Epic, but accessible: a fogey rants

It's kind of like great taste, less filling. I've had a new copy of Escaflowne for a few months now (Vol 1 & 2 got microwaved from my collector's set), but I haven't watched them. I watched my old fan subs and my first DVD collection about six or seven times all together and certain scenes and episodes several times over, so its so firmly embedded in my memory that my eyes gloss over the screen and my mind wanders.

Still, the idea of the Earth in the sky as the Mystic Moon, empires clashing, magi-tech, an ancient civilization, and Sir Isaac Newton, makes for a true epic. Even with the breadth and scope, the entry point (Hitomi Kanzaki) and the flow of the story makes it accessible to the average viewer. Yet the accessibility did not translate into simplicity or shallowness, there was plenty of layers, mysteries, and character development to engage the audience.

Gaia was big enough to immerse the audience, but did not drown it.

Despite my limited exposure and criticisms of the franchise, Final Fantasy unabashedly offers both of these elements. However, they seem to be a prisoner of their own success. I accuse Square-Enix of crossing the fine line from storyboarding to formula. Here's a checklist:

• A conflict between magic & technology
• A race against time
• A female character of unusual power needs your support
• Girly men abound
  

Gainsay me if you will, if you can.

I believe that few anime in recent years have had the ambition to create a work of the scope of Escaflowne, fewer yet have suceeded in it.

The most popular series in recent years have been manga transplants: Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, and Inu Yasha. Let's not talk about the endless Inu Yasha, I don't consider it to be a story telling success. Bleach lost its characters in the multitude of battles. Death Note was intense in a different way. Naruto is a competition manga, which is an extension of the sports genre and is an illegitimate child of the murdered DBZ. While various serious works have tried to double down on the obfuscation that marked Evangelion. Even successful inheritors to Eva are markedly different from the sweeping adventure of Escaflowne.

That is not to say that there haven't been successful works. Ghost in the Shell, Haruhi, Gankutsou, & Mushi-shi readily come to mind. Yet these are not in the same vein. Dark cyberpunk, otaku madness, psychedelic remake, Twilight Zone avec les bugs are very different.

Though the tones were far different, 12 Kingdoms is a transfer story into another world. Last Exile hung a whole new world in the balance (in a race against time, of course). While I haven't watched much of it, the world of Full Metal Alchemist seems to be complete. So, there are a few big adventures spread over the years, but sometimes I sit at my computer and wonder when will the next Mystic Moon wax in the sky.

I feel like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth. Square doesn't do it right, because it's become too much of the same. Yet this fogey complains that there isn't enough out there like the, now, venerable Escaflowne. But the gist of my argument is that the grand adventures seem to be missing, yet there must be enough new to make the trip worthwhile. Also heart is not an option. Without soul, there is no vigor, we might as well be watching Mahoromatic or Diamond Daydreams.

So I ask the anime makers: When will my Mystic Moon rise again?