Tenkuu no Escaflowne

Escaflowne made me cry like little baby at the end, but not because the last episode were quite sad, because the fact that the serie ends. So you can imagine how much I like the whole series.

For me this series was the perect balance of action, drama, angst and humor. The story is so unique and well structured and all the characters are so well developed. the action sequences are just magnificent and the sound tracks are so awesome.

I really like the main female character, Hitomi. Because she isn't weak, she is a teenager that worries about the things teenagers worries about (like love and ... stuff like that) but at the same time she takes the risk of become a heroine and is so brave and strongwilled in a very realistic way.

Van Fanel is just adorable in his own style. With he, we have the classical young brother who hates his old brother, but Van isn't annoying childish young brother, he is a king of Fanelia, brave and a man of honor, but at the same time is so sensitive and cute...

In general all the characters are so interesting, all of them have very well developed backgrounds and sometimes are so difficult to understand. I'll strongly recommend you to watch this anime even if you don't like this kind of middle age epic style, the story is very interesting and will grab your interest till the end.

The anime is cheerful from the most part, but manages to catch at least my attention through the first episode and a half. Normally it takes about 3-5 episodes of an anime to actually catch my interest and for a story of interest to be revealed, but Escaflowne threw you into the interesting parts right away.

Though by the end of the series, which progressed into very sad plots and storylines for many characters and the anime itself, there were still many holes to be filled, many questions unanswered about the series. At least that's how i felt.

There are a number of characters with interesting stories, ... but i miss knowing the past surrounding other of the characters showing up- except for the few things one can figure out by just watching the characters in action. I liked the main theme about the anime though, and it had a large story centered around the giant armor Escaflowne, something that can't be said about the movie.

I'd say seeing the movie after you have seen the series would be a good plan, but there are still questions that feels unanswered and i would love to read the manga myself one day to hopefully find out the rest about it.

When Hitomi Kanzaki, a high school student with a penchant for fortune telling and running, is suddenly transported to another world where the Earth hangs high in the sky, she knows she is no longer in Tokyo.
Hitomi finds herself on Gaia, a magical world which is about to go to war with the ominous Zaibach empire, whose ambitions to control the world put everyone in danger. As she meets boy prince Van Fanel, and joins him on his quest to unite the countries of Gaia she discovers new talents, creating new relationships and unravels the mysteries surrounding Van Fanel and the giant machine known as ... Escaflowne.

Although it has been stereotyped as a mecha and possibly shounen anime due to the abudance of machines in the story, do not be thrown off ( because if the anime simply circulated around mecha then I definately wouldn't be writing this).
With it's brilliant and action-packed story line, you will see amazing designs and subtle art creating amazing backdrops, as you are entertained by this harem of delicious characters who draw out every emotion and pull at your heart strings

I would say that this is a definate 'Must see' for everyone.
Filled with action, romance and comedy Escaflowne is an anime not to be missed as it keeps you enthralled, keeping up with the twists and turns of the adventure that weave through the story as you follow Hitomi and Van on their journey to unite Gaia.

Escaflowne: a deeply flawed anime with undeniable qualities.

Escaflowne clearly suffers from its chaotic production, with the original director leaving before getting replaced by a newcomer and budget cuts bringing down the initially planned 39 episodes to only 26. This is something I actually learned after having completed the series but felt all the way. From the rushed ending, to the one note and underdeveloped characters, or the numerous loose threads... The show ends up being a jumbled mess of good but poorly executed ideas, as if the team took the story they wanted to tell in 39 episodes and tried to relate it in 26 ... instead... except they did not want to cut anything. Narration suffers as a result and everything feels either contrived, clumsy or sometimes even irrelevant to the plot. The set-up of Hitomi coming from earth is, in fact, particularly symptomatic of this problem as it is absolutely not worth its minuscule pay-off. The same could be said for Chid (and probably for the Freid arc as a whole), Jajuka, Balgus, Atlantis, the atom bomb... Dilandau is probably the worst off in this regard: a vilain so bloodthirsty and edgy it is ridiculous with a back story that screams wasted potential (and leads to one of the few effective plot twists). Folken is a close second though. Add this to a few other problems like an annoying mascot that does not bring anything to the table, mediocre fight choreaography and a catastrophicly bad first episode and you get a nice recipe for disaster...

Why 7/10 then ? Well, Escaflowne does not have the best of plots, the deepest of characters or the most flowing of narrations, but it has charm. I like the overall atmosphere of the show and I like to speculate about what it could have been. Its themes of fate, human nature, violence, pride or ambition are all worth exploring and while one could say they are not really addressed properly the show can still spark healthy reflections. I would also be remiss not to mention its beautiful old school animation. Escaflowne has a clear visual identity with vibrant colors, inspired designs (char / mech / ships / towns...) and impressive backgrounds. Yoko Kanno's score is also among the best soundtracks I have ever heard in an anime. It breathes life into scenes that would otherwise feel pretty bland, and is actually the main reason I stuck with the show in the first place.

While not being excellent Escaflowne is more than the sum of its parts and ended up being an enjoying watch despite a difficult start.

I went into watching Escaflowne with great skepticism. A fantasy mecha that delivers a powerful punch from beginning to a strange but satsifying ending. I thoroughly enjoyed the unique mecha designs and great animation value. I recommend even those who don't like a little romance in their anime to still watch this wonderful treasure. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Vaan and Fulken, in my opinion one of the best sibling rivalries i have ever seen.

If you like some philosophy, check this out: https://leftofwreckage.wordpress.com/2021/01/29/anime-logic-the-vision-of-escaflowne-on-the-fate-alteration-engine-or-the-atlantis-machine/

This may seem strange, but the series this most reminds me of is Outlaw Star. Why? I suppose it's because it is also a mix of esoteric/mystical myths and metaphysics as well as future tech. The galactic leyline of Outlaw Star is generally the same trope as the Atlantis machine of Escaflowne. Escaflowne, however, eclipses Outlaw Star across the board—everything is simply better. While Outlaw Star disappoints me more and more every time I rewatch it, Escaflowne simply satisfies me more the more I think about it. The most important thing it has over Outlaw Star is ... that it makes as full a use of its mysterious world and makes its nature a fully important part of the development of the story through its entirety. Outlaw Star, by comparison, meanders and hints of its great mysteries and treasures only for its characters to completely ignore it all in favor of pointless and badly written filler and lowbrow content.

That comparison set aside, The Vision of Escaflowne is a show the existence of which I was aware of since the days when it was first aired on Fox Kids on the weekends. I never managed to watch it, and despite the robot looking cool I simply never felt the compulsion to watch it. Once in a blue moon I would remember it because something or other presented it to me in my internet browsings, but still I simply felt no desire to watch it or to even look up a summary. After almost 20 years I finally watched it on a whim. I finally watched a review of the show, and one thing caught my attention: Atlantis was a core part of the story. The fact that so many claimed it was a strange and unique mix of genres also interested me, but the main reason was Atlantis. Well, I binged it and I can say my expectations were exceeded infinitely (I wasn't expecting anything).

Objectively speaking, the story is decent. Not great, but decent. Compared to anime in general, however, it is superb both in content and form. There were clearly lines of development which were hinted at and which likely would have been a lot more elaborated had the studio been given their original 36 episode range. A lot of the political aspects of the story are truncated, and the romantic subplots are truncated even more. The guiding concept is undeniably noble and of great vision, but the limits of our economic reality unfortunately mar it.

Visually, well, it's anime. I like the style, it fits with itself, it's not displeasing and distracting even if it is uncommon. The style fits its thematic as well, the mix of shoujo infusion with hopeful fatalism and medieval giant mechas. While there are moments when one can notice some bad frames of character design, it is a minimal problem.

Soundwise: Perhaps the opening and closing themes are the most jarring when compared to the unity of the rest of the grandiose and somewhat culturally diverse soundtrack. It was the 90s, and it's tv anime, so not unexpected for its time. I can ignore that, I like the tracks enough that they didn't bother me.

As far as characters go: Folken and Dornkirk steal the show for me. While they are not the most developed characters in detail, they are the most well established and whole characters in concept. Once we understand what Zaibach is after, it is hard not to feel sympathy for their cause. The main cast of protagonists is likeable, including Hitomi, and act appropriate to their character as established barring some fate manipulation hijinks. It is refreshing that a show does not strike its characters with moments of crippling stupidity out of nowhere to force conflicts. At least here they attempt to explain the few moments of such out of character actions as effects of fate alteration. The main failure in the show is that such a diverse cast and shortness of total episodes left their individual developments and relations to be truncated and forced into mostly short bursts of expositions wherever the writers could manage to inject them.

Though not perfect, for what it is I enjoyed it greatly. As an anime it's just good, I would say even great. Compared to what could yet be, however, it is only decent.

To say that « The Vision of Escaflowne » aired at the right time would be an understatement.

The year was 1996 and with the success of « Evangelion » and Gundam’s 90’s peak, this series had the right credentials to be a success both in Japan and in the USA. While it didn’t reach the legendary status of the aforementioned shows, it did gain a special place in many hearts.

Now, « Escaflowne » is by no means a bad product, however to see it often compared to the likes of its contemporaries leaves me quite perplexed.

First, a quick rundown of the plot.

Hitomi, a schoolgirl ... with a passion for running and a talent for reading tarots, gets transported into another world, or better, to another planet, Gaea. Her newfound psychic powers quickly become a key part in the conflicts ongoing in this world.
But this is also a shojo, after all, and, as such, our heroine not only has to navigate war and political intrigues, but also the difficult passions of the heart.
It’s a premise with the potential to attract a quite large demographic: it borrows many elements from its predecessors anc clichés, after all, can be quite reassuring and cozy.

Let’s start with what’s good about it.

From a visual standpoint, it’s absolutely stunning. Some people might be (reasonably) put off by the dated artstyle – and, admittedly, those long noses are quite a weird sight – but the fluid, excellent animation, the memorable character designs and the stunning backgrounds might fascinate even the less accustomed viewers. The mecha design is especially detailed, with the titular Escaflowne being arguably one of the most unforgettable giant robots in the genre.

It’s also worth noting that, although many directors, storyboarders and writers worked on different episodes, the series never suffers from drastic tonal shifts, aside from the occasional, tiny change in character design, at least as far as art direction goes.

Another very strong point lies in its soundtrack, but that’s expected when you get someone as talented as legendary composer Yoko Kanno (from « Cowboy Bepop », « Ghost in the Shell : SAC » and many others, but you already knew that) involved.

A shame that, sometimes, the greatness of the soundtrack does not match what’s happening on screen.

Now, the sore points (contains light spoilers!).

Primarily, thematic ambiguity.

The story puts great emphasis on “destiny”, whatever that might mean, but never sets a clear view on it. Can destiny be changed or can we only go along with it? The series swings between “yes” and “no” pretty often and, by the end of the story, we’re left with no clear answer.
Actually, the trend of not giving clear answers seems pretty constant all throughout. Several plot points are raised (Atlantis and its people, Allen’s sister and father whereabouts, Hitomi’s grandma…), but are always given very superficial, brief and unsatisfying answers. Instead, the series focuses on a plot that, at a certain point, stops being about war intrigue and starts resembling a soap opera, featuring not just a love triangle, but – hear that! – a love pentagon, illegitimate children and lost sibilings.

Secondly, Hitomi herself.

Our main character reaches Gaea as a wide-eyed, naïve and confused high school girl. During the first part of the series, following her is quite fun: the discovery of a rich, intriguing new world is enlivened by her lighthearted bickering with her two new companions, prince Van and Merle.
Her instantly falling in love with a guy that resembles her senpai back on Earth is worth an eye roll, but we’ve seen romances set up in worse ways (looking at you, Tomino).

However, one deus ex machina after the other, the viewer starts realizing that Hitomi doesn’t change with the events around her, that she doesn’t learn nothing from them. If anything, she starts rejecting them.
But hers is not Amuro’s terrified rejection during the One Year War, nor Shinji’s desperate call for help in Evangelion. Mostly because she doesn’t actually fight and just implores other people not to, spouting generic “war is wrong”, “I don’t want to see people hurt” nonsense.
The story acts as if her action are vital to the world around her, while she’s nothing but a passive, reactionary bystander. Even her own powers don’t seem to activate of her own volition, but only when the plot requires them to.

All of this leads to an ending which I won’t spoil, but I can only describe as “extremely unsatisfying”.
Overall, the best moments of the story are when it focuses on other characters, particularly Van, the brave prince that wants nothing but the best for his people and whose relationship with his family should have been simply developed more.

Now, I must note that the series was initially intended to have 39 episodes, later cut to 26 due to the lower budget. While this explains the rushed plotlines, the problem might have been solved by simply cutting down on the more soap opera-like elements of the romance.

In conclusion, “Escaflowne” is a series with plenty of visual charm and an intriguing premise that crumbles down by focusing too much on romance clichés instead of the actual story. The great worldbuilding of the first episodes builds up to a disappointing amount of unanswered questions and zero payoff.
A shame, but the series is still worth a watch, mostly because of its relevance in the history of the community. It being often juxtaposed with the likes of "Evangelion" and "Cowboy Bepop" might create expectations within the viewer that probably won't be met, but if you go into it simply looking for a fun time, you will not be disappointed.

A short review:

I just finished this anime today. What a ride it was. I loved almost everything about it from the characters to the beautiful art. Everything is hand drawn and cell shaded, I believe. This anime has so much soul. Beautiful score as well. Has one of the coolest mecha fight scenes at the end of the anime that I have ever seen out of all the anime I've watched. All of the characters flesh out throughout the show, even the side antagonists that you wouldn't even think would have a written story. Everyone has their own motives. Not a single poorly written character, ... in my opinion. I had some problems with Hitomi but she eventually grew on me. Another problem I had was with the romance. Some of the character's decisions did not make sense to me at all. Now to move on to the most important part of the show, Merle.

Merle is a miracle of the universe. She is the cutest character ever to grace the medium. She's wonderful in every aspect and anyone who says she added nothing to the plot can screw off... Without Merle I don't think I would have been so attracted to the anime in the first place!

tl;dr Merle is beautiful and she is amazing.

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

This was an anime that I had watched in my childhood that had stuck with me till now even in my late teens. I have long since re-watched it and the impact it's had on me hasn't lessened one bit. There is certainly a time in every girls life where she wished to be whisked away to another world, and poor Hitomi has just that happen to her though entirely against her will. This story appeals especially to girls with the appearance of may bishounen throughout the series, however the mecha-like fighters and bloody scenes also appeal to male audiences. While the art may ... be a bit outdated (it was made in the early 90s afterall) it is some of the prettiest of that time I've seen. The attention to detail is exquisite, especially in regards to the scenery. Surprisingly the dub for this anime is tastefully done, so don't hesitate to go subless for once and try for the English version. Escaflowne is certainly an anime that I wouldn't mind watching for a third or fourth time.

I think a lot of you rabid Escaflowne fans are gonna hate me for giving out this rating, which I can understand, but in my book, an 85 out of 100 isn't a bad rating. It doesn't mean I hate the anime. In fact, I really enjoyed Escaflowne. Heck, if I have the money, I can order the box set online and show it to a lot of my friends, as I think they'll really like this kind of anime. I don't deny that I can see why Escaflowne is so revered. It's one of the first anime to throw in both shoujo and shounen ... elements into one show. Heck, back in it's heyday, it outsold Gundam of all shows on VHS tape here in the US, and fansubbers jumped on it during the 1990s VHS fansub era, so a lot of people agree that this anime is definitely a classic that should be remembered for all time. Unfortunately...while I do acknowledge it's classic status, I don't agree that it's that great of a show. No no! Don't get me wrong. I still enjoyed it to quite an extent. I'm just going to have to explain myself in this review.

I'm not going to tell about the plot because everybody and his freaking DOG knows that this kind of plot is as old as dirt. The characters are old as dirt, and it's ending is kind of old as dirt. I've seen a lot of people praise Escaflowne for it's awesomeness, and I do agree it is definitely awesome, but people are saying that it's a perfect balance of shounen and shoujo tropes, and how it's the greatest thing ever. Unfortunately, I have to disagree. Escaflowne is NOT a masterpiece. Why? Well, as I watched the show, I'm kind of surprised by not what people mention, but what they DO NOT mention, and Escaflowne has some pretty jarring flaws, a lot of which so many people actually overlook. What flaws? Well, if I could compare Escaflowne to something, it would be to a bullet train and an automatic machine gun that shoots bullets every second. It's pacing is so fast it's unbelievable! I feel like Escaflowne just throws stuff at you and expects you to take it all in without any question whatsoever. Basically, the show just DOESN'T CALM THE HECK DOWN! It's like it really really wants to show you this amazing, epic story so they throw it in your face and shove it down your throat without giving you time to swallow it. There are hardly any quiet moments in the show (except for the first episode and some parts in others), and the ones that are there don't last long unless stated otherwise! Not only that, there's little to no proper transition from scene to scene, and even from episode to episode! I watch an episode, then another episode pops up and doesn't even reference what happened in the last one and goes on like it expects you to go along with it without question! Everything just explodes at you and leaves a bunch of scars. Well, I can kind of see why it's execution and pacing are so chaotic. This was originally planned to be 39 episodes, but apparently due to time constraint issues and funding problems, they had to cut it down to 26, and even then the animators came up with too much animated material, so they had to cut quite a few scenes out before broadcast, and, really, IT SHOWS!! Maybe the episode extension would have rectified this problem. Well, a lot of people say this is a good thing because there's no filler. I can understand why they think this is great, and I agree. Every little frame of the show focuses on it's story and it is dead set on telling it, without any pointlessness (and I should also mention that the animators were strictly told not to give Hitomi any underwear shots. THANK GOD FOR THAT!!!) or extraneous material, so that I can praise...but maybe a little quiet, soothing, turn-off-your-brain-and-relax kind of filler wouldn't hurt.

Now I must speak of the animation. Honestly, when it can be, it can be wicked awesome, especially in that part of the opening sequence when you see Escaflowne sword fighting with another guymelef (is that one supposed to be Dilandau's? They never say)! But yes, since this was made in 1996, it IS pretty outdated, but it's definitely aged a heck of a lot more gracefully than other shows in the nineties. Another thing I notice about the animation is that it's very distinct. It's different from other anime of it's time, and it shows. The noses are kind of big, but this never bothered me because I always thought noses were supposed to look like that in real life too. Not only that, every single character has their own look. No character looks exactly the same, unlike vice versa, which is becoming more and more apparent. Facial expressions are very distinct, but at times they can be very exaggerated, in the case of one character I'll mention later on. I love the way Gaea looks, as it's very European and Indian-based. According to some sources, Shoji Kawamori was inspired to make this after a trip to Nepal. You can really see the effort that the animators and art directors put into the setting, the art, the castle designs, everything. Heck, the empire of Zaibach just SCREAMS industrial revolution, and considering it's backstory, the whole industrial revolution thing going for it really fits it to a T. But at times the animation can be a bit static, and there are quite a few still frames, but hey! This was the nineties! Those were standard back in the day! The character movement is pretty good for it's time, too.

The music...oh sweet magna carta, I simply MUST sing all kinds of praises for the music! Remember how I said once that I thought 07-Ghost had one of the most Godly, non Kajiura music in all of anime? Well, Escaflowne's soundtrack blows it out of the water here! Seriously, this was one of Yoko Kanno's first soundtracks for any anime (her actual first being Please Save My Earth). It's so hard to believe that even back then, Kanno had such an awesome knack for music, especially in terms of booming, classical, 1940s-esque orchestras and choirs, and I LOVE big, booming classical orchestras and choirs. Yoko Kanno pretty much fulfilled my musical wishes here, as every single piece of music fits every scene in show wonderfully. The epic choirs really bring out the epic in various fight scenes, though sometimes I do think some BGMs play in the wrong places, but that only happens once or twice throughout the series. I kept on wondering why everybody liked Yoko Kanno so much. Now I see the reason why, and I happily agree with them! This is a soundtrack I seriously MUST OWN!!

There's been a lot of debate about the characters lately, especially on places like TV Tropes. I'm just going to tell my personal opinions about the characters. To be honest, as much as I liked a majority of the characters, I really didn't connect to them personally. For me, in order for me to truly love an anime and put it in my top lists, I'd have to connect with the characters on a personal level, particularly a majority of them, whether it's because I relate to their personality or the problems they face or feel sympathy for them, it all has to come down to whether I connect or identify with them or not. I didn't feel that with most of the characters for Escaflowne. Now don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean I hate them. If there's one thing I love about the characters in Escaflowne, it's the fact that every single one of them is flawed. Nobody's perfect. Even the characters who even look and act perfect have secret flaws they don't want others to see out of fear that they'd be hated for it. That's what made me really like them, and I think the staff behind the show knew this. Unfortunately, despite this, I didn't find most of the main characters very interesting. Oh God, I seriously hated that Mole Man. I don't see why he's in the show! However, I do like Hitomi. Not very many people like her, but I find her to be very realistic. She's not some overly perfect Mary Sue character, a violence prone angry chick, a big-boobed bimbo who throws her privates in a guy's face, a clumsy thick-headed ditz, or other dumb female stereotypes. I think she's a strong character and if you really take the time to imagine yourself in her situation, you have to admit her actions in the show are pretty reasonable and even plausible and understandable, though I can see why people don't like her much. I mean, seriously, she's a heck of a lot better than Miaka from Fushigi Yugi, right? I also really like Folken, one of the villains. Why? Watch the show and see!

However...there is ONE character that I not only connected with on a very personal level for very weird reasons, but I actually identified with to the point where I almost relived my childhood memories from 4th grade when I still had my childish crush on a Yu-Gi-Oh character. I really like this character, and apparently so do a lot of other people! This character alone made me persist in continuing with this series despite the show's very jarring and obvious flaws. Who is this character, you ask? It is...Dilandau. Yeah, I'm a sophomore in college, yet I somehow not only strongly connected and identified with a completely psycho pyromaniac who likes abusing his compadres on a regular basis and setting things on fire and blowing stuff up for the fun of it, but am actually developing a fangirl crush on him! I know it sounds stupid, but it's true! Heck, other people had crushes on him in the 90s when the show aired! Yeah, I know, Dilandau's obnoxious, cocky, cruel, homicidal, completely off the ball, and acts like a spoiled brat throughout 90% of the show, and is basically everything that I HATE in a person, yet...once you learn about him and see him suffer horribly (even if it's for a little bit. The show doesn't go into too much detail about it for some reason), you feel your heartstrings get yanked and you want to save him once you realize he's no different from any other disturbed, lonely, scared teenager who just wants a friend, especially considering how young he is! He's basically the best and most developed anime villain that ever graced the silver screen. He's a villain, yet he's so relatable and in a way so human that you can't help but identify with him! He makes you laugh, makes you cry, scares the living crap out of you, he does it all! Why can't more anime villains be like him?!...if only his English dub voice were better! Seriously, I made the mistake of watching the English dub first and...oh my God, Dilandau's English voice is UNGODLY HIGH AND SQUEAKY!!! He sounds like he hasn't even reached puberty yet, and his voice actor was 15 back when the dub was made! How can a 15 year old still have that high a voice?! He sounds so chirpy! I mean, his actor does a great job at capturing his brattiness, arrogance, and his craziness in his really scary moments, and in other scenes the voice increases his cuteness (if he has any) in some areas, but I just CANNOT take Dilandau seriously with that BABY VOICE, especially in the creepy moments ("Cheek...cheek...cheek...")! Wanna know the freakiest thing of all? Dilandau's voice actor does the voices of Shining Armor and Braeburn from My Little Pony, both of whom have deep voices! I can never look at them or listen to them the same way ever again!!! Seriously, Dilandau's Japanese and German voices are waaaaay better!...though the German dub actually ADDs to his creepiness and brings it up to so many disturbing levels it's not even funny...AND I LOVE IT!!! I need to rewatch this show in German sometime, even though I know NO German whatsoever.

Okay, enough of all that random babbling. I already talked about this show's flaws so I see no need to go through them...though I do admit the ending is a little weird. But I've seen worse anime endings so I can give it a pass, that and it's not nearly as jarring as the rest of the show's problems. Escaflowne in itself deals with a lot of mature and heavy themes like magic, war, missing and illegitimate children, love triangles, and the concept of fate and playing with it. Unfortunately because the show is so compressed, I wasn't able to comprehend a lot of it. I do, however, definitely give Escaflowne credit for being a fun, epic, thrilling adventure show with a lot to love (I still can't get that soundtrack and Dilandau out of my head! Also, Prince Chid and his dub voice are SOOOO CUTE!!!) and it definitely deserves it's place as a classic. I just don't agree with a lot of people on WHY it should be a classic. Do I think it has perfect pacing? No. It's way too fast for me to fully comprehend. Do I think it's perfectly balanced? No, it needs more quiet moments, more polishing, and more development. Do I think it has great characters? Well, while some definitely stand out (Dilandau and Folken for me), the rest of them don't strike a chord with me. Do I think it looks good? Yes, definitely. Do I think it's groundbreaking? For it's time, yes. Do I think it has a great soundtrack? YES.

While in my eyes it's not perfect, this is definitely an anime that should not be missed by anyone, and...come on! Who else agrees Dilandau is the best anime villain ever?!

The Vision of Escaflowne is an exquisite audiovisual experience, with art and sound which effortlessly immerse the viewer in a world of immense imagination and adventure which manages to be an aesthetic tour de force from start to finish. However, wreathed in the glory of this achievement, there is a story which is simply adequate, failing to rise to the occasion in a way which keeps this work of art from being a 9 or perhaps even a coveted 10. To begin with the story, which is the weakest link by far, it must first be said that it isn't ... a bad story. Indeed, it's a perfectly fine story, which would serve any average work quite well, but Escaflowne is no average work, and as a result it stands out. It even almost achieves greatness in its own right by episode 14, which is the most exemplary episode, where all the elements which make this anime what it is come together in an epic showing indeed. Unfortunately, just as it gracefully drifted upwards towards this point with increasing quality, like a feather on a gust of wind, it falls in perfect parallel, the story making less sense and character motivations getting more confused until a rather lackluster finale. Once again, I must stress here that by no means is this story bad, in fact it sets a classic stage for a tale of high adventure and romance, and uses this setup to its utmost advantage for more than half the show, but it then loses the thread, devolving into prosaic unremarkability.

Moving on to the art, I can easily say that Escaflowne is one of the most stunning anime I have ever seen, combining an unfathomable degree of creative vision with a technical skill that results in a highly detailed world, alive with color, vibrancy, and awe, which is animated with a graceful, effortless fluidity. From the very first opening shots I was floored, absorbed by the beauty on display even before arriving on Gaea, which of course is a feeling which only deepened once that world became the primary setting. Gaea is blessed with some of the best visual worldbuilding I have ever witnessed, housing within it characters with intriguing and engaging designs that feel unique and compelling even today. This art is something which is extremely rare to see at all, let alone with such unbroken consistency throughout, but yet this absolute feat is still not the strongest aspect of Escaflowne.

That honor must go to the sound, but more specifically, the masterpiece of a soundtrack composed by the inimitable Yoko Kanno. The music is the leading influence on this anime, and exhibits a sheer range of emotion which is essentially unbelievable. It ranges from soaring Wagnerian operatics all the way down to the softest of tender melodies.  Never once does it miss, never once does it get stuck, never once does it fall flat. If a scene needs more joy, it inspires, if a scene needs more anguish, it terrifies, if a scene needs saving, it saves it. The music I heard here will stay with me for the rest of my life. The rest of the sound design also pulled its own weight, with detailed sounds of life and impassioned voice work.

The characters are themselves wonderful occupants of this world, and were a joy to accompany throughout their journey, even if they're complicit in what happens to the story later on. While their characterization isn't a master class like other aspects of Escaflowne, the characters are engaging and feel like they fit snugly in the world they were created to inhabit. It's rather difficult to choose favorite characters from amongst this particular cast, but I still feel like Folken and Van are the best here. Folken as an engaging villain with a nonetheless humanizing set of motives to contrast him against Dornkirk, and Van as a classic hero archetype who grows through his struggle, and serves as an excellent interacting contrast to Folken. Overall, simply as an audiovisual experience, Escaflowne is a masterpiece, but as an anime, it is an incomplete masterpiece. The art and sound bring something to the table which is transcendentally beautiful, and I would recommend watching it for that alone. However, when viewed as a whole, it is undeniable that the story is lacking. It is also worth mentioning that there is a movie, though it fails to solve any of these issues and in fact makes them worse. Simply put, I highly recommend this anime. Even if it could have reached greater heights, the view from where it is remains a breathtaking sight.

One can run out of superlatives when discussing this brilliant magical girl/mecha/fantasy hybrid from Shoji Kawamori (Macross)...

One little known factiod about Escaflowne is that it was orginally scripted for 39 episodes, but was chopped by a season down to 26. Astonishingly, this late re-write actually works to the show's benefit, cramming a lot into little bit less space then one might expect of fantasy shows of a similar vintage like Wolf's Rain and Inuyusha. Unfortunatly, Escaflowne, because of a botched tv broadcast by Fox Kids and the generally inferior feature Girl in Gaea, is not as well liked among anime fans as it should be. ... Escaflowne is a classic, but one that doesn't get the respect it deserves.

That being said, the show is not without its flaws. Hitomi has reputation of being one of the most annoying characters in anime, which is not entirely undeserved on a certain level. The 'cramming' of the plot starts to come undone around episode 23, but recovers in time to produce the most beautifully bittersweet ending in anime. The cel animation doesn't hold up as well as Yoko Kanno's (Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex, Macross Plus, Macross Frontier, Cowboy Bebop) brilliant music, but this is to be expected of series well over 10 years old.

A truly great series that demands space in any anime collection, especially fans of mecha and fantasy. Avoid the English dub however.

When this came out, I remember thinking, "A fantasy with a mecha?? Oh, god spare me please!" But anime could be sparse in the US back in the day, so you took what you could get. I'm glad I swallowed my expectations, and gave this a try. In fact, over the years I've given it a couple tries. One of the very rare animes of the era I have given multiple watches.

The art work for the day was well above average. Same with the animation, for the most part. There's some cost cutting in the middle episodes but it's not too distracting. There are ... some action scenes that still are wonderful examples of how good hand drawn animation could get.

For the day, the character writing was very good. I suspect they might seem a little cliche today, as so many other animes over the years stole the ideas for themselves. The narrative, for the most part, is impressive considering they managed to weave mecha and fantasy tropes together, and didn't end up with a complete cluster. It's a satisfying story that holds together well through the season.

I've only seen the dub, as that was all that was available on Blockbuster VHS tapes back then. Still, the English cast does a nice job and is instrumental in making the series successful. Kudos to the director as well. It must not have been easy to hold this together when it could easily have become a Frankenstein's monster of a series.

Sadly there is no armor against the flowing of time. Back in the day, this would have been an easy A- grade. But I suspect the ages haven't been too kind to Escaflowne. Still, I think it would be good enough to earn a solid B at 85/100 today. Definitely worth another stroll down memory lane. And worth checking out if you are into classic animes of days gone by.

So, I'll be blunt with this one, there's one big mistake that simply made me drop it after 3 weeks trying to watch. And that mistake is: the narrative built-up is bad, if not non-existent.

Before continuing I'll advise: there won't be spoiler here, but my grammar won't be the best either, both because english isn't my first language and I'm writing this on my cellphone, so be easy on me for typos.



Ok, first of all, I started watching this anime because I love Isekai and while I was searching for animes like that, this one came at the top of the list of recommended on ... a thread on Reddit (I think it was there). Then I started watching it, and I liked it enough to keep going for it, but after 10 episodes or so I got extremely bored with the show and I didn't know why until today, which is:

THIS SHOW LACKS NARRATIVE BUILD-UP, it's so obvious since the first episode that I don't know why I didn't notice it before. It's like the author had a lot of ideas to put on the story, but he simply couldn't find a way to connect them properly, whatever he put them in the plot anyway.

It's like a bunch of situations happening randomly and they keep going forward, there isn't a focused direction on the show and it keeps the sensation of "started from nowhere to end in nowhere", the characters are presented bluntly and have no real development. Things get worse from sudden events then get fixed by sudden events, both by concepts that weren't presented nor developed beforehand, and they are not better explained nor added as a development step for the plot in general.

There isn't a hook anywhere in the show which kept me wanting to watch more, the characters aren't interesting, both from the protagonist's side or the villain's. No mysteries or original places to go. The motive for anyone being there is simply: "because war". The backstories are boring, showing nothing that really aggregates to the characters at all, just explaining "better" something that we already knew. Besides, the main character and the hero are annoying as hell, it's like the author wanted for them to be like that so they can develop better, but that doesn't happen, not until where I dropped at least.

There's no flow or gradual change of mood or gradual plot development. The beginning of an episode is calm and chill with people talking in a library, then in the middle, there's a fight which the hero almost dies, then at the end, side characters are arguing about love life. It might look like a roller coaster of emotions, but it ends up like a weak and broken mechanical horsehide.



Every time I see an old anime with a high score, I always go two steps back for caution, but I really was hoping for this one to be good. Seriously guys, never, and I say NEVER, use nostalgia as a quality factor, because the person which you are recommending to WON'T HAVE THAT NOSTALGIA FEELING, I kind of understand when you place that old anime you watched long ago as a "10" on your private list, even so I don't like that line of thought, but don't do that in a recommendation list.

There are a couple things that seem way to ‘well placed’ almost. For instance, is it just me or her carrying her bag with her into the other world was a smart move on the writers. It actually gives her a reason to be dressed up in her school uniform unlike every other show out there. Now there are some things in this show that remind me a lot of Inu-yasha. It’s the whole transportation thing. I really don’t like how they keep recapping the last episode. I feel they could have really gone without that. They do it in a way that reminds me ... of the opening to YuGiOh. I am happy about the very little fan service that is in this show. You rarely see anything that would be considered fan service except for the cat girl at some points.

The Artwork is interesting and very vintage, done pretty well for the time period that it was created as. The backgrounds feel almost oil based and rather pretty. Sadly, the stuff that is on the cell animation is lacking badly, and even when it’s supposed to be on the background or is seen close up, it’s again disappointing. The characters though are nicely designed. Some of the characters look like they are from other animes, such as the ‘wizard’ on the other side, Folken, looks like Vash and a side knight in Allan’s court, Getin I think his name is, looks a little like Wolfwood. It just makes me think of Clamp.

The voices in the English version are pretty good to me considering as well. Hitomi’s voice doesn’t make me cringe as bad as I would of thought, although, is it just me or does she sound a lot like Kagome from Inu-yasha? Sadly, the English and Japanese versions of the script differ a bit more then I would like sadly though they kept the just of what they were talking about. They had even cut out a lot some of the excess dialog. It’s bad when there is a little gap between when someone is supposed to say something and they are supposed to be interrupted. The Japanese seems a little better in that aspect. The music in the background is very hunting and kind of like Yugioh in a strange way.

The ending made me laugh so hard. It feels like it’s not supposed to be linked to this show. It’s also more up beat then the opening which doesn’t really make me get into the story.

Unique in its kind is I think the best qualifier of this anime.


One of the strongest points is the animation which, despite being 26 years old, is still fluid and dynamic. Frankly, I take my hat off to the animation for remaining pleasant to the eye despite the passage of time.

The plot is also a strong point of Tenkuu no Escaflowne. Although quite complex at times, especially in the second part, it remains very pleasant to follow and once again unique with lots of twists and turns and political schemes (strategies) that make us always get caught up in it and we can't wait to ... see what happens next. I will regret a rather precipitated end, it remains really touching and melancholic but its faster and condensed rhythm is quite at odds with the impeccable rhythm that took its time throughout.

Nevertheless, this doesn't prevent it from having quite sharp themes. We find at the top of the list violence and its usefulness, which may seem niet in its purpose but which for me is fair enough although utopian because it never ignores the harsh reality of the thing and of conflicts in general, but on the other hand it proposes a utopian vision and values that are quite important even so long after. Because in the end a utopian vision is far from being vain when it is well approached. In the same way, the theme of love and the importance of confessing it and differentiating it from a superficial attraction is frankly interesting.

Finally, the characters are terribly endearing and brilliantly written, full of complete relationships and internal conflicts that make them quite complex. I'm not sure if it's a good book or not, but I'm sure it's a good book, and I'm not sure if it's a good book or not, but I'm sure it's a good book.

In short, it's an isekai mixed with mecha and heroic fantasy, a cocktail that is as unique to watch as it is to hear. But this atypical aspect is far from being a problem, on the contrary, it is what makes it stand out for the spectators and allows them to live a real experience.

The Vision of Escaflowne was a large part of my childhood as it was one of the first anime for be broadcasted in Germany at that time, especially noteworthy for the last-night timeslot. Now, so many years later, the experience can refreshen itself, but this time in chronological order.

Story: 7
Animation: 7
Sound: 9
Characters: 8
Enjoyment: 9

Total: 8

And I still like it very much. As a progenitor isekai, Escaflowne isn't shackled by the new conventions and cliches. In that regard, the most noteworthy aspect is the desire to return to the original world, even with multiple romances ongoing. As that desire for love is constantly juxtaposed by the ... psychological torment of war. Sadly, the story flops on the fake-return aspect very hard, but still manages the final stretch with some bruises.

But to go back a bit, The Vision of Escaflowne is mainly about a fantasy world actively plunging into a chaotic and massively escalating war between all nations of that world. At the heart are questions about fate, the acceptance of that fate and a resurging theme of redemption, with emotions transcending the hurdles of fate at the heart.

That last bit may come as the most apparent for some, but the relationships vary heavily depending of the daily mood of the cast. Sadly they aren't that consistent. But they learn, given enough time.

I wanted to return to the Vision of Escaflowne for a long time. It is still a very pleasant adventure with a lot of twists and turns. Even if I couldn't experience to my fullest again, but that may be impossible, for me at least. The music design can be very excellent, but the animation isn't that consistent. It still is very fluid for the most part, especially given the time period it was created. But, I still prefer the German OP from Dax Riders - People. It frames everything as an adventure with mechas and love. The Japanese OP makes it into a romance with adventure and mechas.

Escaflowne is a fine anime with the setting being set in a fantasy world with some technology in it as well, although I wished more things could have been explained because many things just come out of left-field along with the fast pacing. There's never really that much foreshadowing of where stuff leads too, just boom this appears(somewhat more in the latter half) or they appear but sometimes get explained later. But at the same I think the story pretty much sets out what it's meant to do in the first place. The ending is rushed which just make everything feel a bit

Music: 9/10 The ... soundtrack is pretty good for its time, very orchestrate instruments + holy singing set the tone of the scenes that there's some deep meaning behind the story.

Characters: 6/10 Characters leave an odd taste in my mouth, from a turnabout on their actions are to just dumbright out what? The protagonists develop in weird ways that you don't really see in their character but happened down the line. Also minor characters completely in the background never really get explored since we're going from place to place. The villains get the same treatment as being minor characters, they're just there as well but the major antagonists are just better in general. The writing just feels a tadbit awkward on how they act towards each other in some scenes and at times can feel a bit forced into the action like a non-realistic way of reacting.

Worldbuilding: The Worldbuilding is alright, some places can be described in just a sentence albeit while others more I don't really think it's a major focus in the show so i'm not going to give it a score. I do wish locations were a little more explored in a sense cause they seem interesting as well such as races, monsters, beasts, kingdoms/nations, etc.

Art: 8/10 Artstyle would be very 90s Shoujo romance, Character designs are simple, Structures don't feel lazy at all, not as saturated colors cause it's vintage.

Escaflowne set as a story would be 7/10 by itself ,but I would elevate +1 compared to modern anime standards would be 8/10

Also this my first review, i'm making practice for critique.

I don’t remember how I found this anime, all I remember was I just started watching it on YouTube one night. But at first (probably within the first 2-3 episodes) I was honestly bored and felt that I was probably going to drop it. The main reason for this was the fact that the dialogue was a bit dull and I didn’t really like the concept at first and I was incredibly confused, but after persevering I eventually began to enjoy it lots. At first, the general plot wasn’t clear and I did not understand the concept of what an escaflowne actually was and who ... was fighting who, but after I watched for a while the plot became a lot clearer and easier to understand. Although the plot was not the most gripping, it was still entertaining and felt like a good watch. I felt that some of the characters were slightly poorly written, but overall I had a good understanding and liking for the characters. The ending may have been a little confusing, but I feel like that’s just a feature of a typical 90s anime, and nevertheless it was still good. To be honest this anime wouldn’t ever be near the top of my list, but it certainly wasn’t bad and I don’t regret watching it.

[The Vision of Escaflowne] Review (No Spoiler)

Hitomi Kanzaki, an ordinary Japanese girl obsessed with fortune-telling, is suddenly transported to a fantastical world after encountering Van Fanel, a prince battling a monster from another dimension.

The premise—now labeled under the "isekai" genre—was groundbreaking in 1996. While modern isekai anime feels repetitive, Escaflowne remains a timeless gem.

Key Strengths:
The World of Gaea:
A seamless blend of samurai, knights, and giant robots (Guymelefs). The lore balances technology (like dragon-powered mechs) with medieval aesthetics flawlessly.

... Production Quality:

Animation: Among the best even now for a TV series. Character designs range from realistic, detailed styles (e.g., Balgus, the mentor, and Dornkirk, the villainous king) to cute, big-eyed designs (e.g., Van Fanel and Hitomi Kanzaki).

Action Scenes: Polished and well-paced, with no convoluted rules. The soundtrack amplifies the intensity.

Major Flaws:
Forced Romance:
The romance subplots (especially Hitomi’s sudden crushes) feel unrealistic amid life-threatening chaos.

Third-Act Decline:

The final arc sacrifices action and logic for melodrama. Animation quality drops noticeably.

Characters like Folken (Van’s brother) suffer from jarring contradictions (e.g., claiming to "stop wars" while causing destruction).

Inconsistent Side Characters:
Merle and Princess Millerna act inconsistently, undermining their earlier depth.

Conclusion:
Despite its major flaws, Escaflowne remains an anime worth watching for its mastery of action, intricate world-building, and stellar production quality. These strengths overshadow its weaknesses—a rare feat in storytelling