Story: 5
Masterpieces are a dime a dozen now-a-days, for any genre of art. When surrealism was at it’s peak, there was Dali painting. For dystopian literature, there was George Orwell, envisioning a horrifyingly realistic future. For classic rock filled with emotion and symbolism, you have Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’. Then there is anime. It is a genre of art with almost no masterpiece. There are few anime pieces that literally move your entire soul. Until now. Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you: Escaflowne; The movie.
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As with all masterpieces of the film industry, the writing is essential to the story. And ETM pulls it off, with shining colors. Hitomi is a typical teenager. Believing no one understands who she is, what her emotions are, why she is the way she is, and nor does she even truly know who she really is. Until one day, when she is whisked off to the magical world of Gaea, where men are men, and the ladies are really quite hot. Hitomi is the Wing Goddess of ancient prophecies, destined to bring forth Escaflowne, the dragon armor, the God of War, the God of Sky, the God of everything but sex I guess. |
Anyways, she meets up with Van, the last King of the Dragon Clan, the man destined to pilot the Escaflowne… and destroy the world. He and the band of anti-Black Dragon Clan guerillas that he is with are fighting to prevent the Black Dragon Clan from destroying the world.
You may scuff this off, thinking it sounds like a stereotypical anime, but bah I say unto thee, BAH! You silly philistine, these are the words that I think describe this story. There is only one way to truly be enlightened by the righteousness that is ETM, and that is to totally immerse yourself in it’s world, it’s story, and it’s history. By watching it that is.
Animation/Sound: 5; 5
… The opening scene… A flagship on Gaea floats almost endlessly throughout the wide expanse that is Gaea’s sky. Suddenly, what appears to be a boy falls from the sky, much like the kamikaze pilots of WWII, he appears to have one mission… to kill or be killed. He crashes upon the flagstaff of the ship… and dispatches the guard there. In record time, he kills everyone. Not one person is left alive, nor with not more than one limb dismembered.
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My words can’t merely begin to describe how beautiful this scene is. It is merely mouth droopingly, eyes widely good. The phrase ‘nutting’ oneself comes to mind.
When watching this movie… you don’t feel like you’re watching a mere anime. Oh no, you’re living Gaea. You’re breathing the air that is on Gaea. The depth… the Scale… the Beauty that is this movie is merely indescribable. It nearly brings one to tears, just by it’s beauty. If you watch the final battle and are not moved by the beauty throw which it was animated… I shall beat you severely.
Then… the Soundtrack… Once again… you are no longer listening to a soundtrack through your TV or Surround Sound… you are listening to a orchestra playing right before your very eyes. You can almost feel each individual stroke, each vibration of each note. The beauty… it’s a masterpiece, as has already been foretold, that could have only come from Yoko Kanno.
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Characters: 5
Now, the final aspect of the Masterpiece. The characters… *sigh* How beautifully mastered they all are. Van… you feel for his sorrow, his loneliness… his anguish. Same goes for Dune/Folken… you understand why he did all that he did. You may not condone it, but you feel for him. Hitomi, you feel her love for Van, and vice versa. There wasn’t even an annoying character. The two I hated from the series, Merle and Dilandau are done almost perfectly in the movie. It truly rounds out the masterpiece.
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Overall: 20 out of 20
Total Score: 5 Twinkies
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