Ranked #1575

Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea

Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea was produced by Sunrise and Bandai Visual, and was directed by Kazuki Amane, same as in the series. It was released in theatres in Japan on June 24th, 2000, was licensed Stateside by Bandai Entertainment and had a limited run in theatres Stateside starting on January 25th, 2002.

Hitomi Kanzaki is depressed and considering killing herself. One day, a man appears before her and calls her the Wing Goddess, summoning her to Gaea, a world at war, where she is the ultimate arbiter of the God of the Heavens and War, Escaflowne, and, accordingly, Gaea's destiny.

As you can probably tell, this is a complete retelling of the original series. There are far darker takes on all the characters than you saw in the series, and a completely different plot and world that they're in, which in and of itself has its effects on them. And honestly, even though it's worlds away from the series, it's just as good of a story as the series told, especially in a more limited timeframe to work in. Every character from the series shows up, though some have their involvement changed around somewhat.

For most major characters, there is enough basic similarities between their design (though not necessarily their clothing) in the series and in the movie that you can tell who's who easily. There are some characters that got a complete facelift for this, though, most notably Folken and Millerna, and the overall effect is not all that bad, really. In fact, RAWR.

The art for this is richer and draws some amazing contrasts, especially with color in some of the earlier scenes and a notable scene that goes from watercolors to full cel animation; however, the same basic style from the series is kept and exaggerated in some cases, which, at times, does not produce the greatest effects. CG is also used far more in here, and it's kind of just as obvious as when they used it in the series.

Every character's seiyuu was able to return for this, which adds that more of a sense of familiarity and continuity, especially if you can't recognize them at first glance. Yoko Kanno returned to work on the soundtrack for this, and it's just as beautiful as the series was.

So, overall, while the movie does have a more limited timeframe to work in and lots of info to convey, the new storyline and character designs are more than welcome, especially with the seiyuu returning to provide continuity, and with Yoko Kanno on the soundtrack, and a richer environment to play around in, this adaptation is just as good as the series. read more

Take Vision of Escaflowne, remove all the character development, writing, humor, romance, and action that made the series the classic 90s anime people treat it as, and throw it out the window. Then replace all that with angst and blood. That's the Escaflowne movie.

While I have to admire Sunrise to attempt to condense the series for those unfamiliar with it, as well as breathe new life into old characters, this isn't the way to do it. Hitomi, instead of being a shy, but head-strong girl, is now a whiny brat who contemplates suicide. Van, instead of being a bickering but brave and powerful warrior, is now Tarzan with a sword. Allen is now a clone of Sephiroth, and so forth; every character you knew from Escaflowne is ruined, and these character would still suck even to those not very familiar with the franchise (such as myself). The only improved character is Merle, who's a good deal less annoying than she was in the TV series. In fact, she's the best character in the whole movie! Unfortunately, that's not a compliment.

Remember those great mecha battle scenes with Van on the Escaflowne? They're gone now, as Van spends most of the movie slashing at things and watching them bleed. There IS a robot battle, but only one worth mention, and it doesn't come until pretty far in to be of much notice.

Then there's the writing. I suspect Sunrise hired Escaflowne fans in middle school to write this, as the plot and its constant mention of the same things over and over again makes Doraemon look like it was written by Charles Dickens. Not to mention how boring of a formula the movie follows: if you've watched anime for a few years now, you can guess what will happen before it happens.

So is there anything I liked about this movie? Well, it's pretty, with slightly improved character designs and a good sounstrack by the great Yoko Kanno. Annnnnd that's about it. Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea is a pointless retread of something that was good enough the first time around, and it won't win over any new fans in its wake. And Escaflowne fans themselves should stay as far away from this turkey as possible. read more

This movie is everything the TV series wasn’t. It’s everything the TV show should have been. You don’t have to watch the TV show before watching this, though you might want to if you're interested in seeing how a story can be dragged from the depths of writers hell into the light of storytelling purgatory.

The main character of Hitomi is changed from a generic plucky cipher into an actual human being, a typical teenager with suicidal tendencies, who actually has a character arc. Her plight is introduced and compressed into about five minutes very efficiently through adept usage of editing, direction, art and music, with a montage of scenes between her and her best friend, who she pushes away due to self-loathing.

Five minutes is definitely enough of watching a mopey girl and sure enough before we know it she's teleported into Gaea for a life-changing adventure with plenty of thrills and drama. The movie is paced so well that it knows how each segment could drag the story if played out too long, but it’s also paced too fast in that the story rolls along without giving the viewer, or characters, time to breathe. It’s one of the main reasons the overall score isn’t higher than it would have been if the story were more simple or the running time longer.

Another fatal flaw is the antagonist of the story, although much better than the beardy old man of the TV series, the motivation and methodology is again woefully lacking. Just what exactly is the point of the bad guy in this story? What does he want? To destroy the world? Eh? Is that it? Why do we not even care? The writer learns his lesson from the TV series by using a better character as the main bad guy and keeping him bad, but again he doesn’t give the viewer an insight into the thought-process of the character, what he wants and why; or why other people would even follow him and do his bidding.

The movie's not perfect and these flaws do irk, but they do not make the movie unwatchable, they simply prevent it from getting a high score. Escaflowne remains a memorable experience and worth a watch because it’s not long enough to overstay its welcome.

The TV series is, or bloody well should be, notorious for its completely out of control plot holes, twists and meaningless revelations. The movie veers away from this childish nonsense for the most part and opts for more streamlined and concise storytelling, however cliché it may appear, it’s at least solid in narrative and consistent in theme.

Now, whenever inexplicable stuff does happen, it’s dressed in abstract tones so it feels more cohesive and natural, it’s more like dreamy art that doesn’t have to make conventional sense, but relies more on mood to convey information or feeling to the viewer. Maybe I’m going too easy on the anime, but you can’t deny the powerful imagery and composition in this movie, its effective. It feels like Mamoru Oshii versus David Lynch.

Escaflowne concerns itself with fate, space and time, so its skilful editing in the movie can be understood as part of the theme, whereas in the TV series the editing was conventional yet the story made no sense. This is the key difference between TV series and movie. One is dressed up in conventional tones yet is weak narratively, while the other is an abstract enigma that makes somewhat logical sense underneath the mystery.

People who give this movie undue flak either have suspect taste or are too literal in their criticism of this reimagining of the TV show. And it is a reimagining, not a condensed version of a 26 episode show, because that would be futile and foolish.

This is the writer doing what he should have done the first time round, this is taking the core premise of Escaflowne and fulfilling its potential by working with the rest of the cast rather than doodling random crap together by himself and worming his way out with deus ex machinas every five minutes. This is a near-perfect melding of all departments of the production team gelling together to bring to the viewer a unique vision of another world and its impact on a teenager at the end of her tether.

Character designs are more 'realistic' than the TV series as expected, but what stands out the most is the world design which feels mystical and dreamlike, very memorable and unique, it feels like Escaflowne and not a random generic fantasy-land. The music by Yoko Kanno recycles some motifs from the TV series but includes a few new compositions and songs, all of the standard you'd expect from the master composer.

Escaflowne itself is one of the best mecha designs I've seen in anime, truly a beast of a 'machine', literally taking the flesh and blood of whoever the poor user of it is, a real tool of war, one that is a double-edged sword, quite literally. And when Kanno's amazing music is playing it’s a sight to behold.

The last 10 minutes of the movie revert back to TV levels of idiocy with childish plot devices and character behaviour, but if you're forgiving enough you'll overlook these flaws and just revel in the imagery coupled with Yoko Kanno, the likes of which you'll not see anywhere else. read more

excuse the translation errors

I remember commenting to some friends, not even trying to compare a TV series with a "movie", because in many cases only the plot condenses the story (such as X-1999-The Movie), or even give the plot sequence started earlier (such as Initial D - Third Stage). And produce 24 or 26 episodes for TV means that the plot of any anime is more rhythmic and elaborate, but in a "movie" of 90 min it is almost impossible to do. And the same happens in reverse, ie, when part of a "movie" or short series of OVAs for a long series made for TV. Very few anime have managed to maintain the same peak in both sequences ( "movie and TV series).

For what this whole issue? That was just a warning to the most critical, because the "movie" Vision of Escaflowne (Tenkuu no Escaflowne), produced by Bandai with the Sunrise in 2000, is again a pleasant surprise to all who have the opportunity to attend. But one should not in any way be compared to the series. For the characters remain the same, the plot is the same, but the pace is very fast, because it condenses the series. Are we clear?

Unlike the series launched in 1996, the "movie" has undergone some changes. Van Fanel, the young king of Fanel, now a kingdom destroyed and almost no children, begins as a member of Abaharaki (a group that resisted the dictatorship imposed by the Clan of the Black Dragon) and Draconian their offspring is not challenged at any time. The Abaharaki are controlled by Schezaar Allen, now a master swordsman with features and more adult-sized safe, unlike the features placed in the TV series, where he was a young knight, gentle to the extreme.

They (and Van Allen) one day and found himself in battle and joined forces, but the young king of Fanel, which is even more lonely than that shown on the TV series, follows in search of the holy armor of Escaflowne (Guymelef), now can be controlled by anyone who has the blood of the Dragon Clan in the veins. The armor was removed from its place of origin by Lord Folken, the great enemy of the kingdom and leader of the Clan of the Black Dragons.

Hitomi Kanzaki is still the main character, and for this reason had most of its features preserved. It's still part of the athletic club, is visionary and has been transported from Earth to Gaia but now, since the beginning know that it is "Tsubasa no Kami," Wings of the Goddess, able to change the world of Gaia as your desire.

Of the other characters, I must mention the strong maturation of Merle (girl-cat), now she seems to care not only with Van but with all the kingdom, even without being able to help much. On the side of evil, Dilandau has changed greatly, because now he is a man ... who watched the TV series must be understood. Course, not everything can be perfect, it still psychotic and fanatic war.

Directed by Kazuki Akane and "design" in the hands of Nobuteru Yuki, the visual is even better than the TV series, which was already expected, since it is only a "movie" of 90 minutes. Ah, the soundtrack .... Ahhh ... is ... The Soundtrack! Again done by Yoko Kanno, is magnificent, and can, in my view, to overcome the TV series. The sequences of opera mixed with vocal solos, the orchestra in the background .... only one word can describe: perfect!

There's not much you can talk about innovation on the plot, but the movie's "Vision of Escaflowne" may be quoted without major problems, such good fun for fans of the series of Escaflowne, though a more serious production. It's a good thing.

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Lembro de comentar com alguns amigos: não adianta querer comparar uma série de TV com um “movie”, pois em muitos casos o enredo apenas condensa a história (como X-1999-The Movie) ou, ainda, dá seqüência ao enredo iniciado anteriormente (como Initial D – Third Stage). E produzir 24 ou 26 episódios para TV faz com que o enredo de qualquer anime seja mais cadenciado e elaborado, mas em um “movie” de 90 min isso é quase impossível de se fazer. E o mesmo acontece em sentido inverso, ou seja, quando se parte de um “movie” ou série curta de OVAs para uma série longa feita para a TV. Pouquíssimos animes conseguiram manter o mesmo pique em ambas as seqüências (“movie” e série de TV).

Pra que toda essa introdução? Isso foi só um aviso aos mais críticos, pois o “movie” de Vision of Escaflowne (Tenkuu no Escaflowne), produzido pela Bandai juntamente com a Sunrise em 2000, é novamente uma surpresa agradável a todos que tiverem oportunidade de assistir. Mas não se deve, de forma alguma, ser comparado à série. Pois os personagens continuam os mesmos, o enredo é o mesmo, mas o ritmo é muito acelerado, pois ele condensa a série. Estamos entendidos?

Diferente da série lançada em 1996, o “movie” sofreu algumas alterações. Van Fanel, o jovem rei de Fanélia, agora um reino destruído e quase sem descendentes, começa como membro dos Abaharaki (um grupo que resiste à ditadura imposta pelo Clã dos Dragões Negros), e sua descendência Draconiana não é em momento algum contestada. Os Abaharaki são comandados por Allen Schezaar, agora um exímio espadachim, com feições mais adultas e porte seguro, diferente das características colocadas na série TV, onde ele era um jovem cavaleiro, gentil ao extremo.

Eles (Van e Allen) um dia se encontraram em batalha e uniram forças, mas o jovem rei de Fanélia, que é ainda mais solitário que o demonstrado na série de TV, segue em busca da sagrada armadura de Escaflowne (Guymelef), que agora pode ser comandada por qualquer pessoa que possua o sangue do Clã dos Dragões nas veias. A armadura foi retirada de seu lugar de origem por Lord Folken, o grande inimigo do reino e líder do Clã dos Dragões Negros.

Hitomi Kanzaki ainda é a personagem principal, e por este motivo teve a maior parte de suas características preservadas. Ela ainda faz parte do clube de atletismo, é visionária e foi transportada da Terra para Gaia mas agora, desde o início, sabe-se que ela é a “Tsubasa no Kami”, a Deusa das Asas, capaz de mudar o mundo de Gaia conforme seu desejo.

Dos outros personagens, devo citar o forte amadurecimento de Merle (a menina-gata), agora ela parece importar-se não somente com Van mas com todo o reino, mesmo sem poder ajudar muito. E, do lado do mal, Dilandau foi bastante alterado, pois agora ele é um homem... quem assistiu a série TV deve estar entendendo. Obvio, como nem tudo pode ser perfeito, ele continua psicótico e fanático por guerras.

Dirigido por Akane Kazuki e “design” nas mãos de Yuki Nobuteru, a parte visual é ainda melhor que na série de TV, o que já era de se esperar, pois se trata de apenas um “movie” de 90min. Ah, a trilha sonora....Ahhh... é... A TRILHA SONORA!! Novamente feita por Yoko Kanno, é magnífica, e consegue, a meu ver, superar a da série de TV. As seqüências de ópera misturadas com solos vocais, a orquestra ao fundo.... só uma palavra pode descrever: perfeita!!

Não há muito que se possa falar de inovador sobre o enredo, mas o movie de “Vision of Escaflowne “ pode ser citado, sem maiores problemas, como uma boa diversão aos amantes da série de Escaflowne, apesar de ser uma produção mais séria. É uma boa pedida.

Cátia Nunes - Animehaus read more