The Vision of Escaflowne 25-26 END
Well that was that. I have to say I'm not quite sure what exactly
Other than that I quite liked it. While it felt rushed, the ultimate resolution to the romance subplot was a nice hit in the feels and one that, after all the previous corniness and melodrama, I didn't think the show was capable of producing.
General impressions:
Hitomi Kanzaki your ordinary highschooler with a predilection for Tarot reading, misses her chance for a first kiss thwarted when along with the stranger named Van, she is transported to the world of Gaea, where dragons, Gymelefs (aka mechas) and flying ships abound. Van quickly turns out a soon-to-be-king of the land of Fanelia and promises Hitomi he will finda a way to send her back to Earth. Things quickly get more complicated when they're attacked by the empire of Zaibach, which seems quite bend on acquiring Van's special Gymelef - the titular Escaflowne. Hitomi, Van and the third addition to main cast- Allen Schezar escape and proceed to involve a number of other Kingdoms in their plight, all the while trying to solve the mystery of Hitomi's powers and Van's ancestry. While the story does not break many new grounds, it moves quickly with no filler episodes, is well told and directed. If there is single thing I disliked about it, it was the romance subplot. The whole Merle, Van, Hitomi, Allen, Millerna, Dryden love conundrum was an unholy amount of cheese to suffer through. Though, like I said earlier I quite
As for the characters it was quite the gamble to make the main protagonist, of what is in large part a mecha show, devoid of any substantial combat abilities. One that unfortunately didn't pan very well. Yes Hitomi has her own powers that stop her from being completely useless but too often she was relegated either to cheering from the sidelines or to play the damsel in distress waiting to be rescued. That along with her angst ind love issues made me want to strangle her quite a few times. Though I will say she managed to redeem herself a bit in the final episodes. Allen and Van, the two Gymelef pilots are both likable and get a solid dose of character development. The real star of the show however is Dilandau, one of shows main three adversaries and easily the most demented of them all. His craziness, mannerism and facial expressions, combined with some magnificent VA work make for a truly memorable (if one dimensional) villain. It's a shame that as the series progresses he presents less and less threat up until the moment where the writers
I don't really feel technically knowledgeable enough to comment on the visual side of the show at length. I don't think the animation of battles stands up to today standards but other that the show holds up well. I liked the art style and character design, the much maligned pointy noses didn't bother me at all. The music was composed by Hajime Mizoguchi and Yoko Kanno and,being a sucker for Gregorian choirs and chants, I utterly loved it. Some standout tracks:
Chains
Dance of Curse
Shadow of Doubt
All in all very enjoyable show if you can only survive through romance bits.
Well that was that. I have to say I'm not quite sure what exactly
happened as far as Dornkirk or his machine goes. Well other then that apparently love trumps all. The various countries suddenly attacking each other and then stopping, even more out of a blue, was jarring especially given that we've barely heard about them before.
General impressions:
Hitomi Kanzaki your ordinary highschooler with a predilection for Tarot reading, misses her chance for a first kiss thwarted when along with the stranger named Van, she is transported to the world of Gaea, where dragons, Gymelefs (aka mechas) and flying ships abound. Van quickly turns out a soon-to-be-king of the land of Fanelia and promises Hitomi he will finda a way to send her back to Earth. Things quickly get more complicated when they're attacked by the empire of Zaibach, which seems quite bend on acquiring Van's special Gymelef - the titular Escaflowne. Hitomi, Van and the third addition to main cast- Allen Schezar escape and proceed to involve a number of other Kingdoms in their plight, all the while trying to solve the mystery of Hitomi's powers and Van's ancestry. While the story does not break many new grounds, it moves quickly with no filler episodes, is well told and directed. If there is single thing I disliked about it, it was the romance subplot. The whole Merle, Van, Hitomi, Allen, Millerna, Dryden love conundrum was an unholy amount of cheese to suffer through. Though, like I said earlier I quite
liked its ultimate sad conclusion.
As for the characters it was quite the gamble to make the main protagonist, of what is in large part a mecha show, devoid of any substantial combat abilities. One that unfortunately didn't pan very well. Yes Hitomi has her own powers that stop her from being completely useless but too often she was relegated either to cheering from the sidelines or to play the damsel in distress waiting to be rescued. That along with her angst ind love issues made me want to strangle her quite a few times. Though I will say she managed to redeem herself a bit in the final episodes. Allen and Van, the two Gymelef pilots are both likable and get a solid dose of character development. The real star of the show however is Dilandau, one of shows main three adversaries and easily the most demented of them all. His craziness, mannerism and facial expressions, combined with some magnificent VA work make for a truly memorable (if one dimensional) villain. It's a shame that as the series progresses he presents less and less threat up until the moment where the writers
neutered him completely.
Gif from the movie but you get the idea.
I don't really feel technically knowledgeable enough to comment on the visual side of the show at length. I don't think the animation of battles stands up to today standards but other that the show holds up well. I liked the art style and character design, the much maligned pointy noses didn't bother me at all. The music was composed by Hajime Mizoguchi and Yoko Kanno and,being a sucker for Gregorian choirs and chants, I utterly loved it. Some standout tracks:
Chains
Dance of Curse
Shadow of Doubt
All in all very enjoyable show if you can only survive through romance bits.
The Dornkirk=Isaac Newton stuff flew completely above my head
