Forum - View topicEscaflowne - Vision of, TV and Movie (read 1st post).
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Youkai Warrior
 Posts: 505 Location: Sarayashiki |
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Hello again. I have created another one of my notorious threads where I post certain questions to get certain answers. This time, I'm talking about Escaflowne. Please read this first post, and bear with me. I ask these question because there are certain things I want to know. I ask that you please be patient and answer my question if you wish to post. Now then on to the topic.
I know it's been awhile since Escaflowne was released, but it's such a great anime. So I want to know these from you: 1) Do you like Escaflowne or used to like Escaflowne? (Only post if you like Escaflowne and if you used to like it, please explain why and DON'T CRITICIZE ANYONE ELSE FOR LIKING IT EVEN IF YOU HAVE MOVED ON). Are you not into this type of anime? Were the character unlikable? Did Dilandau give you nightmares?  (Just kidding.) Please give a good reason if you used to like Esacflowne and decided to post. If you have no answer for a question, put NA.
2) Who is your favorite character? 3) Is there a character who annoys you? 4) Whether you like Escaflowne or used to like it, was there a particular thing that annoyed you? 5) Did you read the manga versions? 6) Did you see Escaflowne the Movie: A Girl in Gaea? Additional comments: Feel free to copy and paste the questions. And be honest! I'm open to all answers. 1) Yes, I love Escaflowne it's one of my favorites. 2) My favorite characters are Van, Hitomi and Dilandau. I like the other characters too, but these are my tops. Van was a bit arrogant at first, but I like his heroicness. Hitomi relates to myself, and Dilandau is one of the best villains in anime, he is one of my favorite anime villains. 3) Um, Millerna annoyed me at first. She's okay, but I wasn't too crazy about her. I'm glad that she spoiler[might be with Dryden. I thought they did go well together.] 4) The one thing that annoyed me about the series was that in the end spoiler[Dilandau was a female named Celena who was Allen's sister. I know this sounds weird, but I liked Dilandau the way he was, I question why that had to be done.] 5) I read some of the 8 volumes shonen version of Escaflowne released by Tokyopop. It wasn't very good and nothing like the TV series. 6) I have not seen the movie yet but I want to. Comments: To me, Escaflowne is an excellant anime. 
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18189 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Sure, I'll bite on this one.
Still like it and still think it stands up pretty well.
Wow, I'm reaally tempted to say Dilandau here because he was such a deliciously twisted, screwed-up bastard.
The Mole Man.
I always found the whole Destiny Prognostication Engine business (or whatever it was called) to be a flimsy motivator for the main villain, even if it was rather original.
Tried to read one volume, but hated Hitomi with glasses.
I not only own it but saw it first and have rewatched part of it within the past couple of months.
What annoys me most about the franchise is the way fans of the TV series (which I liked quite a bit) belittle the movie (which I like just at much). I've always felt that it was a grave injustice towards a movie that is one of the best-looking anime movies of its time period and, if evaluated strictly as a stand-alone project, is one of the best-written, too. |
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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I still like it and in fact was very happy to be able to purchase it on DVD a few years back.
It's hard to say, actually. I like quite a few of them. Probably I'm going to have to go with Van. Though I love Hitomi and Dilandau and Folken too. And DRYDEN!
Merle. It doesn't help that I usually listen to the dub (more on that later) but I've always found her grating. Though it does get better as the series progresses and she isn't so psychotic around Hitomi. Also Alan, but more so because of Hitomi's ridiculous crush on him.
I think that there were some arcs that weren't necessary and that time could have been better used. The best example is the Atlantis arc, which actually got cut from the "Best of Escaflowne" compliation thing, to show how "important" it was to the overall plot.
Like Key, I read the first volume. Really hated it. I've read a bit of the shoujo one scanlated and while it looked better, out of all of the versions I still think the series got the best take on the story.
I own a bootleg of it (which I bought not realizing it was a bootleg, for the record) and think it is okay. Certainly the art style is much nicer than the series. But I have the same problem with it that I have with most anime movies that I've seen: I just don't feel connected with the characters (or at very least, I'm only connected to them because I like them in the other series). My only other additional comment is to note that, because I first saw this series dubbed, I almost always watch it that way. It just feels weird to me otherwise, even though there is nothing wrong with the sub and it even features some voices I really like (Maya Sakamoto and Tomokazu Seki). I actually even like the guy doing Dilandau's voice, though the Japanese has one advantage in that spoiler[the same seiyuu was able to play both Dilandau and Celena]. Also, I must note that the soundtrack for this series is still one of the best I have ever heard in anime. Yoko Kanno is a genius (not to mention crazy versatile...just listen to this scoring up against Cowboy Bebop!). |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Yes. It is one of the best Anime I have ever seen, and I believe I rated it as Masterpiece. I stand by that rating.
Hitomi. Because strong female characters are few in Anime (many of the so-called strong ones are just sexual fantasies). I liked the way her Voice Actor played her, which also helps.
Yes there is, and her name is Merle. JesuOtaku once claimed that she was Moe. But she isn't. She's just a pain. Maybe it was just her Voice Actor, although I doubt the original Seiyuu is any less grating.
The noses. If you've seen the show, you'll know what I'm talking about. I did get used to them, but I still don't like them.
Nope. Never seen a Manga adaptation around where I live, and I don't like ordering stuff online.
Nope. I've never seen it on DVD shelves around my home city, but I wouldn't want to watch it anyway. The changes they've made seem daft, and trying to cram twenty-six episodes of epic fantasy into a single movie is moronic.
The Vision of Escaflowne is still one of the best Shoujo Anime I have ever watched, as well as one of the best Anime I've seen in the Mecha and Fantasy genres too. It is epic; try arguing otherwise and I'll smite you. That is all. |
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marie-antoinette
Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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In their defence, that is not what the movie is trying to do. It's telling a completely independent story to the one we still in the series. Even though I'm not a huge fan, I do have to admit that the story there is complete in and of itself and only the romantic attachment between Van and Hitomi really seemed rushed to me. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18189 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Seconded on this. It is, at worst, one of the top three or four soundtracks ever for an anime TV series and was my #1 priority to get replaced when a bunch of my CDs got stolen out of my car last year. |
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DragonsRevenge
 Posts: 1150 |
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I liked it well enough. I don't remember any particulars, but it held my attention. I think I'd need to watch it again to remember anything.
I am into this type of anime. I wish there were more like it nowadays.
The only one that got on my nerves was Dilandau
No, he just annoyed me.
Dilandau. And the overly melodramatic nature of it. It's one of those where cheesy melodrama = Epic saga, or so the writers think.
No
Yeah, it came with the box set. I thought it was ass. I don't mind spin offs and alternate retellings, but this was not the way to do it. The characters' new roles didn't fit their personalities, and were just terrible, the story was nonexistant. It was just a mess. I technically got the movie for free, and I still felt like I overpaid. |
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SailorButterfly
 Posts: 152 Location: Pike Road, AL |
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Yes! It's one of my favorites.
Allen!! <3
Yes, Merle. Man, she needs to shut up and go away.
Not that I remember, other than Merle, of course.
No
Yes. And as much as I liked the show, I hated the movie. Additional comments: I agree with marie-antoinette about the music. I don't own the soundtrack, but I LOVE the music from the show. I disagree with dtm42 about the noses, though. They didn't bother me a bit. I love the art and even have an Escaflowne art book. 
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Treiz
 Posts: 121 |
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Escaflowne is IMHO the BEST anime I have ever seen. That is, I think every element of the show from the music to the animation to the story to the characters, the designs, setting, mythology, etc etc, everything was excellent. The irony that gets me is that the show is really almost just a HUGE "Mary Sue" story. But it's just so well done that I forgive it that.
Probably Lord Folken, or Dyden. Every character is wonderful, even the moleman and Merle have their moments.
Characters don't usually annoy me so much as their affect on the plot, in this case I only ever found some of the background characters that had repetitive lines to be annoying, but that's just because the lines are superfluous.
Nothing comes to mind.
Some
Saw it in theaters, own it on dvd and bluray. Not as good as the show, but still really good. The soundtrack was amazing![/quote] |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11297 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Used to liked the series and movie a lot, gave the series an Excellent and the movie a Very Good.
I would say either Allen or Folken. At the time I was into them (and starting out with anime in general) I was quite enamored by the voice acting talents of Brian Drummond and Paul Dobson and still like them a lot this day. I also liked the driving forces and personalities behind each of their characters. They both always seemed very classy and calm.
Merle. She's very loud.
I don't mind romantic subplots, but the degree of melodrama felt a little off pace at times. And then there was Merle. I'd have to give it a re-watch, though.
Nope.
The movie is frowned upon by most people because it's essentially a retelling of the series, and most series condensed into movies just don't have enough time to tell a thorough enough story. But I personally found it pretty enjoyable, regardless, because it had such a darker atmosphere to it, which is amply reflected through two major components: the art style and the musical score. The character designs and color palette in particular caught my eye and gave the world of Gaea a much grittier and dirtier look that I thought better fit all the medieval warfare and violence. It also eliminated the "pointy nose" thing and gave off a more realistic portrayal, in my opinion. And of course, anything by Yoko Kanno is always a plus, but with a movie budget I'm sure she and Mizoguchi put a lot more effort into the composition and conduction with a real live orchestra. When I watched it in conjunction with the special features, I think I remember the crew saying they wanted to convey a theme, rather than a story, something about solitaire and loneliness and the longing to feel needed. I don't really remember, it's probably been almost a decade since I've seen either. I'll have to give both another watch one of these days... |
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3876 Location: New York state. |
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Still like the series quite a bit. Personally own the entire series on DVD.
Folken. I'm a sap for sympathetic villains since they don't follow the standard "black and white morality" trope. Folken's one of the great examples for me of characters that defy it since he believes he is justified in his actions with Zaibach from personal experience spoiler[until he realizes his boss doesn't give a hoot over those he uses for his personal gain.]
This might get me some heat, but I have to say Van. I found it too hard to connect with the guy with how much of an uptight jerk he was and even as he became less of one towards later in the series, I still couldn't find myself connecting with him since I found Hitomi had to knock sense into him at nearly every turn of the series in order for him to develop.
spoiler[To this day, I still can't buy the fact that Hitomi and Van could be a believable pairing with being polar opposites in personality.]
Have yet to read any of the manga adaptations.
I have. Found it to be a mixed bag. I did like the conversion of Gaia into a feudal Japanese setting with more emphasis on human battles instead of guymalef clashes. But turning Folken into a pure baddie and Hitomi into an angsty teen grated enough on my nerves. Plus, spoiler[the development of Van and Hitomi's relationship felt much more unnatural than the TV series with the movie's rushed developments.] Additional comment: I'm still hooked on listening to "Dance of Curse" from the series. It gives Escaflowne an epic feel. |
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Youkai Warrior
Posts: 505 Location: Sarayashiki |
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I hardly saw the Mole Man much, I forgot about him.
I totally agree with you. Strong female character are few in anime, which was why I liked her so much. If anyone should be called a heroine, it should be Hitomi. |
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Dark Elf Warrior
 Posts: 228 |
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1) I love Escaflowne! I still love it to this day, while there are other anime I have moved away from. 2) My favorite characters are Van, Hitomi, Dryden, Folken and Dilandau. Dilandau sorta reminds me of Knives from Trigun. 3) Millerna. She was a bit of a snob, and I didn't like how she would act with Hitomi sometimes. Allen was cool, but I found him to be a playboy, I'm glad spoiler[Hitomi chose Van.] 4) Mister Mole wasn't important, why was he there? And spoiler[Dilandau really being a female. He's a hunk of man! They should have kept him as a man!] 5) I read volumes 1, and didn't like it. The glasses Hitomi Hoshino wore made her look mousy, and hated that she was curvacious and whined alot. A poor interpretation of Hitomi Kanzaki who is a true heroine. 6) I have seen previews and I am compelled to see the movie. Plus spoiler[Dilandau is all man in the movie.] Additional comments: Truly a great anime. They sure don't make anime like Esacflowne anymore. |
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