so the story goes .
In this , Gaea has been totally wiped out . Otakus , remember that war at the end of the series ? Yeah , that happened without Hitomi and the Escaflowne . So Zaibach one and everyone else got tooled . Now Allen and company are part of a revolutionary caravan , who happen to run into the pleasantly psychotic Dilandau every once in a while . And Van now looks like a savage by the way .
Anyways , overall improvements : better animation , score's good , characters are better designed , and most importantly , you don't ever consider throwing things at your TV when you hear the plot line .
108 4 I loved this movie . I truly , truly fell in love with the animation , plot , and characters . I even wanted to cry at some parts , because they were so powerful . The sad thing is , the movie had so many lovely characters , but it seemed as though the creators were just trying to fill in the blanks . For example . . .
Folken and Sora . They were truly amazing . I loved Folken , but I didn't get to see him as much as I thought I would . I have only seen a few of the TV episodes , so I was a bit confused about Van and Folken's pasts . And Sora . . . who exactly IS she ? ? ? Is she from Adom ? Is she in love with Folken , or just an underling ? I really liked her . She was enchanting and mystifying , but I didn't really know what the connection was between her and Folken . Sigh . . . T_T
Dilandau was very cool ( and on the verge of handsome ) , but we saw him a heck of a lot more than we did Folken or Sora , ect . And what about Nukushi ? Or Jajuka ? What was up with Shesta ? I wanna know so many things ! ! !
What about the Dragon skeletons ? And the moon with the eye ? What were they ? ! I never figured it out . It was oh so very annoying , you know .
Hitomi and Van . There we go . Are they in love , or just really good friends ? That's possible . But I did like that about the movie . . . the fact they didn't kiss , or anything of the sort . It was also very confusing . Nevertheless , they were both very cool .
I wish Folken didn't die . . . waaaaaah . . . sniff . . . T_T
And yet , the movie was fantastic . Good voices , animation , plot , characters , ect . I loved it , and it has inspired me in my own manga and story writing . . . .
109 4 The movie was pretty cool , but not good enough to get 5 stars . This movie doesn't have a lot of Escaflowne its self surprisingly . And there are a few minor disguisting scenes but besides that , i thought it was an over all good movie . The characters are very similar to the characters on the tv show , so that's what was good about it .
110 4 Escaflowne : The Movie is , as you know , the film version of the 26 episode anime series , The Vision of Escaflowne . Unlike most , however , it is not a recap of the series ; it is a new story , tied loosely to the original series , yet completely unrelated to it .
Released just over two years ago in Japan as Escaflowne : A Girl in Gaea , fans of the series have been awaiting the North American release of this film for just as long . Suffering negative reviews , it has taken a bit of a beating for not being true to the original story , or being too shallow . It is my opinion , however , that the film's story is very enjoyable , if not as engrossing as the series ; how can you expect an hour and a half movie to compare to a 26 episode series , though ?
It is , however , up to you to decide your stance on the quality , or lack thereof , of the plot ; I intend to review the technical merit of the release .
Video - The quality of the video transfer is spectacular . Colours are bright and clear , lines are crisp , darks are dark and lights are light . I noticed no artifacting or rainbowing whatsoever on this disc , which is fairly rare ; most releases encounter these problems in one form or another . ( For those of you that do not know the term rainbowing , it is caused by many lines very close together [ fishnet stockings , for example ] , and results in a ` rainbow ' of colours in the area ) . Occasionally , you will notice particular moments of exceeding visual splendor . I recall many , including a flying red flag , a mammoth cloud of dust and an on-coming shot of a severed limb . Look for them , and you may see what I mean . ( Note : They do occur in that order , by the way ) . RATING : 5 / 5
Sound - Audio track options are plentiful and of quality . The options presented are both 5.1 and DTS Japanese tracks , an English 5.1 track , and an isolated 5.1 score . I only watched the film through in Japanese , down mixed to stereo , but it was of admirable quality . The English dubbed track - - which I spot checked - - may make some purists cringe , but was above average quality for an anime dub . The isolated score is a rare and enjoyable option , especially when the score is of this caliber ( Yoko Kanno is a composer not to be missed ) . RATING : 5 / 5
Features - This release is noticeably lacking in special features - - Bandai has produced a Special Edition 3 disc set , which contains an entire second disc of extra features , plus a 3rd CD containing the beautiful film soundtrack . This release does , however contain one very interesting feature : a story board subtitle feature . In addition to English subtitles ( which are very well done - - an excellent transliteration job ) , you may choose Story Board subtitles , which superimposes an image of the story board illustration from the production process that corresponds with that shot in the film . They are placed unobtrusively in the bottom right corner of the screen ; this option makes for an interesting viewing of the film . RATING : 2 / 5
Packaging - The cover art is average ; well it is not as attractive as the Special Edition ( which uses the original Japanese poster art ) , it could definitely be worse . The inserts are not terribly useful , having the chapter list on the inside of a folded booklet , and being stuffed behind a flyer for Bandai's other products . The disc holder is bizarre , but is easier to use than some . RATING : 3 / 5
Overall - While some may find the film itself to be less than enthralling , and others will be dismayed that they will have to open their wallet a little wider to acquire a version of this film with any significant special features , the product itself is a quality one . Bandai has released another excellent product , which is well worth purchasing , whether you are a passive anime watcher looking for another good DVD to add to your collection , or a hardcore fan of the Escaflowne franchise . RATING : 4 / 5
112 4 I've not yet seen a single episode of the Escaflowne series but I am a pretty ardant Anime fan so I bought this DVD out of general interest .
While the plot does feel obviously condensed from the series at times , characters that I'm sure would have been given more screentime and depth in the series are reduced here to cameos , the movie is an enjoyable one , with some moments of truly beautiful imagery .
The action sequences are well directed , with a feel similar to live action ( the opening battle scene is given a shaky-cam look for example ) rather than animation . Also , the Mecha battle late in the film has a real sense of scale and the sword action is beautifully pyrotechnic .
Overall , this is an enjoyable movie , with a number of memorable moments , despite its rather run-of-the-mill story .
Where the DVD shines as a package , is in its interesting extras and in the inclusion of the movie's superb soundtrack .
As a movie , I'd give it 7 out of 10 . As a DVD set , I'd give it a solid 8 .
113 4 The movie is nothing like the series . Keep that in mind when you watch it . It is still wonderful but I expected more . Escaflowne was a wonderful series . The movie is dark and more serious . It is more slowly paced . Not as enjoyable as the tv series .
114 4 The world known as Gaea is a planet where the Earth can be seen in the night sky . On this world , the Tribe of the Black Dragon begins invading the neighboring territories in its quest to conquer and rule the entire planet . Young Prince Van's country is one of those destroyed by the Black Dragon . Enraged by the slaughter , this descendant of the white-winged Dragon , fight against the Black Dragon in his quest to save Gaea . Coming under the protection of Abaharaki , the ruler of a neighboring country that also opposes the Black Dragon , Van sets firmly on his path of vengeance . But the Black Dragon has found a Dragon Armor that , during the ancient wars , is believed to have burned all Gaea . The Black Dragon plans to excavate and resurrect this powerful weapon . Meanwhile , on Earth , there is a girl who wants to vanish . As if in answer to her prayer , a mysterious power takes Hitomi from Earth and leads her to Gaea . What will Hitomi see in this strange world ? Total destruction and rebirth ? What Hitomi doesn't know is that she's the key to shape the destiny of this world !
Ok ! Same story it is with the series but a different plot with more music , action , suspense and with a slight romance ( if you'll call it ) but I can just say It's one story you'll enjoy and never get bored to watch it several times !
115 4 I think a lot of reviewers have hit upon this , but this is much more R-rated version of the story . It's hard not to make comparisons to the tv-series , but once you're into this story , it's not hard to let go . The animation and Sound design are beautifully done . I can only imagine how cool this must have been in the theaters . If you're up for a much more mature telling of the story , which has a decidely darker twist , check this out . You won't be dissapointed .
118 4 First off , I want to say that I absolutely LOVED the Escaflowne TV series . Its easily one of my top three anime series of all time , and I've seen my fair share . So of course the idea of a high budget , big screen retelling had me salivating and counting the days until its release .
However , the best way to enjoy the Escaflowne movie is to completely forget the TV series . Otherwise , you'll spend too much time obsessing over everything that's changed rather than focusing on what is , in my opinion , a well written and executed story .
So what's different ? The character designs , for one . Now , you can make fun of the somewhat lanky , Pinnochio-nosed designs for the TV series all you want , but at the end of the day those off-kilter designs just added to the series ' charm . The movie opts for more realistic designs with mixed results . Van fares the best with his more bulked-up look , while Hitomi looks good with the exception of her oversized eyes . Yes , they were big in the TV series , but against the hyper-realistic design style of the movie they look out of place . Allen and Millerna have been reimagined as leather-wearing warriors with a slight S & M feel to them , while non-humans like Merle and especially Jajuka now look almost scary . Still , once the initial shock wears off , the character designs begin to grow on you and work for what the movie is trying to accomplish .
The tone of the film is also much darker than the series . While the TV show had its dark moments , most of the truly heavy stuff was hidden underneath the show's bright color pallate . With the darker colors used here , those darker themes are much more noticeable and the movie loses that air of adventure found in the TV series . However , the themes found in the movie , including fate , love , and war , are very true to the show , and state more clearly what the TV show only hinted at .
It also makes much clearer the love story between Van and Hitomi . In fact , it is this clear focus that makes the movie work even though its something of a condensation of a thirteen hour , tightly plotted TV show . There is a storyline about Folken and Dilandau trying to conquer Gaea , and Escaflowne and Hitomi hold the keys to the planet's fate , but most of the other details are cast aside in favor of the love story . This keeps the movie comprehensible , with fun little throwbacks to the TV show ( like cat twins Naria and Eryia singing at Dryden's nightclub ) for fans .
The movie is absolutely gorgeous , easily one-upping the already impressive animation found on the TV show . The increased detail and realsim found in the character designs is carried over to ever aspect of the film's look , and the convincing animation makes the movie gel visually . Again , it doesn't look a whole lot like the TV show , but on its own merits it works marvelously . And Yoko Kanno has provided another stellar soundtrack , wisely avoiding repeating her TV triumps with the exception of a shortened version of Blood of Curse .
Well written and executed , the Escaflowne movie is quite a departure from the TV series . A reimagining rather than a sequel to the show , the feature shares enough common themes , characters , and plot points to make it clearly recognizable as Escaflowne to anyone who looks beyond the surface . It won't replace the TV show in my heart , but certainly makes an interesting companion piece . And the ultimate edition provides you with a beautiful , strong box , and entire disc's worth of extras , and Yoko Kanno's wonderful soundtrack . A solid buy for fans , and an interesting introduction to the franchise for newbies .
119 4 This movie is just simply amazing ! No matter how many times I watch it , the opening fight scene with Van still leaves me breathless . But this movie can get just a tad bit confusing if you haven't seen the series , for example : Why Van has wings . So I would recommend watching the series first and then the movie . Any how , any Esca fan should own this movie . It really is a must see ! ^ _ _ _ _ _ ^
120 4 okay , i need to get this across because this is probably the main factor on why some people say it's great and why some people say it just wasn't . The series , the vision of escaflowne , was in fact intended to be a shoujo ( aimed at girls ) anime . Me , being a guy , saw the vision of escaflowne and still loved it , along with a huge population of guy anime fans . Therefore , escaflowne : the movie was created and was intended to be more of a shounen ( aimed at guys ) anime . The outcome was great . I enjoyed this more than the vision of escalfowne for five main reasons : ( 1 ) Hitomi is literally depressed , and not perky and annoying as she is in the series . ( 2 ) There is no love triangle , or square , or whatever the hell you want to call that thing with van , hitomi , marlerna , allen , and merryl . ( 3 ) You get to see characters such as van and allen acually use those swords you always see them carrying around . ( 4 ) During fights you see blood used not as good as Samurai X but more accurate than the series . ( 5 ) The way the armors , such as escaflowne , are used is different from most mecha ( giant robot ) animes in the sense it acually draws the users blood . Although , the vision of escaflowne does have one element over the movie : the characters in series ( if you don't count hitomi ) have much more depth , my favorite character Fulken's personality is ruined in the movie but it is only an hour so they don't have time to put depth into too many characters . Well i just wanted to clear that up , so whether you're a guy or a girl i hope i helped in your decision .
123 4 Well , I'm writing this review without looking at any other reviews first - just the overall ranking - because I flat don't agree with it .
The TV series had a wonderful whimsical , intriguing , mystical feel with the giant magical mecha suits , its odd combination of magic and technology , and the girl lost in a strange world storyline , but this movie gives us a fakey angsty twist on the main character that I found completely pointless and rather annoying . It did nothing for the main storyline and made her seem rather pathetic , in the end , rather than heroic . There wasn't enough motivation given for any kind of change in her character and it all came off as rather flat . Hitomi deserved better treatment than that .
The visuals are also extremely dark , if beautifully designed , and the battles can get a little confusing because of it ( but Van's initial attack on the airship carrying Escaflowne . . . wow ! Brutal and savage and incredibly rendered in near-monochromatic silhouette . . . oh yes , kiddies , swords are NOT toys . . . ) but I was vastly disappointed to find that most of the main characters had been reduced to mere leather-clad charactures of themselves or given inconsequential cameos . ( Dryden ? Allen ? Gaddes ? Naria & Eriya ? Cripes . . . was * that * Millerna ? ! Somehow I don't think she's studying to be a doctor anymore . . . * sigh * )
The re-design of Escaflowne itself was interesting ( as was the twist on how the suit bonded to Van . . . blood . . . * shiver * ) , but not much more than that . Besides , it was just too dark most of the time to see it very well . . . and I prefer the suit's original incarnation and it's old flying dragon-form to the new design .
Dilandau's obsessiveness was nicely highlighted as was Van's pain at the choices necessary in the end , but overall I was highly disappointed with the movie . I expected something with at least a little of the charm and pagentry , heroism and melancholy of the series and got a grim , battle-heavy , dark , angst-fest instead . ( Oh , poor Folken ! ) Some of the fight scenes are cool , but , unfortunately , they don't have as intriguing a story around them to make them have a real point . Why do we really care about the final duel here ? And that's one of the best scenes in the series . . . the final duel between Dilandau and Van . . . with Allen stepping in . . . everything had built to that point . This movie takes the barest , barest essentials of the plot of what is a rather complex series and crams it into a single movie . It just loses too much for me , and I felt they could have handled the condensing with more care - or picked a sub-plot from the series to expand into something more true to the source rather than this odd re-hash of the whole thing .
I've already bought it - and Van's first fight is incredible to watch - so I'll keep it , but frankly the TV series itself is far better . I recommend you pick that up instead . ( And you'll even get used to the ski-jump noses after a while too . . . * grin * They grow on ' ya . )
124 4 Well after seeing a ton of bad reviews for this anime , I figured I would put in my 2 cents . I thought this anime was awesome ! ! ! When I purchased it , I had never seen the TV series or even heard of it , and I was not dissapointed . The movie has a dark and serious feel to it and the fighting seens are awesome . After watching the movie , I was so engrossed with Escaflowne , that I jumped on Amazon and bought the series . At this time I am currently still working through the series , and all though there are discrepancies between the movie and the series , they are both still fantastic . The tv series has a child like feel to it where as the movie is much darker and serious . I have read reviews where people compare Cowboy Bebop and Evagelion to Escaflowne , and that is something that you just can't do . All three are totally different types of Anime . If you are curious about Escaflowne , but not ready to drop the money down for the tv set , get the movie , but be warned . . . after watching the movie , you will want the tv series . Also remember that the movie and the series are for the most part the same thing . The movie is a 96 min version of the tv series with some differences . All in all , I think the movie rocks and so does the series . You will not be dissapointed with Escaflowne .
125 4 I hadn't seen any of the TV series but picked up the Movie anyway . I thought it was really well done and the only thing I would have liked to see more of would be to see Vahn's ( spelling ) friends do some fighting instead of sitting back and talking the whole time . I guess you can only put so much in 90 minutes . I hadn't been too big on anime lately but this is definately good enough to keep my interest up . Yes , the infrequent appearance of Escaflowne itself made me want more but what you see is cool . Where's part 2 ?
126 4 The movie is great but this DVD is defective . Half way through the video starts [ fading ] out and at times crashes the DVD player . I played the movie on a Sony DVD player , a Playstation 2 , and on a computer using PowerDVD and a same thing always occurs . A friend also bought the same DVD and the same thing happened to him so its not just my copy .
127 4 Excellent movie ! I f your like me and get confused easily I suggest that you watch the series first . The movie is different from the series and many people may not likle the changes of the characters personalities , but I enjoyed the story going in a different direction . I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did .
128 4 I was astounded to find , when I ordered and watched this Special Edition of the Escaflowne Movie , in the footage of the US premiere at Anime Expo 2000 , I am on the DVD during the footage of The Line and the Director's question and answer period before the Midnight showing of the movie . My kids and I are in the second row of the audience and can be seen during the audience entrance and the question period where the camera pans toward the back and back up front when they speak to another technician at the rear of the room . It is our moment of glory LOL . . I will never forget the opening scenes sitting there at the Disneyland Hotel . The beat of drums and the sound of the airships ' engines . The thrill of expectation , to see the movie for the very first time of my favorite anime .
I have to say , I was disappointed in the changes made for the big screen , the character's personalities and character designs are not the same . A LOT of content was naturally condensed and dropped , due to the limitations of time , but Millerna as a space slut was NOT an improvement . Oh well , at least we're on the DVD . And they fixed the Pinnochio noses . . . .
129 4 When I walzted into blockbuster the other day ( but like any other day ) i head straight for the anime section . Being an avid fan of anime , i plunge headlong into any anime and / or manga , knowing relativley nothing about it .
So , as my sister and I stood pondering over which dvd to grab ( we were there for well over ten minutes ) We snatched whatever was looked at least hlfway decent , and it just happened to be appleseed and escaflowne .
We had a portable dvd player in the car , and , because I knew alittle bit about appleseed , we watched that first . Holy crap ( excuse my bluntness ) but i was amazed and had thoroughly enjoyed mysef . That was a really great movie , But that's beside the point .
So when we did finally return home , i was in a good mood and hadhigh hopes that escaflowne would be good too , although i have never heard of it . We popped the dvd in and began to watch .
Well , my sister is very imature and kept commenting on Hitomi's nose . ahh . . . she's so annoying , but I didn't care particularly how the character's looked . It seemed intresting in the beginning , how Hitomi persieved life , and it made sense how she felt . Then the wierd stuff began .
I guess because i haven't watched the tv series , i didin't really understand gaia at all . the wasn't much history in the movie , so I didn't understand hw everything tied in .
Anyway , I liked van and his relationship with his brother and I did like van . . . alot . but i found hitomi rather annoying , constatly the damsel in distress and beckoning for aid from others and complaining about her mundane lifestyle and . . . well , i could go one and one .
The dragon armor , escaflowne was cool , and I liked the raw savagnss of the fight between the armours in the end . But there was just something that kept me from really likeing it . There was a good premise for a movie , but it was almost poorly executed . The writing for hitomi was absolutly horendous . Trust me , there are numerous accounts in which she repeated the same thing over and over , which i would understand if she was contradicting herself , but it was more of reasuring herself out loud about EVERYTHING . Consistantly annoying .
It was almost good , so i give it a 4 out of 5 . But my sister would give it much , much less .
130 4 This was my first step in to anime from japan . It was a great movie it has action love magic and about anythong that a fantasy lover could ask for . It starts with A king who has lost his kingdom and he is stoping a ship from stealing a machine called Escaflowne Whitch is truly the God of Destruction . He is broght together with the Winged Goddess and from the the story unfolds . It is a great bye and would recommend to someone who would like to start the anime experiance .
131 4 I saw the trailer at th officical site , and could tell right away it wasn't going to follow the series , but I could tell it was going to be good . Therefore , when I saw it at Blockbuster , I rented on the spot . I got what I expected and much , much more . I'm sure fellow animé enthusiasts who saw it would agree . Highly reccomended .
133 4 I thought the story was OK , but the part with Dalandai was absolutely gross . It was to bloody and graphic for my liking . My friend was pretty disapointed by it and she saw the series . I loved the artwork though , it was like being in a dream . Compared to Endless Waltz and Princess Mononke , this movie doesn't even compare .
134 4 Ok , I ordered this from a local store in advance , TWO MONTHS ( ! ) before it was released . I brought it home and I was watching it , completely intrigued by the beautiful animation , but then a bunch of green tiles filled my screen and I realized that I had been had .
Well , at least the first half of the movie looks very very good . .
Hitomi isn't so ditsy here , which is a bit relieving . I enjoyed her voice better in the movie than in the series . Brian Drummond plays Allen , and he does the perfect job . Allen looks really hot in the movie too . The animation took my breath away , and I was gasping in amazement a lot . I love Dilandau , so when I saw how cool he was drawn , and that he has actual powers , I was going , thank you thank you thank you . . . . But really , the fact that they went a more ' realistic ' route with this , makes it altogether different from the series . It's familiar characters in a new world . ( new to us . )
And if there's some younger folk in the home , please be careful watching this one-especially the beginning scene when Van slashes his way through that ship .
Van is cooler too , because he is really good at fighting . In the series , he was more of a young kid who couldn't do hand to hand combat very well , he depended on Escaflowne . But I think that fans of Van , will be very pleasantly surprised .
That's all for now . When I see the whole movie someday , I will write a real review . . . ehhehehhe . .
135 4 I'm not exactly the person who really enjoys seeing blood a lot in movies , with the exception of a really well-done movie such as Saving Private Ryan . This movie was not a really well-done movie . But it definitely wasn't a bad one .
The storyline , unfortunately , is not original . We have a main male ( Van ) who has magical powers , a main female ( Hitomi ) who has hidden magic , and off to defeat a villian aiming for world domination . The storyline is very unoriginal and overdone in Japanese anime . However , the storyline has a few twists and turns you can't overlook , and the wide emphasis on culture adds some points onto the movie .
The animation can be sometimes horrible . Although most of the backgrounds , armors , and soldiers look very good , the characters can look very ugly . Again , there are some exceptions to how the characters look . Sometimes they can look good , sometimes ugly .
The music didn't sound bad , but it wasn't anything you can keep in your mind . It was something that keeps you going in the movie , then you forget all about it when you finish watching the movie .
Typically , it's an okay movie , and I give it a three .
136 4 I'm a big Esca fan and was pretty excited about a movie when I first head about it . To get things straight , the movie isn't a retelling of the series ( and it doesnt talk about before or after it either ) . It basically an entirely different version with the same characters ( who have been altered from the original series ) . So is it a good movie ? Yeah sure it is . Is it better than the series ? no , and never will be , which isnt a very fair comparison since the series has 26 episodes , enabling for deep characterization and creating that epic-y and grand feeling for the Esca world .
The music meets the high standard of all Yoko Kanno work .
The animation for the series was awesome , and animations for this movie greatly surpassed those of the series .
The voice acting is good , most of the characters are still voiced by the those from the series , so nothing new really .
Well , this IS a good movie , and people looking for more out of the esca world ( from the series ) will most likely be disapointed . All the other stuff ( animations , voice , etc . ) are excellent and I feel make up for the shortcomings of being a movie . At least see it once .
137 4 i've already seen the escaflowne movie and i've been waiting for this ultimate addition to come out for some time now . Let me just tell you that if you like escaflowne - than you'll really love the movie ! This limited addition is worth every penny ! A great movie , plus amazing music by kanno yoko and an extra cd full of bonus material will please any anime fan !
a definate must-have . the animation is amazing and the voice-acting is supurb ! Go on ! Buy it now ! ^ . ^
. . .
138 4 . . . i've known about this movie for a while now . it was one of three anime movies that were nominated for the best animated feature this year , but i couldn't find it anywhere . i figured it might not have been popular enough to get a u.s release , so i ordered the import on [ an auction site ] for a [ price ] . i already own the 8 discs that comprise the t.v . series as well . today i recieved a mailer from bandai about a movie screening in my city of boston and of the upcoming box set of all 9 dvd's and of this 3 disc set of a girl in giya . now i watched the movie in the original japanese with english sub-titles and from the previews on the official web-site , this release will be in english as well .
this movie is good if you've never watched the series before . it only loosly follows the same lines . i found it hard to accept some of the things that occured , since i have the series almost memorized . none of the characters look too similar , vahn's name is bahm , everyone rides horses , there's no levi-ships , alan's vessel is a giant boat-looking thing being pulled by giant oxen , the evil empire's giant floating fortresses are now hot-air ballons , and theres only two gymeliths in existance in this feature .
one of my favorite things about the series is the outstanding art-work put into the giant battle-suit fight sequences . and how escaflowne is unstopable and an inseperable part of vahn . this release however , only has the two machines , escaflowne itself is only present maybe 7 minutes , and their only fight lasts less than 5 minutes .
i guess the basics of my review would be , if you know the series don't expect to see anything too familiar here . the series was definetly better than the movie . i would suggest buying the limited edition box set that will have all 8 of the series dvd's as well as this movie , if you don't own them already.that seems like a really good deal . I'm hard pressed to buy this set though . maybe after i go see it in the theater i will feel differently about it and change this review .
139 4 I should first say that I have not watched the series , but will follow that up by saying that this movie has not persuaded me to do so . I am a casual anime fan and for reference will say that the anime's I have enjoyed include Dragon Ball Z , Outlaw star , Cow boy bebop and Ninja Scroll . If you have only seen 2 movies in your life time and the other one was Big top Pee-Wee , then maybe ( and I stress maybe ) I could understand a 5 star review . If you are a die hard fan of anime and if all it takes is a couple of bloody scenes this may be for you . If you are 15 years old you might be impressed with this . However if you expect depth of character , story evolution and strong plot , skip this .
In a nut shell some girl is depressed and wants to disappear / Die , what ever , so she disappears and shows up in Gaea as the Wing Goddess . Two separate factions have been warring with each other over a dragon armor suit that holds the fate of the world . The girl is the key to the suit in a way it goes to whom ever she decides ; the good guys get it the end . Believe me when I say this is the better telling of that story and the less painful one .
The Good : a couple of good fight scenes and the animation were pretty good .
The Bad : The tone of a movie is very important and this story was way over dramatized . The characters aren't developed at all so you can't really bring your self to care about them , or want to pay attention to them . The movie felt like they were trying to squeeze the content of a long draw out series into 95 minutes and they failed miserably . I considered turning this off several time but felt that I should finish and form a complete opinion about it . Well I have and it aint good .
140 4 This movie is one of the best i have ever seen . It turned me into what i am now . A person who likes anime like escaflowne and princess mononoke but isnt a geek with anime shirts and hats and no social life . you should always have at least one anime movie in the house and this should be it .
141 4 The movie has some fairly stunning sequences that are impressive , but the story itself is junk , which really just makes all the flashy art all the more frustrating to behold . Why did the creators bother with all that effort when they clearly didn't understand ( or like ) the story at all ?
I watched the feature film with my wife after finishing the series , which we absolutely loved . Ten minutes into it I thought it was a joke and that Van or whomever was going to ' wake up ' from a dream or something . Alas , the nightmare continued .
Each character is hyped-up on steroids to a ridiculous degree , and the final effect made me think of the first Pee Wee Herman movie , where all the ' big name stars ' play him and his friends . Unbelievable . Each character is ' the strongest ' or ' the sexiest ' or ' the meanest ' or what-have-you to such a degree that no one really stands out as having any sort of defineable character or meaning in the story whatsoever .
Hitomi is nothing more than a boring and suicidally depressed lump in this director's take , while Van is a homicidal maniac with no meaning or direction ( beyond looking or sounding ' cool ' or whatever ) to anything he says or does onscreen . There is none of the subtlety or interplay or tension that makes the series so riveting . It's just one ' cool looking ' scene after another with nothing to connect them or make you care a whit who lives or dies or why .
Can you tell I was disappointed ?
; ) See the series first . If you watch this first , you'll lose any interest you might have had in seeing the series , I can guarantee , and you'll be missing out in a big way .
I have a feeling this film was made at the behest of some producer who wanted , or was instructed to ' impress Americans ' .
( . . . )
I urge all Japanese film / anime producers to have more faith in their own cultural vision and mindset .
TV Series Season One and Two
vs .
Rayearth
. Both are based on the same world and concept , but take it in rather different directions with different themes and execution .
So , in saying that a movie is disappointing because it doesn't follow the same continuity as the main series , one is only showing one's ignorance of how anime works . Personally , I think the movie stands on its own just as well as any other anime movie ( regardless of whether it's attached to a specific series or not ) .
I specifically watched the movie FIRST in order to not be tainted ni my expectations of what the movie should be . At least partly because others had mentioned online that the movie is significantly different from the series . Being something of a recent anime fan , I'm not off-put by the dissimilarity , as I understand there are differences between eastern anime and western cartoons or animated series .
That said , the movie is considerably darker than series . There may be some reliance on viewers having seen the series . But it provides as much back story as many other anime movies ( IE , very little ) . This isn't entirely unexpected to the seasoned anime watcher ( which I'm slowly becoming ) .
The visuals are decent , on par with stuff from the same period . The story is interesting , if about as believable as many other animes ( marginally ) . I might have preferred a bit more , and might have been rather reminded of Magic Knight Rayearth in some of the themes . But overall , I wasn't disappointed .
That said , if you go into watching it with the expectation of it being exactly the same as or a continuation of the series , you're both short changing yourself and the film . Give it a chance on its own merits , with the understanding that it's its own work . Loosely based off the original mangas ( japanese comics ) , but not the same as the series ( different continuity , look , feel and themes ) . Call them separate but equal if you will .
Overall , I was pleased with it .
029 4 So , okay , it seems a few people here don't get anime and some of the rules , or lack thereof .
Whereas in the western audience , there is a certain expectation of continuity or similarity with respect to plot or world , it seems that manga and / or anime is not necessarily bound to this convention . IE , similar or the same characters may be put into a similarly named world in different series . However , it's not always the case that continuity from one series spills over into the next . One might think of anime an an infinite number of alternate realities . IE , the people and names may be the same , but the overall history and current events may be wholly different .
That said , anime movies are sometimes ( but not always ) a re-imagining or alternate reality of what is contained in a given series or complete collection . For example
Magic Knight Rayearth : TV Series Season One and Two
vs .
Rayearth
. Both are based on the same world and concept , but take it in rather different directions with different themes and execution .
So , in saying that a movie is disappointing because it doesn't follow the same continuity as the main series , one is only showing one's ignorance of how anime works . Personally , I think the movie stands on its own just as well as any other anime movie ( regardless of whether it's attached to a specific series or not ) .
I specifically watched the movie FIRST in order to not be tainted ni my expectations of what the movie should be . At least partly because others had mentioned online that the movie is significantly different from the series . Being something of a recent anime fan , I'm not off-put by the dissimilarity , as I understand there are differences between eastern anime and western cartoons or animated series .
That said , the movie is considerably darker than series . There may be some reliance on viewers having seen the series . But it provides as much back story as many other anime movies ( IE , very little ) . This isn't entirely unexpected to the seasoned anime watcher ( which I'm slowly becoming ) .
The visuals are decent , on par with stuff from the same period . The story is interesting , if about as believable as many other animes ( marginally ) . I might have preferred a bit more , and might have been rather reminded of Magic Knight Rayearth in some of the themes . But overall , I wasn't disappointed .
That said , if you go into watching it with the expectation of it being exactly the same as or a continuation of the series , you're both short changing yourself and the film . Give it a chance on its own merits , with the understanding that it's its own work . Loosely based off the original mangas ( japanese comics ) , but not the same as the series ( different continuity , look , feel and themes ) . Call them separate but equal if you will .
Overall , I was pleased with it .
058 4 Well , for starters , to summarize the product , I had seen the movie at least five times before purchasing . Somebody asked me my favorite anime-type movie , and it just came out of my mouth . At that point , I decided to purchase it . I watched the movie a day after it arrived , and . . . Yup ! Still the best .
From the storyline to the intense action sequences , and the incredible artistic detail that goes into every part of the movie . The characters are polarizing , and you will get sucked in . For anyone who watches anime-type movies , you know what you are getting into . Most of these movies originate in Japan , and the writers come up with some very deep plots . This is a plus to the fan , and a negative to the common person . I say this , because when the story gets deep , the movie seems long . If you like the movies , you love this . If not , I find some people catching some Zzz's .
Either way , if you like anime , this is a MUST own !
