One can run out of superlatives when discussing this brilliant magical girl/mecha/fantasy hybrid from Shoji Kawamori (Macross)...
One little known factiod about Escaflowne is that it was orginally scripted for 39 episodes, but was chopped by a season down to 26. Astonishingly, this late re-write actually works to the show's benefit, cramming a lot into little bit less space then one might expect of fantasy shows of a similar vintage like Wolf's Rain and Inuyusha. Unfortunatly, Escaflowne, because of a botched tv broadcast by Fox Kids and the generally inferior feature Girl in Gaea, is not as well liked among anime fans as it should be.
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Aug 26, 2008
Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi
(Anime)
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Romance of Three Kingdoms, for those not versed in Asian cultures, is the Illiad of the East, A giant epic set around the fall of the Han dynasty in 189 A.D...
This particular version of Three Kingdoms is not a straight adaptation of the novel, but a version based upon Sangokushi, a manga by the famed mangaka Yokoyama Mitsuteru (Gigantor, Little Witch Sally, Giant Robo) in a whopping 60 volumes of tankoban between 1981 and 1987. Despite this, the story remains the same, much to the series' benefit. Yokoyama's designs are generally good, if somewhat 'old-fashioned' in comparison to character designs of the period. The characters ... 
Jul 14, 2008
From the same fellow, Ryosuke Takahashi, who brought you Armored Troopers VOTOMS and Silent Service, Gasaraki shares its 'stable-mates' interests in the politics of war and the dilemmas of the soldier, buts adds little bit of a supernatural edge to the proceddings.
The design of the mecha is what makes Gasaraki interesting, but these distinct designs can only just make up for the general lack of action in the series overall. Character development is also fairly weak, but seceral characters are forced to make difficult decisions, which adds to the dramatic elements of the series overall. Gasaraki is also among the more ethnocentric series available on DVD ... 
Jul 7, 2008
Koukyoushihen Eureka Seven
(Anime)
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Eureka Seven is to mecha what Cowboy Bebop was to sci-fi anime: A rich collection of characters and cultural references looking both east and west, while telling a good story in the process of challenging the trivia nerds among us. Eureka and Renton are immensly likable, while Anemone is disturbing on a lot of levels. The rest of ensemble is not as well developed, except for the Beams', Holland, Norb, and Dewey. The characters, mecha, and overall enviroment are all superbly designed, but mechs on 'surfboards' do strain crediability just a bit. The music is excellent, lending a lot to the atmosphere of what is
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Jul 7, 2008
Soukou Kihei Votoms
(Anime)
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A golden oldie, if little seen in the U.S...
This particular mecha series, directed by Ryosuke Takahashi (Gasaraki, Silent Service), was an early pioneer of the 'realistic mecha' sub-genre, coming out right on the heels of Tomino's Gundam tv series, and it features heavily Takahashi's interest in the interior 'realm' of the soldier. Chirico Cuvie is a superb leading character, although the relationship element does feel somewhat forced. Of the four story arces, the weakest is the first, but the middle two, especially 'Dead World Susna' are particularly good. Not as wordy as Takahashi's later Gasaraki, but its still got a brain, which is a refreshing ... |
