The characters were in the hands of Nobeteru Yukki(Chrono Cross, X, and Record of the Lodoss Wars), and simply put it that his designs are unsual, possesing a style of there own. The art is also absolutely captivating too. Everything from the vibrant backdrops to the coloring and all in crystal-clear DVD beauty. Escaflowne also has some real good music, Yoko Kanno whose resume spans from Macross Plus to Cowboy Bebop. The presentation comes together so well to make a great story even more believable. Now back to why Fox did not want to continue the show on air and why the ratings were so low. Its a love story that cirlces around Hitomi's interest in Allen since he is such a dashing hero, but at the same time she feels attached to Van and they also have much in common. Again the story comes alive more because of the cast, Hitomi is ditzy, Merle adds the humor and Dilandau is one unique villian. Just see later on in the show why I say that.

The extras are different each disc, from the WEIRD club Escaflowne to some really good music videos on the first disc. Escaflowne looks good and at the same time has one hell of a tale to tell, even if its pacing is somewhat strange and slow at times. The bad all lies in what most animes have as their weakness: the american voice acting. Its such a shame since I get so tired of reading the sub titles, I read alittle too much. All I want is the acting to get better, if for any reason to show that american publishers care about anime. Still Escaflowne has one of the best soundtracks ever, looks hot, has a good story and characters that improve it, and one mech that can kick Zero One's ass any day. Now if only the exciting looking movie will get here sooner instead of......SIGH; 2002.Rating=9.5
Pros=Almost eveything.
Cons=The american voice acting and a few sessions cannot be played on Sony's Playstation 2.