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by Limone a.k.a. Yanagiba Kazuya As one of the anime fans who’ve never watched this highly acclaimed work of Macross Plus director Shoji Kawamori, I immediately seized the opportunity to watch its premiere that first Friday evening. At last, I thought, some quality anime – on TV, no less! The thought of this beautifully animated series being reduced to a cut-and-censored, poorly rewritten dub – a fear all too often realized – didn’t materialize as I sat through the first episode. True, I’d been awaiting Fushigi Yuugi far more eagerly that Friday evening, but I forgot all about Miaka and her Seishis in the space of a one-minute ad spot. All it took was the opening sequence, an intriguing tale, some thirty minutes of animation that blew me away - and I was hooked. My journey through Gaea had begun. Tenkuu no Escaflowne (Escaflowne of the Heavens, or Vision of Escaflowne) is the story of Hitomi Kanzaki, a young high school student and track athlete who has the “vision,” or mysterious power of seeing into the future. Often she catches glimpses of a strange world and events she cannot fully understand. Along with a strange pendant given to her by her grandmother, Hitomi’s visions are a link to an entirely different world, named Gaea. Upon the appearance of a young warrior named Van Fanel – in the midst of a 100 meter dash, no less – Hitomi is transported to Gaea, where advanced technology and awesome mecha known as Guymelefs exist alongside old-world chivalry, magic, and the arts of the sword. Van Fanel turns out to be the young king of the kingdom of Fanelia; his Guymelef, the legendary Escaflowne, is the only thing that stands between them and a power-hungry Zaibach Empire and the destiny of Gaea. Hitomi soon finds herself caught in a war between an empire and Gaea’s besieged kingdoms, where her powers play a crucial part. Escaflowne incorporates fantasy, mecha, romance, and human destiny into an epic that draws the viewer deep into the beguiling world of Gaea. The anime doesn’t break any new ground in its themes or plot; the retro-technological setting has been used before with success, in anime such as Nadia (The Secret of Blue Water, Gainax). In this anime the references and historical background were drawn from various aspects of European culture (such as the use of Portuguese for the languages and names). For an anime series the storytelling is fast-paced from scene to scene, episode to episode. It’s a welcome change from other anime that tend to drag through lengthy dramatic sequences, yet it proceeds without the sacrifice of minor details. The breathtaking animation and the seamless integration of CG techniques make this anime a visual stunner, giving the television series the quality of a good OAV. The invasion of Fanelia, the kingdom of Van Fanel, by the Zaibach Alseides was really one for first impressions; the “cloaking device” animations of the Alseides Guymelefs used the same CG technique as the Ghost In The Shell OAV. The computer graphics, combined with a skillful lighting and cinematography, makes Escaflowne a treat for animation fanatics. The guymelef designs in themselves are gorgeous, done by Kimitoshi Yamane (G Gundam, 08th MS Team), Junya Ishigaki (Victory Gundam, Gundam X) and Mahiro Maeda (The Secret of Blue Water). I particularly like the medieval style, detail and ornamentation that make the Guymelefs reminiscent of knights in shining armor. The fighting scenes are amazing, each movement liquid-smooth, and the mecha just eyecandy in action.
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