Tenkuu no Escaflowne (The Vision of Escaflowne, Escaflowne of the High Skies)
[Episodes 1-26 Reviewed]
[Reviewed by Bethany]

Ah, Escaflowne, a series I could gush over and babble about until time ends — or someone slaps me, whichever comes first. However, since I don't feel like being smacked, I'll try to keep it to the bare minimum of babble. (Heh.) But just to warn you? I seriously, seriously love this anime — so this is likely going to be the most biased of my reviews.

Story
In Escaflowne, fifteen-year-old Hitomi Kanzaki — not quite your normal high schooler, having a bit more than normal of the precognitive bent and being the Tarot master of her school — begins to have visions of a strange boy dressed in armor, of a world falling to ruin, and of herself falling into darkness — saved by a vague winged being. Soon after, she is transported to the world of Gaea, a land of fantasy and machinery. A land on the brink of war. Caught in the struggle of a divided world, Hitomi finds herself inextricably tangled in the lives and destinies of the inhabitants of Gaea, no longer certain of anything, unable to sort out the complexities and connections of free will and fate... or even the workings of her own heart.

Gravity and Destiny
The word for Escaflowne is epic. It spans worlds and wars, the death of an old civilization and the curse of a dying race. It toys with the meaning of fate and the idea of right and wrong. It even throws mecha into the mix. But it is the actions and reactions of the characters that really cling — friendship and romance and antagonism that blur and alter with each sentence. Esca knows how to build tension and how to completely flip perceptions. (Raise your hand if started out with Allen as your favorite — then suddenly found yourself in love with one or more of the Fanel boys. Or if you wanted to shove something sharp and pointy through Marlene's head... then later cheered her on. And let's not forget Dilandau.) It isn't perfect in story or execution, but there's an undeniable charm to its tone and tale.

And did I mention the characters? They're all very pretty and angsty. What more could you want? ...Seriously, though, the characters in Escaflowne — with at least one notable exception — are what make it one of the best series out there, not just the beautiful animation and unbelievably gorgeous music. I'm reminded of my ninth grade film study teacher explaining the difference between stock and complex characters, and that change is required somewhere within. And change is precisely what Escaflowne's characters (nearly all of them) do: their views, their feelings, their personalities. Van loses some of those walls he hides behind, and then puts them right back up when opening up leads to pain. Allen shows that beneath the charm and chivalry is someone a lot more bitter, a lot harder, and conversely a lot more vulnerable than the face he shows the world. Hitomi learns to trust herself and those she cares for; she opens her eyes to the feelings of those around her and is finally able to discover what she herself truly feels. (And again — let's not forget Dilandau. Or Folken. Pretty, pretty Folken.)

Not that the story itself is anything but amazing: it does have a few low points, but overall has a tremendous feeling to it. To be [even more] melodramatic: it moves you. Emotional impact, indeedy — it'll have you rapt and tense and crying, and if it doesn't leave you with just a bit of a sense of awe, I'll be muchly surprised.

Throw in gorgeous (if pointy) visuals, and music composed by Yoko Kanno, and you've got just about the best of everything. (Really, the music is incredible. It's what you'd expect, given the composer, but the woman never fails to amaze me with her ability to make gorgeous music that matches perfectly the story it is set to. From haunting Chain to spastic-but-creepy Epistle to the beautiful, beautiful Yakusoku wa Iranai, Esca's soundtrack is Kanno at her finest.)

The Bottom Line
Escaflowne is really everything you could ever want, except for gratuitous nudity and blatant shounen-ai. And for that, hey! There's Utena.