The Vision of Escaflowne / Escaflowne of the Heavens (天空のエスカフローネ, Tenkū no Esukafurōne) is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series created by Shōji Kawamori and Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered in Japan on April 2, 1996, on TV Tokyo, and the final episode aired on September 24, 1996. Sony's anime satellite channel, Animax also aired the series, both in Japan and on its various worldwide networks, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The series was licensed for Region 1 release by Bandai Entertainment. It is currently licensed by Crunchyroll.
The series follows a teenage high school girl named Hitomi, who finds herself pulled from Earth to the planet Gaea when a boy named Van appears on the high school track while battling a dragon. In Gaea, she is caught in the middle of a war as the Zaibach Empire attempts to take over Gaea. Van (King of Fanelia), with aid from Allen (an Asturian Knight), commands his mystical mech Escaflowne in the struggle to stop the Zaibach Empire. Hitomi's fortune-telling powers blossom in Gaea as she becomes the key to awakening Escaflowne and to stopping Zaibach's plans.
While the anime series was in production, two very different manga retellings were also developed and released: a shōnen version of the story entitled The Vision of Escaflowne and a shōjo retelling titled Hitomi — The Vision of Escaflowne. In addition, a second shōjo adaptation called Escaflowne — Energist's Memories was released as a single volume in 1997. The story was novelized in a series of six light novels by Yumiko Tsukamoto. A movie adaptation, entitled simply Escaflowne, was released on June 24, 2000, but bears only a basic resemblance to the original series. Four CD soundtracks and a drama CD have also been released in relation to the series.
Synopsis[]
When high school girl Hoshino Hitomi dabbles with tarot cards she suddenly finds herself in a strange world called Gaea. With her newfound friend, Van Fanel, the young prince of the devastated kingdom of Fanelia, Hitomi becomes involved in the battle against the Zaibach forces, an evil empire bent on conquering the planet.
(Source: Tokyopop)
Production[]
Shoji Kawamori first proposed the series after a trip to Nepal, during which he visited the foggy mountain region and pictured a hidden world where an epic focusing on both fate and divination should be set. When he returned, he proposed the series to Bandai Visual and Sunrise. According to Kawamori, his pitch for the series was simple: "if Macross was robotic mecha and love songs, why not a story about robotic mecha and divining powers?"
He worked with Bandai producer Minoru Takanashi to finish fleshing out the original idea. They researched various mysteries for inspiration, particularly stories centered on the mythical land of Atlantis and the Bermuda Triangle. As the series began taking shape, they changed the lead character from a male, the norm for an action-mecha series, to a high school girl as the lead character. Nobuteru Yuki was hired as the character designer, and tasked with crafting a design for Hitomi and the rest of the cast. He would later state that Hitomi was his favorite character because it was the first one he'd ever designed completely from scratch rather than simply being adapted from an existing medium. Initially, Folken and Dilandau were a single enemy commander, but as the story was fleshed out, the creators felt the series would be more interesting if there were two with very different personalities.
Initially, Yasuhiro Imagawa brought on board to direct. He is credited with coining the word "Escaflowne", a Latin-based derivative of the word "escalation", that would be used in the title. Imagawa imagined a typical shōnen series that was heavily male-oriented and would feature a shapely heroine and dramatic battles. However, he left the project before production started to direct Mobile Fighter G Gundam. Without a director, the series was put on hold and Kawamori left to work on other projects. After two years, Sunrise revisited the project and brought in relative newcomer Kazuki Akane as the new director. To broaden the potential audience, Akane decided to add more shōjo, or girl-oriented, elements to the series. The suggestive elements were removed, several of the male characters were given more bishōnen—"beautiful boy"—appearances, and the plot element around the tarot cards were added. Akane also redesigned Hitomi, taking her from a curvy, air-headed, long-haired girl with glasses to a slim, athletic, short-haired and more intelligent and confident girl.
With the series character designs finalized and the story set, Yoko Kanno was selected to write the songs for the series, including the background songs which she co-wrote with her then-husband Hajime Mizoguchi, with whom she had previously collaborated on the soundtrack for Please Save My Earth. Initially they found it difficult to score the series as the plot itself was still being reworked around the new concept, but the plot changes were finished in time for them to prepare the score and give the film the desired final "epic touch." 16-year-old Maaya Sakamoto, fresh from a small role in the anime adaptation of Mizuiro Jidai, was selected not only as the voice of Hitomi, but also to sing the Escaflowne theme song. Kanno is noted as saying that Sakamoto is an ideal interpreter of her work. After this project, they continued to collaborate on many other works and some consider her work on The Vision of Escaflowne to be the launching point of Sakamoto's career.
It is said as the series entered into production, the budget required it be cut down to twenty-six episodes before work began on the final scripts and the animation. However the director disputes this in a Panel Q&A for Funimation's Kickstarter, where he states the series was always suppose to be 26 episodes. In the retail Japanese video release, some of the extended scenes were restored to the first seven episodes.
Bibliographic Information[]
Novel[]
Yumiko Tsukamoto and Shoji Kawamori collaborated in the writing on a novelization of the Vision of Escaflowne anime series. The light novel chapters were originally serialized in Newtype, and the illustrations were provided by Nobuteru Yuuki and Hirotoshi Sano. The individual chapters were collected and released in six individual volumes by Kadokawa under their "New Type Novels" label between June 1996 and August 1997.
| No. | Release date | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volume title: Escaflowne Cover characters: Hitomi Kanzaki, Van Fanel, Allen Schezar, Susumu Amano |
June 1996 | 4-04-701603-9 |
| 2 | Volume title: The Dragon's Wanderings (竜の流離, Ryū no Sasurai) Cover characters: Van Fanel, Hitomi Kanzaki, Allen Scheza |
August 1996 | 4-04-701604-7 |
| 3 | Volume title: The Dragon's Training (竜の修練, Ryū no Shūren) Cover characters: Allen Schezar, The Doppelganger, Dilandau Albatou, Hitomi Kanzaki, Prince Chid |
November 1996 | 4-04-701609-8 |
| 4 | Volume title: The Dragon's Silence (竜の沈黙, Ryū no Chinmoku) Cover characters: Millerna Aston, Allen Schezar, Dryden Fassa, Van Fanel, Hitomi Kanzaki |
April 1997 | 4-04-701610-1 |
| 5 | Volume title: The Dragon's Preference (竜の愛憎, Ryū no Aizō) Cover characters: Eriya, Folken Fanel, Nariya, Van Fanel, Hitomi Kanzaki |
May 1997 | 4-04-701613-6 |
| 6 | Volume title: The Dragon's Eternity (竜の永遠, Ryū no Eien) Cover characters: Van Fanel, Hitomi Kanzaki, Escaflowne |
August 1997 | 4-04-701617-9 |
Manga[]
Three alternate retellings of The Vision of Escaflowne have been released in manga form, with first two manga series developed at the same time as the anime. Due to the radical changes in the anime series during production, these two manga series are very different from the original anime series and each other. The first series, also titled The Vision of Escaflowne was one of the first manga series to appear in the then new Shōnen Ace magazine from Kadokawa Shoten. Despite the anime series itself being on hold, Sunrise gave artist Katsu Aki the existing production and character designs, resulting in the first manga series having the heavy shōnen feel and curvaceous Hitomi that was originally planned for the anime series. Given free rein to change the story however he wanted, Aki's version is a violent saga focused primarily on fighting and has Hitomi transforming into a "curvaceous nymph" that is the power source of the mecha Escaflowne. The series premiered in Shōnen Ace's first issue on October 24, 1994 and ran until November 26, 1997. The thirty-four chapters were collected and published by Kadokawa across eight tankōbon volumes. It was licensed for released in North America by Tokyopop with the first volume released on July 8, 2003. The Tokyopop English editions were also imported for distribution in Australia by Madman Entertainment.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 28, 1995 | 978-4-04-713104-0 | July 8, 2003 | 1-59182-366-8 |
| 2 | November 28, 1995 | 978-4-04-713123-1 | September 9, 2003 | 1-59182-367-6 |
| 3 | April 1, 1996 | 978-4-04-713137-8 | November 4, 2003 | 1-59182-368-4 |
| 4 | July 29, 1996 | 978-4-04-713147-7 | January 6, 2004 | 1-59182-449-4 |
| 5 | November 27, 1996 | 978-4-04-713169-9 | March 2, 2004 | 1-59182-450-8 |
| 6 | April 25, 1997 | 978-4-04-713181-1 | May 11, 2004 | 1-59182-451-6 |
| 7 | September 1, 1997 | 978-4-04-713195-8 | July 6, 2004 | 1-59182-452-4 |
| 8 | January 28, 1998 | 978-4-04-713208-5 | September 14, 2004 | 1-59182-453-2 |
In 1996, with the premiere of the anime series, Messiah Knight — The Vision of Escaflowne was created. This shōjo oriented adaptation was written by Yuzuru Yashiro and serialized in Asuka Fantasy DX from April 8, 1996 through January 18, 1997. Unlike the first manga, it focused more on the interaction of the characters and severely toned down the violence to the point that the mecha are not used for battle at all and Escaflowne only appears near the end of the series. It was abruptly canceled after only 10 chapters and the end of the anime, due to the slowing popularity of the series. The individual chapters were released in two tankōbon volumes, at which time the series was retitled Hitomi — The Vision of Escaflowne.
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 27, 1996 | 978-4-04-852739-2 |
| 2 | April 7, 1997 | 978-4-04-852799-6 |
A final manga retelling, Escaflowne — Energist's Memories, was a collaborative effort of various manga artist around Japan to create 15 "mini-stories" related to the anime series. The single volume manga was published in January 1997 under Kadokawa's Asuka comics DX shōjo imprint. Artist's who contributed to the volume include: Tammy Ohta, Yayoi Takeda, Kahiro Okuya, Daimoon Tennyo, Kazumi Takahashi, Masaki Sano, and Kyo Watanabe.
Character[]
Hitomi Kanzaki is the protagonist of The Vision of Escaflowne, appearing an ordinary school-girl with a crush on her track-team friend, Amano. She meets and saves the life of Van, a young prince from who crossed a portal from a different world in order to slay a dragon. Transported to Van's world, Gaea, she finds her fate is intertwined with his, even if her heart still belongs to Amano. She later meets Allen, a gallant knight who bears an uncanny resemblance to Amano, but realizes her true love is Van.
Lost in Gaia with no apparent way to return home, Hitomi finds that her hobby of tarot card reading is becoming frighteningly accurate, complete with visions of both the past and future that shed light on this alien, war-torn world.
Hitomi has a very realistic personality; she's shy, caring, forgiving and also has a temper. She is often afraid but pushes herself to do the right thing. Reserved yet prone to random displays of affection, she is for the most part honest, telling little white lies to benefit herself. She wants the best for others and at times, even herself as she seeks love and friendship. As a member of her school's track team, she is also a capable amateur athlete in long-distance running.
In the movie, Hitomi's portrayal is very different. This version of her is depressed and in a deep melancholy brought on by feelings of loneliness and the story shows her slowly overcoming this. She also does not show an interest in tarot card reading or have any psychic powers.
[Theatrical version] The setting is significantly different from the TV version, and the only thing they have in common is that they belonged to the track and field club. It has been changed to a shadowy character, "I hurt his leg and gave up track and field, feeling the thinness of my existence, and wishing for my own disappearance." In addition, there is a difference that the family structure is an only child , and the city where he lives has been changed from Shonan to Tokyo (in the novel version, the fabric is the same as in the TV version). He is summoned to Gaia as the "Winged God" to revive Escaflowne by Folken.
Personality:
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Abilities[]
"I want Van to live! I will stay with him. Until he realizes he is not alone… until his sorrow is no more… I will stay by his side. There is no sorrow that never ceases. I want to believe that. Just as the rain will eventually stop and reveal a blue sky that we both can see."
― Hitomi Kanzaki
Hitomi has special skills 【Clairvoyance】 such as divination and dowsing with tarot, and sometimes sees enemies and visions of the future that others can't see (unintentionally). Hitomi always told people fortune with her tarot cards but soon afterward she started to have dreams that come true which she then started to call visions. Her powers and abilities are:
- The ability to see into the future through visions that come unexpectedly
- She can manipulate causality itself using her wishes and emotions
- She is able to see into the past and future using tarot cards
- She can see the unseen, such as Zaibach Guymelef's when they are cloaked or a doppelganger when they take the form of another.
The setting is significantly different from the TV version, and the only thing they have in common is that they belonged to the track and field club. It has been changed to a shadowy character that says, "I hurt my leg and gave up track and field". His family structure is also different, she is an only child.
Also, the city where he lives has been changed from Shonan to Tokyo. Summoned by Folken to Gaia as the "Winged God" to revive Escaflowne. Thus she is connected to Escaflowne and why Van able to use it without the cursed being effect.
"I too am alone. It’s sad being alone. It’s painful. I felt that way too. But if we’re together, at times we may hurt each other, and we may even part. But, that is not the end. I’ll always be with you."
― Hitomi Kanzaki
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TV Anime[]
The Vision of Escaflowne premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo on April 2, 1996 where it aired weekly until it completed its twenty-six-episode run on September 24, 1996. Bandai Entertainment's North American division, which licensed the series for home video distribution under its AnimeVillage label, first released the series with English subtitles, across eight VHS volumes, including a box set, from September 15, 1998 to December 15, 1998. In August 2000, Fox Kids Network began broadcasting the series in the United States. Produced by Saban Entertainment under license by Bandai Entertainment, these dubbed episodes were heavily edited to remove footage, add new "flashback" sequences to remind the audience of the events that just occurred, and to heavily downplay the role of Hitomi in the series. The first episode was skipped altogether, and the series soundtrack produced by Yoko Kanno was partially replaced with more techno rearrangements by Inon Zur. This modified version of the series was canceled after ten episodes due to "low ratings". Fox explained that they edited to meet their own target audience, to comply with broadcast standards, and to fit the allowed timeslot. The Canadian television channel YTV acquired Fox's dubbed version of the series for broadcast. Following Fox's planned broadcast schedule, they premiered the series on September 11, 2000 with the second episode. YTV aired all of the episodes Fox Kids dubbed, concluding with the series true first episode in February 2001. Bandai began releasing the dubbed version to VHS in 2000, discontinuing the releases in February 2001 after only four volumes had been released.
Bandai later released the entire series, unedited and in the original episode order, to Region 1 DVD. Spanning eight volumes, the releases include the original Japanese audio tracks with optional English subtitles, and the uncut English dubbed track. Bandai also later released the series in several different box sets, including a Limited Edition set released on July 23, 2002, a "Perfect Collection"—which included the Escaflowne feature-length movie—released October 26, 2004, and an "Anime Legends" box set on April 11, 2006. At Otakon 2013, Funimation had announced that they have acquired both licenses to The Vision of Escaflowne and the movie. On February 27, 2016, Funimation launched a Kickstarter campaign to re-dub the Escaflowne TV series using the HD materials from Sunrise, with the goal of $150,000, with it raising over the goal at $318,784.
Three pieces of theme music are used for the series. "No Need for Promises" (約束はいらない, Yakusoku wa Iranai), performed by Maaya Sakamoto, is used for the series opening theme for the entire series, except the first episode in which no opening sequence is used. Performed by Hiroki Wada, "Mystic Eyes" is used for the ending theme for the first twenty-five episodes, while the final episode uses Yoko Kanno's instrumental piece "The Story of Escaflowne ~ End Title" (ザ ストーリー オブ エスカフローネ~エンド タイトル, Za Sutoorii Obu Esukafuroone ~ Endo Taitoru).
- Staff
- Planning - Sunrise
- Original work - Hajime Yatate, Shoji Kawamori
- Director - Kazuki Akane
- Character Design -Nobuteru Yuki
- Animation Director - Koji Osaka
- Mechanical Design - Kimitoshi Yamane
- Mechanical Director - Hirotoshi Sano
- Art Director - Junichi Higashi
- Color design - Shihoko Nakayama
- Director of Photography - Hajime Okeda
- Sound Director - Kazuhiro Wakabayashi
- Music - Yoko Kanno, Hajime Mizoguchi
- Music producers - Shiro Sasaki , Toshiaki Ota
- Music Production - Victor Entertainment
- Effect - Shizuo Kurahashi
- Editing - Tomoaki Tsurubuchi
- Producer - Yumi Murase (TV Tokyo), Masahiko Minami (Sunrise)
- Production cooperation - Bandai Visual, Minoru Takanashi, Katsuji Umezawa
- Production - TV Tokyo/Sunrise
- Copyright - (C) 1996 SUNRISE INC.・TV Tokyo
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the series was made available in its uncut dub on Channel 4 via All 4. As of November 2022, the series now streams on ITV Hub, and also does so on its successor platform, ITVX.
| No. | English title (Translated title) | Storyboarder | Directed by | Written by | Animation supervisor | Original air date | English airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Fateful Confession" Transcription: "Unmei no kokuhaku" (Japanese: 運命の告白) |
Kazuki Akane | Yoshiyuki Takei | Shōji Kawamori | Hiroshi Ōsaka | April 2, 1996 | October 3, 2000 |
| While training with her crush Susumu Amano, a 15-year-old Hitomi Kanzaki encounters a boy who is trying to slay a dragon, but in doing so has been teleported to Earth. After the boy — Van Fanel — kills the dragon and takes its heart, he and Hitomi are transported back to Gaea, a world where the Earth and Moon hang in the sky. | |||||||
| 2 | "The Girl From the Mystic Moon" Transcription: "Maboroshi no tsuki no shōjo" (Japanese: 幻の月の少女) |
Kazuki Akane | Takeshi Yoshimoto | Ryōta Yamaguchi | Shigeki Kuhara | April 9, 1996 | August 19, 2000 |
| Hitomi and Van go to the Kingdom of Fanelia, of which Van is Prince and defeating the dragon was rite of passage to become king. Hitomi meets cat-girl Merle, Van's childhood friend who dislikes Hitomi. Van's mentor, Balgus, promises to help find a way to return Hitomi home after Van's coronation, but the ceremony is interrupted when the kingdom is attacked by cloaked Guymelefs. In an effort to save Fanelia, Van makes a blood pact with a powerful Guymelef called Escaflowne, and uses it to fight the enemy Guymelefs. He is too late, the kingdom is destroyed, and its people scatter. Van and Hitomi then escape in a strange pillar of light. | |||||||
| 3 | "The Gallant Swordsman" Transcription: "Karei naru kenshi" (Japanese: 華麗なる剣士) |
Shogo Koumoto | Shogo Koumoto | Ryōta Yamaguchi | Hiroki Kanno | April 16, 1996 | August 26, 2000 |
| Van and Hitomi end up near the land of Asturia, but have been separated. Hitomi is attacked but a knight appears and saves her. The man is Allen, the commander of the castle on the outskirts of Asturia. He strongly resembles Amano, and Hitomi becomes infatuated with him. | |||||||
| 4 | "The Diabolical Adonis" Transcription: "Mashō no bishōnen" (Japanese: 魔性の美少年) |
Yoshiyuki Takei | Yoshiyuki Takei | Akihiko Inari | Takahiro Komori | April 23, 1996 | September 2, 2000 |
| A sick and injured Merle is brought to the castle; she reveals that Fanelia has been completely destroyed. The castle is attacked by invisible Guymelefs and burned to the ground. Hitomi, Van, Allen and his crew try to escape in Allen's ship, The Crusade, but it turns out the enemy Guymelefs can fly. In order for the others to escape, Van uses Escaflowne, which turns into a dragon, to lure the enemy away. | |||||||
| 5 | "Seal of the Brothers" Transcription: "Kyōdai no kokuin" (Japanese: 兄弟の刻印) |
Shinichirō Watanabe | Shinichirō Watanabe | Hiroaki Kitajima | Hiroshi Ōsaka | April 30, 1996 | September 9, 2000 |
| Van is captured by the Guymelefs and taken prisoner by Zaibach. Hitomi convinces Allen to let her locate Van and they go to rescue him. Van meets his long-lost older brother, Folken. | |||||||
| 6 | "City of Intrigue" Transcription: "Sakubou no miyako" (Japanese: 策謀の都) |
Shogo Koumoto | Takeshi Yoshimoto | Ryōta Yamaguchi | Hiroki Kanno, Yasuhiro Irie (co-operating) | May 7, 1996 | September 16, 2000 |
| The group head to the capital of Asturia and as they arrive they meet Princess Millerna. In a meeting with the King of Asturia, Allen learns that the King is under Zaibach's control. Van is shocked to find Folken in Asturia and when confronting him, his brother tells of how he came to serve Dornkirk, the King of Zaibach. Dilandau attempts to kill Van in revenge for their confrontation in the previous episode, but Hitomi saves him just in time. The King decides to test Van by having him fight three opponents. | |||||||
| 7 | "Unexpected Partings" Transcription: "Yokisenu wakare" (Japanese: 予期せぬ別れ) |
Yoshiyuki Takei | Yoshiyuki Takei | Akihiko Inari | Shigeki Kuhara | May 14, 1996 | September 23, 2000 |
| Van defeats his opponents. Allen tries to pretend not to notice Millerna's infatuation with him. Hitomi sees Millerna kiss Allen and becomes heartbroken. Hitomi is kidnapped and Van goes to her rescue, but soon after he saves her, Dilandau attacks. | |||||||
| 8 | "The Day the Angel Flew" Transcription: "Tenshi no mau hi" (Japanese: 天使の舞う日) |
Shinichirō Watanabe | Shinichirō Watanabe | Hiroaki Kitajima | Takurō Shinbo, Hirokazu Hisayuki | May 21, 1996 | September 30, 2000 |
| Van, Hitomi, and Merle escape from Asturia and pass by a dragon graveyard where Zaibach is harvesting drag energists. Van decides to try and destroy the store house but surrenders when Hitomi is taken hostage. When Merle causes an accidental distraction, Van frees himeself and saves Hitomi and proceeds to destroy the store house. The resulting explosion rips the ground apart and Hitomi falls into a crater. Van jumps in to save her and sprouts wings, revealing himself to be the 'angel' in Hitomi's visions. Meanwhile, Allen is taken prisoner, but escapes with the help of Millerna and he sets out to find Van. | |||||||
| 9 | "Memories of a Feather" Transcription: "Hane no kioku" (Japanese: 羽根の記憶) |
Kazuki Akane | Takeshi Yoshimoto | Ryōta Yamaguchi | Takahiro Komori | May 28, 1996 | February 6, 2001 |
| Hitomi learns of Van's past: his mother was a Draconian, a winged descendant of the people of Atlantis. Meanwhile, the Crusade heads to Freid and Millerna leaves Asturia. On the way to Freid, Van is attacked by Dilandau and the Dragonslayers. Thanks to Allen, the Dragonslayers are defeated, but Allen is seriously injured while saving Hitomi. | |||||||
| 10 | "The Blue-Eyed Prince" Transcription: "Aoki hitomi no ouji" (Japanese: 青き瞳の王子) |
Shogo Koumoto | Shogo Koumoto | Akihiko Inari | Hiroshi Ōsaka | June 4, 1996 | October 7, 2000 |
| The group arrives in Freid, where they meet Prince Chid, Millerna's nephew. Plactu, a powerful monk, comes to Freid to interrogate Miguel, a Dragonslayer captured during the fight, but Zongi, a doppelgänger who is loyal to Folken, kills Plactu and takes his form. Zongi then has Miguel claim that Allen and the others are traitors who wish to take over Asturia. Miguel escapes, but his Guymelef is destroyed by Van, and later Zongi kills him. Van is captured and thrown in jail with the others after the fight. | |||||||
| 11 | "Prophecy of Death" Transcription: "Shi no yogen" (Japanese: 死の予言) |
Yoshiyuki Takei | Yoshiyuki Takei | Hiroaki Kitajima | Takurō Shinbo | June 11, 1996 | October 21, 2000 |
| Hitomi is brought in to be interrogated by "Plactu", who is in fact Zongi in disguise. She sees the truth about him and has a vision of both of them dying. Hitomi's heart stops, but Van saves her with CPR. Chid lets Van and Hitomi go look for the doppelgänger, who heads to meet Dilandau in a nearby temple. Dilandau kills Zongi in retaliation for Miguel's death, then attacks Van and Hitomi when they arrive. They are able to escape and head back to Freid, where they are absolved of the charges. | |||||||
| 12 | "The Secret Door" Transcription: "Himitsu no tobira" (Japanese: 秘密の扉) |
Shinichirō Watanabe | Takeshi Yoshimoto | Ryōta Yamaguchi | Takurō Shinbo, Tetsuya Yanagisawa (co-operating) | June 18, 1996 | February 6, 2001 |
| Duke Freid arrives at the castle and decides to let Allen and the others help protect Freid. That night, Van asks Hitomi to predict where Zaibach will be attacking from, but she refuses to help, saying she doesn't want to be used at their convenience. She goes outside upset, but talks to Prince Chid and decides to give him a tarot reading. Meanwhile, Millerna discovers a diary written by her late sister Marlene, which reveals that she and Allen had a relationship, and that Allen is Chid's biological father. The next day, Zaibach arrives and Freid prepares for war. | |||||||
| 13 | "Red Destiny" Transcription: "Akai unmei" (Japanese: 赤い運命) |
Shogo Koumoto | Shogo Koumoto | Akihiko Inari | Hiroki Kanno | June 25, 1996 | February 6, 2001 |
| The Freid forces defending the capital sacrifice themselves so the Duke and the others can escape. They head to Fortuna Temple, where Duke Freid tells everyone how Freid possesses the power of Atlantis, which ended up causing the destruction of that nation a countless number of years before. Hitomi learns that Van is trying to become one with Escaflowne when he fights, so he will not have to rely on her ability see the unseen in battle. The battle culminates at the temple and Duke Freid is killed after deciding to hand the power over to Zaibach. As Chid presents Folken with the power, the Crusade flies away. However, something's wrong with Escaflowne. | |||||||
| 14 | "Dangerous Wounds" Transcription: "Kiken na kizuato" (Japanese: 危険な傷跡) |
Yoshiyuki Takei | Yoshiyuki Takei | Hiroaki Kitajima | Shigeki Kuhara | July 2, 1996 | February 6, 2001 |
| Van comes out of Escaflowne, seriously wounded, and Hitomi realizes that his injuries match the damage on Escaflowne. Millerna brings everyone to her fiancé Dryden, who summons the Ispanos to fix Escaflowne, healing Van. Dilandau and the Dragonslayers approach the Crusade. Van heads out to battle the Dragonslayers, and succeeds in killing every one of them. However, after seeing their ghosts, Van collapses along with Escaflowne, which turns black. | |||||||
| 15 | "Lost Paradise" Transcription: "Ushinawareta rakuen" (Japanese: 失われた楽園) |
Junichi Sato | Ikurō Satō | Ryōta Yamaguchi | Takahiro Komori | July 9, 1996 | April 3, 2001 |
| By holding on to Escaflowne, Hitomi tries to rescue Van from the world of the dead and succeeds in convincing him to come back to the world of the living. Hitomi talks to Allen and accidentally admits that she has a crush on him. Upset, she runs away, but is asked for advice about "a friend" from Millerna, who is herself unsure if she should pursue Allen or stick with her engagement to Dryden. That night, two leopard women attack the Crusade in Zaibach guymelefs and nearly succeed in killing Van, but spare him after Merle intervenes. Dryden thinks he has discovered a way to the Mystic Valley, and the Crusade heads there. | |||||||
| 16 | "The Guided Ones" Transcription: "Michibikareshi mono" (Japanese: 導かれし者) |
Shinichirō Watanabe | Takeshi Yoshimoto | Akihiko Inari | Takurō Shinbo, Tetsuya Yanagisawa | July 16, 1996 | April 3, 2001 |
| The leopard women, Naria and Eriya, report to Folken while Dilandau is taken back to Zaibach by the sorcerers. Dryden leads the Crusade to the Mystic Valley while reading from a diary from Allen's father. It tells about his journey to the Mystic Valley and how Allen's father met Hitomi's grandmother years before. The Crusade reaches the Mystic Valley, but the Zaibach Forces are right behind. | |||||||
| 17 | "The Edge of the World" Transcription: "Kono yo no hate" (Japanese: この世の果て) |
Shogo Koumoto | Shogo Koumoto | Ryōta Yamaguchi | Hiroshi Ōsaka | July 23, 1996 | April 3, 2001 |
| In the Mystic Valley, Van sees images of Balgus and his mentors from Fanelia, Allen discovers the truth about what happened to his father and confronts him, while Hitomi learns from Van's mother that it's her fault bad things have been happening. With the power of her mind amplified by her fortune-telling, Hitomi has caused fate to turn for the worse. Suddenly, Naria and Eriya make it into the Mystic Valley, however, Escaflowne transports everyone away. | |||||||
| 18 | "The Gravity of Destiny" Transcription: "Unmei no inryoku" (Japanese: 運命の引力) |
Yoshiyuki Takei | Yoshiyuki Takei | Akihiko Inari | Takurō Shinbo, Tetsuya Yanagisawa | July 30, 1996 | April 3, 2001 |
| Van's mother gives him a new energised before disappearing. Suddenly, Allen, Hitomi and Van are transported to Zaibach where they meet Dornkirk. Dornkirk tells them how he came to become the man they know today, then places them in cages. When the sorcerers attempt to dismantle Escaflowne, Van almost dies from the pain. Hitomi shares the burden of Van's pain to give him the strength to connect with Escaflowne and transport them out of Zaibach. | |||||||
| 19 | "Operation Golden Rule of Love" Transcription: "Koi no ōgonritsu sakusen" (Japanese: 恋の黄金律作戦) |
Yūji Yamaguchi | Ikurō Satō | Ryōta Yamaguchi | Hiroki Kanno | August 6, 1996 | April 3, 2001 |
| To try to keep their "ideal future", the emperor tries to separate Hitomi and Van by using his "fate alteration machine" to create love between Hitomi and Allen. Hitomi resists at first, insisting to Allen that Millerna loves him, but in the end, they are both ensnared and they kiss. Van, who went out to search for Hitomi, sees them together and immediately leaves. | |||||||
| 20 | "False Vows" Transcription: "Itsuwari no chigiri" (Japanese: 偽りの契り) |
Shōji Kawamori | Takeshi Yoshimoto | Akihiko Inari | Takahiro Komori | August 13, 1996 | April 3, 2001 |
| Naria and Eriya undergo a procedure that transforms them into nearly-invincible "Luck Warriors". Millerna asks Hitomi to do a tarot card reading about her upcoming marriage. Hitomi obliges, and sees that the marriage will be horrible and that Millerna and Allen, whom Hitomi loves, will end up as secret lovers. In an attempt to change fate, Hitomi lies to Millerna, saying that the marriage will be very lucky. Hitomi realizes her mistake after she has a vision, but not in time to stop the marriage from going forward. When Naria and Eriya attack right after the wedding, Hitomi realizes that it was her attempt at changing fate with the luck tarot card that made them unbeatable. To try to make amends, she gives herself up to Naria and Eriya. | |||||||
| 21 | "Reaction of Fortune" Transcription: "Kōun no hansayō" (Japanese: 幸運の反作用) |
Yoshihiro Takamoto | Shogo Koumoto | Hiroaki Kitajima | Yasuhiro Irie, Toshiyuki Tsuru (co-operating) | August 20, 1996 | June 5, 2001 |
| The two leopard women with increased luck start having a negative reaction to the implanted luck, and are forced to retreat and leave Hitomi behind. Eriya manages to return to Folken, but Naria crash lands. Back in the castle, Hitomi is kidnapped by Naria, and Van and all the soldiers begin to search for her. Even though Naria is extremely sick and weak, Hitomi doesn't run away, but instead helps her by bandaging her wound. Van decides to attack Folken since he can't fight the increased luck warriors, but the cat women abandon Hitomi and intervene. Both end up dying in Folken's arms from the aftereffects of the luck operation. Folken finally begins to turn on the emperor. | |||||||
| 22 | "The Black Winged Angel" Transcription: "Kuroki tsubasa no tenshi" (Japanese: 黒き翼の天使) |
Nobuhiro Kondō | Yoshiyuki Takei | Ryōta Yamaguchi | Hiroshi Ōsaka | August 27, 1996 | June 5, 2001 |
| Hitomi goes with Van to meet Folken in the ruins of Fanelia. When they arrive, land dragons attack and Van tries to fight them. Folken saves Hitomi from a dragon, then confesses his motivations for defecting from Fanelia to Zaibach. Folken stops the dragons from attacking Van, and shows Van his wings, which have turned from white to pitch black, saying he wants to create a world without any war or conflict, but in a different manner than Emperor Dornkirk. | |||||||
| 23 | "Storm Premonition" Transcription: "Arashi no yokan" (Japanese: 嵐の予感) |
Yoshihiro Takamoto | Ikurō Satō | Akihiko Inari | Hiroshi Takeuchi | September 3, 1996 | June 5, 2001 |
| Folken returns to Asturia with Van and Hitomi. He tells the council what has really been going on and helps the military develop a plan of fighting back. Allen tells Hitomi of how he has fathered an illegitimate child, then proposes to her. The empire attacks before Hitomi can give her answer, and she experiences the battle as it is happening through Van. She is horrified that his will to protect her gives him bloodlust, and prays to be sent home. Immediately, a pillar of light appears around Hitomi and she is teleported back home. | |||||||
| 24 | "Fateful Decision" Transcription: "Unmei no sentaku" (Japanese: 運命の選択) |
Kazuki Akane | Kazuki Akane | Hiroaki Kitajima | Shigeki Kuhara | September 10, 1996 | June 5, 2001 |
| Hitomi is now home on Earth, but time seems to have rewound by a day. Back on Gaea, Allen finds his long-lost sister Celena, who was abducted years ago as a child. She has no memory of the past decade, and Allen decides that he only thought he loved Hitomi because she reminded him of his sister. Suddenly, Allen's sister screams, turns into Dilandau, and is whisked away by a cloaked Guymelef. Back on Earth, Hitomi finally realizes that the one she loves and misses is Van, and returns to Gaea with him, only to find a war-torn land. | |||||||
| 25 | "Zone of Absolute Fortune" Transcription: "Zettai kōun ken" (Japanese: 絶対幸運圏) |
Shogo Koumoto, Kazuki Akane | Takeshi Yoshimoto | Akihiko Inari | Takahiro Komori, Hiroki Kanno | September 17, 1996 | June 5, 2001 |
| Van sends Hitomi return to Asturia, while he and Allen leave to fight the empire's growing forces. Hitomi goes to see Folken and they are both teleported in a pillar of light to Dornkirk. Folken kills Dornkirk, but because of fate being amplified, his sword breaks off, lodging itself in his own chest. Folken falls to the ground and dies. Hitomi's anguish triggers her stone pendant to glow, and the fate machine reacts with it. Returning as a ghost, Dornkirk tells Hitomi to sit back and watch the world be reborn, now that everything has gone according to plan. Meanwhile, in the conflict, Van feels his brother's death and stricken by sadness he screams for him. | |||||||
| 26 | "Eternal Love" Transcription: "Eien no omoi" (Japanese: 永遠の想い) |
Kazuki Akane | Yoshiyuki Takei | Ryōta Yamaguchi | Hiroshi Ōsaka | September 24, 1996 | June 5, 2001 |
| The war escalates and the allies begin to turn against each other. Van battles Dilandau and attempts to finish him off but is interrupted by Dilandau's soldier Jajuka, whose dying words cause Dilandau to revert to his original form of Allen's sister, Celena. Van prepares to kill Celena, but is interrupted by Allen claiming he will protect his sister. Hitomi manages to contact Van telepathically and ends the battle between the two. Van flies to where Hitomi is with his own wings. The feathers that fall from his wings causes the soldiers to regain their composure, ending the war. Dornkirk, upon seeing the love between Van and Hitomi shatter his machine, accepts the fact that fate can be changed and gives up on his plan, disappearing forever. As Gaea begins to rebuild after the war, Van sends Hitomi back to her world, telling her they will always be with each other through their minds. | |||||||
| TRAILER |
Movie[]
Escaflowne (エスカフローネ, Esukafurōne) is a ninety-eight-minute anime film released in Japan on June 24, 2000 that retells of the story in The Vision of Escaflowne. The film was produced by Sunrise, animated by Studio BONES, and directed by Kazuki Akane. Featuring character re-designs by Nobuteru Yūki, the film focuses on the relationship between Van and Hitomi and their personal issues. The characters themselves are also given different personalities; in the film Hitomi changes from a cheerful girl in love to a depressed, suicidal schoolgirl who suffers from self-induced feelings of loneliness and alienation and Van is now a violent, hot-headed man. In the film the world of Gaea has a more Asian design than the heavily European-influenced television series.
Other media[]
Victor Entertainment released one drama CD for the series, Escaflowne Original Drama Album, which was released on December 18, 1996.
A video game based on the series, also titled The Vision of Escaflowne was released to the PlayStation system by Bandai Games in 1997. A limited edition version came packaged with a small collector's book and 26 tarot cards. The action-adventure game had an altered plot line and featured additional characters.
Reception[]
Though well received, The Vision of Escaflowne was not as popular in Japan as producers hoped. Outside 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.
Egan 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." The Anime Encyclopaedia calls it the "genuine family entertainment, both in and out of the anime world, and arguably the best TV anime of the 1990s". It is called a "fantastically beautiful series, with striking production design" and an "incredibly well executed fusion of familiar anime genres and devices" by Anime Classics Zettai!
External Link[]
- TV Anime "The Vision of Escaflowne" Official Website (in Japanese)
- The Vision of Escaflowne ─ BS11 Website (in Japanese)
- 『Bandai Channel』
- The Vision of Escaflowne in the sky ─ Official Website (in Japanese)
- The Vision of Escaflowne: The Movie ─ Official Website (in Japanese)
- Official CR The Vision of Escaflowne website (in Japanese)
- The Vision of Escaflowne Official Website ─ Wayback Machine (Archived on August 16, 2000)
- The Vision of Escaflowne ─ Sunrise Website (in Japanese)
- Movie Version:
- The Vision of Escaflowne ─ Allcinema (in Japanese)
- The Vision of Escaflowne ─ KINENOTE
- The Vision of Escaflowne ─ MOVIE WALKER PRESS
- The Vision of Escaflowne ─ Movies.com
- The Vision of Escaflowne ─ Wikipedia (in Japanese)
- The Vision of Escaflowne ─ Wikipedia (in English)
Trivia[]
to be added.