Anime Vision of Escaflowne

[Guest Tical]

I just watched the movie and... THAT WAS AWESOME!!! I totally didnt expect it too be like that. and since its 4:48 AM... my entire familly is sleeping and I watched the ending credits... Sang a few lines from Fukai no Mori and went online to share my excitement. Im not sure how to clissify it though... I would say action but theres a lot of romance but to much action to be romance and I would say shoujo but its to bloody! (If you have aw weak constitution do not read this[spoiler]a horse explodes at one part:bawl: :( [/spoiler])

[Sorax]

I have seen the movie is was great!. but i havent seen the series and i probley never will. :(

[Wintermute]

I have only seen the series, and it rocked. Hitomi was a little annoying, but all the other characters were great. Van and Allen particularly.

The Escaflowne is one of the coolest mechs around, and the battle theme is a prime example of how battle music should be done!

[AzureWolf]

[quote]* I say thought becaues the only time i got to see it is when it was on FoxKids a long time ago i whish i was able to find the DVDs.[/quote] Yeah, I saw the series before it aired on TV, but I started watching it on FOX as well because I heard that they were showing the DVD version which had extra scenes. For some reason, though, Escaflowne on TV was going painfully slow (did they cut each episode into two?), and - well, it's cancellation speaks for itself. [quote]Im not sure how to clissify it though... I would say action but theres a lot of romance but to much action to be romance and I would say shoujo but its to bloody![/quote] Didn't you read the little pamphlet that comes with the Escaflowne movie? The guy says that he originally expected it to be an action anime with romance, but 80% of Escaflowne's audience were girls! Haha, so the fans basically saw more romance in it.

That's where the movie steps in. The creator apparently made the movie to compensate for the series' lack of male fans. I think he did a poor job of it: it's just a blood-fest. C'mon, that was a pretty bad movie... I mean, I'm all for action, but did [I]EVERYTHING[/I] have to invoke blood? IMO, the movie was much worse than the series, both in art and story. The characters' new attitudes and positions were terrible.

I hated the series as well. It's like Stardust Memory: it's better without the ending. I remember that I was so fond of Escaflowne, when there were a few episodes left that I couldn't get my hands on. [spoiler]At that point, the last thing I saw was Van fighting those two twins and being paranoid[/spoiler]. I was excited about what was going to happen next. There were so many mysteries and interesting pieces of info they tossed at you.

Unfortunately, when I finally got the rest of the series, it was like I was watching a whole other anime. They seemed to have pulled a lot of BS at the end, and I hated it. All the mystery, the luster of the series, and my admiration of the show was swooped away in just 4-5 episodes. Dilandu, you were the most psychoatic character I've ever seen in an anime, and then... O_o

EDIT: Thought I'd just add something.
One of the biggest flops an anime can do is setup a great, suspenseful mystery whose answers' elegance are disproportionate to the questions' flair. Escaflowne does just that, taking you up a ladder of intrigue and ambiguity, only to lead you to a diving board of disappointment and mismatch.

This failure is one of my biggest concerns with Project .hack. There's no end to the level of mystery, surprise, and suspense in this series. It has to be [I]the[/I] most compelling Project I've ever seen, but if the answers don't stack up to the questions, it will all be for naught.

[Guest Tical]

The whole clissify thing was for the movie... I neer saw the series. I thought the blood was good... mo blood mo betta

[Artemis]

I just watched episodes 1-13 tonight. (some in English, most in Japanese). I have to say, I was quite impressed. I thought it would be really confusing, but it's not.
Does anyone else think a lot of the characters look like Trigun? I mean Gaddes looks a lot like Wolfwood, and Allen, when they've got him in the distance looks like (don't hurt me!) Millie Thompson. crazy, huh? I keep thinking that Folken looks like a combo of Vash and Knives.
For the most part, I like Hitomi's charcter (yes, her crushes do get annoying...but that's a lot of what teen girls are like...even me at times...) I like the way she's always trying to help ppl. I think the thing b/t her and Van is really cute. (So far as I can tell, Allen's too old for her.)
Van, Allen, and Folken are all awesome characters. The cat-girl gets on my nerves, but you've always gotta have a character like that, right? :)
Anyway, so far: two thumbs up!!

[duorocks17]

I thought it was a great series! The characters were great, and the music was awesome. I believe its the music that makes the series, I mean just look at bebop. That's such an awesome series cuz it has great music to back it up. Escaflowne is the same way. The music really ties into the story. Although I have to agree with Azure a little bit. I thought the movie was very poor compared to the series. It was like everyone got jubbled up, and no one knew who they were supposted to be. I loved the deptness of the characters, and the storyline. I liked the ending, I don't know what your talking about. I mean, sure there was a few unanswered questions, but it came out ok. Better than the movie.
I would definatly recomend the series!!!
Does anyone else feel this way???

[Luminaire]

[color=crimson]I have the entire series in Japanese on DVD. It cost me $38 on discountanimedvd.com. I watched the all 26 episodes in two days and rewatched the first 17 the next day. I love this show.
Escaflowne originally aired on Fox Kids and my little sis and I would run(literally) home from school every afternoon, make popcorn and sit to watch Escaflowne. Though I must admit Fox Kids changed quite a few things, I still enjoyed it very much. After a while, even my older brother would sit and watch it with us. Out of all the characters, I like Merle, Folken, and Allen the best. Merle is so funny and very cute. Folken is just cool. And, Allen...his sword fighting skills and nobility as a knight were very interesting to me.
The guymelefs were cool too. Escaflowne had a very cool design, but if you really think, why do all the other guymelefs look the same? No clue.
The storyline of the show had me watching for hours/days on end. I love the way the twists in the plot would change the entire guess you had made for the ending. [spoiler]I really didn't understand at first, how Hitomi was the one creating the future. I was like "Wha???" And Dilandu really being Allen's sister? I was like O_O[/spoiler] What suprises!

~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[ZytaZiouZ]

This is my absolute favorite anime series. I have all 26 episodes, some in English, but most in Japanese. My favorite character is Folken, without a doubt.

Well, if you have only seen the movie, you must watch at least 5 episodes of this. It is too good to not watch.

[stormy_weather]

my friends brother owns it and me,my friend,and my sister all watched it durring summer (my friend only lives a block away so me and my sis would walk over there every day and hang out)....when i started this tread i didn't know so many people think its good.this is my favorite anime that i've seen yet.

[Luminaire]

[QUOTE][I]Originally posted by stormy_weather[/I]
[B]my friend only lives a block away so me and my sis would walk over there every day and hang out[/B][/QUOTE]

[color=crimson]Oh, the hardships one endure for a great anime.

I enjoy the fact alot of people know of Escaflowne and like it. When I originally saw the commercial for it, I thought it would be stupid. Then I ended up watching the first episode and I was addicted, then I got me sis into it. That may have been one of the only times my sister and I got along very well. Great anime brings people together.(coughcornycough) ^_^

~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[Hiei Jagashi]

The manga of escaflowne is so much different then the anime.When i say different i meen almost totaly different.The actull escaflowne looks totaly different and even some of the characters are totaly different.Its so confusing.I think its realy strange.

[Luminaire]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Hiei Jagashi [/i]
[B]The manga of escaflowne is so much different then the anime.When i say different i meen almost totaly different.The actull escaflowne looks totaly different and even some of the characters are totaly different.Its so confusing.I think its realy strange. [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=crimson]Yeah, I know what you mean. I showed the manga to a few of my friends and then a pic of Escaflowne and Hitomi in the show, and they were like:
[SIZE=10]O_o;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;[/SIZE]
They are really different.
Oh, I found another reason why I like Escaflowne. It has like a medieval theme to it. Kings and Queens, knights and dragons, etc. I find it interesting with the mix of like futuristic technology and the past. Very cool.

~Lumi ^_^[/color]

[Hacker Kite]

Ok ive heard the name before and i swear ive watched it but i can't seem to remember what it was about worth flies on horse poop. Can some one out there help me???

[Rockstar Haruko]

I saw only a couple of episodes of escaflowne when they came on...ok so I don't remember what channel it was, but it was the same channel that Monster Rancher came on. I liked them, but unfortunately the show went off air a few days after I started watching it.

[Guest Spike88]

[FONT=Impact] :) Well, I have just had the pleasure of watching the Escaflowne movie. I thought it was great. It had a good mix of what I think should be in any anime. I was wondering if anyone had seen it and wether they liked it or not. Ohh and also, who was your favorite character. Mine was :devil: Lord Fulcan :devil: . Well, I'm out of here later people[/FONT] :)

[Flashlight]

I personally hate the movie. The series on the other hand was great. No, not great, Amazingly Spectacular! The movie just pissed me off, mostly because it felt really condensed and it was just way too different from the series (But, then again, I believe that movie was based off the Shonen version of the Manga and the series was based of the Shoujo version, so that argument is pretty much unfounded).
I did have a really good ending though, but the art was just awful as well (But, then, the dub track was really good). All in all, the movie was ok.

The show will forever remain on my top ten list (Not the butchered TV version though :flaming: ). I love the soundtrack, anyone now who did it (I can't remember at the moment... I [I]think[/I] it was Kanno Yoko). :D

[Guest Spike88]

[FONT=Impact]I disagree Flashlight. thea rt I thought was good. Though the whole plot did remind me of lets say alittle of the whole Final Fantasy X plot. It was still good though to say you hate the movie is ok though. I watched the DVD extras and they told why they changed it from the series. The director thought that the show didn't include enough emotion. Well I would love to watch the series would anyone happen to know where I can get it. I will agree that it was a terrible ending though. When the first showing of it in america was conducted people laughed at the end of the movie and the director didn't understand. Hitomi says "we will always be together" and the 30 seconds later she vanishes back to earth. Now that is kind of funny if you ask me. NAyways get back to me about where i can get the series[/FONT] :)

[Monkey_Orange]

[quote name='Spike88][FONT=Impact] Well I would love to watch the series would anyone happen to know where I can get it. [/FONT'] :)[/quote]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]You can get the series at a store such at Suncoast. I think I read somewhere that Bandai will be cutting prices per Escaflowne DVD, so you might wanna check that out as well. ^^

As for the ending...both endings were similar. I didn't think it was THAT bad.

Still, I may say that I did enjoy the series more than the movie. Escaflowne itself is one of my most favorite shows.
[/COLOR]

[Guest pocketchange]

k im quite new to the anime crowd been into it for a while about 5 or 6 years but have only started to collect dvds

anyway this is my problem:
i went on a site were you can buy dvds because i wanted to buy some escaflowne dvds i looked around a bit and a problem struck up which dvd set shall i get:

Escaflowne 8 disc set
or
Escaflowne collection 1

taking in mind i am a 16 year old kid so i dont have that much money so i can only buy one of them which one shall i get to start with

thxs for any help you can give me and also i am sorry if i have posted in the wrong part of the forum or if i have spelt anything wrong :eek:

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=pocketchange]Escaflowne 8 disc set
or
Escaflowne collection 1[/QUOTE]
Hmm... I don't think an Escaflowne "collection 1" exists, which makes me suspect that whatever you're looking at is a bootleg. Bandai has released Escaflowne in various forms over the years: there's an out-of-print box set that contains all eight DVDs plus an action figure or something, but your chances of locating that are almost nil (besides, it's quite expensive).

Toward the end of last year, they came out with a much cheaper bundle/DVD brick type of thing (again containing all eight discs), which had weird packaging but was considerably cheaper. However, this was a holidays-only collection, and I think it's already been pulled from some online retailers. So while you might be able to find it in a brick-and-mortar store, your chance of running into a copy would be slim.

Basically, unless you're able to track down an inexpensive legit copy of the old box set, the singles are probably your best bet. You'll still be able to get the more recent collection if you buy it right away, but it's not going to hang around forever. If you can afford the all-at-once expense, I'd advise purchasing that. I believe it also includes the Escaflowne movie.

~Dagger~

[Dragonboym2]

Escaflowne is a wonderfully inventive, thought out, well acted, well animated, emtional and action packed seires. The movie was just as good. I really enjoyed them both. I first saw Esaflowne on TV, but Fox butchered it. My firiends in club said that they cut out everything. So, my freind Becky showed us what Escaflowne was like uncut. We watched the first five episodes (english subbed) and it was one of the best anime's I've ever seen. I thanked Becky for showing us. To this day, I think that Escaflowne is one of the best animes ever done.

Mike

[Arcadia]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]So while you might be able to find it in a brick-and-mortar store, your chance of running into a copy would be slim.

Basically, unless you're able to track down an inexpensive legit copy of the old box set, the singles are probably your best bet. [/QUOTE]
[size=1]Escaflowne was one of the first anime series I've ever seen and because of that, it's like my first love... but with anime. I got the entire series for Christmas years ago - it's the old VHS box set, if you'll believe it. The art on the box and on all the video containers is gorgeous. You've probably seen a lot of the pictures from it online without knowing where it's from.

With that said, I still love Escaflowne. Partially because of its "first love" status and also because of the whole fate vs. choice issue within all the episodes. Well, that, and the music. Good lord, the [i]music[/i]. [/size]

[Xander Harris]

[quote name='Arcadia] Well, that, and the music. Good lord, the [i]music[/i']. [/size][/quote]

Yes. The music for Escaflowne is unbelievable. I really love the opening theme, especially. It's one of the few anime theme songs I sat through for every episode. The poetic words fit the story and the characters so well. The music throughout the series is top notch, and makes the music in things like Rurouni Kenshin sound second rate and repetitive. However, I noticed that the composer stole a few bars here and there from the Empire Strikes Back soundtrack. But they are dang good bars to steal. I really think that this series would be worth it for the music alone, even if the animation and story weren't so good.

The animation is top notch, and often downright breathtaking, as Escaflowne swoops and soars above fabulous vistas. The use of 'emotion effects' as I like to call them (people's eyes getting all big and cartoony and such, not sure what the real name for this is) are few and far between, and carefully chosen. Usually, only Merle uses these. The character designs are all excellent and expressive. I especially liked how... normal Hitomi's character design seemed. She isn't some uber-babe anime heroine, but rather just an ordinary girl with powers she can hardly understand in a world beyond anything she thought possible. The battles are well choreographed and believable within the context of the world.

Powerful themes of destiny and free will, playing God, true love versus destined love, the moral quandry of the warrior, guilt, love vs. hate, and the deepest wishes of mankind run throughout the series. If I ever teach a Philosophy Through Anime class, this will be one of my primary sources.

Also, I challenge anyone not to have a deep emotional response to at least one of these characters.

I highly recommend you watch this series in Japanese with English subtitles. Most of the English voice actors and actresses are o.k., but the person doing Hitomi is horrid. Ditto for Merle. The Japanese voice actresses are infinately better.

[Quote=Dagger]Hmm... I don't think an Escaflowne "collection 1" exists, which makes me suspect that whatever you're looking at is a bootleg. Bandai has released Escaflowne in various forms over the years: there's an out-of-print box set that contains all eight DVDs plus an action figure or something, but your chances of locating that are almost nil (besides, it's quite expensive).

Toward the end of last year, they came out with a much cheaper bundle/DVD brick type of thing (again containing all eight discs), which had weird packaging but was considerably cheaper. However, this was a holidays-only collection, and I think it's already been pulled from some online retailers. So while you might be able to find it in a brick-and-mortar store, your chance of running into a copy would be slim.

Basically, unless you're able to track down an inexpensive legit copy of the old box set, the singles are probably your best bet. You'll still be able to get the more recent collection if you buy it right away, but it's not going to hang around forever. If you can afford the all-at-once expense, I'd advise purchasing that. I believe it also includes the Escaflowne movie.

~Dagger~
[/quote]

Hm. I'm not quite sure what ya'll are talking about here, but I got a new copy of the full series on DVD from a second party dealer on Amazon.com... I don't think Amazon dealers sell bootlegs, although I think what I have is a version released in Japan and not the U.S., since most of the writing on the box is Japanese... whattya think??

[StarTsubasa]

I love Escaflowne. It's my all-time favorite anime. The movie was great, but not as heart-felt as the series. Yoko Kanno, does a great job on the music in the series and the movie. She has got to be the best composer ever.