Vision of Escaflowne Review

^{The Vision of Escaflowne} (in japanese Tenkū no Esukafurōne) is a 26 episode anime, produced in 1996 by Sunrise Studios, under the aegis of Kazuki Akane.Yet another masterpiece created in Sunrise's golden era, Vision of Escaflowne is quite an epic anime, that dabbles ultimately in questioning the existence of fate, the essence of destiny and reality of men's free will.

I dare say that while you watch Vision of Escaflowne you will be overwhelmed by the sheer mysticism of this anime show, by a magical feeling, that will translate into several moments of awe, beginning in Escaflowne's first episode, with the spectacular scene where Hitomi meets Van: there you sense that wheel of fortune started to spin, and a superb anime was born.

Escaflowne is a mecha (known is the anime as Guymelefs). Of course, it's not an ordinary one and the show will make you understand little-by-little how and why it is so important, not only to Van, it's pilot, but for the hopes of all Gaea.

So, that's right, this is another mecha anime... But don't be disgruntled yet, because Vision of Escaflowne is much more than that. Great mecha action scenes is just one of it's many strong points.

This is an anime of discovery.

First of all, of Gaea, a brand new and vastly rich world, a place where our Earth and Moon can be seen in the sky, a land of wonder. This is where Hitomi, a teenage girl with a knack to fortune telling, is pulled to after meeting prince Van Fanel in a quite strange fashion.

Second, of the nature of war and conflict, as Hitomi is dragged into the political intrigues and machiavelical plots of the Zaibach Empire and the fight of the rest of the races to try to stop it's evil expansionism.

Last, but not less important, Hitomi will connect with lots of different persons, in many ways, involving herself in the complex web of relatioships and feelings, and will discover not only the meaning but the immense power that love can have in life.

He will discover all this things along Hitomi and much more. You, my friend, will be mesmerized by the strength and depth of some of the characters you will find in this anime, and not only the ones sided with the heroes. I will mention only two:

- Dilandau- the lead pilot of the Zaibach forces, a sadistic and brutal being, is the portray of sheer madness and give you the creeps with it's crazy laughs!

- Folken- Zaibach's lead strategist, Folken is a brilliant man with a dark past, a dual-character that becomes magnetic to you, as you understand why has he become the way he is!

You will also be visually stunned by a detailed animation and by an even better soundtrack. The talented Yoko Kanno, once again surprises us with her versatility, this time creating tunes where the classic elements as the piano mingle with Gregorian chant and even some contemporary music. Also of notice is the smashing hit Yakusoku Wa Iranai, the debut work of the sixteen-year old Maaya Sakamoto.

So if you like a good story, drawings and sound Vision of Escaflowne is for you. If you like a romantic tale, where the Shounen and Shoujo genres are well mixed together, this anime is also for you. If you breathe mechas, step right in!

Be ready for a great show. And don't forget to grab those Kleenex for the final episode!