..."Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaia" does the same with an equally long predecessor.
Before I begin, let me say I was a fan of the anime series and the mangas, but this movie has totally won me over - I was in awe when I saw it at the Fantasia Fest in Montreal.
To those who complain it is too different from the series - get real, how can you possibly hope to compress ten hours of a series in a hundred minutes of a movie??? And also, have you ever read the Escaflowne mangas? There were two series that I remember, and both were actually very different from each other, and I mean HUGELY different. So stop complaining, Escaflowne is not a single story, it is the essence, the spirit behind many stories, like different sides to a cube.
Now, on the way the movie is darker than the series, it is very true, but also, very justified. In the series, Fanelia was obliterated, but Van seemed hardly traumatized by it, he did not become the revengeful prince that he should have been portrayed as. Now, in the movie, he is - do you seriously think, if you were the ruler of a kingdom, if it was to be reduced to ashes before your very eyes, you wouldn't become filled with so much hate and be deeply depressed - as he feels like he is the last of his kind, much like a "Last of the Mohicans".
Technically, it is beautiful, this movie just screams ambiance. Where the series were very brilliantly colored, and therefore not visually symbolistic of the underlying apocalyptic theme (at least, until the last few episodes), in the movie, the overall feel in most visuals is one of sadness, pain, despair, darkness. Many barren and desolate landscapes go on to show just how much the world is suffering and in need of a savior. And the way Escaflowne merges with Van, even to the point of sharing blood, it makes it all very visceral, and has a much more 'samurai' kind of spirit behind it - because of its inherent link to blood and mortality - than the high-fantasy theme of the series.
The characters may seem scarred, but let's face it, the destruction of your homeland, the death of your loved ones, the fear of witnessing the annihilation of your world... ...in short, war; well, it is not a very happy subject and quite frankly, it scars people, it affects them. Under that light, I guess I can safely say that as depressing as it may be, the movie is much more realistic in its approach to the psychology of its characters than the happier-feeling series.
Musically, it couldn't have been better. The soundtrack is a Wagnerian opus of a score, really; the music alone makes it worthwhile to sit through the movie.
Bottom line is: If you're looking for the series, better watch the series; if you're looking for a different Escaflowne, darker, more mature, more realistic, and just great Anime, you owe it yourself to check this one out.
Before I begin, let me say I was a fan of the anime series and the mangas, but this movie has totally won me over - I was in awe when I saw it at the Fantasia Fest in Montreal.
To those who complain it is too different from the series - get real, how can you possibly hope to compress ten hours of a series in a hundred minutes of a movie??? And also, have you ever read the Escaflowne mangas? There were two series that I remember, and both were actually very different from each other, and I mean HUGELY different. So stop complaining, Escaflowne is not a single story, it is the essence, the spirit behind many stories, like different sides to a cube.
Now, on the way the movie is darker than the series, it is very true, but also, very justified. In the series, Fanelia was obliterated, but Van seemed hardly traumatized by it, he did not become the revengeful prince that he should have been portrayed as. Now, in the movie, he is - do you seriously think, if you were the ruler of a kingdom, if it was to be reduced to ashes before your very eyes, you wouldn't become filled with so much hate and be deeply depressed - as he feels like he is the last of his kind, much like a "Last of the Mohicans".
Technically, it is beautiful, this movie just screams ambiance. Where the series were very brilliantly colored, and therefore not visually symbolistic of the underlying apocalyptic theme (at least, until the last few episodes), in the movie, the overall feel in most visuals is one of sadness, pain, despair, darkness. Many barren and desolate landscapes go on to show just how much the world is suffering and in need of a savior. And the way Escaflowne merges with Van, even to the point of sharing blood, it makes it all very visceral, and has a much more 'samurai' kind of spirit behind it - because of its inherent link to blood and mortality - than the high-fantasy theme of the series.
The characters may seem scarred, but let's face it, the destruction of your homeland, the death of your loved ones, the fear of witnessing the annihilation of your world... ...in short, war; well, it is not a very happy subject and quite frankly, it scars people, it affects them. Under that light, I guess I can safely say that as depressing as it may be, the movie is much more realistic in its approach to the psychology of its characters than the happier-feeling series.
Musically, it couldn't have been better. The soundtrack is a Wagnerian opus of a score, really; the music alone makes it worthwhile to sit through the movie.
Bottom line is: If you're looking for the series, better watch the series; if you're looking for a different Escaflowne, darker, more mature, more realistic, and just great Anime, you owe it yourself to check this one out.