Anime Review: Vision of Escaflowne

One of my absolute favourite genres has got to be mecha. But before I had the fortune of finding this out, I stumbled onto this anime, first played on TV, Vision of Escaflowne. This is how the obsession started.

If you like this series, you might also enjoy Last Exile, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Record of Lodoss War (not quite mecha). Feel free to recommend other similar anime’s in the comments section, as I cannot claim to have seen every single anime out there ^^.

Genre: Fantasy, Mecha

Episodes: 26

Sequels: Escaflowne: The movie

If you are a mecha fan and have yet to put this on you watch list, I suggest you do it ASAP! If you enjoyed Macross and Eureka Seven, you will most likely enjoy Escaflowne as Shoji Kawamori is one of the creators, while production was done by Sunrise (Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Code Geass).

The heroine in this story is Hitomi Kanzaki, a very normal high school student with normal interests and hobbies such as track, and Tarot readings! Hitomi has a vision of a young man, Van Fanel, slaying a dragon. Van materialises later that evening as he is transported to her world in a pillar of light……along with the dragon. Van slays the dragon and rewards himself by cutting out the dragon’s heart, revealing an energist stone to take. As Van is transported back to his world Gaia, where the Earth can be seen in the sky, Hitomi is transported with him.

In Hitomi’s struggle to find a way back to Earth, her psychic powers are somewhat awakened and in turn Farnelias Mech, Escaflowne. Thus she finds herself thrust into the middle of wars and conflict between Austuria, Famelia and Zaibach.

So this series does have a great storyline, with albeit an unoriginal plotline, but the initial thought, girl surrounded by guys and love triangle soon ensues, does have the qualities of a shojou, but it actually is a fantasy mecha action series with toned down romance.

This series does a wonderful job of grabbing you and captivating your imagination in the first few episodes, and the first half of the series, but fails to continue doing so in the latter half. Much of the blame is trying to conclude the complex character relationships and plotlines built up initially towards the end of the series.

Once I tell you Escaflowne was originally planned to cover 39 episodes, but had to be cut down to 26 during production and the director did not want to sacrifice any characters or plotlines, you can begin to see why. This is reflected in the slightly erratic story development, slow initially and speeding up in the last few episodes, with the final episode being particularly evident of the forced conclusion.

That being said, the series still has a great deal more to offer, with characters developing into engaging, believable genuine people. Hitomi’s journey is particularly interesting as she grows up through the series. The very likable tomboyish heroine is not the curvy long haired airhead she was originally planned to be, but instead a stable and reserved character who takes a down to earth nature in her approach to her powers and romantic interests.

Talking about romantic interests, the love triangle between Van and Allen makes for an interesting contrast, with two different personalities. Van being the young impulsive type while Allen is the older, more mature and charming shoujo prettyboy, both likable characters. This does not however, overpower the story, in that when there is action, there is nothing but action!!!

If this series was originally meant to be 39 episodes, but was crammed into 26, you’d expect the storylines to be good, epic, and I’ll say this, it is!

The series is set in a fantasy world with evil empires and kingdoms battling it out, mecha style! On the next level there is the world of Gaia, Atlantis and control over the winds of destiny. Hitomi has the ability to see the inevitable but also change it, with various consequences of course. Then there are the side characters outside the trio, the insidious Dilandau and Folken, with both of their hidden agendas driving them and justifying their motives. Dilandau in particular was a well written antagonist. He is so menacing at times you love to hate him, although there are moments where that perception may change.

When this series came out in 1996, the animations were spectacular! Even now the animation still holds its own. Considering the world is not Earth, the animation and scenery really help to distinguish between them. The characters are well detailed, given that this series came out in the same timeframe as Ghost in the Shell and Rurouni Kenshin.

Fans of Gundam will be used to high tech state of the art mecha, but the organic nature of Escaflowne with steam and mysterious stones powering Escaflowne accompanied by cogs and gears being visible as Van pilots his machine is definitely refreshing and fitting for the timeline the story is set in whilst matching the tech found in Gaia. Mecha fights are also done well, with a battle every other episode. The only flaw which is immediately noticeable is their extended and distinct squared off noses, but hey, I’m being picky.

As expected in any good series, the music must hold its own; Escaflowne’s soundtrack fulfils this criterion. Its unlike the jazz music in Cowboy Bebop, you get epic orchestral scores fitting for an epic storyline.

The voice acting is excellent! Each character is clearly distinguishable and voiced with flawlessness from dramatic to emotional scenes. I must say my particular favourite was the insane Dilandau, with his fits of rage and unparalleled hatred and a clearly fractured persona, the character is played with utter perfection. I also initially watched this series dubbed, which I must say is very good. I was rather impressed but I will say the original is still the best.

There are three different manga’s out there for Escaflowne, but those of you who liked the anime but have yet to read them, be warned, they are worlds apart.

Escaflowne has wonderful storylines and characters but does suffer from a few flaws, mainly the crammed timeframe of the series into 26 episodes, where you sometimes feel there is little breathing space. Having said that, this is still a solid mecha anime well worth your time!

Escaflowne: Complete Collection

Anime Review: Love Hina

I felt like I had to review Love Hina at some point as this series was the first comedy animes I had seen….. and it had me laughing out loud. Please feel free to comment on what you think and recommend other similar anime in the comments section.

Grenre: Romantic Comedy

Episodes: 24

Sequel: Love Hina Again (OAV)

Ok guys, I know this series is a fan favourite in its genre, and I know overall the views and opinions are generally the same for Love Hina. It is a damn near perfect anime with not too much romance to put you to sleep and plenty of comedy to keep you laughing and engaged.

So, for those unfortunate few who have not had the pleasure of watching this series, it is about a boy, who likes a girl, who loves to give him a hard time!

The story starts where Urashima Keitaro has failed his entrance exams (twice!) for Tokyo U and is forced to move out of his house and live on his own. His option is to go to his Grandmothers inn (Hinata Inn), which is now an all girls hall of residence, and takes the role of manager. Sounds like a dream job for any male student, but this isn’t what he was expecting to say the least!

In typical fashion, Keitaro is branded as being a ‘pervert’ from day one, which I’m sure you will agree when you watch the series, might not be completely unrealistic opinion. This only make life more difficult for Keitaro, he is beaten, picked on, harassed and I’d even go as far as saying maybe even tortured by the girls on a daily basis. One girl in particular, who has Keitaro in her crosshair, is Narusagawa Naru. She is a 17-year old senior who not only is exceptionally bright and good looking, is also trying to get into Tokyo U.

So what happens when girl picks on boy? Keitaro eventually falls for Naru as they become friends (which Naru could never admit). The viewers then wonder if Naru could be Keitaro’s childhood love, who promised to go to Tokyo U together!

So yes, it is a romantic comedy. Think Chobits or Tenchi Muyo, but more comedy, a lot more comedy, to get an idea of this series. Like I stated earlier, it is hilarious! The Series has plenty of characters with different personalities, combined with unusual and ‘circumstantial’ situations and random events; it will keep you hooked throughout the series. Every episode is a new way to beat on Keitaro, which yes, is repetitive but doesn’t make you think if it’s too much.

One thing that initially put me off before even picking up the DVD was the romance side of this series. Yes it does keep you guessing and doesn’t really answer any questions. But the conclusion I came to at the end was that if you enjoy pure comedy and don’t mind bits of romance, then this series is unmissable!

The story doesn’t just revolve around Keitaro and Naru trying to get into Tokyo U, there are a number of sub-plots to break up the story and introduce the other characters and their unique ‘traits’.  This maybe a weakness to the series where there is no fluidity, as each episode has a different story. But if you like that sort of style, then you’ve got no worries.

The animation is very well done, with views saying it’s almost OVA like. Each character is drawn to perfection, with plenty of fan service for those who enjoy it.

I have to quickly comment on the music from the series, I mean, I still remember the theme tune from when I first watched it 8 years ago! The music is excellent and ties in well with each episode.

For the few viewers who want to watch the dubbed version, don’t. The original voice acting is wonderful and played with a uniqueness fitting to each character. The dub doesn’t have the same impact and lack the crazy uniqueness and emotion their Japanese counterparts have.

I do think this is a must for anime fans out there, even as I’m writing this, I’m thinking about picking up my DVD and watching it. One thing I will say is that this doesn’t end the way you’d think. For conclusions on the story, you need to watch Love Hina Again OAVs, which even though not as good as the series, is still a welcomed addition. 

Anime News: The next Gundam series, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE!

When you hear the word Gundam, does your face light up with glee, excitement? Mine certainly does, especially with news about the twelfth installment of the long-running franchise, Gundam AGE.

So before we get into what the Gundam fans are thinking, let’s quickly find out what the new storyline entails.

The new story starts off in 101 A.G. where humanity has moved from Earth and now resides in space colonies (guess what happens next to the colony). The united Earth Federation suffers their first attack where the space colony Angel is destroyed at the hands of unknown enemies, called ‘U.E.’ (which stands of unknown enemy, who are aliens, naturally). This tragic event, ‘the day the angel fell’, marks the beginning of the war.

The storyline spans 3 generations and begins in 108 A.G. where Frit Asuno’s mother is killed in one of these attacks on the space colony Ovan where he witnesses her death at the age of 7. He finds the ‘AGE Device’ in his mother’s belongings where the blueprint of the Gundam is found.

He spends the next few years studying engineers in the Nora space colony designing the AGE-1 Gundam. What happens next? The Nora space colony is under attack from the Unknown Enemy. The Earth Federation has a handful of victories under their belt against U.E., will the Gundam be the answer to their prayers?

So far so good, it sounds like Sunrise have tried to make this into an epic storyline which expands over a 100 years (homage to 1 year war from the first Gundam series?) spanning 3 generations (Flit Asuno, Asemu Asuno and Kio Asuno), it is a refreshing take on the new series.

How this will be achieved still remains cloudy. All three leading characters look the same age in official released pictures, so its unclear if there will be different seasons where it begins with grandfather, father followed by the son’s era or time jump between the 3. But a clue is given in the sense that the AGE Gundam will evolve over time, and there will be 2 further Gundams AGE-2 and AGE-3. Maybe there will be no ‘Lost’ like time jumps into the past and future and it will be one continuous series, but it would be interesting to see Sunrise try and achieve this concept. The Gundams also have 2 armor options, the heavy armor ‘Titus’ or the light and speedy ‘Sparrow’.

Do you remember in Gundam 00, Celestial Beings amazing supercomputer Veda? This new series features something similar to Veda, the AGE Device and in particular, the AGE System. The AGE system is used for piloting the Gundam which learns from the world around it, evolving as it takes in knowledge (Doomsday anyone?). The AGE Device is the controller.

But then they release a few pictures from the series and a trailer. This was not well received amongst the Gundam community and caused an uproar, especially amongst the mature fans. The animations and character design looks suitable for an 8 year old child, while here I was expecting animation to be the next level up from Gundam 00, as 00 was from Seed and Destiny. It almost seems that this series IS aimed at a younger audience, to captivate them like the first ever series of Gundam, all the way back in 1979! You may be thinking why, but what if I told you how much merchandise Bandai is releasing, in terms of action figures, games etc. Yes, it’s aimed at a younger generation to sell products, nurture a new generation of Gundam fans, to buy the toys and ensure the longevity of the series and the financial and economic stability of the company. I say it’s a smart idea, but on a personal level, I will miss the mature Gundam Seed/Destiny/00 storylines and animation.

Aside from the animation, the storyline is enough to make this series compelling and may not be, as I was initially thinking, the death of Gundam. Featuring series trademark plotlines and civilian casualties and epic space battles, there’s still plenty to keep you engrossed in the tried and tested Gundam formula.

While we all wait for this series to be released in October 2011 with bated breath, it maybe a sub-par series in the franchise, but wait 10 episodes before judgment and we may all be surprised. Who knows, this may be one of the best in the series, and if not, we still have the Gundam Seed movie to look forward to (and the next series of Gundam). Don’t be too disheartened Gundam Fans, every series can’t possibly hit the mark like Kira Yamato :).

Anime Review: Great Teacher Onizuka!

Hello

In my next few blogs I will aim to go by genre and talk about an anime I particularly enjoyed watching. Hopefully some of you guys will have seen it but if not, try and check it out to see if it’s your cup of tea. If it is, let me know what you liked or didn’t like about it. If you have another favourite in this genre, please let us know by writing in the comments section. After all, we want to expand our anime horizons right J.

Genre: Comedy                       

Anime: Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO)

Episodes: 43

This week I thought I’d start off with a good comedy anime and one of my favourites to date, GTO!!

Ok, so those of you who haven’t heard of GTO, it’s about a teacher called Eikichi Onizuka, who is basically an ex-biker and gang leader.

One day, Onizuka decides to become the greatest teacher (for the wrong reasons of course). He lands a job at a prestigious private school with the help of the headmaster but gets the short straw. He is assigned the delinquent problem class that basically made all their previous teachers quit (mysterious death, nervous breakdown and joining a cult. loool). He needs to earn the respect of the students, but how do you do that when these kids are some of the brightest masterminds in Japan? Not only that, he is tasked to earn the trust of his fellow colleagues.

Viewers realise early on that Onizuka has a problem with the system of traditional education. He uses his own special brand of philosophy and less than conventional methods, to ultimately, get through to his kids one student at a time by helping them to overcome their problems.

His sole interest seems to be the female students, and he certainly does not hide it well. However, you soon realise that he is a Karate champ bad-ass with plenty of toood (attitude), while also being a social inept loser, with good honest intentions, to give his students a better educational experience than he had.

GTO is one of the most absolutely hilarious animes around; it will have you laughing with tears streaming down your eyes. The series addresses serious social issues with some of the real life problems his students have, which I’m sure a lot of viewers can relate to, but it does so with raunchy humour. Once you get past the sexual themes, Onizuka’s skirt-chasing and pretty much the torturing of his students, you realise that Onizuka is actually a modern day knight, albeit in tarnished armour.

Those of you who are interested in the voice acting will be glad to know that it is indeed, amazing. Onizukas voice, played by Takagi Wataru, is a genius simply put. The dramatic scenes to bass-ass to moron idiotic mode and hysteria mode are done to perfection. The English dub on the other hand is just ok. This series, like ALL anime, has to be enjoyed in Japanese (with subs).

Overall, this is a wonderful series that takes real life and puts its own spin on it by making it quite original and damn funny! This is definitely aimed at the older 17+ male viewers but if you watch it with an open mind, anybody who likes mature themes with good humor will find this very enjoyable and sad to see it end.

Its Anime time!!

Hi Folks,
One of the main reasons i wanted to start blogging was to find out what kinda of anime people are interested in. Granted its an acquired taste but  foreign cinema such as anime has spoken to me in many ways. but before we get too deep into the mushy gushy stuff, i'd like to know what everyone is interested in. lets start with the simple questions, whats the favorite anime? :)
(my first blog ever, yaaaay)