Vision of Escaflowne...
Years ago, I picked up the VHS version of Vision of Escaflowne...
Vision of Escaflowne just didn't do anything for me. It was also on broadcast TV for a little while and I caught a bit of it, but, I was never really interested in the series. I used to have it on subtitled VHS. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup, I decided not to keep it in my archive. I gave Vision of Escaflowne a 2 out of 5.
According to Wikipedia:Gaea - A world where knights wage war within mechanized armor and dragons breathe fire through mysterious power gems. Van and Hitomi must undertake a perilous journey to discover the secrets of Escaflowne, the legendary god of protection.
Volume 1
Hitomi Kanzaki is your typical high schoolgirl: she believes in tarot cards and dowsing, runs on the track team, and has a crush on an upperclassman. But a series of mysterious visions and a column of light thrusts Hitomi onto Gaea -- a world where knights wage war with mechanized armor and dragons breathe fire with power gems. Hitomi and a young swordsman named Van begin a perilous journey with Escaflowne, the legendary god of protection.
Volume 2
Led by the devilish Dilandau, the Dragon Slayers defeat young Van and his mechanical armor Escaflowne. In prison, Van confronts the Zaibach chief strategist and has a shocking revelation. Together with the dashing knight Allen and using her own divining abilities, can Hitomi rescue Van and escape to Asturia Kingdom?
Volume 3
After a dramatic rescue from a death-defying plummet, Hitomi discovers the angel of her visions. The Dragon Slayers continue to pursue Van's Escaflowne, even as Allen intervenes in the fighting. Will the warning of the impending invasion arrive in time?
Volume 4
A forbidden royal secret threatens to undermine the Freid Dukedom on the eve of a massive mechanized invasion. Hitomi and Van join the Freid royal entourage's retreat to a mountainous temple of warrior monks. Can Duke Freid make the final stand and stop Emperor Dornkirk from discovering the secrets of Atlantis?
Volume 5
As Van lies between the worlds of life and death, Hitomi glimpses a vision of ancient Atlantis and its destruction. The discovery of a dusty journal leads Hitomi and Van's party on the quest for the real Atlantis. However, can they fend off the two ruthless Zaibach leopard twins first?
Volume 6
An experimental accident leads to an uneasy confrontation between the Zaibach emperor and Hitomi, Van, and Allen. Zaibach attempts to separate Hitomi from the Escaflowne and Van with a devious plan of manipulation. Meanwhile, will Asturia's royal wedding end in celebration or disaster when war intervenes?
Volume 7
Tragedy leads a key Zaibach figure to turn against the empire, and Asturia tries to rally all of Gaea against Zaibach for the final battle. As Van struggles with feelings of betrayal by his brother, Zaibach's mechanized army launches a devastating pre-emptive strike on Asturia.
Volume 8
The apocalyptic end to the Gaea War draws near as Asturia leads its allies against Zaibach. Emperor Dornkirk finally sees the fruits of his Machiavellian plans -- but first, Hitomi finds herself transported back to Earth. Will she decide to escape the war, or return to Van and join the final stand before all is destroyed?
Though well received, The Vision of Escaflowne was not as popular in Japan as producers hoped. Outside of Japan, however, it was a worldwide hit. In the United States, it outsold Gundam on video tape, and the first volume of the English DVD release of The Vision of Escaflowne was the fourth best-selling anime DVD for the month of September 2000. The series aired in South Korea where it enjoyed consistently high ratings. Producers noted that it was the worldwide success that led to the eventual creation of the anime film, Escaflowne.
Egon Loo, writing for Animerica, considered it an "epic fantasy" with some of the "most dramatic music in any soundtrack, anime, or live-action", and a "breathless pacing" that result in its being an "acclaimed masterpiece."
Vision of Escaflowne just didn't do anything for me. It was also on broadcast TV for a little while and I caught a bit of it, but, I was never really interested in the series. I used to have it on subtitled VHS. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup, I decided not to keep it in my archive. I gave Vision of Escaflowne a 2 out of 5.
