Product Details

• Format: Animated, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Bandai
• VHS Release Date: October 24, 2000
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004T372
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537,875 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definite must see for anyone!, August 31, 2000

By 

"spazinewt" (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Escaflowne - Dragons and Destiny (Vol. 1) (DVD)

If you've only seen the version on FOX Kids, you're missing out on something great:o)
I find it very odd that such a series is being aired on FOX Kids - this is definitely at least a teenager and older's title. It has everything anyone could ask for - wonderful animation, especially for a TV series, wonderful staff (Shoji Kawamori, Yoko Kanno), action, adventure, romance, fantasy, mecha, gripping and detailed plot, well-developed characters, and more. The music is wonderful - don't believe that that funky techno music FOX plays can even compare to the original Opening, Yakusoku wa Iranai (No Need for Promises). The original Opening is simply breathtaking and Maaya Sakamoto's voice ( age15 at the time) is beautiful.
The DVD release includes both *uncut* dub and sub versions, and all the extras(music videos, interviews) found in the Japanese LD release (or so I've heard:o)).
At first, it may seem like a simple series - A girl is transported to a magical world where she meets a guy who takes a suit of armor and fights some baddies... However, it *quickly* becomes very complicated. I'd love to explain more, but it would spoil the plot greatly.
What I love the most about Escaflowne (besides the splendid music), is the character development. Every character has multiple facets. No one is totally bad - and no "good guy" is totally good. Everyone is very *real*. Hitomi, the heroine, for example - she's just a confused 15-year old who is often homesick, confused in love, and insecure. She's not afraid to slap Van when he's too arrogant and when the wind blows too hard, she instinctively holds down her skirt. Van, while seeming tough, is only another 15-year old. It can be seen in his appearance - stringy, awkward and still growing. Under his tough exterior, we see he is still very lonely and insecure and simply has too much responsibility on his shoulders as King of Fanelia than any 15 year old should have.
Definitely consider seeing this! It's one of the best anime series to have come out of Japan recently - in fact, it's a wonderful *show* in general! It's been a favorite for all ages in Japan since it came out and I hope others will see it's beauty.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greastest anime programs of all time, September 8, 2000

By 

Simone (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Escaflowne - Dragons and Destiny (Vol. 1, Uncut Version) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Escaflowne of the High Heavens/Escaflowne of the Sky also known as the Vision of Escaflowne is English is one of my all time favorite anime television shows (Fushigi Yuugi is my favorite). When I speak of the Vision of Escaflowne, I'm not talking about the one that Fox kids cut up so badly and is currently running as part of their fall line up, I am referring to the true, uncut, twenty-six episode masterpiece that is based on manga by Mr. Kawamori Shoji. Vision of Escaflowne is a cross-over anime series meaning that it takes elements from both the shounen (boys) and shoujo (girls) anime genre to create an anime program that can easily be appreciated by male as well as female anime viewers.

The story itself surrounds the fantastic adventures of a girl named Hitomi Kanzaki. Hitomi is a fifteen year old, Japanese, high school student, who runs track, reads tarot cards, and can see into the future. One day while practicing on the track field Hitomi has a vision of a boy from another world, she passes out and ends up in the school clinic. To her surprise and delight an upper classmen guy whom she has a crush on named Amano comes in to check on her. Later, that day Hitomi's best friend Yukuri tells her that Amano is moving away and that Hitomi should tell him how she feels. Hitomi decides to handle the situation by asking for Amano to give her her very first kiss if she breaks her old track record. He agrees to this. This is when things start to become interesting. While running on the track field Hitomi sees the boy from her vision, thinking that she's imaging things shes continues to run and ends up running into him. Also a dragon gets transported onto Earth with the mysterious boy and it tries to eat Hitomi and company. The end result of this conflict is that the boy from Hitomi's vision kills the dragon (not nearly as easily as I'm making it seem).

After the dragon has been killed a strange column of light transports Hitomi and the boy to the world of Gaea. Gaea is a world that is divided between the four kingdoms of Fanelia, Asturia, Freid, and the Zaibach Empire. While on Gaea, Hitomi learns that the boy's name is Van and that he is the king of the kingdom of Fanelia. Being that Hitomi whom they sometimes refer to as the girl from the illusionary moon ( the name that they call Earth)has no place to go Van takes Hitomi back to his kingom. While in Van's kingom (Fanelia), Hitomi witnesses it being attacked by an invisible and merciless enemy. It is this mysterious and unwarranted attack that leads to more adventures, hardships, romance complexities, shocking revelations, and growth for both Hitomi and Van as people.

Another bonus to this show besides the awesome mecha (giant robot)designs, is the powerfully gripping story, and the believeable characterizations is the phenomenal muscic which part of it is performed by a professional orchestra, Yoko Kanno, and a few other people. All of the music is put together in the appropriate scenes (unlike the Fox version) adding even more emmotions than just the visuals, and wonderful acting by the Japanese cast.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely wonderful series, December 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Escaflowne - Dragons and Destiny (Vol. 1) (DVD)

My first introduction to Escaflowne was the FOX kids version, thanks to a fellow anime lover. After watching an episode of this magnificent series you can not help but become hooked. After FOX kids had cancelled the series I obtained a set of tapes and the first DVD, it is amazing how much had been cut out. I highly recommend this series to anyone, the people I've introduced have all loved the series but how could one blame them. Escaflowne is the tale of Hitomi Kanzaki an ordinary high school student swept away in an extrodinary adventure on a place called Gaea where the Earth and the Moon hang in the sky.(Couldn't help but borrow that line) It's amazing to watch the story develop with many twist and the confusion of Hitomi trying to sort out her own feelings (I leave it there before I spoil something. The music in this series is also wonderful, I could listen to it all day. All in all I have to say that this series is a must see for any fan of anime or anyone just being introduced to anime. Now to get down to just this DVD, I love how you can change the languages and add subtiles. Personally I prefer the DVD to the tape because I love listening to the different voice actors, in my opinion the Japanese voice actors are better but some people don't like dealing with subtitles like my brother for example. Also the music videos on the DVD are a big bonus, the songs are wonderful and nice to listen to. This DVD is a MUST BUY for any Esca fan or anyone interested in the series.