Ah the great Royal Weddings of our time…
Prince Charles and Lady Diana…
Prince William and What’s-her-face…
Shining Armor and Princess Cadance…
…are couples that will never see “Dryden and Princess Millerna” near their names at any time in the future. Obviously, the wedding does not end up well for them (I mean c’mon, the episode is titled “False Vows”), but it is done in a way that only can happen in the world of Escaflowne. If you have only got here: No, this is not a bad thing.
Ugh. Do you know how many times I had to tweak “Adagio for Strings” so it wouldn’t be flagged by YouTube? Three times. I guess that specific performance was licensed. Don’t forget folks, that despite classical music being largely public domain, the people who actually perform it tend to have contracts and copyrights and such. I only needed a few seconds, though, FFS.
Anyway, enjoy my second look into the OVAs for The Heroic Legend of Arslan, based on the books by the dude who made Legend of the Galactic Heroes! Surely it is just as good, though, right? Riiiight? (No.)
Can there be anything worse for somebody who ships two people, especially in real life, than a machine that can alter fate in such a way to put one with ANOTHER person should not be the other’s bae? In my more advanced age where I am aware of the various idiosyncracies of popular w00b culture, be it dating sims or the aforementioned ‘shipping, I cannot help but think playfully in this regard. It is good fortune, however, Escaflowne handles it with quite the serious tone, since Dornkirk is quite aware of Hitomi’s powers. It is also amusing since Dilandau and his Dragonslayers were the first to notice her, yet the former being incapacitated and the latter being all dead put the kibosh on Dornkirk being informed beforehand. Is this ANOTHER element shifted around during the series shortening? Maybe? Who knows, who cares, what we get is still good.
In this special episode for my birthday, I’ve decided to cover a favorite anime of mine (though, I’ve already covered four favorites this year, kind of being easy on myself), Brain Base’s Baccano!, based on a series of Japanese light novels written by Ryohgo Narita. I also did a bunch of difficult production flourishes and animations for this one, so I’d appreciate feedback (read: praise). What happens when a bunch of gangsters, thieves, and psychos vie for control of a train? Well, find out! It’s the show that skips around in time but is always compelling, and I think you’ll be satisfied by what you see.
…Why else would Isaac Newton, fresh after discovering gravity, start research on destiny and its properties if it wasn’t for some rogue apple knocking his noggin? Or maybe this entire series is all just a dream, a fever dream of a dying scientist who never figured out how fate works? If it is a just a dream, how is he including 20th century Japanese high school girls in it, nevermind also speaking Japanese, hell why is he imagining himself as a Japanese product meant for television in the particular year of 1996?
First off, lemme say how being an adult animation (never mind animu) fan makes you notice things you never did back when you were young. When I was young, I saw only the story in this block of episodes. As an old fogey, I see not just the story but also one dealing with a very low budget. Take a gander up at those four featured shots, and it pretty much entails a good portion of this episode. A character is in the foreground or background, and either is alone or conversing with the person on the other side. Had this been a lesser show, it would have been a rather underwhelming episode. Yet since this is Escaflowne, a show always trying its damndest to be topflight no matter what, even as they skimp on animation.
Seems legit. Before our heroes go to the Mystic Valley, where the formerly great Atlantis once resided, we have an entire episode inundated with lore from a very distinct individual: Allen’s father. The seeds planted as far back as Episode 5 (where we find that Allen has daddy issues) have now taken root. How this takes place is another great example of building from long ago laid foundations. Our first instance of Allen thinking about his dad once again is in Episode 14 when he thought to himself about how all these revelations remind him of ‘him’, then Dryden asked for his father’s journal the next episode, and now it is snowballing into a full on confrontation with Allen’s past. It’s a very natural progression, and the speed it acquires does not feel in the slightest bit shoehorned, since it ties so well into the plot.
Can you believe it took me three weeks to make this video? It’s that damn casino opening thing. Honestly, I originally planned for it to be longer, but I made my point, which was atmosphere. In comparison, my commentary on the English dubs of anime I’ve covered this year, is pretty miniscule. But I covered my bases, talking about dub studios like Animaze, Bang Zoom, and Funimation. Who knew that Animaze produced such crummy dubs at one time? Well, I did, but I’m sharing it with you! Also, what is with my penguin pal? Some mighty suspicious doings are afoot!
If you are either Japanese or a guy who bought the individual volumes as they were released, I imagine you were highly pumped and relieved to FINALLY see how Van gets out of his predicament. Thankfully, since it is Escaflowne, the conclusion to this harrowing cliffhanger is resolved with its usual high quality dramatic flair with a bit of grand teasers with where the story might be going. There are no complaints to be had here.
Now, we’ve come to the second act blues protagonists have at this juncture, which has unfortunately occurred during a breather portion of the story. Given the whirlwind series of revelations, deaths, near-deaths, and cliffhangers, it’s well deserved. Yet, Van for the first time is shaken of his confidence as a swordsman and coming to grips about the murder rampage he had last episode; Hitomi confesses her crush to Allen by accident; Allen is annoyed his father is being brought up again; and Millerna is trying to make do with a quite astute betrothed who notices her infatuation with Allen. It seems like a lot, but there is a lot of good foundation building and a lot of great callbacks, including some I’ve forgotten. Allen reminisces about his connection to Balgus (complete with flashback), and we see Millerna and Hitomi interacting once again after the former said to the latter they should try and get along a few episodes back.
Well, best laid plans am I right? One minute you’re all “I’m gonna merge with Escaflowne and we’re gonna kick ass and be awesome n’ shit!” Next minute, your guymelef gets wrecked in a battle and somehow, despite not even getting wounded much, YOU suffer for it. You suffer so much that the only way to actually alleviate said suffering is to repair your guymelef’s body. That’s gonna be painful.
So much for a breather episode after that last one, instead we are reeling from an unanticipated event, but also being mired in Gaean lore. It is not just any Gaean lore mind you; it is lore about Escaflowne itself. In a situation rather reminiscent of when Millerna just happened to be on the same airship our heroes were on after Allen’s noble sacrifice to save Hitomi, an Asturian convoy they come across houses their key to Van’s salvation: Dryden Fassa. The son of the merchant who hung around the King of Asturia many episodes back, Dryden is a rather… interesting character. Like Millerna, it is hard to glean from his appearance on how much he will be liked down the line. Right off the bat the show reveals he’s not some playboy though, but a man who seems to live up to his hype in terms of wealth and intelligence.
