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Content rating: 8
Posted 2003-09-02 by StupendousMan
Endorsed by kurt on 2003-09-29 04:48:00
The action picks up in this, the third disc in the Escaflowne
series. Our band of heroes arrives in another exotic capital, one with a pleasant southeastern Asian flavor, but finds that once again, they cannot escape the long arm of the Evil Zaibach Empire. Misunderstandings multiply and conflict ensues.
The strongest point of these episodes -- and it's very strong -- is an encounter on the mental plane between Hitomi and a mystic who isn't quite what he seems. The ambience, artwork and music combine to give the viewer the same feeling of disorientation that Hitomi must feel. I was completely surprised by the outcome of their conversation. As I've written before, I really enjoy stories that avoid the predictable (yes, yes, I know that Hitomi and Van are going to survive to the end of the series, but let's be reasonable). I also found myself caught up in the excitement which occurs soon thereafter, in a scene that would do ER proud.
On the other hand, this disc brings us more of the same, for the most part: the Good Guys try to warn a kingdom of the danger it faces from the Evil Empire, but are accused of treason and worse. It must be very frustrating to be forced to waste time convincing people that you are really, truly, trying to help them. It IS very frustrating to watch this happen to other people, over and over. And how many times will we see Hitomi warn Van just in time to avoid another vicious attack from Dilandau?
To be fair, we may see a bit less of that in the future, because Van is starting to take lessons from Hitomi in the Wierding Way. Is there anything he can't do? They would make a nice couple, if they could get rid of all those other hangers-on (Allen and Merle) who keep getting in the way.
Oh, and I hope that the writers don't try to tease us much longer with the deep dark secret from Allen's past which connects him to Prince Chid. It's not that hard to figure out, and most of us have figured it out already.
Just get it over with, okay?
The extras on this disc are more interviews with cast members in the Club Escaflowne. Again, because it may contain spoilers, I can't watch it ... so it doesn't exist, effectively. That, and the measly three episodes, force me to give low marks for packaging. Looking ahead at the other discs in the box set, I see that there will be a total of 8 DVDs in the series. That means all five of the remaining discs must have only three episodes each. Urgh. If you don't have lots of cash to spare, you may want to rent or borrow this series rather than purchase it.
Equipment used when writing this review:
Sony DVD player, JVC 27-inch TV, stereo speakers
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Escaflowne Vol 3: Angels And Demons
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The next installment in this epic adventure saga continues
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characters, and an interesting story line. At the end of the last disc, Vaughn revealed something amazing, and this
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Escaflowne Vol 3: Angels And Demons
by rgmoore (Rating: 7.60)
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Escaflowne keeps rolling with its third disk. The third disk slows the action just a bit more than the second, but again without slowing the plot. Unfortunately, it also slows down your enjoyment of the series by providing only three...(continues)
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Content: 8 Video: 7 Sound: 8 Packaging: 7 Menu: 8
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