Frequently Asked Questions
| Frequently Asked Question Topics |
| 1. | |
Where did the movie play in theaters in North America? Was the theatrical release a success? |
The Escaflowne movie started a limited theatrical release in the US and Canada on January 25, 2002, with a rating of PG-13. The theatrical showings were in the English language, except in Portland, Cleveland, and Boston, where the Japanese-language, English-subtitled print that was created for the anime convention circuit was shown. The movie played approximately one week at each location.
In the first week and a half of its release, Bandai reported that the film grossed $80,000 — despite playing on only five screens at a time. Though the movie's release was too small to earn it blockbuster status, Bandai has stated that they are very pleased with how well the film performed, especially considering that it had heavy competition from the simultaneous release of the anime movie Metropolis.
Cities Where the Escaflowne Movie Was Shown
Boston Chicago Cleveland Dallas Honolulu Houston Las Angeles Las Vegas New York Pasadena Phoenix Portland Sacramento San Diego San Francisco Seattle Vancouver Washington DC
| 2. | |
Where can I purchase A Girl in Gaia on DVD and VHS? What extras are on the DVD? |
The retail release of A Girl in Gaia on North American DVD occurred on July 23, 2002. There are two different releases available to buy — a standard edition and a limited edition. Details for each edition are below, as well as links to order the discs online.
Bandai Entertainment has not released the Escaflowne movie on VHS in North America, and never will. It is no longer profitable for companies to produce anime on VHS, since the vast majority of buyers have upgraded to the DVD standard. If you have not yet upgraded to DVD, you should probably consider doing so. Like it or not, VHS is a dying medium.
Please beware of Escaflowne movie bootlegs!
Standard Edition DVD
- Running Time: 110 minutes
- 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
- Japanese Language DD 5.1
- Japanese Language DTS 5.1
- English Language DD 5.1
- English Subtitles
- Overlapping Realtime Storyboards
- Isolated Score Audio Track
Ultimate Edition DVD
- Running Time: 300 minutes
- 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
- Japanese Language DD 5.1
- Japanese Language DTS 5.1
- English Language DD 5.1
- English Subtitles
- Overlapping Realtime Storyboards
- Isolated Score Audio Track
- Theatrical Movie Trailers
- Production Art Gallery
- Staff and Cast Interviews
- Escaflowne Premiere Event Interviews
- Exclusive Musical Performance by Maaya Sakamoto
- Anime Expo Premiere Footage
- The Making of the Escaflowne Theatrical Poster Gallery
- Original Escaflowne: The Movie CD Soundtrack
- Collector's Box with 3 Separate Amaray Cases Inside
(for the feature, for the bonuses, and for the soundtrack)- Special Collector's Booklet
| 3. | |
My A Girl in Gaia DVD malfunctions halfway through the movie. What should I do? |
A small number of the Standard and Ultimate Editions released in North America were defective. Bandai isolated the problem and set up an exchange program within 24 hours of the release of the film. The official press release regarding the defective discs is posted in its entirety below.
Bandai Entertainment would like to thank everyone who has supported the Escaflowne Movie. We take our products very seriously, and once discovered there was a problem, we began investigating to determine the cause.
The number of discs affected is less that 5% of the total number that we have manufactured and shipped. After extensive investigation and testing, we have discovered that the defect is a replication error involving a stamper with a corrupt encryption key. Since this key is corrupted, the player cannot decode the video and the result is the pixelization that has been described.
This is a manufacturing error, and thus did not become apparent until after some of the product was shipped. Encryption keys are not checked by testing equipment because they are not part of the actual disc image.
Since several stampers were used in the production of the Escaflowne movie discs and only one stamper was affected, this error is contained in only one batch number; the total number of discs produced from this batch is relatively small. Bandai Entertainment will be providing replacement discs to consumers at no cost.
If you turn the disc over, there will be a number molded into the plastic ring in the center of the disc. The defective batch all starts with the prefix “C03”. [Note: Since this press release was made public, it has been discovered that some C02 prefixes are also defective. Most C02 prefix discs are OK, however.]
If you have purchased the Escaflowne Movie and have one of these discs, please contact our customer support specialists at support@bandai-ent.com. They will issue you an RMF number and will provide you with a replacement disc. Please do not return the product to the store.
We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your continued support. Bandai Entertainment is dedicated to releasing the best product possible.
| 4. | |
When will the movie be released in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Mexico...? |
The movie has already been given a theatrical and DVD release in Japan, Korea, Canada, and the United States. It has been shown at film festivals and anime conventions in the UK and France, but no concrete plans for DVD releases in those countries have been announced.
No other international release information is currently available. When and if any announcements are made, the information will be posted here.
| 5. | |
I haven't seen the movie yet and I just have to know — do Hitomi and Van kiss? |
No. They do not. I know that for some of you this answer will not be satisfactory — you will want to know why they do not kiss. The creators have not commented on their reasoning, so there is no definitive answer I can give you. All I can do is speculate.
I am of the opinion that kissing was avoided for two reasons:
- To keep the focus of the romance between Van and Hitomi on the emotional level. Van and Hitomi come together because they realize they are kindred souls, not because they want to roll in the hay like weasels in heat. Since kissing is usually associated with physical love rather than emotional, it would have been both unnecessary and misleading to have the two snogging onscreen.
- To avoid any appearance of cheesiness. Smooching is a technique best used in moderation if a director wants to avoid making his film look like a made-for-television romance. A good movie does not have to rely on such displays in order to depict a close relationship — instead the feelings of the characters are made clear through looks, words, and deeds.
| 6. | |
Which TV series characters appear in the movie? Which are left out? What new characters are in the movie? |
Characters that appear in both the TV series and the film are listed below in alphabetical order.
Allen
Chesta
Dalet
Dilandau
Dryden
Eriya
FolkenGaddes
Gaoh
Gatti
Guimel
Hitomi
Jajuka
KatzKio
Merle
Migel
Millerna
Mole Man
Naria
OrutoPyle
Reeden
Ruhm
Teo
Van
Varie
YukariAmano, Celena, Chid, Eries, and the Dragonslayer Biore (also known as Viole) do not appear.
Balgus and Dornkirk may appear in the movie universe. On the Escaflowne Prologue 1: Earth CD, the character of Orm is voiced by none other than Masato Yamauchi, the same man who played the role of Dornkirk in the original Escaflowne television series. Some would say that this means Orm is the movie version of Dornkirk. Similarly, the film version of Van's father is voiced by Tesshou Genda, who played Balgus in the TV series. Many viewers have noted that Van's beheaded father also looks an awful lot like Balgus. Hmm. Was Gaoh replaced by Balgus? The credits and character designs are of little help — the figure is labeled "Van's Father" on the design sheets and "Dragon King" in the movie credits. Draw your own conclusions.
The most notable new characters in the film are Sora, the Dragonslayer Ryuon, and Some General. OK, maybe Some General isn't so notable, but he's worth mentioning just because of his hilarious name!
| 7. | |
Is the name of the Escaflowne world supposed to be spelled Gaea or Gaia? |
Either spelling is acceptable. I use Gaia throughout this site because that is how the original English-language promotional material spelled the name. The first official subtitle script, used in the theatrical print created for showing on the anime convention circuit back in 2000, also spelled the name that way. Since 2000, Bandai has changed its mind and decided to market the film with the spelling Gaea. However, I'm not changing the site to reflect this since Gaia is an equally correct romanization.
If you're wondering how it's possible for a word to be correctly spelled two different ways, read the next question for an explanation!
| 8. | |
The characters' names are spelled differently on other web sites and/or on the character design sketches and/or in the movie subtitles. Which spellings are correct? |
Romanizing Japanese names and phrases is not an exact science. In many cases, especially those involving Ls, Rs, Bs, and Vs, the name can be written in widely different manners — for example, Balgus is sometimes written Vargus, and Biore is also known as Viole. These names look very dissimilar to those who speak English, but they sound the same when pronounced by a Japanese person. Because of the discrepancies involved between the two languages, it is impossible to proclaim any one spelling as the exclusively correct version. Technically speaking, the only exclusively correct spellings are the names as written in the original Japanese kana — a form of writing that most English speakers cannot read at all.
The official Bandai subtitles, contrary to popular belief, do not provide a single correct form for fans to follow. They are inconsistent — for instance, it's Yspano in one episode and Ispano in the next. The B/V sound is determined to be V in one case — Van — and B in the next — Balgus. And so on and so on.
The romanized material from Japan is equally contradictory. There, Dryden is sometimes written as Doraiden, Millerna is occasionally spelled Miraana, and Sora is often referred to as Sola or Solla. I even own a Japanese book in which Van Fanel is called Barn Farnel.
If it impossible to proclaim a single correct spelling, and both the Japanese and English material is inconsistent, what is a fan to do? I have chosen to use the spellings that are most frequently used on the official Japanese material, thus making them as close to the original source as possible. Please note that there are still Japanese sources that offer different spellings, but the ones used here are the ones most commonly seen.
| 9. | |
Doesn't Tsubasa no Kami mean God of Wings? Why do I keep seeing it translated as Goddess of Wings? |
The Japanese word kami can be used as a gender-neutral term as well as a masculine one. The Gaian legend of the Tsubasa no Kami was formed before the people knew if their savior would be male or female, so naturally they used a neutral term. The phrase was not altered after discovering that their hero was female since technically the phrase still fit. When translating the film into English, however, the word "goddess" rather than "god" is usually chosen, because it sounds a bit unnatural in English for a female to be referred to as a god.
| 10. | |
Who is it that the young Hitomi sees in her vision at the train station? Is it Van or is it Folken? |
It's Folken. Both Hitomi and Folken are a number of years younger in that scene than they are in the rest of the movie. What Hitomi is seeing is a vision of Folken as he is at that moment, because their souls are connected across the worlds. Remember that it is Hitomi's connection to Folken that brings her to Gaia. Both of them have the same attitude toward the world, the same depression, and the same tendency to reject others. It's only after she meets Van that Hitomi changes, thereby breaking her emotional connection to Folken and transferring it to Van.
When Hitomi first meets Van, she has a flashback of the train station vision because the two figures look so similar. Van is at that point the same age as Folken was when Hitomi saw him at the train station. She recognizes at that moment that her vision all those years ago was of someone from Gaia — but her vision was not of Van.
Please Note: The labeling of the flashback figure in the North American limited edition DVD's character sketch gallery is incorrect. The DVD labels the mysterious figure as Van — despite the fact that "Folken" is clearly written on the sketch in the character designer's own handwriting. Ken Iyadomi, Vice President of Bandai Entertainment, has confirmed that the DVD label is in error.
| 11. | |
The series and movie have lame endings! If Hitomi loves Van, why does she leave him behind and return to Earth? |
For some reason a lot of fans equate a good ending with a happy ending. This is an immature way to view a story — any story. A perfect, happy ending would have been inappropriate for Escaflowne. Here's why.
The whole point of Escaflowne is that you have to love others and be honest with yourself, despite the fact that it won't always lead to a happy ending. Thus, tacking a happy ending onto the tale would have insulted the viewers and ruined the show's entire message.
Moreover, it would not have been true to the characters if Van and Hitomi had stayed together. For example, let's look at Hitomi....
- In the TV series, Hitomi never truly feels part of Gaea, and she does not ever lose her desire to return home. She has friends, family, and dreams on Earth that she has to return to, or else she'll lose everything that has made her who she is. She returns to Gaea the first time she leaves because she has unfinished business there. Once everything has been taken care of — and her love for Van acknowledged — there is no need to stay. That is, no need unless you count the selfish desire to stay suction-cupped to Van's rear end. That type of selfishness goes against Hitomi's nature. Staying to indulge her whims would prove that Hitomi wasn't who we thought she was, and that her love for Van wasn't true and mature in the first place. If love and trust depend on close proximity, then they aren't really love and trust.
- In the movie, Hitomi doesn't love her life on Earth — she wants to disappear. But her stay in Gaea allows her to rediscover her ability to care for others and her hopes for the future. If she didn't return home to use the new lessons she had learned, there would be no purpose in her having learned them in the first place.
Escaflowne tries to make the point that true, mature love can endure no matter what may occur to test it — and that it can stay true even if life doesn't turn out to have a perfect ending. Had Escaflowne been given that perfect ending, it would have been hypocritical. Have you ever been frustrated when you hear smart people saying calculus is simple, or talented artists saying that drawing should be easy for everyone? Had Hitomi and Van stayed together, Escaflowne's message would have been cheapened in the same way. The show can't send a message about the strength of love in the face of hardship if everybody has a happy ending by the closing credits.
Director Kazuki Akane has stated that that "perfect" endings are suitable only for fairy tales. Escaflowne is no fairy tale.
| 12. | |
Who is the true Wing Goddess — Hitomi or Sora? |
That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?
The characters in the movie all assume that it is Hitomi, but if you watch the film carefully, you will find many clues indicating that Sora is the real Wing Goddess. Note how Sora gives ambiguous answers to Folken's questions about the Wing Goddess' whereabouts. When he asks if the Wing Goddess is present in Torushina, she replies yes — which is true whether the Tsubasa no Kami is Hitomi or herself. Earlier in the film, Sora tells Folken that the Wing Goddess is on Gaia and has made her way to the other dragon, Van. But her wording leaves it unclear if she is referring to Hitomi, who has physically appeared in front of Van, or to herself, who is clearly starting to side with Van and the Abaharaki on a philosophical level. The proverbial smoking gun is the fact that at the end of the film, Escaflowne at one point appears to be dissolving and flowing into Sora.
The evidence in Prologue 1: Earth and Prologue 2: Gaea, on the other hand, appears to indicate that Hitomi is in fact the Tsubasa no Kami. In the drama, Sora frequently refers to Hitomi as the Wing Goddess in no uncertain terms. Either she is lying outright, or Sora herself honestly believes that the chosen one is Hitomi. However, some fans have claimed that the radio drama is not true canon because it was written before film production was complete. Thus, the argument goes, the drama cannot be used as proof one way or the other.
At Anime Expo 2003, Lizzard asked director Kazuki Akane about this issue point-blank. He responded that the ambiguity about the identity of the Wing Goddess is intentional, and that he wants fans to draw their own conclusions. He refused to say who is the real Tsubasa no Kami — perhaps Hitomi, perhaps Sora, perhaps both, perhaps neither. Perhaps there is no Tsubasa no Kami at all. Akane wants the fans to watch the film and decide for themselves. And that is as much of an answer as we shall ever receive.
Please Note: The English version of the film altered much of the dialogue, since literal translations would not have matched the characters' lip movements. For the purposes of analyzing the Tsubasa no Kami controversy, the original Japanese script is a much more reliable source.
| 13. | |
Why does Gaia's regular moon have an eye symbol on its surface? And exactly what is the Mystic Moon? |
Director Kazuki Akane had this to say about the moon: "The regular moon is only in the theatrical version, as you know. Gaia represents the earth itself in a far future, and the moon in the sky may be our moon with the eye shape comprised of remnants of bases from a past long ago. What we see as the Mystic Moon may be a past earth whose image is projected in the sky — without really being there anymore."
| 14. | |
The tarot cards in the gallery are so cool! Where can I buy them? |
These cards are no longer in print. Even when they were still being produced, they were sold only in Japan, so don't expect to find them in the back room of your local toy store.
If you are supremely lucky, you might find the complete set of cards up for auction on eBay. On the other hand, you might not.
| 15. | |
Why didn't Fox Kids finish airing Escaflowne in the US? Will it ever be shown on another US channel? |
Fox Kids stopped airing the Escaflowne TV series because they weren't pleased with the ratings. They still hold the US television rights to the show. Until they sell these rights, you will not see Escaflowne on another American TV station. It is possible that Fox Kids will resume showing the series at a later date, but at present they have not indicated any plans to do so.
Rumors abound that the Cartoon Network's Toonami program is trying to buy the rights to air the Escaflowne TV series, but these rumors are untrue. The rumors originated with a poorly-edited magazine article in which a Cartoon Network employee stated that he would like to see Escaflowne on Toonami. A single employee's personal desires do not equal actual fact.
| 16. | |
Is there ever going to be a sequel or prequel to the Escaflowne movie? How about the TV series? |
At present, there are no announced plans for an Escaflowne sequel or prequel for either the TV series or the movie. Lizzard does not feel that a sequel or prequel is likely to be forthcoming. There are two reasons for this:
- The TV series and movie were designed to begin and end exactly the way they did, so there is no more story to tell. If an additional movie or series were to be made, it would require a new chapter tacked onto the original story concept. That is something that most figures involved would prefer not to see. Sequels made solely for the sake making sequels are often uninspired and weak.
- When the Escaflowne TV series was first released in Japan in 1996, it was only moderately successful. The series was much more popular in other countries than in its native Japan. This is why the movie was a joint collaboration between companies from three nations — Bandai Visual (Japan), Bandai Entertainment (USA), and A.F.D.F. (Korea). Would the companies be willing to collaborate again? Unknown at this time. Of course, even if they are willing, there is still problem number one — the story is already finished.
| 17. | |
Can I link to your site? Do you have a banner/button for me to use? |
Has anyone in the history of the Internet ever turned down a link offer? Of course you can link to the pages on this site. The only thing you cannot do is link directly to the downloadable files (such as MP3s, images, videos, and translation files) from your own web sites. That is called stealing bandwidth. It's rude. It pisses off Lizzard.
If you wish to have a graphical link, you may use one of the banners or buttons below. Please download the images and place them on your own web space. Thanks so much for the link!
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