Presentation PA #63

Escaflowne The Movie: The New Encounter. In this issue, we are introducing you to the world of Escaflowne The Movie (for a complete coverage of the TV series, please check Protoculture Addicts #43, page 19 to 34). Are you anime fans enjoying the North American TV release on Fox TV and YTV? Then the brand new feature film Vision Of Escaflowne: The Movie is a MUST for you! It has been 4 years since the original TV series ended, and this movie version is a co-production of Japan, Korea and the US (http://www.nifty.com/escaflowne/). Unfortunately, the North American version of the TV series is, of course, heavily edited (however, anime fans can enjoy the complete series, in its original, unedited form, in English, for it has been released on video by Bandai Entertainment) and I am not quite sure if the viewers can follow the love relationships among those characters, because they are, I must admit, quite complicated.

Hitomi, the main female character, is in love with Amano, her older school mate, and she wants to be noticed by him. So she takes the initiative “Please give me my first kiss!”. But before this could happen, Hitomi is taken away to the alien world of Gaia! Normally, when someone is in a chaotic situation, she/he has no time for love, right? But, on Gaia, Hitomi meets Allen, a good-looking Knight who looks just like Amano and Hitomi becomes infatuated with him. And Allen seems to like her a lot! However, Princess Millerna is also in love with Allen and she wants to show her feelings to him, but Allen cannot forget that he was in love with Millerna’s older sister, who passed away some time before. But, this is not the end! Allen’s father fell in love with a woman, a long time ago, and went to look for her, abandoning Allen and his mother. Now Allen hates his father, but who was the woman for whom his dad abandoned his family? It was Hitomi’s grandmother, who was also brought to Gaia! How complicated! But who is the main male character of the TV show? It is Van! As the story goes on, Van and Hitomi become involved in a relationship. So, you may think the movie version is a soap opera with giant robots, right? Wrong!

Although it has the same cast of characters, Escaflowne: The Movie offers you a totally different story. There are a lot of Asian overtones, such as Japanese Katana-styled swords and many costumes look like the native clothing of Central Asia, such as Tibet and Mongolia. As for the story, it is much simpler than the TV series’: Hitomi does not know how to open her heart, but learns when she meets Van. She did not know who she really was or what was her reason for living. After fierce battles and lots of dangerous adventures, the last scene, with its beautiful sunset, will move you to tears. Is it a happy ending? You’ll be the judge! But I guarantee you will definitely enjoy this renewed encounter with the world of Escaflowne ! This movie tells you “Open your heart! Then you will find your reason to live!” Aside from the fantastic character designs of Nobuteru Yuki, the great mecha designs and the wonderful music (by Yoko Kanno), the basic message is clear, especially for young viewers. And please, go see this movie in a theater (and on a big screen) so you can see and feel Gaia in all its splendor! I am sure you will profoundly enjoy this movie!

Miyako Matsuda

Incredible! The summer is already over and the year 2000 is also almost over! At least, this issue will be the last of the year since PA#64 won’t come out before January. It has been a busy year (that’s an understatement!) and when I look back to the issues we have published this year, I am quite satisfied with our coverage: Gundam Wing, Dunbine, Rurouni Kenshin, Turn A Gundam, Escaflowne The Movie and about thirty other anime shows. That’s without mentionning the countless reviews of live-action, manga and anime. Of course, there were some delays again this year and we have released only five issues, but we also had to work on the book Anime: A Guide To Japanese Animation...

This issue is covering several of the feature movies that premiered this summer in Japan and in North American anime conventions: Vision Of Escaflowne: A Girl In Gaia, Vampire Hunter D, Revolutionary Girl Utena: Adolescence Revelations, and Blood: The Last Vampire. All those movies have one thing in common: their incredible craftmanship! This issue also offers reports on the Summer Conventions & Festivals (Project A-kon, Anime North, Anime Expo, Otakon, Anime Iowa, CNanime, more on the Fantasia Festival, and our coverage the Montreal World Film Festival), overviews of recent anime shows (“Anime Stories” on Kakyusei, Master Keaton, To Heart, Virgin Fleet, Seraphim Call), the usual “Anime World” articles (The Modern Japanese Music Database Part 7 and more Anecdotes from people of the anime industry), Reviews (of the latest Anime videos, Manga, live-action movies and Model Kits), and the latest news! Enjoy and take care!

NEXT ISSUE: (PA#64 coming in January) will cover a couple of the new titles that Bandai is bringing to North America in 2001 (Angel Links, Crest Of The Stars) as well as Salaryman Kintaro (manga & live-action TV show). We will also finish our coverage of the Fantasia and Montreal’s World Film Festivals, and have Anime Stories on A.D. Police, GateKeepers, Love Hina, Ordian and War Flag Of The Star (the sequel of Crest Of The Star). Don’t miss this issue!

Claude J. Pelletier