Rating: 
Summary: My favorite DVD...
Review: This one has my favorite episode on it... #7, "Unexpected Partings," I believe. Ah! I just love that one. I mean, how can I resist Dilandau-sama destroying a city while screaming "moecha" (burn) at the top of his lungs? *grin* Okay, okay, serious review. I reccomend this series highly. It's a very beautiful show with exquisite animation and a very complex plot. It's amazing that it all fits in 26 episodes, I think. The characters may have noses the size of the Empire State Building, but I'm willing to overlook that fact because half the characters are so darn GORGEOUS anyhow (like Folken or Dilandau or Allen or Yukari [yes, you heard me, Yukari =P]...yumminess... ^_^). This show is very detailed in a way most anime isn't, even showing little things like the citzens' reaction at having their houses shoot up in flames...come on, do you see that in, say, Sailor Moon? Anyway, it's easily my favorite anime ever, even topping Evangelion and Mononoke-Hime (both of which I also love). I'm glad that it's finally been released comercially with subtitles, and it's obviously a goldmine for the company that did so...
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest anime brought to DVD!
Review: To tell you the truth, the only reason I bought a DVD player was because I heard that Escaflowne and Slayers were being released on DVD! Having Bilingual DragonBall DVDs released didn't hurt either (you'll never catch me with a English only DBZ DVD! =P). These three series are my all-time favorites. Anyway, I think this DVD has some of the interesting episodes of Escaflowne. For some reason I just really like the episode where Van is taken prisoner by Zaibach. I don't know why... Anyway I think that it is GREAT that we can finally see Escaflowne in practically perfect quality(you want perfect, get a laserdisc), and I can barely wait for the whole series to finish being released. I guess there is some benefit to having an English dub after all... if it weren't for the dub, the DVDs would have never been released...
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful continuation of a true anime epic.
Review: With the first four episodes of "Escaflowne", "Dragons and Destiny" captured our imaginations and prepared us for what could possibly be a monumental anime series. The second DVD, "Betrayal and Trust", expands upon the first DVD in every way and yet still hints that there is much more to be explored along the way.By now, Hitomi is pretty much a part of the turmoil going on in Gaea, whether she likes it or not. On the run with Allen and Van from the sinister Dilandau, her mysterious powers begin to grow and play a much larger role than with her simple Tarot card readings. And while Van has to contend with the fact that his long-lost brother Folken has betrayed his country, Hitomi tries to deal with her possible love of Allen, who already appears to have a lover in the form of Princess Millerna. And all the while, Dilandau schemes and acts rashly in his unstable and almost insane mood. Like the previous four episodes, the next four episodes play out at a very reasonable pace. Things slow down enough for back story and characterization to take place, but the plot moves along somewhat faster than most other anime series. Thankfully, the overall effect is a finely balanced series that doesn't sacrifice one thing for the other. And considering there are still 18 episodes left in the series, one can only guess what extraordinary and imaginative ideas this series can come up with next. Visually, "Escaflowne" is one of the better looking series on the market today. While colors may not be as sharp as many of the series that are coming out these days, the series still manages to hold up on its own with its unique art direction and wonderful character designs. And when the series wants to look good, it can look good. Definately something anime fans demanding quality eye-candy can enjoy. Audio-wise, you know you can almost always expect greatness when Yoko Kanno does the soundtrack. With her eclectic and mastereful genius, she has crafted music that is a league of its own. From orchestral to choral and back again, she truly knows how to make a great anime series even greater. As for the English dub (provided by the Oceans Group of "Gundam Wing" fame), this set of episodes reveals where the dub actually starts to get good. While the dubbing of the first set of episodes wasn't terrible, the voice actors failed to completely develop their characters and thus sounded stale at times. With "Betrayal and Trust", they finally manage to get into their roles, and by episode eight they sound emotional and vibrant. Sub fans may argue about certain choices of VAs for some characters, but dub fans and sub fans with an open mind should find the "Escaflowne" dub acceptable. As for extras, the second DVD has a set of interviews of the four main Japanese voice actors. Any fan of "Escaflowne" would be insane to pass this up, but be forewarned. These interviews contain many spoilers (the DVD even gives a clear warning of this) so it would be best for newcomers especially to watch the entire series before even looking at this. Overall, "Betrayal and Trust" in an excellent continuation of the first four series. The story is progressing nicely, characters are developing marvelously, and the dub is starting to sound more enthusiastic. Die-hard anime fans would be insane to pass up this epic, and even casual anime fans need to look into this show at least once. There is a reason, after all, why many people call this the "Saving Private Ryan" of anime.
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