Rating: 
Summary: WHAAT???
Review: My wife and I started getting the Escaflowne DVD's on a whim after having seen the show on Fox Kids. We were blown away by how utterly fantastic and engaging the original version was - so much so that we anxiously awaited each installment (couldn't afford to get them all at once). The animation and story of this series is easily the best I've ever seen -as engaging as the original Robotech and far surpassing it in intelligence and beauty. The characters are likable, the music is stirring, and the story highly compelling - UNTIL- What the heck happened in this last disc? Its like another writer took over. What was a wonderful story gets abruptly ended with some kitty girl pseudo lesbianism (which was kind've a downer considering we were watching the show with our kid and there'd been nothing like this in the entire series up until this point), and a tacked on nonsensical psychobabble ending (think: Akira). We were VERY disappointed by the conclusion to this series, because the rest of it is HIGHLY recommended. Of course if you've been following the series this long, you've got to get this one too, but man what a let down. And don't bother with the movie either...ugh.
Rating:
Summary: WHAAT???
Review: My wife and I started getting the Escaflowne DVD's on a whim after having seen the show on Fox Kids. We were blown away by how utterly fantastic and engaging the original version was - so much so that we anxiously awaited each installment (couldn't afford to get them all at once). The animation and story of this series is easily the best I've ever seen -as engaging as the original Robotech and far surpassing it in intelligence and beauty. The characters are likable, the music is stirring, and the story highly compelling - UNTIL- What the heck happened in this last disc? Its like another writer took over. What was a wonderful story gets abruptly ended with some kitty girl pseudo lesbianism (which was kind've a downer considering we were watching the show with our kid and there'd been nothing like this in the entire series up until this point), and a tacked on nonsensical psychobabble ending (think: Akira). We were VERY disappointed by the conclusion to this series, because the rest of it is HIGHLY recommended. Of course if you've been following the series this long, you've got to get this one too, but man what a let down. And don't bother with the movie either...ugh.
Rating: 
Summary: Tenkuu No Escaflowne ~ We shall miss thee
Review: Now...I have watched *a lot* of anime... Anyway, Escaflowne is my favourite. It manages to mix Romance, Drama, Angst, War, Action, and even Humour (Merulu-chan!) wonderfully. But I shouldn't babble bcos if you're buying the last episodes you must have already experienced its .. wonder ... basically Hitomi gets upset by Van and Allen fighting in the war, and the power of her wish to go home summons a pillar of light that takes her back to Earth. She wakes up on the very day that she originally left. The others in Gaea are puzzled by Hitomi's disappearance, but accept it. Hitomi goes through the day realising that she's already lived it, except now she realises that Yukari is in love with Amano, who strangely now doesn't hold the same amount of affection he used to. Hitomi keeps seeing white feathers -presumably from van's wings- and misses him. Meanwhile, van and Merle are on a rooftop in Palas and Merle teases Van for looking up at the Illusionary Moon, and with her help Van slowly realises how deep his feelings for Hitomi goes, and that he loves her. Merle persuades him to go and get her. Hitomi is sitting on her bed, when a Tarot card blows to her. She says she doesn't want to go back to Gaea, but then she sees the card that symbolises Van and starts to cry. She returns to the track at school, and Van flies towards the Illusionary Moon on Escaflowne. Their wish to see each other creates a pillar so Van travels to the Earth again, and pulls Hitomi up on Escaflowne, taking her back to Gaea, saying they would never be apart like that again. The arrive where a raging battle has just finished, The people ask Van to fight with them and he agrees, on the condition that Hitomi be brought safely to Palas. Hitomi wants to stay, but Van says it's too dangerous for her, and he doesn't want to rely on her powers. Back in Palas, Hitomi talks with Folken, who wants to kill Dornkirk. On the battlefield, Van starts to freak out as he has to kill people again, and Hitomi , feeling his pain accidently forms a pillar that takes her and Folken to Dornkirk. Folken takes out his sword and Dornkirk gets out of his life support machine. Hitomi has seen a vision that Folken will die, and it's proved correct as Folken's sword slices through Dornkirk, but the tip shatters off and flies backwards, embedding itself in Folken's heart. Folken falls backwards, and lies dead on the floor in a pool of bloof. On the battle field, Van can feel this loss, and screams for Folken. Hitomi begins to cry, wondering why sad things have to happen, and she activates the Fate Redirection machine. Dornkirk appears as a spectre beside her, saying she has activated the Ultimate Fortune Zone of Atlantis, and now everyones deepest, darkest wishes will come true. Meanwhile, Dilandau is fighting Van, but when Jajuka gets killed, he begins to change into Celena. Van doesn't notice this, but Allen blocks Van's final blow on the red guymelef, saying that Dilandau is his sister. Van thinks Allen's gone crazy, and the Fate Redirection Machine makes them fight. Hitomi is distraught watching them fight. She appears to Van in a vision, trying to persuade him not to fight. Van says he's doing it all to protect her, and Hitomi says no one asked you too. Van gets upset, accusing Hitomi of only caring about Allen. Hitomi loses her contact with Van, and appears in a field with the ghost of Folken (with original arm). Folken explains to her that contradicting wishes are binding Van in a web. As Hitomi realises that she is in love with Van, Van can hear her, and stops fighting to go to Zaibach to get Hitomi. Celena rushes out of her guymelef and is reunited with Allen. Escaflowne starts bucking as soon as Van gets near Zaibach, so he flies on his own wings, crashing straight through the Fate Redirection Machine and grabbing Hitomi and holding her tightly in his arms. Their combined power overrides the Atlantis machine and it switches off. Dornkirk's spectre wonders as it fades away if this power of love, created between two easily swayed hearts, can really replace the wishes of war in people's minds, and can that moment, truely last forever for Van and Hitomi. Then basically, and chopped up, the ending is that Van and Hitomi embrace in the grave area in Fanelia as the ghosts of Gaou, Varie, Folken, Nariya, Eriya, Duke Fried, Marlene and Balgus watch them. Hitomi gives Van her pendant, and he shuts down Escaflowne, saying he wants to see Folken's dreams come true. He says that they can see each other whenever they share a common feeling. Escaflowne's removed energist creates a pillar, and Hitomi is transported back to Earth. Allen, merle, Millerna, Eries, Gaddes and the Crusade crew, the Moleman and Prince Chid all watch as the streak of light disappears. Back on Earth, Hitomi's friends ask her to do a reading, and she refuses, saying she doesn't believe in that anymore. She looks over the water and sees a winged Van, wearing her pendant sitting on the rocks smiling at her. She smiles back, and whispers to him that's she's doing fine. A single feather flies onto the screen and cradles an image of the Earth and Gaea, now obviously visable to Hitomi. The End. In short, buy this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Great ending to a great series.
Review: P>Okay, on to my review. Often TV-series fall flat on their faces in the last few episodes. This is especially the case with Japanese animation. Fortunately, Escaflowne is an exception. The end of this seires does something unique: It gives the viewer a feeling of closure, without at the same time giving a feeling of finality. The hero and the heroine do NOT get married, settle down, and live happily ever after. In fact, almost nobody does. Everyone is left more or less as free as they were at the beginning of the series. This is not to say that nothing has changed since the beginning of the series. The characters have all matured (not in the smarmy "I've learned an important lesson" way). A lot of people are dead. The entire world of Gaea learns first-hand about the dangers of toying with fate. The animation is great, the music even greater, and the voice acting on the Japanese track is impressive (stay away from the English track. Dilandau's voice is just... wrong). In short, this is a beautiful, satisfying, bittersweet ending to one of the greatest fantasy/action/romance series ever made.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely one of the finer must have animes
Review: Strong characterization, exellent production values, plenty of plot twists(read:Dilandu(sp) and Celena, what a fan fic writer's dream!), and an ending that refuses to be tied up neatly in a pretty package. Great stuff. Only that it leaves you begging for more. Thankfully there is plenty of manga, the movie and fan fic to keep us all occupied.
Rating:
Summary: A must Buy for manga/robot anime fans!
Review: The animation in this series is hands down the best I've ever seen. The script, storyline and action are all 5 star for adults. I wouldn't think children under 10 would even get into this, it was written for the adult. The music is incredible,something I considered on par with the animation. Make no mistake, you will be drawn in after the first episode of volume one!
Rating:
Summary: Sad, yet a realistic ending to an incredible series!
Review: The last video of Vision of Escaflowne really captures you in the emotions of the characters, and makes you feel almost exactly what they are experiencing. The music is at its best in these episodes, and some scenes you can't help but be blown away by. Each character in in the last DVD has a personal role and everything falls into place rather well, considering the fact that there was only about 25min to do it in. This entire series seems to be created for young adults and up. I say this because of the intricate plot, and constant fighting. (Which is not that violent to say at least.) If I could rate this more than 5 stars, consider it done!!
Rating:
Summary: Traditional japanese ending (even what you think)
Review: The new trend in anime serie are very mature. I think about Cowboy bebop and Escaflowne. The animation was first rate and the deep in charactere study are great. And this two serie have a very sad ending. Like the real life, love are not so strong. Faye fall in love with Spike but she can,t stop him. Hitomi and van are separated. It was like real life. But in fact, this kind of end take is roots in tradionnal japanese thatre. In fact, two kind of heros exist in kabuki and cinema: the tetayaku et the nimaime. One is the true Samurai who
believe in duty. He never, never sleep with girl or fall for one. I he do, he neever end with her, because his duty are stronger. On the other hands, they create the nimaime for the commoner who was a great public for theatre. This kind of hero are weak and fall for girls. But he always had probleme. The true samourai die frequently at the ned, because it was the only time when he can be honest with his feeling. If you think about that, it's not difficult to see who was who! Zatoichi or Mifune's hero never sleep with girl. They are strong hero. At the end of Escaflowne, Yukari and Amano are a couple but Hitomi are alone. But Van can,t be with a girl. He was pure. Allen sleep with girl but rememerb girls in the show considere it was bad (i love a real playboy she said). When Millerne learn Chid ws the child of allen, she was shocked. In traditional Japanese's story, the weakes hero sleep with women, he fall in love. But when he do that, all collapse. Spkie sleep with Julia in his past but this bring unhappy things. He was a mixte of Nimaime and tetayaku. At the end, he was a true samurai who die for his honor. Van on the other hand was a true samurai. Like occidental knight, his love was pure. So, a pure love can't stand sex. In the Japanese mind. The romantic story in Edo era when a man and a woman fall in love always finish by a suicide. It was the most romatic end for a Japanese. They can't live a flesh love, it was not pure. So they died. This why Hitomi and Van give up their love. Althoug the creator may say it's what not the case, it was a classical end. They are Japanese and even if they dont study Japanese traditional theatre, they know it in their deep mind. It was what they saw in cinema. I propose this game, each time you watch a japanese movie or anime, try to determine who was who. Remember hero like Zatoichi, nemury Kyoshiro, Yojimbo, Actarus, Captain Harlock ect ect.. you will knwo the end of the next anime you will see. I have more than 500 films at home, and i can see in most of the japanese film. But exception exist. But not much....
Rating: 
Summary: What the heck???
Review: The story of Escaflowne brings tears to your eyes and laughter in your heart...
Rating:
Summary: Awsome
Review: These are the last stanzas in what is one of the monuments of Japanese anime, a rich fantasy story as memorable as any other notable series. Hitomi, after fleeing Gaea back to earth finds that her experiences have left her with many unresolved feelings. When Van flies Escaflowne across the gap between the worlds to retrieve her she joins him, even though it is to return to the middle of an horrific war. Hitomi realizes that she can run no longer - that if Gaea is to heal, she must do her part. By this DVD it is clear to the viewer that fate, and its changing, is the underlying theme of this series. Isaac Newton attempts to manipulate it so that the Zaibach Empire will rule the world, nearly repeating the mistake of the Atlantean forebearers of the Gaeans. Tarot cards reveal futures that seem inevitable. And the intertwining of the characters defies the rules of coincidence. Into this apparent march to cataclysmic disaster and tragedy enters Hitomi, the most atypical of anime heroines. Thin and athletic rather than lush, cute rather than pretty, it is her inner nature rather than any physical ability that gives her the power to challenge the inevitable. Hitomi's special skill is the power to believe. And in doing so, she reveals that fate is far from ineluctable, that simply humans can change outcomes with their minds and hearts. Hitomi's confusion about her feelings towards Van and Alan Schezar, her hatred of the continuous stream of violence that mars life on Gaea, and the struggle she has to accept what she can do make her a warm and accessible character to the viewer. This is true of all the protagonists of Escaflowne, making what would otherwise be a pompous fantasy concoction into a compelling, life affirming drama. As endings go, this one starts a bit too slowly and ends too soon. I would have liked to see a stronger focus on the dynamics between Hitomi and Van as they realize their love for each other and must confront the roadblocks in their way. There is room for an entire additional episode, although the movie version of Escaflowne fills in much of this touching connection between two people separated by worlds. Even so, this is a fitting end to what has been a delightful series - one which I will always recommend without question.
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