EscaFlowne

The director and script writer of Escaflowne, Shoji Kawamori, was a big part of the original Macross anime (nee Robotech, as it was called in the USA). Macross/Robotech was widely recognized as a pivotal moment for animation in the USA; definitely one of the best filmed entertainment ever. Now, imagine if Shoji Kawamori spent fifteen years after working on Macross carefully refining his technique, practicing and perfecting his storytelling abilities. Imagine if the greatest living musician on the face of the Earth, Yoko Kanno, was then contracted to produce a four-cd soundtrack for Kawamori's next production. That, then, is what Escaflowne is; the greatest work of some of the greatest artists ever.

The story is about a schoolgirl named Hitomi, who gets unexpectedly transported to a fantasy world called Gaea after encountering a young man named Van. Once she is there, she begins having powerful clear visions of the future which she can't explain. Gaea is threatened by war and Hitomi gets caught up in the conflict, alongside Van. Hitomi becomes essential to deciding the planet's fate... Escaflowne is without a doubt one of the best anime series I have ever had the pleasure to see. Just about everything about is well done, and satisfying: from the music to the characters to the mech designs. It's also very appealing to a wide audience, featuring exciting action sequences (some serious gore in the unedited version, to warn younger viewers), romance, comedy, drama and some very surprising plot twists. The animation is fluid and motion-picture quality, with a very unique style. And the musical score, (composed by Yoko Kanno, famous for Cowboy Bebop and Brain Powered, among others) is just as impressive as any to come out of Hollywood. The dub isn't the worst I've ever seen, but it really does the series no justice. See it sub-titled version if possible. In short, Escaflowne is a top notch series that is definitely worth seeing.

I first watched this on Fox Kids then I got to watch the other version but either way I found Escaflowne to be a true classic. It has a great storyline and with wonderful characters!

Hitomi Kanzaki was I think a great lead character and I liked her relationships with Van Fanel and Allen Schezar. Every episode always keeps you interested not just terms of storyline and character development but also the good animation and great mecha designs or Guymelef's as they are known.

All in all a true classic! It was one of my favorites from teen years and still remains a favorite now I'm in my thirties as of this review.

"The Vision of Escaflowne" is by far, one of the best anime series I've ever seen, and in my heart I still feel the many, many emotions it awoke on me.

Kanzaki Hitomi is a cheerful and athletic girl who is about to confess his love for his "sempai" - word used in japan to describe someone superior - Amano, Captain of the race team. But that day she receives visions about a young man who's preparing to fight a dragon in order to become king.

It is easy to see where this goes: the usual story about a girl sent to another world. However Escaflowne is far better than what someone would expect. And this superiority lay upon it's characters.

Van Fanel, the young prince, is a guy with a troubled fate, who in order to become king must kill an earth dragon, a hunt rite that his elder brother failed to accomplish.

Allen Schezzar is a Caeli Knight of Asturia, a powerful country, who values chivalry and honor, even when he's labeled as a traitor for his own country...

Folken, a mysterious and cold strategist of Zaibach a nation determined to conquer other countries, has a dark and mysterious past, but his actions are guided but what he believes is best for others Dilandau Albatou, is a twisted general of Zaibach, consumed by madness and blood lust...

I could go on, the series is full of great characters, even if they just walk by.

And the feeling I got while watching it, was that of an infinite sadness, maybe because of the story, too real and sincere about human nature, or maybe because of Yoko Kanno's magical and haunting soundtrack. But I know it was mainly because I knew there were only 26 episodes, and the series was bound to end too soon.

A must see, it was Beautiful, tears rolled down my face...

The Vision of Escaflowne is quite simply the best Japanese Anime currently available in United States. It combines awesome soundtrack by Yoko Kanno, amazing character and mechanical design, and finest animation that Sunrise Studio has to offer.

This title should already be familiar to veteran anime viewers, and would be a fine introduction for any novice viewers whose view of Japanese anime have been colored by US media's bias portrait. Watch it.