Escaflowne

12 reviews - 52.5 total score (Explanation of the rating system)
avg. score: (4.4)

Creator - Shoji Kawamori
Director - Akane Kazuhiko
Music - Yoko Kanno

12. Global Frequency

In my opinion one of the most vastly overrated anime series of all time, Escaflowne is a combination of shoujo nonsense and run-of-the-mill fantasy adventure. It's visually inconsistent, juxtaposing excellent mechanical design with some of the worst character design I've ever seen. The prerequisite love triangle between Hitomi (our cardboard protagonist), Van and Allen is predictable and saccharine. Gray-haired Folken might as well have a neon sign over his head, flashing WRITE YAOI FANFICTION ABOUT ME. Emperor Dornkirk is the only interesting character in the series, and only because of the unusual nature of his true identity.

From a technical aspect Escaflowne is very impressive, especially for a TV series. The animation is top-notch, and the Yoko Kanno soundtrack is impressive. On the whole, though, we've seen every aspect of Escaflowne done far better in other series. It's simply unremarkable, except as an irritating piece of pseudo-shoujo eye-candy. Watch the movie - it's shorter, it looks better and it doesn't try to fool you into thinking it's deep or interesting.

11. Cross Scars

Several years ago when I was first getting into anime Escaflowne was the first series I watched and it astounded me with its quality and from then on I just had to see what other good anime were out there. Having just re-watched the series it was good to see that things haven't changed much. Given Escaflowne is among the big five anime that (as I perceive) even all casual fans seem to watch (along with the likes of Evangelion, Kenshin, Bebop and Trigun) there's not too much that really needs to be said about the series.

The plot is solid and perfectly paced so that each episode the story moves on and there's never any filler. The characters are all wonderfully crafted over this period and by the end of the series it's sad that there's no more to watch. Yoko Kanno's soundtrack is perfect and creates a wonderful atmosphere which matches the nice animation and brilliant world of Gaea. Add to all this some wonderfully original mecha designs, along with some great action scenes, and you've got a pretty good anime there.

High school heroine, love triangle, mecha fights, cat girls, characters of dubious gender, a Yoko Kanno soundtrack, angsty bishonen, fate, characters with angel wings. Escaflowne has pretty much everything the average anime fan needs for a great series!

10. Iodine

A dazzling romantic sword-and-sorcery tale that manages to combine the usual girls' and boys' genres without falling subject to the ususal fallacies of either. Schoolgirl Hitomi is spirited away to the fantastic world of Gaea, where she helps a youthful king and a dashing knight fight against a rising dark empire. The characters are many-sided and complex, with no shortage of intriguing complications to their relationships. The story gets in plenty of action with its armored mechas and floating warships while delicately balancing multiple love triangles. Themes of fate and destiny and are handled lightly, and with admirable restraint.

The technical aspects of this anime are absolutely stunning. The designs are amazing, the animation is exceptional, and Gaea and all its wonders are some of the most carefully, lovingly rendered dreamscapes ever created. The attention to detail is particularly evident, and there are rarely visual compromises made. Yoko Kanno's score is among her best, utilizing orchestral and choir peices alongside a few pieces of J-pop. Though the length of the series was cut down from thirty-nine originally, the plot never feels rushed and all the characters get their due. With a bittersweet ending that definitely leaves the door open for continuation, it's hard to believe that Escaflowne will stay finished.

9. Leliel

This is one of the very best fantasy anime, drawing on plenty of action and romance to spin a tale that appeals across audiences. Escaflowne is a favorite of many longtime anime fans and that status is rightfully earned. The character designs are a matter of taste; the long, stylized noses in particular may take some getting used to. Animation is top-notch, even by the standards set by movies and OAVs. Some very nice mecha (again very stylized) are fit well into the fantasy setting. The soundtrack, a full orchestral score that put composer Kanno Youko on the map, is perhaps most highly regarded soundtrack in all of anime. The basic story is of an ordinary girl brought by seeming accident to a fantasy land, meeting gallant princes, having crazy adventures -- pretty standard fare, but it's all the twists and characters along the way that really make this one stand out. A somewhat mispaced second half may be the result of the story being condensed from the planned 39 episodes, but the final product is as close to perfect as anyone could want. Very enjoyable, very recommended.

8. Jin

Escaflowne is an excellent sci-fi/fantasy anime. The animation is very high quality and the mecha designs are pretty good. The story really keeps a somewhat fast pace most of the time. I think any slower or faster Escaflowne would be ruined in terms of pacing. The overall story is interesting and can really keep you captivated. The action sequences are great. Kanno Yoko's music, as always, is excellent for Escaflowne and fits in perfectly. This is a good pickup for any anime fan.

7. Hybrid

Well if you combine the following elements of a girl called Hitomi, giant medieval looking mechas called Guymelef's, cat girls, maniacal and unemotional villains, romance, mystery, suspense, fortune telling and plot twists, you simply get the best or close to the best fantasy anime TV series of all time. Well if you add to the equation a fantastic score by Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus, Arjuna, Brain Powered) and Hajime Mizoguchi (Jin-roh , Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus) and OVA quality animation and flawlessly integrated CG with cell animation and strange and uniquely wonderful creatures, I simply don't know how you can simply go wrong with this show that has so much talent behind it. Highly Recommended.

6. Yogi

This is a damn good story, incorporating every genre from shoujo romance to mecha battles. The overall story is extremely coherent, being a love story without being sappy. There are plenty of juicy twists and turns throughout, and all the main characters are very well fleshed out. The bad guy actually has a good reason to do what he does this time around, though of course it doesn't work out. The ending was . . . strange. It wasn't bad, though one or two things could have been explained better.

5. Larson

A true masterpiece of the anime fantasy genre. An intense classical drama set in a rich sci-fantasy world. An uncommonly large array of somewhat stereotypical but not undetailed characters, a strong multi-layered plot and a solid medieval adventure theme, make Escaflowne one of the best epics in the anime world of the 90s. Even though the show is definitely targeting the typical teenage audience, the timeless drama structure lightened with some decent humoristic accents create great entertainment for all ages. On the technical side there is not much to say besides: GREAT! Animation, designs and the classical soundtrack are simply outstanding!

4. dios

Escaflowne has all the ingredients of a classic anime, but they've been gathered and put together in such a calculated and formulaic manner that it's almost anime by numbers. There's no flair or spontaneity; characters and events are predictable and uninteresting, the sort of thing you'll find in a hundred other fantasies. If that wasn't bad enough they needlessly inject mecha into the formula (though the designs are impressive), and if THAT wasn't bad enough they then introduce a very typical shoujo heroine from the real world. Dilandau is an especially clichéd and annoying villain and holds little interest. Folken is an improvement, but only by virtue of his ambiguous loyalties, which let's face it is yet another anime cliché. The presentation is absolutely first class, and there are genuinely impressive scenes helped immensely by Yoko Kanno's superlative score, but they're marred by the cynical, market-driven nature of the production. I give Escaflowne three stars for technical quality and half a star for the rest of the show. I seem to be in the minority here though so by all means check it out.

3. Tempy

Escaflowne is a fantastic mix of shoujo, shounen, fantasy and sci-fi. Hitomi Kanzaki is a seemingly ordinary schoolgirl who gets whisked away to a world named Gaea. There she gets involved in an epic battle between the various forces who uses mechas named Guymelefs. Suddenly Hitomi becomes the center of attention as she displays her psychic skills. This series has everything. Excellent designs and animation, fantastic music by Yoko Kanno, a great epic story with love, honor, tragedy, betrayal and much more. The show is completely filler-free, and moves along quite nicely, throwing pleasant surprises along the way to string along the viewer. And there's a whole plethora of good characters, from heroic knight Alan Schezar in his Guymelef Scheherazade, king of Fanelia Van Fanel in his Guymelef Escaflowne, mysterious villain Folken, and the best villain in any anime show ever: deliciously warped and maniacal Dilandau.

2. hakootoko

A mix of fantasy and SF, Escaflowne is an alternate world where small kingdoms are fighting for survival against a growing empire, where one legendary mech becomes nearly invincible when teamed up with an earth girl who can foretell the future. Action, romance, and destiny intertwine to form an excellent plot matched to excellent animation and characters. A must see for all anime fans.

1. weasl

Escaflowne tricked me for a long time. Cursed with some of the worst choice in VHS packaging I've ever seen, I skipped over it for almost a year. When I finally got around to seeing it I was floored. I'm a fantasy fanboy and Escaflowne is in my opinion the best fantasy flavored anime out there. Combine a great cast of characters, a haunting musical score, and some quality animation and you have an instant classic. Essential to any true anime fans collection.