Product Details

• Actors: Japanimation
• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Bandai
• DVD Release Date: October 3, 2000
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004T373
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #77,675 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #17 in	Movies & TV > Animation > Characters & Series > Escaflowne
  #84 in	Movies & TV > Anime & Manga > Feature Films

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Hitomi is a sensitive teenager who reads tarot cards for her friends and nurses a crush on the track star Amano. As she runs on the school track, Hitomi has a vision of a young man battling a dragon; a few days later, the man and the dragon materialize. Hitomi and Van, the young warrior, are carried off to the mysterious world of Gaea, with its odd mixture of advanced technology and medieval culture. Hitomi watches as Van is crowned king of Fanelia, and then another of her visions comes true: Fanelia is destroyed by an army of monstrous robot-suits called "Guymelefs." Van and Hitomi escape in Escaflowne, a legendary super-Guymelef. In the kingdom of Asturia, they meet Allen Schezar, a gallant knight who resembles Amano. They also encounter the villainous Dilandau, who destroyed Fanelia at the orders of the evil emperor of the Zaibach Empire. Although Asturia is allied with Zaibach, Dilandau attacks the small kingdom, forcing everyone to flee. Escaflowne, which began to air on the Cartoon Network in late 2000, delivers a classic anime mixture of teenage romance involving a sensitive heroine, a diamond-in-the-rough hero and an ideal knight, fantastic robots, elaborate battles, hysterical villains, and a world-threatening challenge. The DVD and uncut VHS are rated 13 and older for animated violence; the edited version is what plays on TV and is suitable for ages 7 and older. --Charles Solomon

Product Description
Hitomi Kanzaki is a typical high school girl, with typical 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. Van must learn to master the suit of armor, Escaflowne, before he and Hitomi are crushed by the ambitions of the Empire of Zaibach. Van and Hitomi will encounter both allies and enemies in an effort to unlock the secrets within Escaflowne, and Hitomi's heart, stirred by love and adventure, will, at times ache with sorrow. But why was she sent to this world? Her journey has just begun!

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

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.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great start to the best anime tv series ever., October 21, 2000

By	Sheamon (Waltham, MA) - See all my reviews

Thus begins the best anime series ever. A great series that incorporates great animation, action, romance, suspence, and more all in one. The basic story is about a girl named Hitomi who finds herself transported to a mysterious world called Gaea. The first DVD contains the first 4 episodes, in subbed and dubbed formats. These are the full, unedited versions, not to be confused with the edited FOX stuff that has been replaced with some crappy nascar series. These episodes introduce us to the main characters of the show, including Van, Hitomi, Merle, Alan, Dilandau and Folken. Highly recommended.
The Included Episodes are:
1. Fated Confession
2. The Girl From the Mystic Moon
3. The Gallant Swordman
4. The Diabolical Adonis