A Vision of Escaflowne ( Japanese: 天空のエスカフローネ;Tenkū no Esukafurōne or even Escaflowne of the Heavens) occurs as 26-episode anime television series by Sunrise, directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered within Japan on April 02, 1996 at 6:00 PM on TV Tokyo and ended September 24, 1996 . It has elements from either a genres of shōjo, shōnen, romance, and mecha, and has since inspired a shōnen and shōjo manga series, a video game, and an Escaflowne theatrical movie.

Background information
This series focuses on a heroine, Hitomi Kanzaki, & her escapade when she is transported to the globe of Gaethe, a mysterious planet in which she could look at the Globe & moon in the sky. In Gaea, Globe is referred to as a Mystic Moon (Japanese: 幻の月 maboroshi no tsuki or "Phantom Moon"). A project of this globe mixes most common fantasy elements from either different cultures (like knights and medieval fashion alongside samurai) with steampunk technology such as swimming ships & a elephantine mechanical armors called "Guymelefs". Hitomi's latent psychic powers come enhanced in Gaea & she quickly becomes entangled in a conflicts between the Zaibach Empire & many supplementary peaceful countries. When a series progresses, several of the characters' pasts & motivations, too when verity nature and severity of the planet Gaea, come revealed.

An significant a shcome of this anime are a brobdingnagian mecha battlesuits, called Guymelefs, which are then utilized per Knights of this globe to battle both more. Escaflowne, which is mentioned in the title, is one of victims Guymelefs.

Characters
Hitomi Kanzaki (神崎ひとみ Kanzaki Hitomi) — The girl transported from either Earth to the world of Gaea. Hitomi occurs as track sprinter at school & practices tarot card reading as a hobby. She discovers that she is clairvoyant, an ability that begins to warp Dornkirk's visions of the future. Her destiny is attached by owning Van's.

Van Fanel — A nervy young half-draconian king of Fanelia world health organization must see to match drastic changes around his life fallowing Fanelia was destroyed by Zaibach. He pilots Escaflowne, the orphic armour, to which he is attached by blood. His destiny & Hitomi's come linked. He pilots a Ispano Guymelef Escaflowne when which a series is known as. He has angel wings which allow him to fly.

Allen Schezar — the gallant knight of Asturia world health organization seems to provide a foil for Van & another expected love interest for Hitomi. He wasted his immature sister, Celenthe, his father disappeared, & mother died shortly subsequently whilst he was a baby. When he captures a heart of Princess Millerna of Asturia, he occurs as noted womaniser. He's the member of the Knight Caeli, Asturia's elect knights. a talented (eventually rebellious) fencer at a immature age, he became one of the virtually all skilled swordsmen of Gaea under the practiced tutelage of Balgus of Fanelia.

Folken Fanel — A Strategos (Japanese軍師 gunji or "tactician") of Zaibach, Folken is revealed to exist as Van's older brother & a original heir to Fanelia. He, prefer Van, is half draconian & so he besides has angel wings. His wings develop turned black, the for certain sign that his life is coming to an prevent. Although draconians have a yearn life, Dornkirk's experiments own left their toll. In the sooner episodes of the series Folken is refered to when Strategos, which is the rank of Purple adviser to Donkirk

Dornkirk — A leader of Zaibach & independent antagonist of the series. He is said to become a same of both hundred Gloexist as years old & is hinted to be Isaac Newton (although this is highly debatable). He high-pressure endeavors to view into a new by having his destiny prognostication machine to produce an idealistic new for Gaea by unlocking a secrets of Atlantis, which Hitomi's visions of the new & Van's connection to Escaflowne high-pressure interfere sustaining. His idethe of an idealistic new is the creation of a "zone of absolute fortune", where everyone's dreams would came admittedly. But, these are that super power that destroyed Atlantis in the foremost place.

Ouzel — The cat-girl & childhood friend of Van. She is jealous of Van's more & more close relationship by having Hitomi, however at length understands that Hitomi means there is no harm to Van and warms as much as her. An orphan, she has since devotedly followed Van.

Balgus — One of the trio master swordsmen of Gaia & a general of Fanelia's army, Balgus served under Van's father within his immature times & late left to travel in Gaea, shopping to improve his skills. He met Allen & trained him for the period, however once Van's father died he returned to Fanelia to look fallowing Van & his mother. He died when Fanelia was sacked while saving Van. An unofficial translation of his title is "Vargas".

Millerna Aston — A third princess of the kingdom of Asturia world health organization is dotty by using Allen Schezar, though she is betrothed to the merchandiser, Dryden Fassa. Millerna's ambition was it used to be that to turn into the doctor however was forced to give higher her medical studies by her 2nd sister, Eries. Her firstborn sister, Marlene, is deceased & was another time a married woman of Duke Freid & a mother of the Duke's boy, Chid.

Dryden Fassa — The knowledgeable, successful, & generous merchandiser world health organization is too the a share-half-time scholar. He is engaged to Millernthe across his father Meiden, a friend of Asturia's king. He's perceptive & open-minded & swell caring that Millerna is soft on by using Allen.

Dilandau Albatou — The leader of an elite group of Guymelef pilots inside Donkirk's army. He is likewise somewhat of a maniac & his mysterious past unfolds when the series stops.

Countries and places

Gaea — A mystical globe in a sky that Hitomi visits & in which the series come about. Globe may be seen as a moon in the sky. It was created per Atlantians.

Mystical Moon — This is what a residents of Gaea call for Earth. It has a reputation for existence the damned place among the humans of Gaea. It appears when though a population of Gaea underst& nothing just about what a Globeare really is, although Hitomi is hinted (and late shown) does'nt to be a number one individual to come to Gaea from either Globe.

Fanelia — The little kingdom around Gaea ruled per Fanel personal of which Van is king. These are demolished by Zaibach touching a beginning of a series & it rebuilt at the super prevent of the series. Fanelia bears a bit of similarities to feudal-era Japan.

AsturiThe — A major kingdom around Gaea that was ab initio allied by having Zaibach prior to leading an alliance against the two. A united states occurs as monarchy & it's greatest warriors come referred to as a "Knights of Caeli". Asturia bears a few resemblance to Renaissance-era Venice.

Freid — The dukedom inside Gaea that is ruled per Freid personal. It has an ancient artefact that Dornkirk needs to complete his project to revive a power of Atlantis. This artefact draws a attention of Zaibach world health organization invades Freid. Freid is said to use been according to Thailand.

Zaibach — The big mighty united states ruled by Dornkirk that possesses super advanced technology. It search to produce the fresh era of peace by controlling the world & come led by Dornkirk. Zaibach is similar to Industrial Revolution-era England.

Atlantis — An ancient, mysterious civilization on Earth that was destroyed fallowing its habitant created the device to turn human being may into energy. A couple survivors come referred to as "Draconians" & go Gaea, although these come unknown how else numerous Draconians are left. Virtually all of a independent characters of the indicate visit the ruins of Atlantis late in the series.

Seiyū and composers
This series marked the anime debut (around a lead role) of Maaya Sakamoto when a voice of the independent character Hitomi Kanzaki & as the singer of the opening song "Yakusoku wa Iranai" as well as of numbers of more songs in the series.

A music, composed by Yoko Kanno and Hajime Mizoguchi, is of a in spades European flavor, though it also incorporates different styles like coeval, definitive, & Gregorian chant.

Releases
There own been numerous different releases & spin-by-product of Escaflowne.

Broadcast television
Escaflowne briefly aired on the Fox Kids network in an emended form between August & October of 2000, but was canceled. This Escaflowne was modified for content & to healthy a tastes of adolescent boys. Because of this, it has been nicknamed "Foxcaflowne".

the 23-episode version, heavy cut for content & timing, & by having a different title sequence, aired many days on the Dog Children channel in the UK during 2001 and 2002.

Vision of Escaflowne has aired in YTV in Canada under the title Escaflowne, though it featured a bit of of a equivalent problems when the Dog Children version. Unlike Mutt, YTV aired a series twice wholly prior to retiring it.

Video
Bandai's now-defunct Anime Village label freed the "Special Edition" inside N United states created by Bandai Visual around Japan. This "Special Edition" was a entire 26-episode story arc condensed into trey VHS tapes. Inside 1998, Anime Village marketed this edition as a Vision of Escaflowne Right Collection.

The unedited 26-section series hwhen since been freed as bilingual DVD box sets in the US & UK. Inside October 2004 Bandai again freed an Escaflowne pack placed that utilizes reduce DVD legal actions, however a content appears unchanged from either either the original pack placed release from 2002. This re-release besides includes Escaflowne: The Movie. There develop been many DVD versions of a motion-picture show, including the "Ultimate Edition", which involved a bonus features disc & the soundtrack Video.

Manga
TOKYOPOP released the shonen manga inside English in the United States in 2003. (A shōnen manga series actually debuted in Japan before the animated series did, due to the animated version's long pre-production process.) The American translation was imported to Australia by Madman Entertainment.

Trivia and allusions

'', a franchise co-created by Shoji Kawamori.)

Fans unofficially speculate that using Dornkirk's role as a "scientist" prior to his dying, his obsession by having gravity & a occult, & general appearance, that he is actually supposed to become Isaac Newton. In addition, there exists speculation that a character of Dornkirk is loosely depending off Dworkin of The Chronicles of Amber; both come harebrained "wizards" using similar list world health organization produce fate machines.

A "hero"-nature and severity unit of the Goliath mech in the game Starcraft was named Alan Schezar, around court to the Escaflowne character; it exclusively appears in the editor & doesn't come out in the only-streaming video player campaign. Even so, this unit processed an appearance in the bonus campaign known as "The Enslavers" within StarCraft: Brood War, as a streaming video player's enemy, the space pirate named Alan Schezar.