Main Page Editorial Column Anime 101 Features [1] [2] [3] [4] Reviews [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] ___________ Home    Email		Welcome to Gaea: The World of Escaflowne continued... More Escaflowne      For those of you who can't get enough of Escaflowne, here's some more material to work on. Debuting on July of this year in Japan is the Escaflowne movie, a rehash of the popular series. Think of it as a parallel world wherein it contains the same themes but variances in the story and plot.      Next up, you can try and go look for the Escaflowne drama CD, Thought of Jeture. Since Escaflowne was originally planned to be thirty nine episodes long, this CD fills up those cracks as it introduces more background on the world of Gaea. For those interested, the code (which is handy for ordering) is VICL-830.      For the manga series of Escaflowne, beware! There are two versions, the shonen and shojo story versions, the former serialized in Shonen Ace while the latter in Fantasy DX. Both are different takes on the existing story and think of it as another parallel world: same formula, different happenings. If you want something more loyal to the TV series, try scavenging for the filmbooks. You're better off with that and not be disappointed.      Once you're done with all that, there are the four soundtracks, the various model kit releases, a couple of artbooks and with the movies just over the corner, who knows what might come up next? Tarot Cards by Charles Tan      Tarot cards play a significant role in Escaflowne. Not only are they used by Hitomi to predict and forebode what will happen but they also introduce (and end it, depending on how you view things) each episode as well.      The origin of Tarot Cards are as mysterious and as illusive as the secrets it holds. It is speculated to have originated five hundred years ago but that is only that - speculation. It could have started as early as the first century but that is not known for certain. The earliest deck that has survived predates to fourteenth century Italy wherein it was hand-painted as a present for a nobleman's daughter who was to be wed.      There are several ways to "play" Tarot Cards but what exactly does it do? With the proper usage, it can be used as either a means for predicting the future or for answering questions.      A Tarot Deck is made up seventy cards, each called Arcanum, which means mystery. It is divided into two parts, the Major and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana makes up the first twenty two cards and has great symbolisms and images such as The Wheel of Fortune and The Tower. Each card here has a traditional interpretation from which generalizations can be made. The Escaflowne series mainly uses cards from the Major Arcana as can be predominantly seen in the titles of each episode.      The Minor Arcana is similar to an actual playing deck with four fourteen-card suits. Each suit represents an element and each contains four court cards: King, Queen, Pages and Knights. The Suit of Wands represent the element of fire and is pictured through clubs. The Suit of Cups represent the element of water and is pictured through hearts. The Suit of Coins/Pentacles represent the earth and is shown as diamonds. Lastly, the Suit of Swords symbolize the element of air and in a normal playing deck, appears as spades. [ prev page ] [ top ] [ next article ]
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