The Vision of Escaflowne (Japanese: 天空のエスカフローネ;Tenkū no Esukafurōne or Escaflowne of the Heavens) is a 26-episode anime television series by Sunrise, directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered in Japan on April 2, 1996 at 6:00 p.m. on TV Tokyo and ended September 24, 1996. It has elements from the genres of shōjo, shōnen, romance, and mecha, and has since inspired a shōnen manga and shōjo manga series, a video game, and an Escaflowne theatrical movie.

Background information

This series focuses on the heroine, Hitomi Kanzaki, and her adventures after she is transported to the world of Gaea, a mysterious planet where she can see the Earth and moon in the sky. On Gaea, Earth is known as the Mystic Moon (Japanese: 幻の月 maboroshi no tsuki or "Phantom Moon"). The design of this world mixes common fantasy elements from different cultures (such as knights and medieval fashion alongside samurai) with steampunk technology such as floating ships and the giant mechanical armors known as "Guymelefs" which are the equivalent to the mecha of other series. Hitomi's latent psychic powers are enhanced on Gaea and she quickly becomes embroiled in the conflicts between the Zaibach Empire and several more peaceful countries. As the series progresses, many of the characters' pasts and motivations, as well as the true nature of the planet Gaea, are revealed.