Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Be Careful What You Wish For, July 12, 2003
These are the last stanzas in what is one of the monuments of Japanese anime, a rich fantasy story as memorable as any other notable series. Hitomi, after fleeing Gaea back to earth finds that her experiences have left her with many unresolved feelings. When Van flies Escaflowne across the gap between the worlds to retrieve her she joins him, even though it is to return to the middle of an horrific war. Hitomi realizes that she can run no longer - that if Gaea is to heal, she must do her part. By this DVD it is clear to the viewer that fate, and its changing, is the underlying theme of this series. Isaac Newton attempts to manipulate it so that the Zaibach Empire will rule the world, nearly repeating the mistake of the Atlantean forebearers of the Gaeans. Tarot cards reveal futures that seem inevitable. And the intertwining of the characters defies the rules of coincidence. Into this apparent march to cataclysmic disaster and tragedy enters Hitomi, the most atypical of anime heroines. Thin and athletic rather than lush, cute rather than pretty, it is her inner nature rather than any physical ability that gives her the power to challenge the inevitable. Hitomi's special skill is the power to believe. And in doing so, she reveals that fate is far from ineluctable, that simply humans can change outcomes with their minds and hearts. Hitomi's confusion about her feelings towards Van and Alan Schezar, her hatred of the continuous stream of violence that mars life on Gaea, and the struggle she has to accept what she can do make her a warm and accessible character to the viewer. This is true of all the protagonists of Escaflowne, making what would otherwise be a pompous fantasy concoction into a compelling, life affirming drama. As endings go, this one starts a bit too slowly and ends too soon. I would have liked to see a stronger focus on the dynamics between Hitomi and Van as they realize their love for each other and must confront the roadblocks in their way. There is room for an entire additional episode, although the movie version of Escaflowne fills in much of this touching connection between two people separated by worlds. Even so, this is a fitting end to what has been a delightful series - one which I will always recommend without question.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best series, November 21, 2001
Warning: possible spoilers Let me start off by saying that I have seen a lot of anime, and that anime of Escaflowne's caliber is a rare find, indeed. It holds the highest rank on my favorites list, along with the widely acclaimed Rurouni Kenshin. The reason I was compelled to write a review was because I disagree with Charles Solomon when he says " a more powerful resolution is needed than a chat about the nature of human desire with Hitomi." "A more powerful resolution" would have contrasted directly with one of Hitomi's main (and basically accomplished) goals in the entire series: stopping a war and the feelings that provoked it. "A more powerful resolution" would have showed that the elimination of the destructive feelings which had caused the war still ran rampant. But it didn't have such an ending as, for example, Van destroying Dornkirk completely, for Van had learned form Hitomi that revenge (and especially killing) is not a good thing, and should not be done unless absolutely neccesary. Dornkirk had already been proven wrong,after all. On a final note, the ending was also very appropriate, for if one thinks about it, the series could not have reasonably ended any other way. All in all, Escaflowne is one of the most creative, intricate, and satisfying anime one will ever see. Plus, Dilandau is one of THE most awesome characters in the history of anime, but that's just my opinion.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The only (slight) disappointment in an excellent series, June 17, 2001
First of all, the editorial review apparently doesn't understand that Japanese animation does not share the American animation obsession with neat, clean endings with everything tied up nicely. It would be more appropriate to compare this to live-action material intended for the same age range, where neat endings are not quite so common. This is not Saturday-morning animation, no matter what FOX thinks; it is a satisfyingly complex plot intended for an older audience, although there is little here I would object to letting a younger child watch. Incidentally, the FOX version of this masterpiece is badly hacked up; I watched the first two episodes of it and flatly refused to watch more (I had already watched the entire series in subtitled format). Very disappointing, as that was an ideal opportunity to introduce this to a wider audience. That said, the ending of this series came as a bit of a surprise. While I still enjoyed it, and consider it an excellent wrap-up to an excellent series, I felt it was a little disjointed--a different style from the rest of the series. Like other reviewers, I feel that the series could easily have been extended by several more episodes, or even an entire season--so much was left uncovered. On top of that, it can also be said that most of the characters were so well developed that it was almost painful to have to watch the closing, knowing that there wasn't more; this is one of those stories that will never end--Escaflowne was not a complete tale; it was merely a glimpse into a wider world, albeit a fascinating one. However, all good stories are like that, with the feeling that there is something more happening just out of sight. If it works for live-action, why not for animation?
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
