A nihilistic young high school student wishes she could fade away, and she finds herself in another world where the sword and mysticism rule.
She also finds herself in the auspicious predicament of deciding whether or not this mysterious world will succumb to the desires of a dark warlord or be destroyed.
That's the plot of "Escaflowne: the Movie," which was released by Bandai Entertainment in an "ultimate edition" box set in the United States Tuesday. The package, priced at $54.98, contains two DVDs and the CD soundtrack of this epic film, which is based on the popular Japanese TV program "The Vision of Escaflowne."
A powerful tale of redemption and affirmation, this is the latest Japanese amine DVD that will be available to eager U.S. amine fans. It follows in the footsteps of the long-anticipated film version of Ozamu Tezuka's "Metropolis," which was released earlier this year.
"Escaflowne: the Movie" is quite different from the "Escaflowne" TV series, created by Shoji Kawamori, of "Ghost in the Shell" fame, and Hajime Yatate. While the same characters appear in the movie, the situations are different.
Director Kazuki Akane, who wrote the "Escaflowne" screenplay with Ryota Yamaguchi, said in an interview — included as part of the special-features disc — that he wanted to take the TV characters to new places.
High school student Hitomi Kanzaki is not a track-team member and she doesn't play with her tarot cards as featured in the TV series. In the movie, the main male character, Van, is still the young exiled warrior king in the mystical world of Gaea, but he doesn't have an identical double who is a member of the high school track team on Earth.
Still, such differences don't interfere with the new story.
Hitomi is a depressed loner who finds her cosmic soul mate in the solitary Van, who has joined a renegade team bent on destroying the Black Dragon Clan out of revenge. The Black Dragon Clan is led by the charismatic Lord Folken (who looks like David Bowie's Jareth the Goblin King from the 1986 film "Labyrinth"), who has taken over Gaea and destroyed the planet's numerous beast-people and human civilizations.
Hitomi, the only character dressed in a high school uniform in this land of leather and armor, is believed to be the Wing Goddess who possesses the power to summon the mythical Escaflowne, a gigantic, powerful dragon-shaped suit of armor that will either destroy Gaea or restore order.
The dreamy visuals, highlighted with bold colors and smooth animation, are easy to watch. Even some of the animated bloodshed isn't as gory as much as it is beautifully choreographed. The sword fights are timed like an Akira Kurosawa samurai movie.
Still, the eye-catching images make the intricate story a bit difficult to follow. Some viewers may want to watch the DVD at least twice to understand what's going on. And it helps to watch the second disc, which includes interviews with director Kazuki Akane and cast members, who offer insight on the production and story.
Topping this extensive release is the inclusion of the soundtrack. The music for "Escaflowne: the Movie" is nothing short of beautiful. Written by Yoko Kanno and Mizoguchi, it ranges from well-crafted folk songs to stoic choral works to symphonic opuses to mesmerizing fantasy charmers to pop. Each has its own place in the movie and enhances the viewing experience.
"Escaflowne: the Movie," which features both English and Japanese languages with subtitles, is rated PG-13 for animated violence and gore.
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com