Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Unemployed-Sama
Wiping the tears away after that finale, I'm gonna try and be unbiased in my review but I'm not making any promises! The #1 thing I would say to be aware of going into this show is how much of a fan you are of shoujo elements because they are really baked into the core of everything here. The mc is ofc a teenage highschool girl who, understandably, acts like one throughout the series. Hitomi is consistently flawed and very human, and also struggles with the central love triangle (or I guess square) she had been isekaied into. On that point, there is a lot of attention given to the romance here, so just be aware of that beforehand. Even though I was into it, there were still times where I was just waiting for a fight scene or something, it's a lot of romance. They do a good job making the r…
Read at the sourcehot_girl6969
Vision of Escaflowne is a show written by Shoji Kawamori for Sunrise. its development was quite rough before production, lasting 6 years with the project being essentially reworked entirely during production and splitting off into various multimedia works, each taking after various elements proposed during the writing of the show. The original pitch for the show was never changed, but several characteristics from initial drafts were quite radically reinterpreted, mainly the tone and target audience for the show, which was changed from being an action oriented show aimed at young boys (likely to be attributed to Yasuhiro Imagawa, who among other things is responsible for the name Escaflowne, and would leave the role of Series Director to work on G Gundam, a show which very closely adheres t…
Read at the sourceguigeek
Story: 8
A fantasy story about Hitomi Kanzaki, a high school girl who gets TPed on another planet and gets involved in a war for the survival of Gaea, Earth's « twin » world. She will discover quite soon why she's here and how she can help her new friends in her particular way.
Art: 6
An anime series visually rooted in the 90s, nothing special really (apart from the weird noses). I watched the UK BR version, the grain is nice on this one (old anime often get hardcore degrain which is annoying). Very expressive faces and eyes, quite shôjô-like but in a good way.
Sound: 8
The OST is really good and helps immerse yourself in this universe. Soft tracks, fun tracks, sorrowful tracks, fight tracks, you have everything ! Special mention to the epic 4th track of OST 1 (« Danse of curse », you're…
Read at the sourcekeemoksa
[The Vision of Escaflowne] Review (No Spoiler)
Hitomi Kanzaki, an ordinary Japanese girl obsessed with fortune-telling, is suddenly transported to a fantastical world after encountering Van Fanel, a prince battling a monster from another dimension.
The premise—now labeled under the "isekai" genre—was groundbreaking in 1996. While modern isekai anime feels repetitive, Escaflowne remains a timeless gem.
Key Strengths:
The World of Gaea:
A seamless blend of samurai, knights, and giant robots (Guymelefs). The lore balances technology (like dragon-powered mechs) with medieval aesthetics flawlessly. Production Quality:
Animation: Among the best even now for a TV series. Character designs range from realistic, detailed styles (e.g., Balgus, the mentor, and Dornkirk, the villainous king) to cu…
Read at the sourceCaeruleus_CCXVI
7.25 ~ Despite its age, still a banger
I watched most of this one as a child and could not remember much past the fact that it was a Shojo Swords and Sorcery + mobile suits and had NO magical girls, which honestly stands out. Beyond that I couldn't remember anything other then I kinda liked it and the noses were really weirdly animated... man those noses keep me up at night. When I came back to MAL a few years ago it was one of the many shows I imputed a score for and gave it a 6/10 without much thought. However after rewatching Rayearth I realized I should probably rewatch this one as its from a similar time period and is more or less in the same genre, or so I thought. I gave Rayearths complete series a 5.5/10 so I was pretty scared to go into this one. Beyond a show having a female lea…
Read at the sourcejoemaamah
When this came out, I remember thinking, "A fantasy with a mecha?? Oh, god spare me please!" But anime could be sparse in the US back in the day, so you took what you could get. I'm glad I swallowed my expectations, and gave this a try. In fact, over the years I've given it a couple tries. One of the very rare animes of the era I have given multiple watches.
The art work for the day was well above average. Same with the animation, for the most part. There's some cost cutting in the middle episodes but it's not too distracting. There are some action scenes that still are wonderful examples of how good hand drawn animation could get.
For the day, the character writing was very good. I suspect they might seem a little cliche today, as so many other animes over the years stole the ideas fo…
Read at the sourceDompa112
Wait a minute!? Isekais used to be good!? Yes they actually were once upon a time. Thats what ive learned from watching a few older Isekais. Escaflowne among them. This ofcourse was before the Isekai boom that i think started with Sword art Online where talentless writers got their spotlight in all braindead light novel Isekais with overly long titles. Braindead plot. Harem and fanservice.
Back to Escaflowne its non of that. Theres actually a well put together plot here. With lots of great world building and lore. Characters are well made and the writer doesnt have to use fan service to catch the audience attention. Another thing of nogice is the MC mostly being Female in older Isekais. Yes theres some romance but usually just the 1 or 2 love interest rather than the obnoxious modern day…
Read at the sourceZanryu1337
The Vision of Escaflowne was a large part of my childhood as it was one of the first anime for be broadcasted in Germany at that time, especially noteworthy for the last-night timeslot. Now, so many years later, the experience can refreshen itself, but this time in chronological order.
Story: 7
Animation: 7
Sound: 9
Characters: 8
Enjoyment: 9
Total: 8
And I still like it very much. As a progenitor isekai, Escaflowne isn't shackled by the new conventions and cliches. In that regard, the most noteworthy aspect is the desire to return to the original world, even with multiple romances ongoing. As that desire for love is constantly juxtaposed by the psychological torment of war. Sadly, the story flops on the fake-return aspect very hard, but still manages the final stretch with some bruises…
Read at the sourceLotteGiants
Escaflowne is an isekai mecha action show that really really really wishes it could just be an isekai romance show. The first half balances those elements reasonably well and strings the viewer along with a lot of mystery about its world and why the evil Zaibach empire is so bent on finding "Escaflowne". Ultimately that promise is never delivered on in any meaningful way and halfway through the show the shounen action and romance fall completely out of balance and get in each other's way. Everything does reach a rushed yet functional conclusion but the wasted potential is massive.
Pros+
+ Escaflowne is a visual feast if you’re a fan of that certain sort of 90s animation. Sunrise really put their best effort into showing the eponymous Escaflowne transforming and swinging its sword against…
Read at the sourcePsyPoke_SlowDuck
Escaflowne is a fine anime with the setting being set in a fantasy world with some technology in it as well, although I wished more things could have been explained because many things just come out of left-field along with the fast pacing. There's never really that much foreshadowing of where stuff leads too, just boom this appears(somewhat more in the latter half) or they appear but sometimes get explained later. But at the same I think the story pretty much sets out what it's meant to do in the first place. The ending is rushed which just make everything feel a bit
Music: 9/10 The soundtrack is pretty good for its time, very orchestrate instruments + holy singing set the tone of the scenes that there's some deep meaning behind the story.
Characters: 6/10 Characters leave an odd taste…
Read at the sourceScandalous21
My thoughts on Escaflowne are very simple. It is something that could have been good, but unfortunately the budget was cut and the plot moved way too quickly all of the time. Even if the other parts of the series are of high quality, this nonetheless completely ruins the experience for me. If you like extremely fast paced anime, then you've definitely found your recommendation. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it. The theme of revenge is also very overdone; I don't think this needs to be expanded upon.
Numerical rating:
Visuals and sound - 7
Value - 7
Script - 4
Characters - 7
Enjoyment - 4
Overall - 6
Read at the sourceSgtSalamander
The Vision of Escaflowne is an exquisite audiovisual experience, with art and sound which effortlessly immerse the viewer in a world of immense imagination and adventure which manages to be an aesthetic tour de force from start to finish. However, wreathed in the glory of this achievement, there is a story which is simply adequate, failing to rise to the occasion in a way which keeps this work of art from being a 9 or perhaps even a coveted 10. To begin with the story, which is the weakest link by far, it must first be said that it isn't a bad story. Indeed, it's a perfectly fine story, which would serve any average work quite well, but Escaflowne is no average work, and as a result it stands out. It even almost achieves greatness in its own right by episode 14, which is the most exemplary…
Read at the sourceJet_Suzuyaki
Unique in its kind is I think the best qualifier of this anime.
One of the strongest points is the animation which, despite being 26 years old, is still fluid and dynamic. Frankly, I take my hat off to the animation for remaining pleasant to the eye despite the passage of time.
The plot is also a strong point of Tenkuu no Escaflowne. Although quite complex at times, especially in the second part, it remains very pleasant to follow and once again unique with lots of twists and turns and political schemes (strategies) that make us always get caught up in it and we can't wait to see what happens next. I will regret a rather precipitated end, it remains really touching and melancholic but its faster and condensed rhythm is quite at odds with the impeccable rhythm that took its time througho…
Read at the sourcereizamundi
A disappointing and predictable series riding on the mesmerizing musical compositions of Yoko Kanno.
The story of Escaflowne had the opportunity to incorporate engaging and complex explorations of predeterminism and how one’s state of mind is the catalyst to one’s destiny. The inspirations drawn from archeology and ancient mythology could also have had immense potential to support the theme.
Nevertheless, the narrative failed to dive into the underlying philosophical and rich subject matters. It is a pity that such powerful motifs were not thoroughly illustrated or perhaps the implicit aim was to cater to the generic audience. Either this or the writer gave up on the narrative midway.
Everything from the underdeveloped drama and tension in the plot, dry characters, and unoriginal envir…
Read at the sourceh4rl3yw1ls0n
I don’t remember how I found this anime, all I remember was I just started watching it on YouTube one night. But at first (probably within the first 2-3 episodes) I was honestly bored and felt that I was probably going to drop it. The main reason for this was the fact that the dialogue was a bit dull and I didn’t really like the concept at first and I was incredibly confused, but after persevering I eventually began to enjoy it lots. At first, the general plot wasn’t clear and I did not understand the concept of what an escaflowne actually was and who was fighting who, but after I watched for a while the plot became a lot clearer and easier to understand. Although the plot was not the most gripping, it was still entertaining and felt like a good watch. I felt that some of the characters we…
Read at the sourceBellaQuack
This was honestly one of the best anime I have EVER watched. This would rank on my top 2. Romeo X Juliet being number 1. The Vision of Escaflowne was amazing. I just bought the game for the ps1 and the tarot cards. I really loved this anime!! The art style was amazing. Sure, I like the way anime looks now, but anime like that was also amazing. I loved the colors they used and how pretty the artwork was. And the whole story was well thought out and original. The writers knew how to keep an audience entertained. I really love this anime, and I hope you guys do too!
Read at the sourceZenvoir
ONE LIGHT SPOILER IN THE REVIEW PLEEASE SKIP IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE ANIME!!
Okay so I plan to read the light novel and fully expect some deeper explanation on many of the underlying phenomena occuring in the show.
Story: 7/10
I love the high fantasy mech combination, and I love the world created and its relation to Hitomi Kanzaki because its a playground for her growth as a character. I have a few issues as to why drac-energists and the technology surrounding them wasn't expanded upon. Although it makes Gaea special, as it is this mysterious life energy that seems to be powered by fate, it seems like drac-energy is mostly a tool to advance the story. Girl screams and wishes things to stop and through the magic in her pendant they just magically stop. This could have been avoided if…
Read at the sourceLtClean
I love this anime, but when it reviews to shows, I have a lot of bias. I will try to keep it neutral. I'll start with what it does right, this is the only anime I have ever watched where I never skipped any opening or ending. The soundtrack is orchestral and fantastical and awesome and fast when it needs. It gives every moment that special touch.
Its animation I love, though the style is not for everyone, the animation in every scene is charming and stunning. This anime has some of the best-choreographed fight scenes I have ever seen, and they are animated to give them weight, you feel every punch and grin when Van or Allen mess somebody up. The environments are dynamic and beautiful as well .My one complaint is on episodes 24 and 25 the animation drops in quality, luckily on the last epi…
Read at the sourceAntonioWolf
If you like some philosophy, check this out: https://leftofwreckage.wordpress.com/2021/01/29/anime-logic-the-vision-of-escaflowne-on-the-fate-alteration-engine-or-the-atlantis-machine/
This may seem strange, but the series this most reminds me of is Outlaw Star. Why? I suppose it's because it is also a mix of esoteric/mystical myths and metaphysics as well as future tech. The galactic leyline of Outlaw Star is generally the same trope as the Atlantis machine of Escaflowne. Escaflowne, however, eclipses Outlaw Star across the board—everything is simply better. While Outlaw Star disappoints me more and more every time I rewatch it, Escaflowne simply satisfies me more the more I think about it. The most important thing it has over Outlaw Star is that it makes as full a use of its mysterious…
Read at the sourcecamvie
To say that « The Vision of Escaflowne » aired at the right time would be an understatement.
The year was 1996 and with the success of « Evangelion » and Gundam’s 90’s peak, this series had the right credentials to be a success both in Japan and in the USA. While it didn’t reach the legendary status of the aforementioned shows, it did gain a special place in many hearts.
Now, « Escaflowne » is by no means a bad product, however to see it often compared to the likes of its contemporaries leaves me quite perplexed.
First, a quick rundown of the plot.
Hitomi, a schoolgirl with a passion for running and a talent for reading tarots, gets transported into another world, or better, to another planet, Gaea. Her newfound psychic powers quickly become a key part in the conflicts ongoing in this…
Read at the source
