Database info: MAL - AniDB - AniList - ANN - Anime Planet - HummingbirdGenres/tags: Adventure, fantasy, mecha, romance, shoujoCurrent availability: licensed by Funimation, will be up for pre-order and streaming later this year.Was it all just a dream? Or maybe a vision?No, it was real.Mecha is an anime genre which has come to encompass anything including one or more large robot within its story. As the years progressed, so too did the depth and scope of mecha anime, starting out with 60s-70s Super Robot fare and leading into the real-robot shows of the 80s. By the time the 90s came along, mecha had already peaked as the dominant genre in anime – but that didn’t stop the creative drive sometimes attached to giant robots. This is the context in which The Vision of Escaflowne came about.Industry veteran Shoji Kawamori, a mecha designer/writer/director for Macross and several other series, had already developed quite a resume when the idea for Escaflowne came about in the mid-90s. He worked together with then Sunrise producer Masahiko Minami (G Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain Fullmetal Alchemist, and director Kazuki Akane (Noein, Birdy the Mighty: Decode, Code Geass: Akito the Exiled) among other notable names like Shinichiro Watanabe and Yoko Kanno to bring his latest vision to life.Up until that point in time, mecha had traditionally been geared to male and sci-fi audiences first and foremost, so the concept of a shoujo-oriented mecha anime in a fantasy setting was seen as risky. The only precedent for such a genre/demographic combination was 1994's Magic Knight Rayearth. But for these experienced creators and the production staff at Sunrise, it was a risk that paid off. And ultimately, many of the same people involved with both Escaflowne and Cowboy Bebop would later split off from Sunrise and form Bones – which could be its own story for another post.It’s not just an important series in the Japanese context either, as the North American anime fandom also has a history with this particular series. Back around 2000, Escaflowne had a short run on Fox Kids as part of that programming block’s attempt to compete with Toonami. While the TV version was heavily edited and didn’t even run all the episodes, Bandai Entertainment - a North American branch of Bandai Visual - offered the complete series on DVD soon after. It eventually went on to become one of the best-selling anime distributed by Bandai Entertainment before the Japanese execs shut it down in 2012.“OK, nice history lesson, but what is there to say about the series itself?”Hitomi Kanzaki is your typical Japanese highschool girl, complete with her own hobbies and a heartthrob for her track teammate Amano. But all that changes when, while practicing one night, a dragon suddenly shows up and attacks Hitomi and co. Out of the same portal comes a young sword-wielding man who Hitomi inadvertently helps in his slaying of the dragon – and soon after, both he and Hitomi are transported to where he came from.This young man is Van Fanel, a soon-to-be king of Fanelia – a place which is, itself, just one of many locales in the world of Gaea. He and Hitomi end up working together with the dashing Allen Schezzar, and a love triangle forms within the trio, and Hitomi becomes directly involved in the conflicts plaguing Gaea’s peoples - both human and non-human alike. Her hobby of reading tarot cards to predict the future turns out to be a useful skill in this strange land, especially as the antagonistic Zaibach Empire and its henchmen make their moves.“Wait a sec, I thought we were talking about a mecha series? How do they fit into the world and conflicts of Gaea?”Being a mecha anime, one might expect Hitomi to end up falling into the pilot’s seat as the main character – but that is a task which both Van and Allen are engaged in instead. As for the mechs themselves? They function as large suits of armor, donning capes and wielding metal swords – all the more befitting of the series’ fantasy setting. It makes for a fascinating blend of mecha with proto-steampunk trappings and fantastical sources of power.Hitomi herself is one of the more memorable protagonists in both shoujo-targeted series and mecha anime. Rather than fit into any of the four main –dere archetypes or embody too many of what were/are the common traits in shoujo MCs, Hitomi is believable in her behavior and actions. She comes across as someone you might actually encounter in your high school years, with her own traits and hobbies that don’t revolve around pleasing a love interest.Of course, there’s also the fact that Hitomi is a female MC in a genre which was (and still is to some extent) otherwise focused on dudes being the main focus of the story. She might not have been in the pilot’s seat, but future mecha MCs like Eureka (Eureka Seven), Angela Balzac (Expelled from Paradise), and Milinda Brantini (Heavy Object) have at least part of their existence attributable to Escaflowne being carried by a female MC. This series helped to further broaden the appeal of mecha anime beyond the previous target audiences, and many subsequent series have developed a similar multi-demographic appeal as part of their success. Gundam Seed, Code Geass, and various other titles contained elements which appealed to shoujo audiences alongside the shounen demographic, thereby keeping mecha anime a highly profitable genre.“Twenty years old? But I’m not all that into older anime, let alone mecha.”Not to worry. The Vision of Escaflowne is among the more well-animated shows one can choose from when looking back at mid-90s anime. Its mecha battles and scenery are IMO beautifully animated, especially when viewing the Blu-ray remaster. In interviews about the series, Shoji Kawamori has stated that he was partly inspired by his trips to the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal, and it shows in the finished product. Said Blu-ray version also includes a few more scenes in certain episodes, so be sure to choose it above the TV broadcast/first DVD release. Besides, it never hurts to have a broader interest in whichever medium of entertainment one loves.“How about the movie?”I haven’t seen the movie myself, but AFAIK it’s not totally necessary to watch as part of the series. The animation might be of a higher budget and quality, but the same might not be said about its story compared to the TV series. According to /u/Spiranix: [I can attest to the movie being a digest version of the series with a harshly different tone and style. comparable to something like what Do You Remember Love? did for SDF Macross or what Adolescence of Utena did for RGU, but in this case pushing the boundaries even further into bleaker and more esoteric territory than even those. It's a wildly different beast and makes for a fascinating watch as an AU but can be jarring if you go in expecting anything similar to what was in the series. people that are sensitive to hyperviolence or depictions of mental illness should probably stay clear, as its more akin to something out of the Evangelion franchise than VoE.]“Dub or sub?”Hitomi Kanzaki is one of the earliest roles for Maaya Sakamoto, who has since become one of the more popular seiyuus in the business (other notable roles of hers include Shiki in Kara no Kyoukai, Haruhi in Ouran HSHC, Shinobu in the ___Monogatari series, and Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell: Arise). She doesn’t disappoint in the Japanese version, and the other cast members such as Tomokazu Seki and Shinichiro Miki also deliver solid performances (at least according to my filthy Gaijin ears).OTOH, Ocean Group’s English dub is decent for its time, but not quite as up to par with the voice acting in more recent anime dubs. It has what I call a certain kind of “pre-Cowboy Bebop” vibe in the acting quality, but is still listenable if you prefer dubs. Also, there's a notable lack of the previously-mentioned additional Blu-ray scenes – which is partly why Funimation has chosen to create a new dub as part of its re-release. The upcoming dub is almost certainly going to be more properly translated and better-sounding, and it already has a great cast & crew announced."Is the music good?"No, it's not good - it's great. Yoko Kanno's OST is amazing, with a unique-sounding OP for the time and a wonderful performance of the in-show music by the Warsaw Orchestra. Take a listen to tracks like Dance of Curse, Wings and Romance for an idea as to how this series sounds. PS: You can also find the OST on iTunes.Final thoughts/TL;DR?Watch this series. Watch this series. Watch this series. It's beautiful, engaging, innovative, and a classic example of just how creative the anime medium can be at its best. Many anime fans in my part of the world had Escaflowne as one of their gateway anime, alongside shows like Cowboy bebop and the various other titles which managed to get broadcast on TV at one point or another. And far from being a simple case of nostalgia, it still holds up as a relatively unique series. Even if you're not into either the Shoujo demographic or the mecha genre, let alone pre-2000s anime, you might find The Vision of Escaflowne to be a memorable watch.---Special thanks to /u/Spiranix for helping me put this WT! post together, and specifically for offering her own perspective on the movie. http://ift.tt/24PL4IP
