Customer Reviews

Vision of Escaflowne Box set (Vol 1-8) [VHS]

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This series keeps you on the edge of your seat, not wanting it to end. If you like the first few episodes, just wait, the story actually gets better and better as it goes along (yes, that IS possible)! The character depth and development is amazing, and the love-triangles are perfect for any romance fan. Moving and unpredictable plot, fantastic character designs, top-notch art quality, music by Yoko Kanno, awesome voice acting, and action like you've never seen before in animation. Most likely the very best anime (Japanese animation) series available in the US so far, period! If you only buy one anime title, this is the one to get. While trying to beat her track record of 13 seconds, a light with a boy in it appears before teen schoolgirl Hitomi. He says a dragon is coming, which will eat her and her friends! After an awesome battle Hitomi gets transported with the boy, Van, back to his planet Gaea, where he is king of the country Fanelia. Gaea is full of animal-humans, medieval swords and magic, and amazing mecha! Hitomi meets a cheerful cat-girl, a dashing swordsman, a beautiful princess, and an insanely twisted enemy. Using her tarot cards and instinct, Hitomi helps to protect her friends.

I had originally seen the first 10 or so episodes, and I loved it so much that I invested in the box set. If you haven't bought it, I urge you with a passion to do so. I watched the rest of it all in one day, too compelled to turn off my television! The perfect and fitting voice actors and beautifully drawn blend of mecha, fantasy, and romance is so intruiging to me that I can watch these tapes over and over and over again without feeling the least bit of boredom. In fact, I'm madly in love with this series. [And thats something I dont usually admit when it comes to anime containing mecha]. Whether male or female, young or old, Escaflowne will captivate you. The characters will become family to you, and the story will remain in your heart for a very long time. I know thats how it is with me.

The vision of Escaflowne is an exciting, and intriguing series. Whether you're looking for action, mystery, adventure, romance, or just an incredible story, you'll find it here. The series begins by following Hitomi, a young student engaged in a teenage crisis, but quickly evolves when she is transported to another world where wars are forming, dragons take wing at night, and magic has been developed as well as science. One of the great things about this series is that the heros and enemies are not defined for you. You can easily see evil in the traditional good characters, and you can see the righteousness in the traditionally bad. Everyone has a believeable motive for all that they do, and all the characters are round. The individual episodes are almost stand alone stories,but the writers did this without losing the blessed contintinuity that is so vital to a show of this quality. The Animation is better than what you see normally on TV but not quite on par with Disney. The majority is hand drawn in anime style. I will say this though, this is the first time Computer animation has been integrated well enough that I couldn't tell it was there. Along with this incredible story and exquisite animation you will get one of the best soundtracks ever put to the moving screen. The music is perfectly, and I do not use that word lightly,perfectly matched with every sceene. The Vision of Escaflowne has action, adventure, romance, mystery, that all add up to an intriguing plot. To help convey the story, terrific animation, and superb music are included. All in all it is one of the best series ever to come to America.

Wow.

It's been awhile since I've seen a good, epic fantasy anime, and was actually miffed that anime like Record of Lodoss War were small in number. However, after watching The Vision of Escaflowne, a new standard has been set.

As of writing this, this epic series is my all-time favorite anime. Everything about it, from the down-to-earth characters, the exciting action, to the extensive storyline, Escaflowne does it *right*. Nothing feels contrived, nothing is out-of-place, nothing goes wrong. And it's been awhile since I've seen an anime like this.

The storyline, while not the best I've seen, is still a good piece of fantasy fiction. There's a good balance between plot and action, with some episodes focusing on developing the characters, and others simply depicting epic battles. A lot of mystery regarding Gaea and Zaibach is developed early on, and there are quite a few plot elements which don't get fully resolved until the end. This certainly helped in holding my interest throughout the entire series. And I must say, the ending was one of the better and more fulfilling endings I've seen in an anime.

Van, and the adorable Merle While the story is good, the characters really make this series come alive. Hitomi, the central character, is so incredibly unlike anyone else in the series, that she truly feels like she was plucked from Earth and placed in the magical world of Gaea. Van, the young king of Fanelia, is driven by anger and revenge, and he is truly fearsome as the pilot of Escaflowne. Allen is a more typical medieval fantasy character, fulfilling the role of the gallant knight. Merle is the utterly adorable cat-girl, who provides the comic relief. If I had a list of cutest anime characters, she'd easily make the top five. The villains are truly excellent as well. Dilandau and Folken are the two main adversaries, and both are as different as night and day. Dilandau is a bloodthirsty psycho with a hidden past, while Folken is quite somber, cold and calculating. Of course, there are many other characters as well, and all are fully developed and believable.

Dilandau, the sadistic psychopath (isn't he just so cool?) And you if you happen to think things like plot and character development are secondary to white-knuckle action, don't worry. Escaflowne has plenty of exciting, adrenaline-filled battles to satisfy you. The action combines standard medieval warfare, giant mecha duels, and even a few aerial ballets. The battle choreography is quite good, and the attention to mechanical details on the mecha made them seem almost real.

Even though this is a TV series, it has some very impressive production qualities. The artwork is superb, the animation top-notch, and some nifty computer effects are seamlessly blended in. Even better than the visuals is the wonderful music. I can honestly say that Escaflowne has one of the best soundtracks I've heard in an anime, ranging from light J-pop to thundering orchestral battle themes.

Unless you have a complete aversion for fantasy, then you've no reason not to check out this incredible series. The Vision of Escaflowne is currently the best fantasy anime available, and should not be missed.

Many people will throw around compliments like "The Best" rather easily, and change their minds like the wind. I dislike using that level of description, because usually there's several things competing for that position.

Not, however, in the case of anime series. No series I've ever watched -- and I've watched a lot of them, from Mobile Suit Gundam to Harlock to Metal Fighter Miku and Space Adventurer Cobra -- comes close to matching Escaflowne.

Visually, Escaflowne is stunning. Most series animation is clearly inferior to that found in anime movies, but in the case of Escaflowne it's hard to recognize that this is, in fact, a series. The backgrounds, the main characters, the action, all are done with a warm, lush attention to effect that never fails.

The music is one of the finest anime soundtracks ever made. Composed by Yoko Kanno (Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop), it captures a spirit of mysticism and high adventure which is perfect for this series. I often leave this disc running in the background because it's so much fun to listen to.

The story... how can I do it justice? The best way to put it is this: for the past several years I have done a monthly anime night at our local Borders, and Escaflowne is the ONLY anime to consistently pull in people of all walks of life. I've seen it enthrall Dragonball Z fanboys, Sailor Moon addicts, 65-year-old grandmothers, 7 year old little brothers, casual Yuppie passers-by, and cynical goth poseurs. It has magic and war, politics and romance, intrigue and action, swords and giant mecha suits, and somehow all of it works to form a dazzling coherent whole that is unmatched in all the history of animated television.

Watch Escaflowne. You will never regret it.

Anime never gets enough credit. When people see my locker I school covered with pictures of Escaflowne, and other anime, they usually run away screaming. I used to be like that, until I accidentally discovered Escaflowne on TV one day. Well, it was the best show I've ever seen. And that was the English dubbed version! The ones that are usually butchered in order to be approved for children's eyes. When the show was taken off the air, I just had to buy the box set, subbed in English. And let me tell you, The Vision of Escaflowne is anything BUT a kid's show. Not that it's a bad thing. It was a very refreshing change from the usual "Pokemon," "Card Captors," and "Digimon" days. The Vision of Escaflowne has some of the best animation ever to hit TV, along with fully orchestrated music. The Vision of Escaflowne soundtrack is next on my list! And how could I forget the epic storyline. It is about a teenage girl, Hitomi. The average high-schooler looking for direction in life, but instead finds herself stranded in a mystic world called Gaea. She befriends many people in her journey, each with their own memories and dark secrets. Soon, Hitomi begins to wonder where she would be happiest: at home with her friends and family, or in Gaea, where se finally has a chance at true love. The Vision of Escaflowne is a very emotional show, with a touch of humour. No one should miss this. It has everything an American cartoon ever had, and a heck of a lot more.

Okay, everyone will tell you how great this series is, and I won't disagree with them. But here's what you might find wrong with this anime: 1), the pseudo-scientific extrapolation on how one might experiment with or control destiny--be ready to laugh at those English subtitles! "3..2..1...ALTER FATE!"; 2), the usual anime conventions--over-emotive eyes, physics-defying hair, annoying cat characters; 3), some easily foreseen plot twists; 4) an ending that, while true and intelligent, flouts one of major conventions of any happily-ever-after love story ending. You'll probably find other inconsistencies to harp on, but beyond all this...the anime is exceptional! Engrossing, surprising, intelligent, philosophical, action-packed, funny, ambitious, and with a killer theme song, this is the kind of thing I would buy on DVD as a box set if SOMEONE ever decides to issue it in such a format. Hello? Anyone? Pleeease...

I first saw the entire series of Escaflowne in 2001. It redefined what I knew as anime, and from that moment on, I knew that I had experienced something that was one of a kind.

Escaflowne features a fantasy story of a normal teenage girl named Hitomi. She is taken into a distant world called Gaia in which the Earth is known only as the Mystic Moon.

After meeting Van Fanel, a young swordsman with an amazing secret (ok, I'll tell you --- he has wings!), a rich plot begins to develop. Romance that is not sappy, a plot that is not cliche, characters that are interesting, tragic, and wondrous....

This anime is beautiful.

From the music to the story to the entire atmosphere of this enormously entertaining and instantly classic anime, Escaflowne shines. It is a series not lacking in any area, and the fantasy/futuristic feel is an interesting and unique touch. With robotic battles, sword-sparring, games of fate, tortured pasts, torn loyalty in romance, and winged people(!), the sheer ingeniousness of this series will blow you away.

The winged people are an amazing touch... they are not cliche or even angelic, just surprisingly well-done for such a common anime characteristic.

Dont' skip Escaflowne---

This is perhaps the best anime of all time.

...Apparently, Mr. Merritt was somehow under the impression that Vision Of Escaflowne was supposed to be a shoujo anime-- and it definitely is not. Characters like Merle add shoujo elements to the series, but overall, Escaflowne is more of a dramatic series than anything, and this becomes obvious two or three episodes in. If you're looking for a shoujo series, go watch Card Captor Sakura (NOT the butchered US version that Fox is showing, but the original), or Fushigi Yuugi.

If Escaflowne isn't a shoujo anime, what is it? That's easy-- it's an awesome, medieval series, with mechs thrown in for good measure. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was better than Neon Genesis Evangelion (which DID have an ending, just not a conventional one), but it comes close. The character design is excellent, the story is great, and moves at a fairly brisk pace, and the ending is thought-provoking but manages to give you closure at the same time (which, admittedly, is something that Evangelion wasn't able to do until the release of End Of Evangelion).

One thing that has bothered me in reading reviews of this series is that a lot of people have problems with the noses of the characters. Frankly, unless people hadn't made such a big deal out of it, I wouldn't have really noticed it, and I think it's a fairly absurd thing to pick at. People have no problems with giant mechs, or cat-people, but if their noses look a little funny-- THERE'S a deal-breaker.

Escaflowne is one of the best series out, period. If you miss it, you're missing out on an incredible epic. But if you do watch it, do yourself a favor, and pick up the subtitled version-- which is a good rule for any foreign series or movie, really. The dubs are almost always abhorrant. Ooh, alliteration!

I started watching Escaflowne when it was on T.V. and after 11 episodes they took it off, just left you hanging, not knowing what happened. It's such a good show that I had to see the whole series to know how it ended. It has just about everything that you would expect to see in a fantasy movie, knights, castles, dragons, romance, destiny and prophecy... and big robot like suits to battle with. The shows mainly revolves around Hitomi, a young girl who has visions, and how she and her friends try to stop the Zaibach Empire. Even though Zaibach's trying to obtain peace for the whole planet of Gaea, they destroy many countries and must be stopped. This has the best written story that I have seen from a cartoon yet.