I always said Merle was superfluous.
Well garrison duty just ended for me so I decided to watch Escaflowne again after buying a copy of my own instead of mooching off my buddy. I love how Bandai was putting out old series in boxed sets for 34-40 USD a pop, if only they would do it for series that were more recent… Next time I plan on buying my own copy of Zeta Gundam, but until then Escaflowne was cheaper. So yes Escaflowne, how unfortunate it was that FOX butchered it when I was a kid. Still a fantasy mecha that transforms into a dragon, how could I say no to that? This would make my third time watching this series again but I still think highly of it after all this time. I’ll post my final thoughts later since things get shall we say even more interesting…but for now episodes 1-14 is a good half way point to write about some of my favorite scenes from the series. Also I still don’t know how to take screen caps with a PS3 so apologies for only having one screen cap, still it looks prettier.
Escaflowne had many epic moments but the two that stand out for me was Balgus with his huge Guymelef killing sword and the Duke for Freid calling out his challenge to the four demon armies of Zaibach. Balgus was just so bad ass when I first saw him run his huge sword through a Guymelef I still don’t have the words to describe just how EPIC it was to ss that and then to see Balgus laid low by a cowardly Zaibach pilot. Given how the Dragon Slayers just suck when de-cloaked except for Dilandu I was delighted every time one of them got slapped or killed. They were over reliant on their stealth cloaks and for a group of elites their team work is really sub par if they still rely on shooting guys in the back while Dilandu pins their opponents. Episode 14 should have been dedicated to Balgus since the Zaibach cowards were all annihilated once their cloaking devices met Van’s new Hitomi tachyon detection grid.
I like how every kingdom on Gaea was distinct from one another in the first half Fanelia had the Japanese and samurai theme, going while Freid had that Central Asian and monastic theme going. I am not sure what Asturia fits in as other than generic Euro country with a slight renaissance feel. Zaibach is just techno crusade guys with buildings that look more science fiction than anything fantasy. Even if Zaibach has those poncy Dragon Slayers who are pretty much “Special” forces dudes with an over reliance on tech to make up for their lack of ability the rest of Zaibach looks pretty damn cool with their huge floating fortresses and hordes of Guymelefs that could launch in rapid succession. It is clear that Zaibach has a technological edge over the other kingdoms and I like how their banners look so out of place for a place that is mostly dominated by high fantasy themes. I got ot hand it to Kawamori and his fellow mecah designers for making the Guymelef little better than an a regular melef in terms of protection but just added two things that kept them grunty and cool first was the ability to fly since it complemented the floating fortresses nicely and the second more important one was the liquid metal weapons. Speaking of the banners that must be the crappiest job for any one on Gaea, here there are a bunch of big mecha going at it while you only got a sword, maybe a crossbow, and still have to lug around a standard as you march in front of a big bad melef as things blow up all around you. It makes no military sense but since we are still in the realm of high fantasy it just makes everything look more epic. It wasn’t so much as Zaibach had hax, but it was more of a problem that they were the only guys who were undergoing a Scientific Revolution while every one else was still mired in ignorance.
While I had been more accustomed to mecha as a science fiction genre Escaflowne was a significant change for me. This allowed for a more complex plot by cutting out much fo the technology aspect with the power source being the hearts of dragons, and that technology for every one but Zaibach was lost technology that they did not always fully understand. It made things much easier to accept since magic was always possible even if there were no true sorcerers aside from Hitomi in a sense. I also like how the melefs are like clock work mecha with regards to control surfaces and the internal mechanisms. Got to love how they solved the flying problem by using float rocks that were all over the place to allow for some unique mecha action where you had elements from both science fiction and high fantasy.
Van for me was no annoying at the start he was young but at least he had courage and courage was enough. Hitomi was where the was a wow factor since Hitomi was not actively fighting but nonetheless contributed a lot more towards the plot than I would have expected since my initial assessment that she would be mostly an observer instead of an active player. I also enjoyed drunk Hitomi a lot. Millernia is a stuck up bint even if she is a doctor I still think of her as a nasty woman who read other people’s dairies and treated Hitomi like a mere servant, I am so glad that Allen can only think of his first love when he sees her. Speaking of the dashing Knight of Caeli I liked the guy even though he had womanizer written all over him, because he wasn’t a womanizer, but played the part to his advantage. Merle was just annoying and I am certain that the series could have done just as well without her, heck I like mole man more than I like Merle since Merle didn’t contribute much more than her cries of “Van–sama.” Dilandu was lovably insane for the most part slapping around his underlings, burning every thing around him, and painting his Guymelef red so it moves 3 times faster though he still got his ass kicked once the rookie Van leveled up and pwned the Dragon Slayers.
Episode 14 was the first time we get to see Dryden and he is quite the character for using Escaflowne’s AAA button to call up Guymelef Assistance from Ispano. Gotta like how they wasted so much time to confirm that it was Escaflowne so they could claim more man hours for making repairs. While the price gouging was to be expected I like how they voided the warranty because of van’s Draconian blood. It was such a shift from the usual mecha fare where the titular pilot could get his mecha beat half to hell and get it repaired all for free, not so with Ispano where you not only pay for quality Guymelef you have to pay top dollar for scratching up their machines. Dryden was pretty quirky and I loved his line, “this isn’t sudden we’re already engaged” to Millernia when she protested about their future marriage.
Mahad dar Freid was the last of the non bishie rulers of Freid. May his memory live on even if his lineage is dead. The likes of Mahad dar Freid will never be seen again in the modern era where men no longer look like men.
The Duke for Fried was a manly man, and I felt that he got the short end of the stick when he married Marlene. The good Duke must have really loved her to not have Chid removed so that he might father a true heir. Chid was too much of a baby to be the true son of Mahad dar Fried. i am glad that in the end Marlene realized that her husband was a manly man who made her wish that she might have had more time to make up for her youthful indiscretions. Allen had his thunder stolen twice by the good Duke once when Allen was about to make public Marlene’s shame and the second when Mahad Dar Freid marched out declaring is name and challenging all of Zaibach to fight him sadly Zaibach grunts don’t give a hoot about honor and just shot him so that the honor of killing Mahad dar Freid would go to Dornkirk’s discovery of Newtonian physics. Still the good Duke did die a hero.
All in all I loved every minute of the first half of Escaflowne since there was no filler and there was a continuous information assault that helped me stay in formed about this world and quash and questions that I might have had with a good deal of speed. Right now things seem to be at a good running pace without having things drag too much.
24 Comments
You’re forgetting the fact, Komrade Crusader, that Escaflowne, for all it’s trappings of high fantasy, with sweeping battles and conflicts that determined the fates of countless people, was at it’s heart a story of self-discovery and, ultimately, love. To label it a shoujou story with fantasy trappings would be a gross oversimplification though, but to the uninitiated that’s the closest description that fits.
I love this anime series. Playing this also reminds of the days I played Lunar SSS.
Thanks!
wasnt a bad anime and the first half had very few boring scenes but i dont like the very end of the anime … its way too boring but at least surprising
I watched Escaflowne box set last year, and while I enjoyed it, I just never really could see why it was such a classic. There a lot of things that bothered me, and I never could get into Hitomi. Didn’t enjoy Dilandu much either, as well as several others. I guess I just didn’t really like most of the characters. I can’t really specifically say what other aspects annoyed me, but I remember there being a whole bunch of things I didn’t like. A enjoyed watching it, but ultimately found it to be only “pretty good”. Everyone else I’ve ever talked to seemed to think it was fantastic though, so I dunno..
I don’t mind bishonens as long as we’re not flooded with them.
It’s GARblobs that worry me.
I DO hope you cover Folken in your second entry. He was hands down my favorite character in the series, despite his emo tear tattoo.
He’s also the character that started my undying adoration for Jouji Nakata (also voice of Alucard in Hellsing). I LOVE that man’s voice.
O,I love bishonen and if the story and the animation is good as well then you can be shore that I’ll watch this as soon as possible.How did I missed it?
Oh,well, it has to wait because one of my kids is sick.Again…:((
I liked the earlier sections of Escaflowne, but the whole thing became increasingly hokey as the episode count grew, until in the end, they defeated the jedi-ghost of ISSAC NEWTON with the power of love, and roleplay-voodoo-dolled two people into falling in love in arguably the funniest scene in the entire series.
@Myssa Rei
The love aspect was not a prevalent as it was in the second half, but more on that in the future. For the first half though it as pretty high fantasy with mecha. It fits in more with traditional romance with the questing and world changing implications of everyone’s actions. While there are shoujo elements it does not eclipse the high fantasy mecha action just yet it’s more like they complement each other without them stepping over the other for screen time.
@rollchan
It’ still a classic in my book.
@Furbl
Not sure about the other half but the first half was pretty darn good.
@Baka
It came out druing a time that anime was still scarce in the West and it was radically different from what most of us were use to in a mecha series given how it had been dominated by Gundam and Macross. In that light Escaflowne was quite unique for its day and still remains distinct from most mecha series.
@LDC
Yeah at least most of the other men other than the mains were gruff looking burly men like Balgus and Mahad dar Freid.
@L-chan
Right now I can only see how Folken is weird and a traitor to his homeland. He should become a better character in the second half though.
@ShadowCat
There is a good amount shoujo in this one so it’s not exclusively something that only mecha fans can enjoy.
@skoll
I think that having Isaac as the big bad was pretty awesome, we for get that the man was crazy in some ways and did believe in a lot of BS when he was alive. Have you not heard gravity brings people closer together?
Kawamori + Mecha = WIN
This is definitely one of those animes that has a high repeat value with me. I’ve watched it many times and still love it.
@Crusader: Yeah, the first half really paints Folken as an evil traitor, but I think the second half makes up for it splendidly. Folken is just doing what he thinks is right, and he’s willing to make up for past mistakes.
Ahh, I absolutely love this series! Thanks for reminding me to go watch it again!!
I’ve watched Escaflowne over so many times, i can’t even count it on both of my hands! I have to admit, there were some parts that bugged me to no end like the old leader dude of Zaibach. Everything he did bugged me but I still love it! The ending was no surprise for me but every time I watch it, I start crying like a baby. It’s just one of those scenes I can’t get over no matter how many times I say “Good ending.”
Ahh… I remember this series. It was awesome and I loved it. And yes, Merle was completely useless. The one thing that really bugged me though was that in the manga, Hitomi had beautiful long hair and in the anime, she doesn’t look pretty at all.
Oh and I was unfortunately unsatisfied with the ending, but that’s a whole other story. (If you’re going to make it a more romantic story halfway through the show, make it a romantic ending!)
And why is Van wearing Hitomi’s pendant in the first picture?
Ohh I’m watching this series for the first time right now I’m at episode 14 as well. I’m with Baka, I can’t get into Hitomi either. It’s like the world is descending into chaos and every episode she’s like an Allen pokemon. “Allen allen allen Allen!” x.x
Escaflowne will always be a timeless classic in my books. It is one of a very few fantasy series that really brings together a complete and extremely well thought out world with complex relationships and multiple prime actors all existing together. This is rare in fantasy anime, where there is usually a good guy and a bad guy set amongst some ancient Japanese/classical Chinese palaces. As a pure fantasy show, the only other show that really approaches the level of detail as Escaflowne is Twelve Kingdoms and to a lesser extent Guardian of the Sacred Spirit.
The second aspect of Escaflowne which was magnificent was the mecha action. Possibly some of the best mecha action ever, because unlike most mecha shows, the fights weren’t incredibly one sided. Yes Zaibach always won, but it was clear WHY they won, because of superior technology which only they possessed, centuries in the making. It was absolutely no accident why they were so powerful. But all they did have was technology, as the greatest swordsmen were from elsewhere, and someone with enough ability (Balgus, Allen Schezar) would still give them a whooping using the older technology. Secondly, with the exception of Van’s increasing sword skill exposing more of Escaflowne’s innate abilities, there was very little ‘power up’ in this show. This was a very clear contrast to newer mecha shows like FMP, Gundam and even Macross Frontier with the endless powering up of opposing forces to ridiculous heights in a short timespan which only serve to ruin the internal balance of the world presented. The mecha battles were also extremely well animated, with little of the popular ‘grunt dying’ scenes which are endlessly recycled in shows like Macross 7. Finally, the aspect of individual skill and the contrast with the sword fighting was used masterfully, as the characters really looked like they were trying HARD to fight, unlike in newer mecha shows were it’s always a romp with many emo face distortions.
The final aspect was of course the characters. While some characters were very one-dimensional (i.e. merele), many were very multifaceted. This is much like real life, as some people really are only so ‘deep’ while others have complex stories. The aspect of love aspect meanwhile, while obvious from the start was not so tacked on as to feel kind of stupid. Yes there is plenty of love in this show, but the other parts of the show don’t suffer for it, and there is plenty of character development regardless.
Overall, Escaflowne shows you how amazing a show can be when pandering is kept to low levels, and when a show is meticulously thought out from the beginning. Some of the reasons of why it is such a great show is because it actually took Kawamori three years to write the story. It was also originally planned to be 36 (or was that 39) episodes, but had to be condensed, so there is absolutely no filler, and so completely full of story developments. As well the original idea of having Hitomi as a pretty bimbo was scrapped to make her more into a tomboy and more like a real person was also a great stroke as it made the story much more real in the end.
Oh and it doesn’t hurt that the animation was absolutely beautiful in Escaflowne, along with Evangelion one of the very last absolutely beautifully animated pre-CG shows in existence.
Overall, for all these and many more reasons, Escaflowne will always be a masterpiece and classic in my books.
The answer is at the end of the anime series. ^^
Ah!
Oh yeah… I forgot about that hehe
Thanks.
Esca was one of the first animes I ever watched or bought (i bought all the single dvd’s as they came out)
Balgus was completely awesome. I always felt like his story would have been amazing, like the founding of Fenalia, his early sword training (why he doesn’t use a melef), and if i remember correctly more stories about the other “great swordsmen” of Gaia (i think including Balgus there were 3).
This show is what i consider a great gate way anime for people that never have watched any anime. The action is good, and the story (for the most part) isn’t too crazy. The ending is crazy enough to let the new viewers know that sometimes a messed up ending can change the way people think about a series.
I really wished there was another mecha anime series that took this high fantasy route. Sure the flashy wings and beam sabers from gundam are an “ok” replacement” for one on one battles, and Macross covers the space/flight dog fights, there was something “magical” about seeing knights actually fight in giant armored mecha.
Any how, yeah the Zaibach dragon slayers pilots seemed over reliant on their cloaking and lacked the ability to straight up fight. Even at the end of the series only Alan could match Van in sword skill (that we saw)
I really love this animation. It was toying with the philosophicial (not physical) “Law of Attraction” which is such an positive yet controversial principle… and is currently popularly being marketed as “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne, though of course it’s not really a new principle, and it’s not a secret either. It essentially states: You attract things that you think of. I think Escaflowne played it into a story quite well
The insertion of Newton into the story was what left me reeling in surprise. It wasn’t directly stated that he was Newton, but then you have the keys to the mystery: gravity, man from earth, “Isaac”… it’s one of those things that you just stitch together. It was not only clever, it also made me feel, as the audience, that there was a bridge between this story and reality. A fictional bridge, but a bridge nonetheless
I’m also surprised that there are quite a number of people who watched it so much that they can’t count it anymore. I’m one of those people. I loved that animation to death as a kid, and I have very fond memories of it to date.
Oh, and by the way, this animation introduced me to Yoko Kanno, so I just can’t forget it
As much as I enjoyed Escaflowne, part of my wonders what would have happened if Kawamori went with his original plans (Air Cavalry chronicles, think high fantasy but with Macross style Valkyries).
I want to thank you for comment one of my most beloved series and give
the respect that deserve to his awesomeness Mahad dar Freid.
My mind in overflowing with sweet memories of Escaflowne like Dryden’s self introduction (still make gigle) or when the duke of Freid acknowledge Chied like his son (was so GAR!)or Ispano “devotion” for the own work XD or….Damn are so many
It still amaze me how Balgus in a couple of minutes was more memorable than the entire crew of Celestial Being, and not only him, I always mention Escaflowne as example of a series with charismatics support character.
Mizoguchi and Yoko Kanno made a master piece with the OSTs
And I like nobutero Yuuki desings
I’ll be waiting the second part, to fangirl my beloved Folken sama and Jajuka.
Pd: ALL HAIL KAWAMORI!
Aw, I liked Merle. Which is surprising, because I didn’t really like Van very much. To me, she acts like a realistic little girl with a crush. So even though she’s annoying, I think that she was supposed to be annoying. I personally thought she was cute.