Escaflowne - The Movie

Rating:
Summary: Anime in a nutshell
Review: This movie is one of the best i have ever seen. It turned me into what i am now. A person who likes anime like escaflowne and princess mononoke but isnt a geek with anime shirts and hats and no social life. you should always have at least one anime movie in the house and this should be it.

Rating:
Summary: A good addition to the series
Review: I liked the movie but not as much as i did the series. The movie basically compacts the entire television series into a 2 1/2 hour movie and changes the characters we've grown to love in the series to, almost seeminly, dark doplegangers. Hitomi is suicidal and Van is a dark brooding boy who cares nothing about others, until of course he meets hitomi. And what of escaflowne itself? It's a god of either death or rebirth....wow....go figure. I love the music init if your into that kind of thing...but i found the movie to be not like much of the anime at all. So if you were expection the movie to be a continuation of the television sereia im sorry to dissapoint you. All in all, the movie is basically like an alternate or parralle universe to what happens in the series. It is good, so i would recommend watching it...i loved it myself but was dissipointed in the chnage in character profiles.

Rating:
Summary: A great anime tittle for new and old
Review: As an anime enthusiast I must say it was thoroughly entertaining. While being an alternate story-line to the show, Vision of Escaflowne, as opposed to a tie-in, it did little to deminish it and while I admit it could have been "tweaked" a little more, it was still a resounding success in my humble opinion. The movie is great for anyone interested in anime in general and can be watched without prior viewing of the show, but is even better once you've seen it (and vice-versa).

I personally think that the differences between it and the show are quite irrellivent seeing as it's entertainment quality isn't, for the most part, dependant on viewing the show, however, they are worthy to note for the most die-hard viewer. Van and Hitomi's personalities for one, where altered (though I would debate Van was still much like the "original" Van if only a bit more dark and Hitomi didn't come off as an entirely different character, again, it played more on her "darker side"). The other star players of the show where put more notably into "side character", but I feel for one, that it didn't harm the movie and that they still held much of what they "where" in the show just not spotlighted so much, which I would add would be where watching the show benefits the viewer of the movie, explaining their actions a bit more than the movie did and such. Another notable difference was how condenced the movie was, which I quite enjoyed, as utterly enjoyable as the series is, it would trail off on tangents from time to time and had some extremely minor, yet notable, goofy or almost irrelivent themes (such as her Tarrot Card reading) though that is just my opinion. Condensing the show allowed to play off more on the relationship between Van, Hitomi, and to a lesser extent, Folken, which where the most interesting of the cast to me. As I said in the very beginning, they could have "tweaked" it a bit and I do agree it would have been a bit more entertaining if they lengthened it to develope their relationship a bit more, but I for one still came off satisfied. And last (but not least), the animation and music in the movie are absolutely second to none, even it's predicessor can't match the level of detail the movie produced. The animation was simply exquisite, a true feast for the eyes. Words can't do it justice, one simple has to view it's entirety to understand the careful, marvelous balance it maintanes. The music is equally impressive and flows perfectly with the movie.

All in all, as an avid anime enthusiast, I found it utterly entertaining and would suggest it to anyone interested in anime new or old. I give it 5 full stars for it's overall high quality that anyone should be able to enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Ignore the Series: It's A Wonderful Movie
Review: After reading many reviews, most of them focus on the differences between the show and the series, but there are those few reviews who actually get why they rehashed the series into the movie. In my views, as well as the views of many others, which is explained at lizzard.com, the movie is not about all the characters from the the series, and involving all the plot twists and turns that anime series usually have. It was about two people: Hitomi and Van. The movie does a fantastic job of bringing them to the foreground, as it is supposed to. We watch as Van evolves from that-as one reviewer put it-"apathetic and a-moralistic" individual, into a caring person, with the end realization of both Hitomi and Van that they are not alone, and that there are people who love and care for them.

Hardcore yet close-minded fans may not enjoy the reworkings of the movie, but if one can see the movie for what it is: a semi-love story and loneliness diminisher, then a fan can really get to enjoy the movie, its fantastic soundtrack, and great art.

Rating:
Summary: This movie does not stand alone well.
Review: I noticed an interesting trend in the negative reviews this Movie was getting. By and large, people who found this movie slow or boring did not watch the original series. Well folks...that explains it.

Unlike most Anime movie tie-ins, I.E. Cowboy Bebop or Blue Gender, the Escaflowne movie is really a re-imagination of its progenitor. While in the series the Escaflowne armor was a royal heirloom, in this it is the embodiment of destiny and a living being. And while Hitomi was painfully innocent and upbeat in the series, here she is dark, lonely and suicidal. Best of all, Van is equally dark and has lost the heroic stoicism for apathy and a-moralism. All these things are so different from the series its like watching Alice in Wonderland then playing American Magee's Alice (which, if you haven't seen or played, you should).

I will admit that when I first bought this DVD I too was disappointed. The action was neat and all but the story dealt too much with ethereal Fate and Destiny, thing I really could care less about. But then I watched the series, which brings in these subjects a little less jarringly and I found the whole idea much more edible. And, while I was initially disgusted with the characters of this DVD, namely Hitomi and the cat girl, when I understood the origins of these characters, I loved the change. The basic story you can get from the other reviews, I hate to give stuff away. But while the series focused on Van's travel and growth into a warrior, the Movie focuses on the dark prophecy to which he is chained.

But if you really want an endorsement from me, here it is. Escaflowne the Movie is an awesome experience for the initiate to the series. Escaflowne the Movie is a sub par experience for those who are bereft of the Series. But above all else, Escaflowne the Movie is worth watching for the absolutely amazing music, which really steals the show. If nothing else, then rent this DVD and stick in a system with surround sound. Then turn off the TV and crank the volume...you will not be disappointed.


Rating:
Summary: Anime Newbie
Review: I have never really watched many anime movies/series before, except for Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailormoon, Kodomo No Omocha (I think that's how you spell it), and Dragon Ball Z. My friend bought this movie and we all watched it together, along with one of my friends who knew much about anime. The movie could be slightly confusing in the beginning, but later on it would start to make sense. But for me, I think if it weren't for my anime-loving friend telling me what was going on, I'd be pretty lost throughout much of the film. The animation was quite nice, even though I found all the blood and violence to be a little disturbing. What really got me addicted to the movie was the music and characters, though. Yoko Kanno's work is really impressive. The whole movie was kind of rushed, with little character development and Hitomi falling in love with Van in less than a day (I found her to be somewhat helpless and loser-ish). But the ending (I won't spoil it for you here) really got me saying, they belong together!! Anyhow, I'd say this movie is a good start for anime newbies like me, preferably if it was around ten dollars.