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Old 2009-05-10, 00:36   Link #21
MikaMiaka
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Join Date: May 2009
This series rocks hardcore. I'm surprised there isn't a general discussion thread on it, as this thread seems to be about whether the movie is as good as the series.

In desperate need for a remake or sequel, I want brand new and shiny Escaflowne now! :P XD

Spoiler for Overall Impression:
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Old 2009-05-10, 09:48   Link #22
KimmyChan
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It's a very good storyline indeed, and MikaMiaka's right, a remake or sequel would be pretty awesome
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Old 2010-11-18, 23:24   Link #23
Xellos-_^
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i am re-watching Escaflowne right now and the only thing that iscrossing my mind. Why can't we get quality anime like this anymore? Why do we keep getting moe crap and softcore porn that pass for anime these days?
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Old 2010-11-19, 00:30   Link #24
germanturkey
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this anime was from a better time. we don't get epic classics like this any more. there aren't many companies willing to take the risk.
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Old 2010-11-19, 04:31   Link #25
roriconfan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xellos-_^ View Post
Why can't we get quality anime like this anymore? Why do we keep getting moe crap and softcore porn that pass for anime these days?
Because good sells more than better.

Quote:
Originally Posted by germanturkey View Post
there aren't many companies willing to take the risk.
With the economy crisis and all the easy piracy going around, I don't blame them. Quality doesn't sell more anymore.

.............

And a review of mine

ANIMATION SECTION [Hehe, that mecha wears a cape. How ridiculous… Hey, it disappeared!]

General Artwork 2/2 & Backgrounds 2/2: The environments are drawn quite average in all; but their combination… GTFO! How did they mix all these stuff and still managed to make them look great? I am stunned; I really am. Modern Tokyo AND medieval fantasy AND sci-fi mecha that seem to FIT ALL THE TIME?! I salute the guys who managed to pull it through. The cosmology of the series is a blend of everything we already know of, and yet it is unique with all the anachronisms that actually DON’T feel irrelevant to one another. A truly great fairy tale that takes place in several time periods at the same time.

Character Figures 2/2: First of all … NOSES! … Yes, they are long but it is a grave mistake to drop the series because of them. I for one believe that it made the cast to be more unique than the ones from other anime. Beyond that, all the main characters have a unique look on them that goes well with their general personality (Allen looks charming, Merle looks perky, etc). I found nothing wrong to see knights side to side with eastern monks and cat-girls, as the series is after all fantasy and the final feeling was quite fit with everything that went on. Even the mecha look special with that steampunk way they work. Ok, having their energy cores and the cockpit in defenseless places was kinda target practice for the enemy but then again the mecha were supposed to be far superior in the past than they are now. Beyond that, their weaponry is awesome! Cloaks that really cloak a building-tall mecha??? Dragon transformations ??? Fate Alteration Device ??? COOL !!!

Visual Effects 2/2: Not just different angles. Like any romance that respects its viewers, it has a huge amount of feathers and roses and lightning that reflects the character’s mood. You really feel what the characters feel through the visual effects. I LOVE watching cinematics that are not there just for the explosions and the laser beams. Hands down; there are great!

Motion Fluidity 1/2: The only thing that is not great in the series is the smoothness in motion. It is better than average (just watch the mecha fight) but just ain’t as great as in OVA or movie format.

TOTAL FOR ANIMATION: 9/10



SOUND SECTION [EEE-eee-EEE-scaaa-FLO-ow-NEEE!]

Voice Acting 3/3: How can I deduct points if everyone always talks the way he should be talking? Every character has its personality mirrored perfectly through his/her tone of voice (even Merle’s annoying pinch was fitting) and since they describe themselves in various moments and flashbacks, their monologues actually are meaningful to pay attention to. Marvelous voice acting!

Music Themes 4/4: I love chorus music! It makes a series feel more epic. This series happens to actually BE epic in its story, so the religious hymns were exceptional and fitting. Even the sugarcoated intro is not a run-of-the-mill pop song. A marvelous soundtrack that you hardly come by in anime (the only other anime with a real chorus I know of is Advent Children ).

Sound Effects 3/3: Just like the visual effects, they bring out the feelings of one’s state and held the viewer identify or sympathy him. Very theatrical!

TOTAL FOR SOUND: 10/10 [PEEE-eee-EEE-eeerfect-SCO-o-OOORE!]



STORY SECTION [A Japanese high school girl transfers to a magical world… Not even the tip of the iceberg, pal!]

General Scenario 2/2: Imagine the best of what epic fantasy, romance, mystery, sci-fi and philosophy have to offer, being mixed in a wonderful blend within a single series. It is not an original story; not by a long shot. You can find dozens of series with a similar premise. Yet, it is so well presented that you totally ignore all the pitfalls of each genre separately, as every genre hole seems to be filled with the positive points of another genre. This is one of those series that scream, “I appear to be mundane but I am not”. I have seen hundreds of series, where the scriptwriters mix a dozen genres just to make an impression with the rearrangement of the stereotypes. Sadly, most of the times, they are just out-of-order and misplaced elements, which give you the feeling that it’s not one uniform series but a dozen different ones, with scrambled scenes of one another (i.e. Elfen Lied, Kannazuki no Miko, School Days). This series is amongst the few exceptions, where the blend worked in a positive way. It used the clichés of each genre and elevates them by adding different features to THE SAME elements, instead of throwing elements that overlap previous ones and make you think you are watching a different series in each scene.

Form of Development/ Pace of Plot 2/2: The story moves faster than a speeding bullet; the reason being that the initial 39 episodes had to be zipped down to 26 because of funding problems. Thus, each episode packs in fact one and a half worth of plot; so don’t be surprised if there are far too many revelations within the same episode or if an episode ends in a normal moment, instead of a cliffhanger that took place 5 minutes ago. It may feel erratic at first but I came to love the unpredictability of the whole fuss. Because I couldn’t just say “Nah, they will stall the battle and end in a cliffhanger”. There was no time for stalling! It sure beats all those boring series that take half the series just to reveal something totally mundane. Heck, there hardly is any filler scene in the entire series. Fillers are a must in anime and yet are totally absent here. I double-loved it just for this.

Side Stories/Extra Spices 2/2: Usually, side stories are dressings for the main story or a funky way to stall time. In this case, not only everyone has a side story, but also every side story eventually mixes with everyone else’s AND has a central point in the story. Wow, all those stories created an interactive web of scenarios that is hard to grasp without taking notes. Amazing!

Believability/Reasoning/Realism & Conclusion 3/4: Well, yes, it is fantasy and that pretty much self-excuses any “weird stuff” in the story. It also adds a lot of scientific explanations that somewhat reason all the queer happenings around Fate and Love. Yet, even that didn’t prevent the series from feeling sometimes out of order, as various events seem to be open to interpretation or left vague and incomplete in the conclusion. Even the romantic relations to one another feel too far-fetched. It is nothing serious; in fact compared to all other similar titles it is not even much to bother with. It just leaves you with the feeling that the series ends in a forced way that conveniently offers a catharsis to each problem that simply under normal situations wouldn’t be so easily overcome. Still, if you don’t think too much about it, the series explains itself nicely and ends in a satisfactory way.

TOTAL FOR STORY: 9/10



CHARACTER SECTION [Why are your wings black, oh brother?]

Presence & Personality 3/4: Although the characters have a very realistic body language that expresses their emotions, it would be a lie to say they were original. Hitomi is the typical Japanese shool girl that falls in love with every hunk she meets. Van is the typical red-colored hothead. Allen is the typical chivalrous knight. Merle is the typical perky/cute cat-girl. Folkien is the typical evil elder brother. And so on, and so on…

Development 2/2: Yet, these archetypes anyone can find in every shonen or shojo are developed to hights unparallel. Especially the main ones become different people in your eyes, after their pasts are revealed. Not only that, they also doubt the very ideals they begin with, instead of sticking to them like glue, as it is usually the case with anime casts and their blindly-followed high ideals. Also, development comes through self-realization of a given situation and not because someone defeated the hero in battle and caused a sudden mental and physical power-up. How cool is that? Wait, there is more. Although the series appears to have villains, in reality it has none. For even the cruelest of them are like that for a good reason and become humane and likable as the story unfolds. If a villain exists, that would be human selfishness, which cannot be defeated with a super beam, fired by an ultra mecha, empowered by love and compassion. Word!

Backdrop 2/2: Not only everyone has a story to tell, but that said story eventually intertwines with everyone else’s. Nice!

Catharsis 1/2: As I stated in the Story Section, the ending does feel forced in a way, as most characters have their worries resolved in an almost fairy-tale fashion.

TOTAL FOR CHARACTERS: 8/10



VALUE SECTION [Energist is pure gold.]

Historical Value 3/3: Famous as hell.
Rewatchability 3/3: If you liked it, it is sustain you will watch it again in the future (four times for me, and still counting). It is complex enough to make you watch it at least once more just to get the full picture. Since it has no dead time, no episodes are going to be skipped.
Memorability 4/4: Unlike anything else in its mix of genres.

TOTAL FOR VALUE: 10/10 [Jumping beans; another 10!]



ENJOYMENT SECTION: 9 [What did I miss? I only looked the other way for a second!]

I need to make clear that it is the only series I know of (and I know most of them) that is equally appealing to both males and females. Girly romance goes hand to hand with fighting mecha and it doesn’t feel alienating at all. It is a truly unisex series that nobody can suggest not viewing because of someone’s genre. It is also both serious and light-hearted so even immature teenagers and sophisticated adults can like different aspects in it. Definitely above most series that have a specific target audience and with a multi-layered story that is character-driven, this anime is a jewel that outshines all others of its kind.

To be honest, I know several people who didn’t like it one bit. I tend to believe it is because they paid too much attention to some elements and not to the whole of the series. Heck, I myself found famous fantasy series like Guardian of the Sacred Spirit and the 12 Kingdoms to be boring, because their plot was slow as hell and quickly lost interest, despite the supremacy in graphics and character development. If nothing new occurs in 15 minutes, I start to yawn; thus novel adaptations are not my cup of tea. This series, despite not being so well planned, left no time for me to be bored. It was so fast that I was always with my eyes wide-open.



VERDICT
Both jury and judge bow in respect. The accuser is sentenced to a thousand years of hard labor.

Average: 9.2/10


SUGGESTION LIST

The 12 Kingdoms
Guardian of the Sacred Spirit
Inu Yasha
Brigadoon Marin to Melan
Fushigi Yûgi
Maze – The Mega-burst Space
Magical Knight Rayearth
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Old 2010-11-19, 22:41   Link #26
Yuna Amakura
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Age: 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by roriconfan

Motion Fluidity 1/2: The only thing that is not great in the series is the smoothness in motion. It is better than average (just watch the mecha fight) but just ain’t as great as in OVA or movie format.
Isn't this obvious? It IS a tv series.
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Old 2010-11-20, 01:55   Link #27
NoemiChan
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Its epical... War, romance, heroism, swords, medieval style warfare and mechas.

These are somethings that I only found only in Vision of Escaflowne...

"Fight, Lord Von!!!!!!!!"
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Old 2012-08-13, 13:12   Link #28
FireChick
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I just started watching this early this month. It's pretty cool, albeit a little jerky in the beginning. It doesn't really give you time to let everything sink in. I reached episode 10 this morning. Overall, I like it so far...except this dude:

Spoiler:


It also doesn't help that HE SOUNDS LIKE HE'S FRIGGIN' TEN IN THE ENGLISH DUB!!!!
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Old 2012-08-13, 20:05   Link #29
Rahan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FireChick View Post
I just started watching this early this month. It's pretty cool, albeit a little jerky in the beginning. It doesn't really give you time to let everything sink in. I reached episode 10 this morning. Overall, I like it so far...except this dude:

Spoiler:


It also doesn't help that HE SOUNDS LIKE HE'S FRIGGIN' TEN IN THE ENGLISH DUB!!!!
Hey, don't diss him, he was my Avatar here for more than 6 years. (from the day I joined till last month)

Escaflowne is a classic, it deserves all the praises it has received over the years.
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Old 2012-09-21, 19:12   Link #30
FireChick
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Oh, I know. I actually love him now that I'm watching the Japanese version and a bit of the German version. I just find it VERY hard to take him seriously with that...that baby voice he has in the English dub! He sounds like he's eight years old! And even more mind breaking...he's voiced by HIM!!!

Spoiler:


...I'm not even kidding!

Speaking of which, BY GOD Dilandau's German voice is AWESOME, especially when he cackles!
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