Rating: 
Summary: A great Anime
Review: I alright I have to be honest . I `ve only seen this anime series on Fox . So far I love it ! So for the record Fox has done some good . Mostly for the fact Escaflowne has new fans who have not seen the uncut version ( alot of them being 13 and up). So if the edited version has fans no doudt the uncut version has more . From personal experince go with the uncut .
Rating:
Summary: One of the greastest anime programs of all time
Review: Escaflowne of the High Heavens/Escaflowne of the Sky also known as the Vision of Escaflowne is English is one of my all time favorite anime television shows (Fushigi Yuugi is my favorite). When I speak of the Vision of Escaflowne, I'm not talking about the one that Fox kids cut up so badly and is currently running as part of their fall line up, I am referring to the true, uncut, twenty-six episode masterpiece that is based on manga by Mr. Kawamori Shoji. Vision of Escaflowne is a cross-over anime series meaning that it takes elements from both the shounen (boys) and shoujo (girls) anime genre to create an anime program that can easily be appreciated by male as well as female anime viewers. The story itself surrounds the fantastic adventures of a girl named Hitomi Kanzaki. Hitomi is a fifteen year old, Japanese, high school student, who runs track, reads tarot cards, and can see into the future. One day while practicing on the track field Hitomi has a vision of a boy from another world, she passes out and ends up in the school clinic. To her surprise and delight an upper classmen guy whom she has a crush on named Amano comes in to check on her. Later, that day Hitomi's best friend Yukuri tells her that Amano is moving away and that Hitomi should tell him how she feels. Hitomi decides to handle the situation by asking for Amano to give her her very first kiss if she breaks her old track record. He agrees to this. This is when things start to become interesting. While running on the track field Hitomi sees the boy from her vision, thinking that she's imaging things shes continues to run and ends up running into him. Also a dragon gets transported onto Earth with the mysterious boy and it tries to eat Hitomi and company. The end result of this conflict is that the boy from Hitomi's vision kills the dragon (not nearly as easily as I'm making it seem). After the dragon has been killed a strange column of light transports Hitomi and the boy to the world of Gaea. Gaea is a world that is divided between the four kingdoms of Fanelia, Asturia, Freid, and the Zaibach Empire. While on Gaea, Hitomi learns that the boy's name is Van and that he is the king of the kingdom of Fanelia. Being that Hitomi whom they sometimes refer to as the girl from the illusionary moon ( the name that they call Earth)has no place to go Van takes Hitomi back to his kingom. While in Van's kingom (Fanelia), Hitomi witnesses it being attacked by an invisible and merciless enemy. It is this mysterious and unwarranted attack that leads to more adventures, hardships, romance complexities, shocking revelations, and growth for both Hitomi and Van as people. Another bonus to this show besides the awesome mecha (giant robot)designs, is the powerfully gripping story, and the believeable characterizations is the phenomenal muscic which part of it is performed by a professional orchestra, Yoko Kanno, and a few other people. All of the music is put together in the appropriate scenes (unlike the Fox version) adding even more emmotions than just the visuals, and wonderful acting by the Japanese cast.
Rating:
Summary: DO NOT WATCH THIS ON FOX!
Review: FOX MUTILATED THIS SERIES! This has to be one of the best Anime series out there. It is definitely NOT supposed to be aimed at kids. The original japanese version has blood and lots of people dying. It definitely lives up to all its hype. Unfortunately, FOX has totally ruined the true excellence of the series, and as a result ruined it for those who have not seen it yet. Directing and Soundtracks are awsome! The music you hear on the FOX version is poorly timed. Every episode leaves you hanging, wanting more and more. It's highly popular among anime lovers for a reason! I can guarantee you that by the time you get through a third of the series, you'll want to watch the remaining 2/3 in one viewing!
Rating:
Summary: A definite must see for anyone!
Review: If you've only seen the version on FOX Kids, you're missing out on something great:o)
I find it very odd that such a series is being aired on FOX Kids - this is definitely at least a teenager and older's title. It has everything anyone could ask for - wonderful animation, especially for a TV series, wonderful staff (Shoji Kawamori, Yoko Kanno), action, adventure, romance, fantasy, mecha, gripping and detailed plot, well-developed characters, and more. The music is wonderful - don't believe that that funky techno music FOX plays can even compare to the original Opening, Yakusoku wa Iranai (No Need for Promises). The original Opening is simply breathtaking and Maaya Sakamoto's voice ( age15 at the time) is beautiful.
The DVD release includes both *uncut* dub and sub versions, and all the extras(music videos, interviews) found in the Japanese LD release (or so I've heard:o)).
At first, it may seem like a simple series - A girl is transported to a magical world where she meets a guy who takes a suit of armor and fights some baddies... However, it *quickly* becomes very complicated. I'd love to explain more, but it would spoil the plot greatly.
What I love the most about Escaflowne (besides the splendid music), is the character development. Every character has multiple facets. No one is totally bad - and no "good guy" is totally good. Everyone is very *real*. Hitomi, the heroine, for example - she's just a confused 15-year old who is often homesick, confused in love, and insecure. She's not afraid to slap Van when he's too arrogant and when the wind blows too hard, she instinctively holds down her skirt. Van, while seeming tough, is only another 15-year old. It can be seen in his appearance - stringy, awkward and still growing. Under his tough exterior, we see he is still very lonely and insecure and simply has too much responsibility on his shoulders as King of Fanelia than any 15 year old should have.
Definitely consider seeing this! It's one of the best anime series to have come out of Japan recently - in fact, it's a wonderful *show* in general! It's been a favorite for all ages in Japan since it came out and I hope others will see it's beauty.
Rating:
Summary: Don't base your review on the FOX version!
Review: The previous reviewer based his opinion on the FOX conversion of the series. This is a *huge* mistake. The lack of personality in Van that he mentions is simply because FOX cut out just about every long establishing shot, and a great deal of character building, from the series. Little kids, after all, can't deal with character development; the marketing executives figure they'll dive for their remotes. This is one major reason why the ENTIRE FIRST EPISODE was cut, explaining Hitomi's character in much greater detail, including how she came to arrive on Gaea. Likewise, the battles in the FOX dub are difficult to follow, because scenes deemed too violent for Saturday morning cartoons were edited out. You see every blow coming, but none of them connecting, just people falling over. The show is far from being aimed at the childrens' market. In the original, unedited version, there's a considerable amount of blood (though not profuse). The plotline weaves tales of war, revenge, love, betrayal, honor, and even bits of comedy into a very smooth tapestry. It may be worth noting that unlike some other series, you'll find no nudity, not even innocent scenes; I figure that the series would rate a PG-13 for most episodes, and possibly an R for the more violent ones. So please, PLEASE don't base your opinions on a heavily modified dub. View the original version, and THEN make an informed judgement.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best I've seen out there
Review: This is one of the most coolest series out there. Just because the giant Bots that can kick aneything!
Rating: 
Summary: I've only seen the first episode, but ...
Review: I have seen the first episode on FOX (edited of course), as I'msure many others have, and at least from this first impression, I must say that it doesn't live up to all the hype. I can tell right off the bat that this is a show is aimed at the kiddies. This doesn't appear to be a terribly thought-provoking series, or a very imaginative one either. It feels most like a giant robot whack'em story with a little bit of fantasy and dragons thrown in as an afterthought - pretty simplistic. The main character has about as much personality as that Heero guy on Gundam Wing. They look pretty much the same, too (same company: Sunrise). I will say, though, that the animation is impressive, especially for a TV series. The quality is of a level that is usually only found in feature-length anime movies. It's very glossy. It will be interesting to see if they can keep it up through all the episodes. Usually TV series start off great and go downhill the rest of the way, tending to pick up a bit in the last few. Other than that, nothing else really struck me about the characters, the setting, or the story. I may be wrong - maybe something dramatic will happen in following episodes, and the story will grow into something special. END
Rating:
Summary: Excellent series, don't miss your chance at getting it!
Review: If you have not seen Vision of Escaflowne, you should get your hand on a copy, because this is one of the best series out there, great story, excellent graphics/designs, and interesting characters, what more can you ask for? Its been a while since the last time I saw VoE, I think there were 24 episodes total (correct me if I'm wrong,) basically the story revolves around a high school girl named Hitomi, she is on the track team, and is in love (more like infatuation) with his senpei (just in case you don't know, I think the term refers to an older male in school,) unfortunately he is moving overseas, so Hitomi made a deal with him, if she can run either 50 or 100 meter dash (exact distance may be different) under a few seconds, then she get to kiss him. In that fateful night, just after she takes off from the starting line, an image of a guy appeared in front of him, he was wearing real weird armor and holding a sword (this person is acutally Van, one of the main character,) though he appeared to be transparent, he was acutally quite real and Hitomi bumped into him full speed. After a few exchanges and a fight between Van and this monster that came through the same warp hole/dimension, Hitomi was sucked into a beam of white light with Van, thus began Hitomi's adventure on Gaia. One interest to note is that Hitomi can read tarot cards, and she is actually very good at it, also she has a pendant from her grandmother, which plays a huge role as the story progress. VoE also have quite a bit of mechs/robots, which I'm sure many of you would like, so pre-order your very own copy today! If you want to view the opening songs to the show, I think Anime Dream has one you can download, maybe that will help you to decide!
Rating:
Summary: Escaflowne Now On American TV!
Review: I was suprised that a network like fox was showing this anime, I guess they wanted something hard core to go up against pokemon. Well on to the review. This anime is awesome, having in it's credits famed director Shoji Kawamori and musical composer Yoko Kanno. The animation is top notch for a tv series, and the characters are very interesting. This video is a must buy, even if it is slightly edited. There is no blood and nuditity, so parents can feel safe to buy this for kids. This is a masterpiece of anime, so check it out!
Rating:
Summary: Vision of Escaflowne
Review: Perhaps one of the best anime series released in recent history. If I could rate this series with 10 stars, I would. Perhaps what makes this series so great is that it is not of one genre. It mixes fantasy, mecha, shojo, and just about anything else you want to think of into 26 episodes of perfection. This series was released around the same time as the much herladed Evangelion, but Escaflowne never disappoints, which I would venture to say Evangelion does. For those who don't know, August 19, 2000 will see the release of Escaflowne on US television on Fox Kids. I think it will lose a great deal in the conversion, but at least it is being seen. Watch it. Love it. You won't regret it.
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