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8Hitomi Kanzaki (Creator/MaayaSakamoto) is an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent who reads tarot cards and runs on her school's track team. One day, just as she's about to earn her SacredFirstKiss from her senpai and crush, a young warior appears in a PillarOfLight, closely pursued by a vicious dragon. The warrior, [[WarriorPrince Prince Van Fanel]] (Creator/TomokazuSeki), rescues Hitomi and her friends from the dragon, succeeds in killing it, and takes a power source for his HumongousMecha from its heart. Another PillarOfLight then appears, whisking Hitomi and Van away to his world, Gaea, where Earth itself hangs in the night sky...
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10Once there, Hitomi and Van quickly become embroiled in a massive war. Van's kingdom of Fanelia is one of many at war with the sinister [[TheEmpire Zaibach Empire]], whose Emperor Dornkirk (Masato Yamanouchi) seeks to use his probability-altering technology (and army of SchizoTech HumongousMecha known as "Guymelefs" -- or "Melefs" for smaller mecha) to [[TakeOverTheWorld conquer Gaea]] and create a world without uncertainty. The best chance to turn the tide of the war is the mighty Guymelef, the eponymous Escaflowne... which is also the biggest source of uncertainty disrupting Dornkirk's vision of the future.
11
12A brainchild of Creator/ShojiKawamori, ''Tenkuu no Escaflowne'' (lit. "Escaflowne of the Heavens") was conceived during a trip to Nepal and [[HighConcept pitched]] as ''Air Cavalry Chronicles'', basically "''[[Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross Macross]]'' with divination instead of love songs". It spent several years in DevelopmentHell, during which a manga was published (based on pre-production materials and thus markedly different from the final product). The series was finally broadcast in Japan from April 2 to September 24, 1996. Two more mangas and a novelization were produced later, and the anime was licensed as ''The Vision of Escaflowne'' in the US. There was also [[Anime/EscaflowneTheMovie a movie]], ''Escaflowne'', released in 2000, which greatly simplified the series' mythology and played up its mystical aspects.
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14Curiously, Creator/FoxKids aired the dub of the show around 2000, largely in response to the anime boom at the time. Of course, since the show was not exactly kid-friendly, it had to be significantly edited. It never fully finished airing, not even getting halfway before the TV broadcast was cancelled at 8 episodes for low ratings. The edited version played in full on YTV in Canada, with about 2 episodes' worth of footage trimmed from the show.
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16Originally, the show and the movie were licensed by Creator/BandaiEntertainment and were dubbed in Vancouver by Creator/TheOceanGroup. Thanks to a [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/funimationprod/the-vision-of-escaflowne-a-new-hd-dub-for-the-clas successful Kickstarter campaign]], Creator/{{Funimation}} redubbed the series and the movie with a brand new Texas-based cast for their Blu-Ray releases in 2016.
17
18Compare and contrast with ''Anime/AuraBattlerDunbine'', ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'', and ''Anime/PanzerWorldGalient'', their predecessors in creating a MedievalEuropeanFantasy setting and adding HumongousMecha in the mix.
19
20----
21!!''The Vision of Escaflowne'' provides examples of the following tropes:
22
23* TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects: Mostly averted; this show was one of the first to make extensive use of computers to aid the animation, but the creators were careful to blend it with the hand-drawn animation. However, there are a few instances that stick out, such as Zongi's camouflaging.
24* ActionDressRip: Hitomi gallantly ruining fashion to save Van from a sneak attack.
25* AdaptationalVillainy: In the movie, [[spoiler: Folken is a psychotic BigBad, while in the original series he was more of an AntiVillain or a DragonWithAnAgenda to the actual Big Bad, Emperor Dornkirk (who is [[AdaptedOut absent from the movie altogether]]). In fact, in the series he eventually has a HeelFaceTurn]].
26* AgentPeacock: The Zaibach officer overseeing the energist extraction at the dragon graveyard wears pink accents and speaks in a somewhat flamboyant manner. He also has a FeatherBoaConstrictor named Nina.
27* AlienSky: "I could see the Earth and Moon in the sky of this strange world", from the first episode when Hitomi ends up in Gaea.
28* AllThereInTheManual: The ages, birth dates, full names and even some interests of many characters are listed in the Roman Album Artbook as well as some other artbooks.
29* AloofBigBrother: Folken, [[spoiler: until his HeelFaceTurn]].
30* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The FOX Kids version has a different [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5ZXbrqPjKM opening]]. So does the German version, the ending stayed the same though
31* AngstComa: Van goes into one after going berserk and killing a number of minor villains. Hitomi enters his mind to try to bring him out of it, but it is ultimately Merle's heartfelt pleas that do the job.
32* AntiVillain: Folken and Jajuka are the most prominent examples.
33* AppliedPhlebotinum: Energists and levistones. There's also [[spoiler:Hitomi's pendant, which turns out to be an Atlantean artifact salvaged by Leon and given to Hitomi's grandmother on his deathbed]].
34%%* AxCrazy: Dilandau
35* BadassNormal: Balgus. You don't see a lot of people who are able to fight off a giant mecha with just a sword.
36* BarbieDollAnatomy: Played straight with Zongi the Doppleganger, who has no genitals. Slightly subverted when he takes Plaktu's form; observant viewers can see the shadow of his bulge for a brief moment before the candlelight is extinguished.
37* BashBrothers: Naria and Eriya fight with perfect synchronicity.
38* BathtubMermaid: [[IntrepidMerchant Dryden Fassa]] is introduced interacting with a captive mermaid in a large water tank. It's then revealed that he purchased her [[SlaveLiberation in order to set her free]].
39* BeastMan: There's a lot of animal people, including [[CatGirl cat girls]], wolf-men, a dog-man, and even ''gecko''-people, as well as one person who appeared to be part dolphin/porpoise.
40* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The final episode, where [[spoiler:Dornkirk's machine grants everyone their wishes... and apparently everyone's wish is to fight each other rather than have peace like Dornkirk had envisioned.]]
41* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: [[spoiler:Emperor Dornkirk is really Isaac Newton.]] And crazily enough this has some historical basis, given his [[spoiler:obsession with the occult and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology the end of the world.]]]][[note]] You can see where the name Escaflowne comes from -- "escalation", in relation to "eschatology".[[/note]] Yep, [[DontExplainTheJoke apples dropping on your head]] can do that to you.
42* BelligerentSexualTension: To a very mild degree, Princess Millerna and Dryden.
43* {{BFS}}: In an example of TheBigGuy using one, Balgus uses one to take on a group of giant mecha, even parrying the strikes of Guymelef-sized blades and severing mechanical limbs.
44* BoldExplorer: Allen's DisappearedDad was this. In fact, his frequent absences and the fact that he never returned from one of his voyages are the source of Allen's massive DaddyIssues.
45* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]], then [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]. At one point Allen asks Dryden for Guymelefs to defend against Zaibach, but Dryden tells him he is merely a merchant, not a arms dealer, unless they want to take out the museum pieces in his collection. Ultimately they don't get used in the fight, suggesting they wouldn't have been of much use.
46* BreakTheCutie: Van, Hitomi, [[spoiler: Folken right before he joins Zaibach, Dilandau in his... er, ''her'' backstory]].
47* BroadStrokes: The manga adaptations take quite a lot of liberties with ''Escaflowne''. You can't even recognize most of the cast in the shōnen manga; Hitomi has longer dark hair and glasses, just for starters.
48%%* BittersweetEnding: Both in the anime series and in the movie.
49* CainAndAbel: Van is Abel. Folken is Cain; [[spoiler:though he pulls a HeelFaceTurn towards the end.]]
50* CapedMecha: A feature of pretty much any Guymelef that isn't mass produced. The capes on Zaibach mechs double as {{Invisibility Cloak}}s.
51* CatGirl: Merle, later Naria and Eriya.
52* CentralTheme: [[spoiler:WindsOfDestinyChange. The Zaibach Empire has built a machine to see -- and ''alter'' -- the fate of human beings; their ultimate goal is to do this to the entire world, which they believe [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans justifies their numerous atrocities]]]].
53** In turn, Hitomi isn't just a fortuneteller, she's also a [[spoiler:fortune''maker'' -- she can do everything the machine can do, and between her fortunetelling skills and Atlantean ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve pendant, she's strong enough to seriously screw with its ability to even ''see'' the future. When she's close to Van, she does it without even ''thinking'' about it. And that's just when she's ''physically'' close to him; when she feels ''emotionally'' close to him, it's as if such a machine is being used '''[[HoistByHisOwnPetard against them]]''']]. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:until about halfway through the series, she isn't even ''aware'' she's doing this, and even afterwards doesn't realize the PropheticFallacy; she's the third wheel in ''two'' {{Love Triangle}}s(Van/Merle, Allen/Millerna), and after Zaibach whammies her at Allen to decrease her power, she tries to whammy Millerna into an arranged marriage -- this ends up instead ''supercharging'' the fate machine and pretty much enables Zaibach to '''[[CantGetAwayWithNuthin destroy over half of Palas]]''']].
54** Played most straight with the [[spoiler:"Intensified Luck Soldiers" Naria and Eriya, who get powered up with "fortune blood" which causes, among other things, weapons fired at them to bend off-course if not ''self destruct'', swords swung at them to veer dramatically off to the side and flying mechs pursuing them to spontaneously power down and drop out of the sky. Unfortunately for the two of them, that blood proves to be PowerAtAPrice.]]
55* CharmPerson: Folken uses a {{Magitek}} device to prod Allen and Hitomi into getting together in a process somewhere on the spectrum between this and MoreThanMindControl. He's not forcing them to do anything morally ''wrong'', or even anything they might not have done on their own, just giving them an extra push to do something that both of them on some level wanted to do anyway.
56* ChekhovsSkill: Hitomi skills as a runner and jumper come in handy a couple of times. [[spoiler:She not only clears a 20+ foot gap in order to help rescue Van from a Zaibach fortress, she has the speed and stamina to run across the city and save him from a deadly sneak attack.]]
57* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: [[spoiler:The reason why Hitomi's calamitous prophecies come true is that she believes in them. Also, Dornkirk's machine's function is to cause this to happen. [[TooDumbToLive Too bad people want the destruction of each other instead of world peace....]]]]
58* ClubPresident: Amano, the captain of the track team.
59* CostumePorn: Lots of elaborate costumes here.
60* ChocolateBaby: A very rare inversion of the usual trope is used here. [[spoiler:While it is thought that Prince Chid is the son of the Duke of Freid and Millerna's sister Marlene, it is very obvious both in-universe and out that the Anglo-Saxon-looking Chid looks absolutely ''nothing'' like the duke, who has olive skin and Middle Eastern features. Naturally, Chid isn't his son; he's Allen and Marlene's love child. Unusually, the duke ''knows'' all of this, and keeps on vocally insisting that Chid is his, likely out of love (and avoidance of war).]]
61* CosmicDeadline: The series was originally supposed to last 39 episodes, but got cut down to 26, forcing the writers to speed things up.
62* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: Dilandau is so angry over Zongi's murder of one of his Dragonslayers that he ''crushes Zongi to death with his Guymelef's hands''.]]
63* CrystalSpiresAndTogas: [[spoiler:Atlantis. Eventually Atlanteans decided that even ''this'' wasn't good enough for them, and decided to make themselves into {{Physical God}}s. [[AndManGrewProud That didn't end well]]]].
64* CurbStompBattle: Van vs. the Dragonslayers is a pretty epic example of this.
65* DarkAndTroubledPast: Van, Folken, and Dilandau. Played up for great drama in TheMovie.
66* DeadlyUpgrade: Van forges a psychic link with Escaflowne that makes him more effective at piloting it, [[PowerAtAPrice at the cost of feeling its pain]]. [[spoiler:Luck enhancement does ''not'' end well for Naria and Eriya. Also, Folken implies that [[YourDaysAreNumbered His Days Are Numbered]] because of a set of these.]]
67* {{Determinator}}: Van, more so as the war goes on. By the halfway point of the series, silly little factors like "we've already surrendered," "your mech is utterly totaled," or "you're bleeding to death" don't even get in the way of trying to fly straight back to the battlefield on his own two wings.
68%%* DisappearedDad: Allen's father, Leon.
69* DistressedDude: Hitomi rescues Van so often that he gets frustrated by it.
70%%* DoomedHometown: Fanelia
71* DowsingDevice: In Episode 5, Hitomi uses a pendant and a map to locate the missing Van Fanel.
72* DungeonPunk: A setting where [[{{Magitek}} giant robots are powered by dragon hearts]]? What else ''could'' it be?
73* FanDisservice: The fans are [[SarcasmMode treated]] to more than a couple shots of the Doppleganger's pale, skinny, naked butt in Episode 10 as he infiltrates a ship.
74* {{Fanservice}}
75** Naria and Eriya, complete with a bit of incestuous LesYay.
76** The manga series then takes the fanservice and runs off a cliff with it, to the point that it gets distracting.
77* FantasticAesop: Trying to change fate is possible, but also dangerous and can have dire consequences.
78* FantasticNuke: During the final battle between Zaibach and the Asturian alliance, Basram deploys a new weapon that is unmistakably a nuclear bomb except it's powered by dragon hearts. When deployed, it completely wipes out three of the four Zaibach armies and an unknown number of Asturian troops.
79* FantasticRacism: At least some humans seem to have this for the Beastmen. Humans and Beastmen against [[spoiler:the Draconians, the winged descendants of the people of Atlantis.]]
80%%* FirstChurchOfMecha: In at least one of the manga.
81* FlightOfRomance: [[spoiler: Van and Hitomi in the [[http://www.100megspopup.com/catgurlmerle/vancaught.jpg finale.]]]]
82* FreakinessShame:
83-->'''Hitomi:''' And about wings... I really like them, Van. They're pretty.\
84'''Van:''' You and [[ClingyJealousGirl Merle]] are probably the only people who'd say that.
85* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: [[spoiler:When Merle manages to (literally) slap Hitomi and (not-so-literally) Van out of a dark vision, which saves their lives.]]
86* GoThroughMe: Merle does this for Van in Episode 15. Notable in the fact that she's shielding him from two enemy Guymelefs ''with only her body''.
87* GoodWingsEvilWings: [[spoiler:Folken's wings, unlike Van's or Varie's, turn black. While [[YourDaysAreNumbered the cause of this]] (Fate Alteration experiments he performed on himself) is unrelated to his moral alignment, the FallenAngel imagery is definitely there.]]
88%%* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Folken.]]
89%%* HiddenElfVillage: The Ispano.
90* HistoricalBadassUpgrade: [[spoiler:Sir Isaac Newton]] is an alchemist who uses the power of Atlantis. Also a case of ShownTheirWork, as Newton did develop quite a bit of interest in alchemy and the occult in his later years.
91* HumongousMecha: Not as [[DrinkingGame/TVTropes egregious]] as other series. Most Guymelefs are about 8 meters tall. The manga, on the other hand, goes and makes Escaflowne about 10 ''stories'' tall.
92%%* IdenticalGrandson: ...and grandmother.
93* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: [[ClingyJealousGirl Merle]] begins taking this approach after it becomes obvious that Van is in love with Hitomi. Her anger at Hitomi in the second half of the series isn't because Van likes her more, but because Hitomi's LoveTriangle indecisiveness is hurting him.
94* IHaveThisFriend: Twice, between Millerna and Hitomi; Both times, the listening party catches on almost immediately.
95%%* InstantSedation
96* InvisibilityCloak: Zaibach's Guymelefs can turn invisible. It's obviously a major advantage in a fight, and Van needs Hitomi to dowse their location to win (until she teaches him how to do it himself.)
97* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[spoiler: Allen (for Hitomi), Dryden (for Millerna), Hitomi (for Yukari), technically Merle (for Van)]].
98* JustBetweenYouAndMe: Let me explain how very evil I am [[IdiotBall in front of the angry armed guy]]. Of course, [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning that was all a part of his master plan]].
99* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:A machine uses this trope as fuel.]]
100* KillAndReplace: What Zongi the Doppleganger does to Plaktu. This seems to be the modus operandi of all Dopplegangers (and the reason they're so feared), since the process of taking a person's appearance kills them.
101* KnightInShiningArmor: Allen Schezar
102* LargeHam: Dilandau, as voiced by Creator/AndrewFrancis. Seriously, just wow.
103* LetsYouAndHimFight: Van meets Allen when he finds the latter standing over a fainted Hitomi (whom he was about to pick up and carry to safety.) Van draws his sword and charges, [[CurbStompBattle and gets a sword hilt to the stomach and lights out]].
104* LightIsNotGood: Arguably. The Draconians look very much like angels, but they're viewed as cursed by most people on Gaea. While it's not so much the case for the remaining Draconians (they're just subject to FantasticRacism), [[spoiler:the [[{{Precursors}} Atlanteans]] they're descended from ''were'' a case of this, and their angel wings (which they gave themselves through the use of some [[NeglectfulPrecursors theologically questionable and world-threatening magitek]]) were a product and major indication of their arrogance.]]
105%%* LoadBearingBoss: Folken in TheMovie.
106* LoveDodecahedron: Consisting of at least four interlocking {{Love Triangle}}s. Possibly as many as six triangles. The main six interlock like this: Merle -- Van -- Hitomi -- Allen -- Millerna -- Dryden. Branching off you have Hitomi -- Amano -- Yukari, and you could possibly add the Mermaid as another link off Dryden.
107* LoyalPhlebotinum: The Escaflowne
108* LuckBasedSearchTechnique: Millerna sits at her late sister's desk and listens to a built-in music box. Then, for no obvious reason, she presses down on the head of one of the mechanical figurines. This causes a secret compartment to open, revealing Marlene's diary.
109* MauveShirt: Gaddes and the other crew members of the ''Crusade''. They get just enough characterization to be memorable and survive the series, but remain background characters.
110* MaybeEverAfter [[spoiler: Suggested in the very last moments of the TV series. Presuming that Hitomi isn't just hallucinating/imagining seeing Van, the scene suggests that communication between Gaea and Earth is still possible (and, if so, travel may be as well). Whether this is the case lies beyond the purview of official works, though.]]
111* MacGuffinTurnedHuman: Hitomi in the manga. Literally: her body ''becomes'' the crystal used to power Escaflowne.
112* MarilynManeuver:
113** In the uncensored version of the episode, "The Girl From The Mystic Moon", the back of Hitomi's skirt is blown up slightly when the Escaflowne takes a step and she tugs on it from behind.
114** Hitomi has another in "The Gallant Swordsman". When the spirit of The Death card comes to life and emerges out of it, swirling around Hitomi and the motion causes her skirt to flap around in the wind the spirit creates.
115%%* MeaningfulEcho: The "I have this friend" discussion.
116* MeaningfulName:
117** Hitomi means "eye", or "iris" which is the colored part of the eye. It was picked out for her because of her ability to see the [[http://escaflowne.anime.net//characters/k/kanzaki_hitomi/index.html unseen]]. In the mangas her last name Hoshino is a play on the words "of the stars".
118** Escaflowne, [[http://escaflowne.anime.net//mecha/fanelia/escaflowne/index.html#note according to Shoji Kawamori]], is rooted in the word "escalation"; and given the presence of Dornkirk [[spoiler:a.k.a Sir Isaac Newton,]] and as already noted above under BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy, it is highly likely that it is also related to Eschatology.
119** Master swordsman Balgus' last name, Ganesha, comes from the Hindu god of [[http://escaflowne.anime.net//characters/g/ganesha_balgus/index.html the same name.]] (The site is SadlyMythtaken however- Ganesha's ''father'' is the God of Destruction, while Ganesha himself is the god who clears obstacles)
120** Dilandau's guymelef, Alseides, is named after the Alseids, the nymphs found in Greek mythology who live in the groves, springs of rivers, and in meadows -- [[spoiler: which possibly hints at his true identity as Selena Schezar, seeing that Allen's flashback has her in a field and she was said to be gentle]]. It's also an IronicName given how it's used by Dilandau to burn cities and to try to impale Van.
121** The Oreades is named after Greek mythology Oreades, which were nymphs who lived in the mountains.
122** The name of Allen's guymelef, Scheherezade, references ''A Thousand and One Nights'' and is Persian for "city-freer"
123* MechaEnablingPhlebotinum : The petrified hearts of dragons.
124* AMechByAnyOtherName: On Gaea a mech is called a "melef" (for the non-weaponized civilian variants used for heavy labor) or "Guymelef" (for the soldiering types used in combat.)
125* TheMedic: Millerna in the TV series. Note that she's ''not'' a WhiteMagicianGirl, though: she's a normal medical student.
126%%* MedievalEuropeanFantasy
127* MementoMacGuffin: Hitomi's pendant, given to her by her grandmother [[spoiler:which was given to ''her'' by Allen's father, Leon. Yep, turns out that Hitomi isn't the only Kanzaki that's gone world-hopping...]].
128* MinorInjuryOverreaction: Dilandau descends into further madness and becomes even MORE AxCrazy than he already was after getting a facial scar from Van.
129* MissingMom:
130** [[spoiler: Varie,Van and Folken's mother]]. It's not explained in detail what happened to her after she disappeared, though. The implication is that this character is dead.
131** Encia Schezar, who [[spoiler:died of a broken heart after her husband died and her daughter disappeared.]]
132%%** Queen Therese Aston.
133** Marlene, Prince Chid's mother.
134* ModestRoyalty: While Asturian royalty indulges in CostumePorn, the Fanelian royal family dresses simply. Van, for example, spends all of two scenes in something fancier than a pair of slacks and a peasant's shirt; and in the first of those scenes, he's wearing banged-up armor.
135-->'''Hitomi:''' ''He's'' a prince?!
136* MoralMyopia: ''Nobody'''s allowed to beat on Dilandau's Dragonslayers!... Well, except for ''Dilandau'', of course.
137* MrFanservice: When Kazuki Akane was put on the project to direct, he figured that it wouldn't hurt to [[MultipleDemographicAppeal broaden the]] potential by adding some elements. [[{{Bishonen}} Guess what those]] [[ShirtlessScene elements were]].
138* MsFanservice
139** Naria and Eriya. Semi-Twincestious, scantily-clad {{Cat Girl}}s that are [[TwinThreesomeFantasy totally willing to share]].
140** Merle -- TokenMiniMoe, CatGirl, VaporWear, VictoriasSecretCompartment...
141** Hitomi gots some legs and [[SheCleansUpNicely cleans up nicely]].
142* MuggleAndMagicalLoveTriangle: Allen, Hitomi, and Van. While Allen may be a MasterSwordsman, he is a muggle to the bone, while Van is a HalfHumanHybrid, descendant of the cursed [[spoiler:Atlantean]] race. Also, Allen appears to be the Gaean counterpart of Amano, Hitomi's high school running coach and first crush, making him a muggle times two. From a Gaean pov, Hitomi; who is from "The Mystic Moon" and can predict the future.
143* MultipleDemographicAppeal: Where to begin? {{Mecha}}, really cool fight scenes, LoveDodecahedron, [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys lots and lots of]] {{Bishonen}}... Let's just say that there was enough to spawn two manga adaptations, a shōnen one and a shōjo one.
144* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: [[spoiler:Which is why Dornkirk gave that [[JustBetweenYouAndMe speech]].]]
145* NamedWeapons: Escaflowne is the name of a suit of giant mobile armor.
146* NarniaTime: The relative flow of time between Earth and Gaia is inconsistent to say the least. Although the time flow between the two worlds is presumably in synch by the end.
147* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Everything that isn't Dornkirk's fault in this series is Hitomi's. [[spoiler:Tends to happen when ''both'' sides can ScrewDestiny. And Hitomi can do it without even trying that hard, without ''knowing'' she's doing it, and even after she learns otherwise, her aim '''sucks''']].
148* NobleMaleRoguishMale: Allen is the Noble Male, while Van is the Roguish Male. They are even [[HairContrastDuo color-coded]]. [[spoiler:Defied in that Van is really a messianic pacifist who is ''disgusted'' by combat, and Allen has sired an ''illegitimate child'' -- with an '''engaged woman!''' Hitomi [[BrokenPedestal doesn't take it well]]]].
149* OminousLatinChanting: Quite often. The most notable examples in the {{BGM}} are [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSlNHi6wgQQ Dance of the Curse]] and [[http://daitrombe.net/attachments/1850/Escaflowne_-_Epistle.mp3 Epistle.]]
150* OpeningNarration: "Was it all just a dream? Or maybe a vision... no, it was real! [insert a few lines recapping the previous episode]" This stopped about halfway through the series.
151%%* OrchestralBombing
152%%* OurAngelsAreDifferent
153* {{Overdrive}}: When Van, Allen and Hitomi are escaping Zaibach's capital on Escaflowne they are pursued by Zaibach's mechas which are much faster. As they're closing in and a panicked Van is urging Escaflowne to fly faster, it suddenly transforms to reveal a jet engine and shoots forward at LudicrousSpeed.
154%%* ParentalAbandonment: Van, Folken, Allen, Chid.
155%%* PartlyCloudyWithAChanceOfDeath
156%%* PerpetualMolt: Van, sometimes Folken.
157* PillarOfLight: Transports people from Earth to Gaea and vice-versa, as well as around Gaea.
158%%* PimpedOutDress
159* PlanetaryRomance: Though it initially appears to be pure fantasy, Gaea ends up fitting neatly within the Planetary Romance genre, with all instances of "magic" actually being hugely advanced technology.
160* PosthumousCharacter: Quite a few of the main characters' dead (or presumed dead) relatives are relevant to the plot.
161%%* PowerCrystal
162%%* PowerOfLove
163* {{Precursors}}: The Atlanteans. Most of Gaea generally [[NeglectfulPrecursors doesn't think very highly of them]].
164* PrincessesPreferPink: Millerna; Marlene's dresses are also a dark shade of pink.
165* ProbabilityPower: Dornkirk has been tinkering with this for years, finally turning Naria and Eriya into "Enhanced Luck Soldiers" who are preternaturally lucky -- though it's implied it only worked due to [[spoiler:Hitomi trying to use her newly-discovered fortunemaking powers to cheat her way out of a double LoveTriangle]]. Shots fired at them veer off-course, mecha that attack them experience sudden mechanical failures, etc. Unfortunately, some sort of "[[PowerAtAPrice conservation of luck]]" mechanic is in effect, and having so much good luck is balanced by bad: within a day they become sick and die.
166* ProphecyTwist: [[spoiler:Knowing that fortunes on Gaea are [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve influenced by human belief and will]], Hitomi switches out the Tower card (Separation) for the Emperor (Good Fortune) in the Tarot reading of Millerna's impending marriage to Dryden. Turns out that the luck was for the ''bad guys'', who crash the wedding and -- thanks to literally supernatural good fortune -- destroy over half of Palas and defeat the Escaflowne with only two mechs]]. Cue Hitomi's cry of MyGodWhatHaveIDone.
167%%* PutTheLaughterInSlaughter: Dilandau gives [[Franchise/{{Batman}} The Joker]] himself a run for the money.
168* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Dragonslayers and, once Van completely obliterates them, the [[CatGirl leopard]] twins.
169* RealityWarper: Hitomi is a low-grade example. When she sees into the future, what she is actually doing is seeing into ''all possible'' futures and pulling the one most in line with her current emotional state into place.
170* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Folken, also a KarmicDeath]].
171* RescueRomance: A ''mutual'' example. Van latches onto Hitomi after she pulls a DivingSave, and Hitomi's own feelings are sparked when he returns the favor.
172* {{Retcon}}: The OVA is a retelling of the series, but it's [[DarkerAndEdgier completely different]].
173* RobotHair: [[SiblingTeam Eriya and Naria]]'s Guymelefs, Teiring. Each has hair in the same colour and style of their pilots'.
174%%* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
175* SacredFirstKiss: Hitomi had asked Amano to kiss her if she broke her own race record.
176* SceneryPorn: Say what you like about the changes the movie made to the characters, it had [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63AjKgljS8E breathtaking visuals and sumptuous animation,]] no question.
177* SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack: Hitomi wears her school uniform despite being on a completely different world. She ''was'' at school when Van brought her to Gaea, therefore she only had her uniform and her track clothes with her for quite a while. Millerna does give her a new dress, but Hitomi only wears it for a couple of episodes before going back to her uniform after the dress meets an unfortunate end: When Hitomi is racing to [[spoiler:save Van's life]], the long skirt slows her down and she has to rip most of it off.
178%%* ScienceIsBad
179%%* ScrewDestiny: Ultimately, both protagonists and antagonists strive for this.%%How?
180%%* ShirtlessScene: Whenever Van and Folken [[spoiler:show their wings]].
181%%* {{Shorttank}}: Both Hitomi and Millerna.
182* ShouldersOfDoom: Pretty much all the Guymelefs. And Folken.
183** Dornkirk's vision of multiple Escaflownes' shoulder gems becoming lasers and destroying a flying fortress.
184* ShoutOut: The Duke of Freid sounds very similar to the main character of [[Anime/UFORoboGrendizer another giant robot show]].
185* ShowSomeLeg: Millerna pretends to trip and break her leg in the dungeon where Allen is being kept. She asks the guard to take a look and pulls up her skirt, distracting the man long enough for him to be knocked out by one of Allen's crew.
186%%* SiblingTeam:
187%%** Naria and Eriya.
188%%** [[spoiler:Van and Folken near the end, after the latter's HeelFaceTurn.]]
189* SlasherSmile: Dilandau's default expression.
190* SpannerInTheWorks: Hitomi. Also Van at the end.
191* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:The Dragonslayers in the movie]].
192** [[spoiler: Same thing with Naria and Eriya, who are [[DemotedToExtra demoted to extras]] in the movie]].
193* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The official subtitles can't seem to agree on how to spell things. Though mostly consistent when it comes to the main characters (with the exception Merle being called Meryl once), minor characters vary much more. Compare Ispano/Yspano/Hispano, Chesta/Shesta, Gatty/Gatti, Viole/Viore/Biole/Biore, or Gaea/Gaia for example.
194** Some of this is also due to the Japanese names being translated into other languages. Compare the Mermaid's name of Sylvie/Sylphy/Sylphie. Millerna/Mirana, Dilandau/Dirandau, Balgus/Vargus and Eries/Elise are others.
195* StandingBetweenTheEnemies: As Van's HumongousMecha is getting [[CurbStompBattle Curb Stomped]] by the leopard twins, Merle runs out and interposes her tiny little self in front of him. The twins back off because she's a catgirl like them. (We also get a flashback to them doing the same thing as kids.)
196* SuperCellReception: There is a pager (remember those?) that works on an invisible moon orbiting the Earth. This is debatably justified via YourMindMakesItReal but this still resulted in a lot of jokes.
197* {{Synchronization}}: Van eventually establishes a connection with Escaflowne that makes him all but unstoppable in combat. Downside; [[spoiler:After that point, any damage the mech takes is not only inflicted on his body, but ''[[WoundThatWillNotHeal will not heal]]'' until it is repaired! This is compounded by Escaflowne being LostTechnology that can ''only'' be repaired -- at incredible cost - by a race of [[HiddenElfVillage reclusive]] nomads]].
198%%* TarotMotifs:
199* TechnologyPorn: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK38WzlNvfk&feature=related Van activating Escaflowne for the first time.]]
200* TimeyWimeyBall:
201** How much time passed between Leon meeting Hitomi's grandmother and when he sees her before he dies -- he grew a full beard but she's wearing the same clothes and is even holding the pinwheel?
202** When Hitomi returns to Earth the first time, it's before she left. When she returns to Gaea, her entire adventure has still taken place.
203** About ten years ago Leon died and gave Hitomi's grandmother the pendant. Hitomi is fifteen-years-old. Not enough time has passed for grandmother to get married, have a daughter, and for the daughter to get married to have Hitomi.
204** When Hitomi truly returns to Earth, it's never stated how much time has passed. Pretty sure someone would notice she's been gone for more than a month. There is a scene where Yukari and Amano talk to Mrs. Kanzaki about Hitomi's disappearance... but is this rendered null when Hitomi finally returns? Was Earth time reset?
205* TokenMiniMoe: Selena [[spoiler: before she is kidnapped and turned into Dilandau.]]
206* TookALevelInBadass: Poor Van ''has'' to take every level in badass he can if he wants to stop TheEmpire and [[SavingTheWorld save the world]], and slowly becomes an all-out BloodKnight who revels in battles. Needless to say, Hitomi is horrified.
207-->'''Hitomi:''' I saw your face -- you were enjoying the battle, and the bloodshed! If that's what war turns you into, I don't want you to protect me!
208* TransformingMecha: Escaflowne.
209* TranslationConvention: As Van's introductory scene shows, the language they speak on Gaea is most definitely ''not'' Japanese, rather some form of mixed-up Portugeuse -- Hitomi just has TranslatorMicrobes.
210%%* TrappedInAnotherWorld
211* {{Troperiffic}}: The show tries to cram in as many {{Anime}} Tropes as possible while remaining a viable story. It works thanks to heaping helpings of [[JustifiedTrope justifying every trope it can manage]]. It's further helped by the fact the series refuses to limit itself to ''just'' {{Shonen}} or {{Shojo}} tropes, but revels in '''both.'''
212%%* TunnelKing: The mole guy.
213* VehicleTitle: The titular Escaflowne is a HumongousMecha.
214* VictoriasSecretCompartment: Merle is able to store an awful lot of stuff in what appears to be very little cleavage. Hitomi also manages to forget that she has a tarot deck under her shirt.
215* VillainExitStageLeft: At the end of TheMovie, [[spoiler: Dilandau]], who, while saner than his incarnation in the series, is still a vicious PsychoForHire, who willingly assisted in the BigBad's genocidal actions, just rides away with his remaining underlings, shrugging and saying that there will be more wars to fight.
216* WarIsHell: While individual fights between Guymelefs are shown to be awesome, especially honorable duels, actual wars are depicted in all their nightmarish horror. The destruction of Fanelia, the invasion of Freid, and the war between Zaibach and the Asturian alliance are all shown to be pointless mass slaughter.
217* WeaponTitle: Three-fold. The eponymous "Vision" refers to Hitomi's {{Seer|s}} powers, the titular "Escaflowne" refers to Van's HumongousMecha, and Hitomi has visions of Escaflowne as well as Van.
218* WellDoneSonGuy: Prince Chid struggles a bit with the pressure the Duke of Freid puts on him to be TheWisePrince.
219* WellIntentionedExtremist: Pretty much every antagonist except for [[AxCrazy Dilandau]] -- [[spoiler:and he is ''massively'' screwed in the head]].
220* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The green energist Van receives at Atlantis.
221* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The BigBad is eventually revealed as a particularly ruthless WellIntentionedExtremist. The closest any character comes to "evil" is [[TheDragon Dilandau]], but [[spoiler:s/he turns out to be more BrainwashedAndCrazy than anything else.]]
222* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Dilandau. Very pretty, very vain, completely psycho.
223* WifeHusbandry: Of the inverted, unreciprocated variety: both Naria and Eriya are in love with Folken, who saved their lives and raised them from about age eight. It's entirely one-sided, though, as Eriya notes after [[spoiler:she kisses him]].
224* WingedHumanoid: Draconians, [[spoiler:namely Van, Folken, and their mother Varie]].
225* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Prince Chid is mature enough to take on the role of TheWisePrince despite being maybe six years old at most. Much of this is because of [[WellDoneSonGuy the pressure the Duke of Freid puts on him]].
226* WithMyHandsTied: Note to villains: [[UnwillingSuspension tying up]] and beating Van will only only work for a few minutes before he gets a hold of your sword with his legs.

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