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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avoid |
 Devil Doll
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[series:162#752] | ||||||
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I watched this movie back around 2005 - and was shocked how it damaged my impression of the TV series which actually had a story and decent characters. Thus I never wrote a review for it.
While there certainly are worse anime movies out there this "Avoid" rating is solely to prevent you from watching this before the TV series which might keep you from the TV series at all, and that would be a pity. Last updated Monday, November 16 2009. Created Monday, November 16 2009. | ||||||||
| Watch | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:162#1552] | |
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Better visuals, but there's just too much from the TV series to cement into this 90+ minute movie. So the plot is dumbed down to a cliched "brother vs brother" battle over the use of Escaflowne to either save or destroy Gaea. While there are still some details focused around elements from the TV series, they are rather limited thanks to the limited time length of the movie format. This movie just about kills much of the character depth and development that the TV series had time for and the character changes really turned me off. Folken, one of the best characters to connect with from the TV series, is just an archetypical villian out to rule the world for no reason. Van's more violent and a bigger jerk than he was from the TV series. The lack of background on his character and past tragedies make it much harder to connect with him. And don't get me started on Hitomi becoming an emo teenager. There was no depth explored as to why she actted the way she did at the start of the movie. The development of Van and Hitomi's relationship felt more forced than what I seen throughout the TV series since one minute the two hate each other and the next, they now feel like they are soul mates. I guess one interesting aspect of this movie I could marvel over is the changed environment of Gaea. The many kingdoms, character moralities, and clothing I seen throughout the Escaflowne TV series were clearly influenced through medieval European settings. In this movie, the focused environment is influenced through a feudal Japanese setting. There was greater focus on armed combat between Van and Dilandau's armies up until Escaflowne's awakening at the climax of the movie which looked very fluid. However, this movie adaptation of Escaflowne just didn't click for me due to the lack of character depth and rushed developments with plot and characters. The movie doesn't have the same tone and mood as the TV series. Last updated Saturday, November 15 2008. Created Saturday, November 15 2008. | ||||||||
| Rent | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
 Dreamer
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[series:162#2279] |
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Wow, what a contrast. First off, this version, or rather, "movie" is quite different from the acclaimed series. I really enjoyed this one almost as much as the series... although I found it to be a little too short... to each his own I suppose. Art, Animation & Character Design The art was gorgeous and at times breathtaking. The animation was smooth. The character designs were very well done. If you were to compare them to the series, these can almost be considered, "darker", more "aggressive" character design. I personally liked these over the series. Music The music wasn't anything special. However, I think it was a slight improvement over the series. Aside from that, nothing worthwhile I can recall. Series & Episode Storie Okay, so here's the primary difference betwen this movie and it's counterpart, the series. They are nearly nothing alike. Although they both share the same underlying story & problem(s), this one paints a much darker picture of everything, including the characters themselves. Take for example, Van. In the series, he's much like a kid... who does "mature" during the course of the series and overall can be considered as not being a violent character. However, in this movie, he's painted as a much darker, almost sinister character who's extremely swift with his blade, slashing and slicing up his enemies with a few strokes. Hitomi is not a crybaby as she's portrayed in the series... which at times almost had me rolling my eyes. Dilandau here was almost on par with the one we know of from the series. And the biggest change of them all, the hot princess-warrior Millerna... who in the series was a prim & propper princess of innocense. These are all nothing more than comparisons and I think alot of people tend to use these comparisons to rate a movie or series..... which in my opinion doesn't give justice to the movie/series at hand. Therefore, (as I always do), I've rated this movie based on itself, its own merits and not its counterparts. Now the only problem I had with this one was how swiftly Hitomi & Van "fell in love" without a single hint of it occuring. It just..... happened. Overall, it's a good movie. I enjoyed it and would watch part-2 if they come out with one. But for those of you die-hards, you'd probably want to stay away from it. Last updated Thursday, September 18 2008. Created Thursday, September 18 2008. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 10 |
 Violet D
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[series:162#1393] | |||
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Last summer I was having problems with my DVD player so I had to get videos instead. I found this movie and since I was looking for something different beyond ordinary. This movie did just that for me. I would say the animation and unusual theme was great to watch and I watched it a couple of times. Let me tell you it is not easy to find anime in video. The good ones most of them are in DVD. My player works now but I recommend this movie to watch and escape reality for a few hours.
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| Buy | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
 MarX
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[series:162#1033] | |
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I have a deep affinity for Vision of Escaflowne... (I mean I bought the entire series for $200 *American* ) The movie was good but not better than the series, just different.. First off Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea is an alternate story of the events in Vision of Escaflowne... So, it has no direct connection to the series (Exception: The characters names) The characters have different personalities than the ones in the series. (In some ways.. Van is not as suicidal as he was in the series...) Also, in the movie they added the ability of magic that wasn't present in the series... There are no love triangles (Hitomi goes for the one she truly loves from the start) Dilandau's story is much different from the one in the series. Melerna is a warrior babe.. Hitomi is suicidal at the beginning but mellows out.. And Allen is cold and calculating master swordsmen... The music rocks. Maaya Sakamoto is incredible with music and voice acting as she did in the series. (But I still liked the dub) All the same voice actors are back from the series (Both in Japanese and English) Sora's song kicked ass... I believe that the art has improved much since the end of the series. The animation is somewhat fluid. And the new Escaflowne kicks ass (He's a lot less mechanical and a lot more Dragon) This is a definite recommend for me.. Good movie but dont go looking for a continuity here.. ~ ~ Last updated Sunday, January 11 2004. Created Sunday, January 11 2004. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
 AstroNerdBoy
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[series:162#436] | |
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I can understand why so many people dislike this movie. For starters, the characters are barely recognizable and some have completely changed. While losing the beak noses was a good thing, such a radical change in character design is a good way to put off fans of the TV series. The character who gets the biggest change is Millerna-hime. Shes no longer the regal princess of the TV series. Now shes a fantasy babe and follows the rules for such characters clothing must be kept to a minimum! Also, characters while playing their same roles from the original series are different. Van is much more violent and has magic powers, Alan is more of a rouge, Millerna Ive already mentioned, and Hitomi is a depressed girl ready to commit suicide. More on that in a bit. The European look feel from Escaflowne is gone and relaced by a feudal Japanese look. While I loved the European look and feel of the original, I found I enjoyed the Japanese feel to this movie. It fit the new them of the movie. Also gone are all of the mecha of the series and relaced by normal horses. Escaflowne and one other dragon armor mecha are all that exist in this Gaea. I found that I sort of liked this. As to the story, it has also been changed to fit the new theme loneliness and the pain associated with it. Hitomi is a very depressed girl for unknown reasons and wants to commit suicide to end it all. So when she is called to Gaea she is brought to others like her. Van is depressed and alone after being declared King of the Dragon Clan since his brother Folken is destroying everything in his path as a result. Folken is also depressed and alone despite basically being on top of the world and wants to end Gaeas existence by reviving the legendary dragon armor known as Escaflowne (which is also revered as a god). So the movie tries to explore what makes people want to die. Unfortunately theres just not enough time to do it justice. Also in the problem sphere is the relationship between Van and Hitomi. I never felt the spark between them that I felt in the TV series. This is mainly because of his ultra-violent nature and her suicidal nature. Then suddenly shes in love with him and vice versa. I just never bought it. It was never explained why Hitomi was known to the people of Gaea as the Goddess of Wings. I didnt understand all of the fossils around showing winged dinosaurs (or something like that). There were several small things that just didnt fit but were done as a bone to fans of the TV series. I guess they knew they were going to tick off a lot of people with this movie. Visually, this movie is beautiful. The scenery is what youd expect from a movie. The animation is pretty good but not as good as it should be for a movie (IMO). Bottom line: It needed to be somewhat longer to help flesh out characters and story, but otherwise OK. The character designs, radical character changes, and radical story change will put fans of the original series off. If youve never seen the original or can see this as a separate entity, I think theres a lot to enjoy, enough that Id be willing to buy it.Last updated Wednesday, September 24 2003. Created Wednesday, September 24 2003. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 7 |
 Kendo
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[series:162#697] |
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I'll start out by saying that I love Escaflowne the series, especially Dilandau. I also loved the movie. The character designs were different, but I like the rounded noses and figures. I liked the darkness, as the one major dislike I had of the series was the shoujo-y elements. As a writer, the movie is more exciting than the show for me, as it leaves open more possibilities and is much more open to personal interpretation. The show is better, yes, but I think if they had taken the movie and stretched it into a full season, I would have liked Dark Escaflowne better. That's just my style: I like the darker elements of stories, I like villians over heros 9 time out of 10, and I don't like seeing good getting an easy victory. If you do, then you probably won't like the Escaflowne movie. If you like characterization given to you by the writer, then you also probably won't like it. I enjoyed taking the little hints from lines to try to add more depth and interest, and it worked beautifully. Concerning Dilandau, he's just a little different. He's still quite beautiful, although he's a lot more feminine-looking. I adore Dilandau, but even in the series, he's cursed with going in between being extremely beautiful or looking very strange and somewhat comical. I didn't mind that the Celena subplot was scrapped- that worked for the series, but with the whole feel of the movie, it just wouldn't. Besides, with everyone complaining about how crowded the movie was with trying to fit in only the main points, where would Celena have fit in? I liked most of the new costumes: Allen looked sexy. He was pretty in the show, but he looked like a man in the movie. Dilandau and the DragonSlayers looked pretty cool in their new bulky armor (Although of all the things for Dil to be wearing underneath, green briefs?) Hitomi's school uniform actually looked nice for once, and she and Yukari were much prettier than they were in the series. Designs I didn't really enjoy were Folken Bowie, Dryden Stern, Jajuka the Beaver, and Van the Barbarian: if you're going to wear a kilt, fine. But don't wear shorts underneath, that just looks funny. Then there was Millerna the Princess of Barbie's Bardello. It was a kind of cool design, but... yeah. Not in magenta. Merle's hair looked kinda funky, and I don't see what the swirlies on the Mole Man were supposed to represent, but it could have been worse. A lot worse. Even worse than the tadpole of Shesta's forehead. The psychic powers I thought were interesting. (Since Folken mentioned that Dilandau's blood is impure, does that perhaps mean he has black wings?) They didn't go overboard with it, which a lot of movies with psychics do. The thing that really got me was Andrew Francis' voice going all smarmy when he's taunting Van before attacking. He sounded like he was flirting, and that threw me off the scene. Then again, I never was a big fan of the dub anyway *shrug* Overall, the movie was interesting and very enjoyable to look at. If you like the darker side of anime, then I suggest you get it. But if you watch the movie with the series in mind, you're in for a big disappointment. Last updated Saturday, July 19 2003. Created Saturday, July 19 2003. | ||||||||
| Watch | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
 Lutzie
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[series:162#786] | ||
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Oooookay. First off, this was a big disappointment. Van is a barbarian, Hitomi is suicidal, Allen is still a ass, Milerna looks like a prostitute, Folken is crazy, and Dilandau is just . . . disturbing. The storyline is a bit rushed for my liking [and it's because i'm comparing it to the series]. As well there is little development between Van and Hitomi, which makes it slightly strange when they suddenly *get together* at the end of the movie. Furthermore, quality and animation was disatisfying. In conclusion, this movie is not up to par with escaflowne expectations, and the creaters should have known that fans of esca would have high expectations after watching such an awesome series; HOWEVER, i still suggest esca fans to watch it as it still is escaflowne. EXCEPT, if you're a Dilandau fan like myself, DO NOT WATCH IT!!!!!!! it will ruin his *loveliness*. Last updated Monday, July 07 2003. Created Monday, July 07 2003. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
 Kari
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[series:162#798] | |
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This movie was written very differently from the show. To be honest I was fed up with the show's love triangles, and thankfully Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea has none. The character designs are different as well, and for characters like Hitomi and Allen, the designs were improved. However, the new character designs don't suit characters like Millerna or Jajuka. The movie's basically bits and pieces taken from the Escaflowne series, and the personalities of the characters are different. Van is now a more perilous samurai warrior, and seems to kill people with no remorse for his actions. Hitomi's now suicidal, and Dilandau now has no gender crisis. If you liked characters like Folken or Allen, get ready to be disappointed. Though, if you can separate Escaflowne the series from Escaflowne: The Movie, you should be able to enjoy the movie. The music is wonderful, especially the songs Sora performed by Shanti Snider, and Sora's Folktale performed by Midori. The animation is great, and the colors look very vibrant. I have no complaints about the English or the Japanese version of this. Tomokazu Seki voiced Van, and Maaya Sakamoto voiced Hitomi, and also performed the theme song for the film, Yubiwa. The dub for this was very well done by The Ocean Group. Kirby Morrow returned to his role as Van, as did Kelly Sheridan to her role as Hitomi. Paul Dobson returned as Folken, Brian Drummond as Allen, Scott McNeil as Jajuka, and Michael Dobson as Drydan. Andrew Francis does just as good a job voicing Dilandau as Minami Takayama, the Japanese voice actress for the character. In other words, the English dub is very much on par with the original Japanese version, and just as enjoyable to watch...or listen to. The movie's ending was upsetting to me, because I felt it should've had a more romantic ending than the series did. Don't buy Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea thinking it's a spin-off of the Escaflowne series, or you'll be disappointed. There is a completely different theme to A Girl in Gaea, but I was still able to enjoy it. Last updated Wednesday, March 30 2005. Created Monday, June 30 2003. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
 Aelwine
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[series:162#560] | |
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People shouldn't compare the Movie Storyline with the serie in my opinion... How could you put the same thing in a 26 episode serie and in a 90min movie ? I personnaly found the movie way more entertaining than the serie, no more whinning from Hitomi, exit the crapy love story with crappy Allen... etc... Even if the story is more basic and have some lacks it's well built and leads us tpoa wtrange world full of mysteries and magic. The Animation and Character design are awesome... for those ho find it "crappy" have you checked the level of details in Nobutero Yuuki's works =3 it's way beyond most of the current Japanese character designers ^^ The characters are more mature than in the serie and their facial expressions carries a lot of feelings (like when Hitomi is depressed) the music is perhaps a bit too common for Yokok Kanno, she produced better ones, but it still enhance the general mood of the movie On an overall critic I would say that Escaflown the movie is among my top ten Anime movies ^^ taht I watched it about 10 times already and I like it even more each time becasue I always discover new details I didn't notice before ^^ A must buy IMO ^^ Last updated Thursday, February 27 2003. Created Thursday, February 27 2003. | ||||||||
| Avoid | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
 rafterman
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[series:162#551] | ||
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My girlfriend and I have just finished watching "The Vision of Escaflowne" and enjoyed being magically transported to the world of Hitomi and the gang. The flow of the story, script and the art were awesome. We loved the medieval earth-type setting where the wars were fought by men and melefs with swords and spears. The personality of the characters, devoid of those unrealistic "magical powers" were spontaneous and are easy to relate to. Even the teleportation to Gaea and Earth were due to an "Engine" which makes sense and is closer to reality. Then we came across "Escaflowne the Movie" which we found to be a big disappointment. The characters were so far from reality and the script was extremely cheesy. They kept calling Hitomi the "Wing Goddess" and "joked" about it. Merle was introduced in a lousy way (she just said "Lord Von" 3 times, unlike in the series, where hitomi cracked "first a beast man, then a cat girl... what's next?"), Dilandau and the Dragon slayers were teenage cavalrymen which were highly unfeasible and historically unheard-of (I would understand teenage melef pilots, coz teenagers tend to be more skilled in controlling robots, much like video games). The cheesy part too is in the dragon-ball-z like powers of Van, Dilandau, Falken and the others. Milerna too, didn't look and act like a princess. She looked more like a streetwalker from 42nd street to us. Hitomi's bubbly and perky personality was turned into a cheesy suicidal bimbo who made it known her feelings for Van. And Van! His outfit would make Terminator and Tarzan laugh their butts off! The scenes were also very predictable that I think they'll only appeal to idiots. Its like watching a cheap B (even D) movie from a third world country. Even the names "Black Dragon Clan" and "Dragon Clan" sucked. Anyway, if you've seen the series. Don't even bother thinking about the movie. Let the magic of the series stay with you. OK? That's all for now. Last updated Friday, February 21 2003. Created Friday, February 21 2003. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
 Almost Eilonwy
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[series:162#428] | |
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Wow. I guess a lot of people didn't like this movie. I loved it. Take everything from the Escaflowne series and throw it out the window. Plot, characters, everything is different. I think the only character that stays relatively the same is Merle. Spoilers ahead. Sorry. Hitomi in this one is a depressed young girl who often thinks of suicide but never gets up the guts to do it. After she tells her only friend to get away from her, she's taken to a world that pretty much reflects her own feelings. Everything's hopeless and people are caught in a miserable war, many of them wishing for the end of their world, Gaea. She meets Van, who's quite a bit more bloodthirsty than he was in the series, who is just like her. Seeing all this is a wake-up call to Hitomi. She and Van decide to stay with each other and try to get through the war. The final battle is as much a pyschological one as it is a physical one. It's an hour and a half movie, so the other characters get pushed to the side. This is basically Hitomi and Vans' story about finding a reason to live. It's much darker and more depressing than the series, but it carries a wonderful message. Last updated Sunday, November 24 2002. Created Sunday, November 24 2002. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
 Black Panther
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[series:162#142] | ||
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Well, the character depth was great. The TV series seemed to leave out what I felt was important in some of the characters pasts. For example why does Vons brother go bad in the first place? The movie answered that question and made Vons brother incredibly more deep and a true villain. There where also a lot less confusing twists. The movies focus is on definitely on Von growing into a King or at least his first steps toward that direction.
Last updated Thursday, October 24 2002. Created Thursday, October 24 2002. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
 kakyuu_prince
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[series:162#404] | ||
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I love this movie so much! It's so good! So what if it isn't like the tv series? This ISN'T a compressed version of the tv story. I really don't get it when people say that because was there any mention of a wing goddess in the series? No there wasn't and this isn't the tv series. Escaflowne the Movie should be considered as a story complete in itself and NOT a continuation or retelling of the tv series because it isn't. Anyway, Yubiwa was a very beautiful song and I loved the faster version of Dance of the Curse. It's really an excellent movie in its own right.
Last updated Monday, June 16 2003. Created Sunday, October 13 2002. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
 Jack Walrath
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[series:162#375] | |
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This movie isn't quite the series, but as a stand alone movie I think it is quite good and besides there are many show-based movies that are a whole lot worse(Rupan III: The Gold of Babylon, Adieu, Galaxy Express 999). The animation is excellent, Kanno's music is wonderful, and I absolutely love the more mature character and mech designs. Sure, the movie has a few flaws and many of the minor characters are pushed into the background, but I still think it is a good story that you can watch over and over again.
Last updated Tuesday, October 01 2002. Created Tuesday, October 01 2002. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
 The Coyote
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[series:162#64] | |
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Whoa did most of these people see the same show I did? You have got to be kidding me this far from sucked as a matter of fact I prefered this to the series. don't get me wrong I liked the series but the characters in the movie actually seemed deeper in the movie. Vaughn was far more interesting And his brother make a much more compelling villan. I wish the series stuck to the movie better. Violence is a little heavy Rated PG-13
Last updated Wednesday, September 11 2002. Created Wednesday, September 11 2002. | ||||||||
| Avoid | 9 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
 Psylum
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[series:162#315] | |
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A Girl in Gaea--it's like The Vision of Escaflowne gone horribly wrong. A Girl in Gaea is a 90-minute compacted version of a 26-episode TV series, which, much as one would expect, falls short in almost every conceivable way. Remember the characters in The Vision of Escaflowne? They were lovable characters with enough background information and personality that viewers could instantly feel for them and find a stronger bond between them and their situations. Well, those characters are back, but only in appearance. Now fan-favorites Van, Hitomi, Allen, and all the rest of the cast have been completely transformed in sadistic zombies completely devoid of any real personality at all. It's like a horrible fan fiction gone wrong. I don't remember Hitomi ever getting messed up on drugs, but those horrible lows make an appearance in A Girl in Gaea. Hitomi is now a suicidal pessimist drawn to Gaea only by her will to make things vanish, but that's hardly enough motivation for viewers to actually care. Van used to be an intermitant swordsman with a strong ambition to improve his skills in battle, but now he's just a mindless murderer slaying anything that gets in his way. Escaflowne is one of my favorite anime series, but this retelling, if it can even be called that, is like a horrible Marvel Comics "What If" gone astray. Sure the animation is great, but this hardly gives redemption to the other, more fatal flaws of this dark butchered movie. Even Escaflowne fans are advised to keep their distance. 5/25/02 Last updated Saturday, May 25 2002. Created Saturday, May 25 2002. | ||||||||
| Rent | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
 boo
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[series:162#262] | |
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Sigh, while i too was not really impressed by this movie, it does deserve a viewing. It took some courage to risk tainting a series such as Escaflowne. I admire taking the risk of displaying an alternate universe and giving the viewer a different taste. Hey, if you don't like it, you will always have your series, right? Well the character designs i thought would be a little better. But something happenned to the lips and eyes of all the characters. There are some heartbreaking missing elements, yet we should remember that this is only a movie. The animation seems a little dark and murky. There is a more violent feel to this movie and it should really stand alone from the series. This was a good watch. It was not what i was expecting, but if i wanted the same old things, i'd throw in my Escaflowne Dvds. 3/6/02 Last updated Wednesday, March 06 2002. Created Wednesday, March 06 2002. | ||||||||
| Watch | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
 Celyia
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[series:162#255] | ||
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Although this movie strives to be deep statement on human nature, it gets so caught up in trying to create a voice so different from the TV series that it seems to lose its way. Do not watch the movie and expect a continuation of the TV series. You won't find it here. Indeed, what you will find is an alternate universe where although the names remain the same, the personality and even agendas of the characters have changed drastically. The animation is very well done. It's pleasant to look at and the character designs have mostly lost their rather idiosyncratic look to assume something more standard of anime. Pretty, yes, but in this it loses a bit of the bite that made Escaflowne so original. The plot is a pretty standard, uninventive one but the emphasis wasn't placed on storyline but a philosophical point instead. Had they taken more time to develop the characters, then this statement of loneliness and alienation would have been a lot more effective, but unfortunately, there's only so much you can do in such a small amount of time and they seemed to choose to rehash the series in a rather twisted way. I bought this movie and I must admit, I watched it thinking "Good god! This is *terrible*" pretty much the entire way through. But there were some parts that were so beautifully poignant and nicely crafted that it keeps this movie from earning an "avoid". The loneliness/alienation theme is quite interesting, especially if you watch the parallels between the main three characters as they deal with it. In short, watch it if you are in the market for something dark, moody, pretty, but ultimately forgettable. Last updated Saturday, December 22 2001. Created Saturday, December 22 2001. | ||||||||
| Rent | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 5 |
 Midnighter
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[series:162#94] | |
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"This movie sucks!" My god, what a professional and exquisite wordsmith you are! The Escaflowne movie does not "suck." It is not nearly as good as the series, but it's better than a lot of the trash out there. Since Escaflowne is one of my favorite series' I went into the Movie with a bit of trepidation, as I had heard it was totally different. I was actually pleasantly surprised. The art is quite beautiful. Nicely painted backgrounds and big-budget animation with a high frame rate make the Movie visually enjoyable. The character designs are better than average, too, though Van's new outfit is rather lame. Hitomi's character redesign actually looks better than the TV version, but I couldn't get over her new personality. Actually...all of the cast's new personalities... Van, who previously "didn't charge aggressively enough," is now a savage warrior who takes apparent delight in hacking his enemies apart. Hitomi, previously a rather cheerful, though love-addled teenager is now a stereotypical "I hate myself and want to die" depressive teen who leaves suicide notes for her friends to blow off. And Folken? Remember David Bowie is "Laberynth"...? Weird. The story is a pretty paint-by-numbers tale of good versus evil, Folken seems bent on destroying Gaea and Van is intent on killing him. Hitomi is mistaken(?) for the Goddess of Wings and of course becomes embroiled in the chaos that ensues. The music is for the most part stock reused from the TV show, which is great, because I love the Esca TV soundtrack. Well, to sum up this rather lengthy review: Escaflowne the Movie is worth seeing for both fans of the show and newcomers, but it's not anything memorable or special. Fans take note, however, it IS VERY different from the Esca TV series, so don't be shocked. Veiwers unfamiliar with the characters will probably like it more. The animation itself is very nice, and is undoubtably the strong point here, while the story is pretty basic and probably the weak point. Though Lord Folken's new hair style is pretty scary, too. 11-27-01 Last updated Tuesday, December 11 2001. Created Tuesday, November 27 2001. | ||||||||
| Watch | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
 Kaitou Juliet
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[series:162#137] | |
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I wasn't in love with the series, but I like this version of the story much less. The story has been flattened into a very simplistic "good-brother-vs-evil-brother" plot. Several characters (Allen and Millerna, for two big examples) hardly do anything. The new character designs are okay, but nothing to rave about. People who haven't seen the series might like this better than people who have.
Last updated Monday, August 06 2001. Created Monday, August 06 2001. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
 Pai
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[series:162#196] | ||
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Ouch, not so good reviews for this title. I personally thought it was better than the series. Though it did have a few plot holes and character flaws, I found it very entertaining. The characters have been redesigned, so their noses aren't pointy anymore(thank god) so big plus there. If you're not willing to buy the thing, at least watch it to see Van kick some tail...
Last updated Monday, August 06 2001. Created Monday, August 06 2001. | ||||||||
| Watch | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
 Anonymous #130
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[series:162#130] | |
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The movie does not suck. You have to look at it in a different light and not compare it to the series (because obviously they are different). The movie, indeed, has flaws. A lot of things which are the history of the characters. There seems to be no depth to them and you must relate them to their TV series counterpart (when they are very different). The music is okay, Sora was a great refreshing song. Yubiwa (ending theme) was very nice. Character designs were very different, I didn't like it too much. Hitomi looked really big or tall or something. Story was way too compressed. Too much in too little time. Didn't work too well. Even after those facts, you should give it a watch.
Last updated Thursday, January 25 2001. Created Thursday, January 25 2001. | ||||||||
| Avoid | 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
 Dingle
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[series:162#35] | ||
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This movies sucks!!! I found it very hard to pay attention to this terrible piece of trash. I loved Escaflowne the series, and the movie does nothing but trash the show. The story is totally different from the show. The only thing they keep the same are the characters. I say that lightly because the characters only retain the names and the basic design from the series. Van is a pyschic kill (Yes Pyschic not pycho: He kills people with his mind?!) Melerna is a whore, and Moleman is a prophet. The character design is really poor and the sound track is week. I like Yoko Kanno a lot, but this is below par. If you have watched the series avoid the movie. If you are looking for a film with good animation and little story, watch Spriggan. DO NOT WATCH ESCAFLOWNE: A GIRL FROM GAEA!!!!!!!!!!! Last updated Wednesday, July 12 2000. Created Wednesday, July 12 2000. | ||||||||
