The Vision of Escaflowne (Part 1: The TV Series)

The last time I'd seen The Vision of Escaflowne, I was still a freshman in college. My only exposure to it before then had been the painful re-cut that Fox had done when they tried to make it a suitable for a Saturday morning cartoon. (With vital plot points removed, and chronology scattered, it's no wonder it got canned rather quickly) Over last weekend, I finished rewatching the TV series as my first step in moving through my list of things to rewatch before the end of 2007.

This time around, I enjoyed the series alot more than I thought I would. What really caught my attention was how rapidly the story moves. Of course part of this is due to the fact that in initial planning stages, the series was going to be 39 episodes, but was altered to 26. Nothing important was kept out of the story by this change, but it would be interesting to see how things were portrayed had the full 39 episode concept had been executed. Yet despite a pace the seldom gives the audience a chance to rest, Escaflowne does not make it impossible to keep up.


Perhaps though what makes Escaflowne truly shine is it mixes two genres that one would not expect to meld easily; mecha and shoujo romance/drama. This gives the series so much more of its appeal to a larger audience. One can enjoy the intense battles of seeing the Guymelefs fighting, and the growing war, but still be drawn in by the love triangles that appear.


The similarities between two characters in particular caught my attention this time around is probably what stood out the most to me. Van and Allen's differences are clearly visible as soon as they are introduced. Allen is the calm, collected, knight who thinks through, and builds a strategy, and woos women left and right with his smooth chivalry, whereas Van is the hot-headed young king who seeks revenge for the destruction of his kingdom and the murder of those important to him, oblivious, ignorant of, and unaccustomed to love (in the romantic sense). Yet despite an initial appearance of being completely different men, they harbor more similarities than one might suspect. They are both fiercely tied to their own sense of honor and justice. Both are struggling with entering adulthood in the absence of their families. The list goes on. It's interesting to see how many fans try to make a choice of who they like better, going for who they see as a better character, missing out on these commonalities.

Still, the weakest part of Escaflowne for me is the story's epilogue. Closure is given, and everything that was brought up is tied together just Hitomi's choice at the end seems to go against expectations, and even her own words and actions.

But despite this one troubling part at the end of the story, The Vision of Escaflowne is an incredibly well made, well paced, and intriguing anime title. The mecha designs of the guymelefs and other devices are a superb mix of medieval and steampunk, the story is anything but boring, the relationships between characters are solid and believeable, and Kanno Yoko's score, along with Sakamoto Maya's vocals on certain pieces add just the right mood. (Dance of the Curse is probably one of the best pieces from any anime score, and is rightfully considered a classic.) If I had to describe the series, succinctly, it would be that The Vision of Escaflowne is one of the best examples of how many elements come together to make an amazing whole in the anime medium, and it is a title that can be enjoyed by many different types of viewers.

Rating 9/10
Favorite Episode: 13 "Red Destiny"