Giant Robots vs. Dragons

In order to clarify my position right away, let me say that Escaflowne is one of the best anime series to be released in recent years, and is probably my reigning favorite. If you haven't seen this series yet, I highly recommend that you do. Escaflowne has an amazingly balanced mix of romance, action, and drama that will entertain almost anyone who has a pulse.

The character designs of Escaflowne are all rather intricate. There is a general renaissance feel to the clothing and architecture that meshes well with the story. Nevertheless, there are a number of technological devices that are far more advanced than anything during the renaissance. By utilizing magical floating rocks known as "levi-stones" and small orbs of energy known as "energists," the inhabitants of Gaea are able to make remarkably advanced technological devices. These include airships and large robot-like suits of armor known as Guymelefs. These are probably the most interesting mecha aspect of the series. They operate without any form of computerization, and the few glimpses we are given into their inner-workings suggest that they run on some form of horribly complex clockwork. The title of the series, Escaflowne, derives from Van's Guymelef.

The sound and music of Escaflowne is superb. Both the dubbed and subbed versions are very well done, and the characters are well-matched to their voice actors. The music is a remarkable mix, ranging from modern vocal tunes to a Gregorian chant-like song. The soundtrack very nicely complements the animation, without seeming out of place. This isn't surprising, given that the music for Escaflwone was done by Yoko Kanno, who went on to do Cowboy Bebop. Even on my simple stereo speaker set-up, this is one good-sounding DVD.

The extras on this disk are decent, consisting of a handful of music videos for various songs from the series. I would caution the first time viewer about watching them, however, since they use animation from later episodes that could constitute spoiler material.

The story is wonderfully detailed and complex, and I honestly don't feel that it is worthwhile for me to recount it here. Not only would that take far too much time, but you wouldn't want it spoiled for you anyway. I can safely say that this series revolves around a girl named Hitomi, who is transported to a land named Gaea where the Earth and the Moon are visible in the night sky. The people she meets there include Van Fanel, the king of the country Fanelia. Also, there is Balgus, Van's sword instructor; Merle, Van's cat-girl companion; Alan Shezar, a knight from a neighboring kingdom that comes to the rescue of both Van and Hitomi. All of these characters play pivotal roles in the story, and I haven't even touched on the villains yet! These villians mostly hail from the Zaibach Empire, a technologically and militarily superior super-power headed by Emperor Dornkirk. His henchmen include Folken and Dilandau, who destroy Fanelia in an attempt to capture Escaflowne. However, while it is safe to say that Escaflowne has a large plot with a lot of players, it doesn't get convoluted or bogged down at any point.

In conclusion, Escaflowne is an anime that defies categorization, and this first disc gives a thundering introduction to it. This series is rapidly becoming one of the classics of Anime, and no self-respecting otaku can afford to pass this one up.

By Andy Rucker