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| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- It's a good thing that I have seen the original series because otherwise I would not have understood a single thing... Awesome soundtracks, but some ugly designs. Story was rushed, so was the "character development" 6/10 because I managed to watch it till the end. |
Confucius said: It's a good thing that I have seen the original series because otherwise I would not have understood a single thing... This movie bears only a superficial resemblance to the TV series, so I don't know why you say that. In fact, I think watching this too soon after watching the TV series would only be confusing because everything is so different. Judging it on its own, this movie is adequate, I suppose. It's good-looking and has a nice score but the story and character development are kind of wonky. The best part was the suicide note scene in the opening. Treating the note so humorously (for lacking creativity!) dispels the obvious (especially in Japan) tension of a depressed teenager, instead putting the focus on Hitomi’s misery, which is hit home immediately; saying she wouldn’t actually kill herself, Hitomi says she’ll grow old and die when it’s her time. In comparison to suicide it sounds upbeat but she looks and sounds so sad which is reflected in the reaction of her friend. The problem is that being alive means nothing to Hitomi. Unfortunately this well-realized portrayal of depression just goes away at some point. There's also the problem that Hitomi's depressed state is supposed to be mirrored in Folken but he actually does want to commit suicide in the sense that he wants to destroy the world. This isn't really the same thing as Hitomi's passive desire to "fade away". |
| If you want some kind of character development its best to watch this after watching the TV series even though most of them are different, this could have been fleshed out if it was a bit more longer. The story in this maybe nothing special or intriguing but it was much better than the ridiculous mess that of the TV series. Overall i prefer the character designs and personalities in this much better, I hated Hitomi in the series here she was much more likable. Escaflowne itself was ugly though, either way i enjoyed this way more than the series. 6.8/10 |
| I bought this movie the first day it same out back in fall 2002. It always troubled me in its rushed pacing and short running time, yet I continued to watch it every once in awhile. There are lots of things that could have been done differently, especially in developing Hitomi and Van's relationship as well as adding more dimension to Folken (who is my favorite character in the series) but there is something inherently 'right' about this film that keeps me coming back. There are some really fantastic atmospheric and mystical moments in this film that give me chills. My favorite scene is when Nariya and Eriya have their cameo in Dryden's tavern; the lighting and the dreamlike interior of the building is intoxicating and beautiful (The song, "Sora's Folktale" is one of my favorite film motifs of all time, and I was sad to find out that the track itself is little over a minute on the soundtrack). Many of the little transitional "shots" are similar in their beauty. I feel the film ranks up with Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Royal Space Force in terms of animation quality, and is so rich in its tones (the sunsets!) that it is easy to get lost in them in the face of the flaws. It is very possible that this could have been one of the best mainstream anime feature lengths if there was..."more." I still hope for a director's cut of some sort. I recall reading the booklet included with the 3 disk edition that had back then (I have it again now) that gave me the impression that the creators themselves were not satisfied with the movie as a finished product. So perhaps they will revisit the film in some way in the future. |
| Not watched the series, so knew nothing about the characters and world. Finished the film, and still don't really know anything about the characters. One of those films where it feels like i fell asleep in the middle and missed half of it. Way to rushed, it all seemed to quick and easy. A lot of the scenes didn't have any of the impact i imagine they should have. 5/10 Soundtrack was pretty good however. |
| I was 13 when I first saw this, and as this was the first anime I truly owned for my own (it was a birthday present), the movie holds a special place in my heart. If I remember correctly, this was the first mature anime I've watched--in some ways, I'd say it's mature, as it's surely not kid-friendly. I had never seen the series prior to this (it would take eight years before I would see it), but I had managed to follow the movie fine. I enjoyed everything about the movie, though in particular the soundtrack is amazing, and is what helped made the movie more enjoyable for me next to the visuals. Oh, and Dilandau. God, he was fantastic. (Of course, my dad refers to him as the psycho arsonist because of the film, lol.) Yes, the movie has problems, and some characters weren't handled well. It unfortunately is like an abridgment of the television series, but more in favor of Van the whole time through--Alan barely seemed to acknowledge Hitomi the whole time. However, I've noticed Escaflowne is a bit unique in that all of its adaptations are like different universes, or different takes of the story and the world. Thus, when I look at the movie as an alternative universe, I think it's great, flaws and all. The atmosphere's heavier in the movie than in the TV series, but it doesn't bother me, even though it's a harsh contrast to the TV series. I dunno, it could just be the nostalgia talking. I'm happy I got the movie for my birthday. I would say it was what got me into anime for good (though I think I had seen some of Scrapped Princess and Kodocha prior to getting the film), so I admire it fondly. |
Lil-BirdSep 5, 2014 12:44 AM
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Lusbox said: Not watched the series, so knew nothing about the characters and world. Finished the film, and still don't really know anything about the characters. One of those films where it feels like i fell asleep in the middle and missed half of it. Way to rushed, it all seemed to quick and easy. A lot of the scenes didn't have any of the impact i imagine they should have. 5/10 Soundtrack was pretty good however. Yeah, same. It started off alright but from around the part Van inexplicably grew wings the characters and their powers just started to wash over me. |
BlackoutingOct 5, 2014 4:23 PM
| Wow, the show was better. This film was just...messy, plot-wise. |
Bum Bum Dum Dum |
| I just love the whole Vision of Escaflowne universe. It leaves you speechless by its beautiful worlds, characters and exceptional soundtracks. The anime was already amazing; so is the movie. The story might be a bit rushed or short, but the art, the characters and especially the soundtrack make it an experience to watch. |
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| The TV series was absolutely amazing and the movie was disappointing, it's not a bad movie, but not what I expected. Something that I wanted to see would be some sort of prequel to the TV series; like how the Escaflownes were built. |
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Amagai said: Arjman89 said: I feel the film ranks up with Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Royal Space Force in terms of animation quality, and is so rich in its tones (the sunsets!) that it is easy to get lost in them in the face of the flaws. It is very possible that this could have been one of the best mainstream anime feature lengths if there was..."more." My friend, I absolutely agree with your statement and sentiments. Truly this film could've been amongst the great ones. My exact thought. In my opinion, this had so much potential, but it was completely wasted simply beause it is Escaflowne. I mean, seeing just the movie and supposing that the plot, character and other stuff came from the TV anime, the story don't fit with the animation. If it was a little less childish and more deep, it would be great. 6.5/10. |
| Wow this was kinda bad especially the ending which was worse than the anime's. |
| Interesting to see the parallels between this an the TV series. Because of the shorter air time, the characters really weren't very developed. Excellent animation and soundtrack though. Dragon mech is as cool as ever! 7/10 |
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| Really liked the style, the animation but will probably need to watch the series for the characters and story to make more sense. |
| And I thought the tv series was disappointing... Visuals are as good or even better as the series', which is impressive, but that's about it, not even the music was as good. It focused too much in making a darker and edgier story without bothering to make it even comprehensible. And the characters? omg...in the series they were flawed but had development, tragic backgrounds and good interactions while here they are half plot devices and half depressed and lifeless assholes. |
| Rewatched with the new dub. Must have seen the original over a decade ago. I did not remember how incredible the art and animation were. Just outstanding visuals. And Yoko Kanno's soundtrack is absolutely timeless genius. And while the storyline is pretty cliché i don't think its the mess everyone here makes it out to be. I see much worse everyday. |
| "Perhaps there is a universal, absolute truth. Perhaps it justifies every question. But that's beyond the reach of these small hands." Mamoru Oshii There is a cult of ignorance (...) nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov |
| Wow, I didn't expect this to be so amazing. Yes, it's different from the series, but it has a unique spin to it. The action is incredible and both the music and animation can be described as "wonderfully mysterious." It's not quite Nausicaa, but they've built a curious world that just calls for exploration. The only thing that kept it an 8 for me is that it's a bit too short - some characters barely get any action! 10 or 20 more minutes, to flesh out the world and add one or two more action scenes and it would have been a really complete work. |
| (|__/) Never give up, aim for the top! (='.'=) Top wo nerae! o(")(") Anime music: http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=777199 |
| I guess I liked the anime version better. The beginning felt good, but the second half not so much. I liked Dilandau ending better than the other, let the man be with his buddies. Millerna was way off character and I didn't like it very much. Merle was great as usual. Hitomi was less annoying, but I missed her genki girl act. The ED of the movie was freaking amazing. Gotta download the song later. And with this I've finished this franchise. I didn't like it very much, but it was still nice watching. The soundtrack was one of the best I've ever listened to. |
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matheoo41 said: Farabeuf said: I did not remember how incredible the art and animation were. Just outstanding visuals. And Yoko Kanno's soundtrack is absolutely timeless genius. And while the storyline is pretty cliché i don't think its the mess everyone here makes it out to be. I see much worse everyday. Visually it was great, although it shows its age. Definitely soundtrack is the strongest point. I think the big problem here is it tried to be everything at once: romance, adventure, drama, action. Also, most characters did not get any depth or backstory, it made the whole thing harder to follow and less emotional. The fantasy world got me intrigued, so I plan to watch the TV series as well. The tv series definitely is much better story wise. Characters get time to develop and the back stories are there too. |
| "Perhaps there is a universal, absolute truth. Perhaps it justifies every question. But that's beyond the reach of these small hands." Mamoru Oshii There is a cult of ignorance (...) nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov |
| Didn't expect to prefer the movie over the TV series this much. i thought the plot was handled better although it leaves plenty of questions unanswered. character design is more appealing. I'm also surprised by how darker the movie is. not only the plot, but the depiction of violence, too. not complaining, though. 9/10 |
| I liked the anime better even if I prefer the character designs here. 7/10 for the anime. 5/10 for the movie. Dance of Curse is one of the most epic OST in anime. |
 .Go watch Gintama boyo/grill My discord server for gaming and anime/manga: https://discord.com/invite/4mqXfNEJ9A |
| It's very obvious that this movie gave me the sparknotes version of the story, but damn did that sweet, sweet movie budget shine through in those visuals and this was some next level world-building (to the point where I thought of Moribito at one point, which is a really good thing). |
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| this was a lot more different to the main series than I was expecting! Still it was enjoyable, although not as good as the original version I'd say. I feel like due to the differences it doesn't really matter when someone watches this for the watch order, although I'd probably recommend starting with the series as it's stronger, and having seen that someone is more likely to want to go on to watch this alternate retelling movie then vice versa, the movie might make the series a hard sell. Still overall enjoyable tho as a one off imo |
| I have a third testicle that gives me psychic powers |
| This movie was terrible; what a disappointment, having really enjoyed the series. The plot is so bare bones with none of the backstories for anyone other than Hitomi. It lacked any kind of depth, with a bunch of characters just... there? It made me wish for another adaptation that would combine parts of this film with the series, like providing an actual reason why Hitomi was taken to Gaia. ( ) 4/10 |
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| The film was absolutely gorgeous, one of the best backgrounds and shading that I've ever seen in an anime. I didn't expect the film to be this different, though I agree with the commenters that I wished it was a bit longer for the characters to have more development. I love how everyone is basically a Nomura character, especially Allen who was turned into Sephiroth and Millernia looks like a combination between Tifa and Aerith. She also seemed very out of character compared to the series, but all of the characters were fine. |
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| Impressive how they managed to handle the whole Hitomi x Van romance even worse than in the anime series. |
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