|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||
|
|
Reviewed by Michael Deeley Hitomi Hoshino is a shy school girl who tells fortunes as a hobby. She dreams of another world, a world with a crystal flower and a handsome prince. One day, Hitomi comes to that world. She merges with the crystal, the “Energist”, which gives her strange powers. Prince Van of Fanelia wants her to power the giant robot Escaflowne. Hitomi doesn’t know how, but not only can she power the robot, she feels its attacks. Sometimes she transforms into another girl entirely; one with psychic powers. When Fanelia is destroyed by a rival kingdom, Hitomi and Van find refuge with a previously neutral country. Now they must unlock the secrets of Escaflowne and the Energist to rescue Van’s queen mother. If they don’t kill each other first, that is. I’d say this story would appeal to boys and girls equally. There’s plenty of action and violence to keep boys entertained. Girls would like the quiet Hitomi. She displays greater power than anyone suspects, herself included. She’s also more mature than young Van. It’s unusual to see the girl as the dominant partner in a boy/girl duo. Artwork is better than average for a manga. The machines and locations are rendered with care. But I found the people were frequently drawn in a “cute” style. Big eyes filled with color, mouths that stretched beyond the heads, blushing; that sort of thing. It keeps the tone light, but undermines the seriousness of certain situations. Reading ‘Escaflowne” reminded me how often I see imagery from colonial Europe in anime and manga. The various Gundam series and “Last Exile” are prominent examples of Japanese stories that feature costumes and social organizations from old Europe. I wonder why? Perhaps it’s because Japan’s first contact with the Western world was with European colonial powers in the 1700s. Maybe the rigid class structure under European kings was similar to the feudal system in Edo-period Japan. Maybe creators just like the costumes. “The Vision of Escaflowne” is one of two mangas based on the “Escaflowne” anime. All three stories were created by the same people, (Hajime Yatte and Shoji Kwamori). I’m curious to see how this manga, the “boy” version, differs from the “girl” version and the anime. I like what I’ve seen so far, and I’d like to read more. Comment on this review of The Vision of Escaflowne v1 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
|
||||
 |
| home | reviews | news | features | about us | advertise | privacy policy | contact us |
