Good quality abridged series are hard to come by thanks to Sturgeon's Law. Thankfully, this one of the few exceptions. Made by some of the same people that work on DBZ Abridged, the Vision of Escaflowne Abridged Series (VEAS for short) creates an enjoyable romp into the land of fan-made Affectionate Parody.
While I've never seen the original Escaflowne, I could still follow along and enjoy the jokes that spoof, lampoon, subvert, Lampshade, and in all other ways poke fun at everything silly and nonsensical about the original. (I think this comes in VEAS's favor since people who both have and have not seen the show can enjoy.) The story is surprising fluid, the music is great, the many shout outs and references are well-chosen and well-placed, the voice-acting is generally high quality, and the characters are hilarious.
VEAS is one of the few abridged series to make it to the end of the show it parodies, and does so to great effect. Without giving anything away, the ending is well-done and considered by many to be better than the original. I walked away feeling good about life for hours after, which is rare from a parody that is supposed to Accentuate the Negative in the characters and plot for comedic effect.
VEAS is only 26 episodes long, an average 5-6 minutes each. If you have a few hours, go check it out. It is a very funny - and likable - abridged series.
An excellent and underrated abridged series.
Good quality abridged series are hard to come by thanks to Sturgeon's Law. Thankfully, this one of the few exceptions. Made by some of the same people that work on DBZ Abridged, the Vision of Escaflowne Abridged Series (VEAS for short) creates an enjoyable romp into the land of fan-made Affectionate Parody.
While I've never seen the original Escaflowne, I could still follow along and enjoy the jokes that spoof, lampoon, subvert, Lampshade, and in all other ways poke fun at everything silly and nonsensical about the original. (I think this comes in VEAS's favor since people who both have and have not seen the show can enjoy.) The story is surprising fluid, the music is great, the many shout outs and references are well-chosen and well-placed, the voice-acting is generally high quality, and the characters are hilarious.
What I personally like is how VEAS never goes too far in making the characters jerkasses. They all have their petty and selfish moments, and wacky and crazy ones (which makes for great comedy), but they never go so far as to cross into Comedic Sociopathy. Hitomi is a likable Genre Savvy Nice Girl who has her Screw This, I'm Out of Here! and Covert Pervert moments, Van is a happy-go-lucky It's All About Me Blood Knight who learns to be more empathetic of others (and angsty for the fangirls), Allen Schezar is a Lovable Sex Maniac, Folken is a Well-Intentioned Extremist (like the original) Only Sane Man Beleaguered Assistant to the Big Bad, Emperor Dornkirk is a forgetful Cloudcuckoolander reminiscent of Super Kami Guru from DBZ Abridged, minus the sociopathic malice. The only truly evil character is Ax-Crazy Dilandau, and VEAS milks every ounce of Black Comedy it can get out of him! (Yet, even DILANDAU has his Pet the Dog moments; who knew?!)
VEAS is one of the few abridged series to make it to the end of the show it parodies, and does so to great effect. Without giving anything away, the ending is well-done and considered by many to be better than the original. I walked away feeling good about life for hours after, which is rare from a parody that is supposed to Accentuate the Negative in the characters and plot for comedic effect.
VEAS is only 26 episodes long, an average 5-6 minutes each. If you have a few hours, go check it out. It is a very funny - and likable - abridged series.