The dragon's skin is actually a computer generated texture map.
Dr. Tolnkak, the emperor of Zaibach, appears on a primitive
TV screen.
(page 3 of 3)
The Execution
The science fiction and fantasy genre have benefitted from the advances
made in computer graphics in recent years, which made it possible to
bring these written stories to life in a much more plausible manner. And
computer animation is appearing more and more in animation these days;
ESCAFLOWNE is no exception.
While most of the
show remains traditional cell animation, ESCAFLOWNE
relies heavily on
computer graphics. But instead of using actual 3D objects that stick
out quite noticeably, a software package called RETAS is used to
generate special effects that become integral to the animation itself.
The skin of the dragon in episode 1, for example, is actually a
computer-generated texture map, while the effect of a primitive TV tube
used when the Zaibach emperor Tolnkak communicates with Dirandu and
Volken consists of drawings that were later post-processed with the
RETAS package. Most notable is the cloaking effect on the Zaibach
Guymelefs, one of the best uses of CG in animation I've seen thus far.
While this same effect was used in the movie GHOST IN THE
SHELL, the
fact that ESCAFLOWNE is a television
show makes this all the more
impressive.
Van Fanel duels with a Zaibach Arseides.
Several Arseides in flight. The red armor is Dirandu's
personal machine.
Although the mecha
designs seems to bear the hallmarks of Shoji Kawamori's work, the actual
mecha design and direction credits are attributed to Yamane Kimitoshi and
Sano Hirotoshi. There are more knights in shining armor than you can
shake a sword at; the soldier mecha designs are spinoffs of medieval
armor, adorned with crests and jewels, and although ornaments usually
aren't my thing, the ornate designs fit the setting and look really
neat. The flying ships are vaguely reminiscent of the stylized cruisers
from Five Star Stories, while the Escaflowne itself is capable of
transforming into a flight mode resembling the dragon from Sega's Panzer
Dragoon.On the music side,
critically acclaimed Kanno Yoko (Macross Plus) returns as the music
composer and director. The background music is symphonic splendor and
adds much to the enjoyment of the show, while the dreamy opening song,
Yakusoku wa Iranai (I Don't Need Promises), evokes thoughts of church
bells and angels and helps set the mood of the story.The only aspect of
the show I find troubling are the character designs, which take
some getting used to -- imagine Ido's nose (from Gunnm) on most of the
characters and you get the picture. The character design begin to grow
on you after a while, though. Thankfully, the main female lead, Hitomi,
is not such an airhead as with many other shows, and most of the
remaining characters come across as intriguing and likable.
