Hitomi Kanzaki is a typical high school girl, with typical high school problems. But when a vision of a young man battling a dragon becomes a reality, her life changes forever. Drawn into a strange vortex with the swordsman, Van, Hitomi is thrust into the strange world of Gaea. Entangled in a struggle over life and death, Van must learn to master the suit of armor, Escaflowne. Chased by the Empire of Azibach, Van and Hitomi will encounter both allies and enemies in an effort to unlock the secrets within Escaflowne. Hitomi’s heart is stirred by love and adventure, but at times aches with sorrow. The entire 26 episode epic series in one package. Genre: Action/Romance/FantasyAlthough it didn’t fare well on Fox Kids, Escaflowne has a large, loyal following, perhaps because this sprawling fantasy offers the ingredients of classic mecha, sword-and-sorcery and magical girl adventures. After psychic teen-ager Hitomi has a vision of a man battling a dragon, Prince Van of Fanelia and a dragon materialize. He slays the monster and transports Hitomi to the mysterious world of Gaea. An odd mixture of advanced technology and medieval culture, Gaea has links to ancient Atlantis. A typical romantic triangle develops, involving Hitomi, diamond-in-the-rough Van and ideal knight Allen Schezar. The saga attains a Byzantine complexity when the trio is captured by Zaibach Emperor Dornkirk–who is actually Sir Isaac Newton. He’s at work on a machine that will enable him to create alternate destinies for Gaea. At times, the story by Hajime Yatate and Shoji Kawamori seems to be careening out of control, as Hitomi whines and the supporting characters appear, disappear and undergo radical personality changes. The most serious flaw is the failure of any of the heroes to defeat the evil Dornkirk, who has dispatched murderous doppelgangers, conducted sadistic experiments on kidnapped children and attempted to subjugate an entire planet. But the combination ofteen-age romance, fantastic robot-suits (“guymelefs”), elaborate battles, hystroinic villains and a world-threatening challenge has made Escaflowne a favorite among otaku. The feature, released theatrically in the US in 2002, repeated much of the story. Rated 13 and up for animated violence. –Charles Solomon
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May 5, 2010
#1
A friend of mine lent me his store-bought copy of Escaflowne on VHS tape, and I sat down and watched it. I thought it was a typical anime, but nothing outstanding.
A year passed and then I found the reviews here on Amazon about how this is “the perfect television show” and how it deals with complicated political issues, and so on. So I sat down and watched the whole show a second time, thinking maybe I had missed something.
Well I’m still unimpressed. It isn’t a bad show, which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1, but it isn’t a great show either. In fact it seems rather juvenile and simplistic in the way it deals with problems – something akin to a CW teen soap opera but with Japanese style. In any case, twice viewed is enough for me. I won’t be watching Escaflowne again.
In my humble opinion if you’re looking for depth (in terms of politics, religion, and interpersonal disputes), then you should look elsewhere like Star Trek DS9 or Babylon 5. Or if you prefer animation then try Macross.
May 5, 2010
#2
Can someone please tell me if this is the complete uncut version in japanese and english? I just want to be sure because it doesn’t say that its uncut on the cover it just says complete collection, which I’m assuming means every episode is included but I just wanted to be sure because I really love this anime and want to buy it.
May 5, 2010
#3
Like most good animes this series has a lousy ending. The mastermind behind the super cool ninja cloaking mechs? Isaac Newton . . But barring the crappy ending, it is a classic and worth watching.
Who should buy this? If you liked gundam, record of lodoss war, beserk then this anime is for you.
May 6, 2010
#4
This is an obvious classic, a fantasy triumph. A must buy for any fan of anime.
May 6, 2010
#5
I just love this show ive probably watched it over 50 times, from the action to the music, everything just seems to come together nicely, people say the character deseign is “strange” or “Horrible” but in the end really doesnt effect anything. The ending is can either be happy or sad depending on the way you look at it and is one of the best ive seen