Line #20 YMMV/TheVisionOfEscaflowne


1	* AmericansHateTingle: Hitomi... The Italian ''Escaflowne'' fandom doesn't like her. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff The Latin-American fandom, on the other hand, worships her like a goddess.]]
2	* AssPull: Some viewed the implications that [[spoiler:Emperor Dornkirk is really Isaac Newton, of whom managed to gain the power of Atlantis,]] to be this, with Shoji Kawamori's sole explanation being that he came up with it after finding out that [[spoiler:Newton]] studied the occult. It still made some viewers wonder why Shoji chose Dornkirk to be actually [[spoiler:Isaac]], of all people.
3	* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: The movie compared to the television series, which was no slouch itself. For all the complaints about characterization and plot problems, nobody can deny that the movie's animation was ''sumptuous''.
4	%%* AwesomeEgo: Dilandau.
5	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: It's Music/YokoKanno, what do you expect?
6	** Say what you will about the Fox Kids dub, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5ZXbrqPjKM the opening theme]] is downright amazing. Judging by some of the comments, some even like it ''better'' than the Japanese version!
7	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr5JQWVeoYo The Japanese opening]] is definitely no slouch. Also, ''THOSE BAGPIPES!!''
8	** If this had been a movie, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD4wQGnFGck "A Far Cry"]] ''alone'' would've won it the Academy Award for Best Score.
9	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
10	** Hitomi. Some people feel she's a relatively strong and refreshing female character, while others feel she's devolved into your typical love sick shoujo anime lead. [[AmericansHateTingle The Italians absolutely hate her for some reason]].
11	** Merle is either a likable and amusing character, or an annoying and unwelcome part of the show depending on who you ask.
12	* BetterOnDVD: Due to being very plot-heavy and viewers being subject to ContinuityLockout if they miss one or two episodes, the show works much better when you watch the series in its intended order.
13	* BrokenBase:
14	** Over the manga and [[TheMovie The Movie]]. Many fans claim both are completely unnecessary. Others enjoy the lighter interpretation provided by the manga or the much, much [[DarkerAndEdgier darker, angstier, and more emotionally jarring experience]] of the film.
15	** Dilandau's Original English voice. Some people feel it fits just fine thanks to the actor's age at the time of the dub's production, while others feel it's WAY too squeaky and chirpy for him to the point where they actually prefer his AbridgedSeries voice instead.
16	** Geneon Dub vs Funimation Dub [[Literature/ShakuganNoShana AGAIN!!!!!]]
17	*** In particular Dilandau's New English voice. Fans are now debating as to whether or not Creator/JoelMcDonald's take on the character is better or worse than Creator/AndrewFrancis's take.
18	* CanonFodder: Dilandau and his Dragonslayers (Jajuka included) are often the subject of this, having many, ''many,'' '''MANY''' fan fics based on them so as to answer unanswered questions and expand their backstories beyond what we've seen in the show.
19	* ContinuityLockout: Despite only being a twenty-six episode anime, the plot is so fast-paced and non-episodic that viewers who miss so much as one or two episodes are liable to find themselves confused. This ''might'' be one reason it did so poorly during its initial TV airing in Japan, and why it was VindicatedByHistory since it's BetterOnDVD.
20	* CultClassic: In the mecha and shoujo fandoms, in the first thanks to Van and the Escaflowne, in the other thanks to Hitomi and, well, the romantic aspect.
21	* DieForOurShip:
22	** Surprisingly, though the ClingyJealousGirl does gets pot shots thrown at her by fans, ''TheCasanova'' is actually the most bashed for getting in between TheHero and the OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent.
23	*** It isn't wholly unjustified either - all of the women he pursues are out of his reach, his attraction to Hitomi (and possibly others) is driven by [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy his desire for a replacement for his missing sister]], and he [[spoiler:has a bastard son to boot, and he doesn't even try to connect with him.]] To top it all off, all of his love interests are [[TheIngenue underage by modern standards]]. Merle, on the other hand, has known Van for years and has bonded with him on a deep level, finding common ground in their lack of parental figures.
24	*** Do note that Allen literally cannot try to connect with Chid. It would literally throw Freid and Asturia into chaos. If its discovered that Chid isn't legitimately the heir then who is? Other countries would probably take advantage of the chaos and invade.
25	*** Note that Allen never actually pursues any of the women (save Marlene, who probably started it; that relationship was a two-way street). Millerna throws herself at him and Allen's response is to stand there. He didn't even know Hitomi had a crush on him. That said, he doesn't discourage her either, which Millerna's older sister Eries calls him out on.
26	** Millerna is an interesting inversion, as there are a good many fans who have admitted that they only don't hate her ''because'' she gets in between [[TheCasanova Allen]] and Hitomi.
27	* DracoInLeatherPants: Dilandau and Folken. It doesn't help that both have tragic backstories and [[TheWoobie woobiness]].
28	%%* EnsembleDarkhorse: Dilandau and Jajuka.
29	* FanFicFuel: Lots of people have written fan fics expanding on the Zaibach Empire and the backstories of Dilandau, Jajuka, and other Dragon Slayers.
30	* FanonDiscontinuity: Fans were NOT happy with Dilandau's [[spoiler: true identity being Celena Schezar, Allen's sister, as a result of Zaibach's fate alteration experiments]].
31	* FridgeBrilliance: Why was movie-verse Dilandau more accepting of his defeat? He still had his [[ThePowerofFriendship Dragon Slayers]].
32	* GatewaySeries: Thanks to it being VindicatedByHistory.
33	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
34	** The TV series bombed in the ratings during its run in Japan (it didn't help that it released the week after ''[[Franchise/NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelion]]'' stopped airing). It actually achieved much more mainstream success abroad. However, many, many Japanese manga and anime artists have cited it as a major influence.
35	** This is more a case of ''Koreans'' Love Escaflowne, because of the success that the series saw in that particular country, it even influenced several moments in the BigDamnMovie, the clothing that [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/Eirythe/Screencaps/Escaflowne%20-%20The%20Movie/11_Adom%20Village/eirythe-escaflowne_3013.jpg Hitomi wears]] in the beastman village is called a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chima_%28clothing%29 chima]], part of traditional korean garb.
36	** As far as the Anglosphere is concerned, it was also pretty huge in Canada, perhaps even more so than in the states. It helps that the Canadian channel that carried it, Creator/{{YTV}}, butchered it A LOT less and actually aired all the episodes (with the cut dubbed version (recorded by Ocean Group) -- that Creator/FoxKids initially put out but cancelled -- placed in the afternoon, and the uncut dubbed version (also done by Ocean Group) in the evening; and yes, with the same English-speaking cast).
37	* HilariousInHindsight:
38	** There's a scene in which Dilandau taunts Van by asking him if he's enjoying the "fireworks" as he burns a city to the ground. Flash forward a number of years to ''Anime/HeatGuyJ,'' the second major project Kazuki Akane worked on with Nobuteru Yuuki, and Dilandau's spiritual successor Clair Leonelli habitually uses the word "fireworks" to refer to the explosives he loves so much.
39	** After the explosion of ''[[TrappedInanotherWorld isekai]]'' anime in the 2010s, with protagonists regularly hit by a truck to be reincarnated, many fans find it amusing that Hitomi is instead transported by hitting ''[[{{Pun}} a Van.]]''
40	** Creator/KellySheridan was Hitomi, one of the heroes opposing the BigBad who sought to control destiny for the worst. Some odd years later, Kelly Sheridan would herself play a villain who sought to control destiny for the worst: [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Starlight Glimmer]].
41	* ItWasHisSled: [[spoiler: Dilandau is Celena.]]
42	* JerkassWoobie: Dilandau Albatou[[spoiler:/Celena Schezar]]. He often comes off as an BadBoss that beats his own men for even slightly questioning his orders, and gleefully goes on rampages murdering everyone in his path, but he still ends up seeing his own men getting slaughtered right in front of him, and he's horrified by it to the point where he loses his mind and [[IRejectYourReality has difficulty grasping they're dead]] due to his hate of being alone.
43	** May also cross over with AssholeVictim. Dilandau is played straight-forward as an irredeemable brat who doesn't just kill people but enjoys doing it, and believes it reinforces his superiority. Some viewers may get satisfaction watching him finally fear for his life, only sympathizing with [[spoiler:Celena]] for having been turned into that psychotic monster.
44	* LesYay: Nariya and Eriya, despite being sisters and their feelings for Folken, complements of the scene where they lie on top of each other.
45	* MagnificentBastard:
46	** [[WellIntentionedExtremist Folken Fanel]], Van's elder brother, is the chief strategist and tactician of the Zaibach Empire, seeking to bring about a future free of uncertainty. Tasked with retrieving Escaflowne, Folken trails the heroes across various countries and landscapes, outmaneuvering them and luring them into traps while managing to acquire the power of Atlantis, all the while trying to convince Van to join the Empire to ensure his brother's safety. When Van and Hitomi's bond threatens Emperor Dornkirk's ideal future, Folken uses the fate alteration machine to separate them and sway Hitomi towards her other love interest, Allen. Ultimately realizing the error in Dornkirk's methods, Folken allies with the heroes and gives information on the Empire's tactics and weapons to help Van's cause, resolving to learn the laws of destiny himself to remake the world into a better place.
47	** [[EmperorScientist Emperor Dornkirk]], ruler of the Zaibach Empire, was formerly a [[UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton scientist from Earth]] obsessed with learning the laws of destiny. Transported to Gaea, Dornkirk used his knowledge of science to transform the chaotic land into a powerful, technologically advanced nation. Seeking the power of Atlantis to control destiny, Dornkirk plans to use Hitomi and Escaflowne as the final piece in his plan. Eventually, Dornkirk allows Folken to kill him, using Hitomi's anguish to trigger the fate alteration machine and grant everyone their wishes, hoping to create an ideal future for everyone.
48	%%* {{Macekre}}
49	%%** The ''Escaflowne'' edit on FOX Kids.
50	%%** Averted when TheMovie aired on Creator/AdultSwim.
51	* MemeticMutation: "Moero!!!" (BURN!!!)
52	* MoralEventHorizon: [[spoiler:The Folken of the movie crosses this in backstory. He murdered his own parents, destroyed his own kingdom and tries to destroy the world of Gaia for [[DisproportionateRetribution a relatively petty reason]].]]
53	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: Dilandau's German dub voice, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O0WYjb6AdY if the comments on this video are to be believed.]]
54	** Oh what the heck, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke26vKmBMZw everybody else sounds great in German]] too (except Merle. Why does she sound like [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Rarity]]?)
55	* {{Narm}}:
56	** There are times when Dilandau seems to have a Master's degree in this. It's played up even harder in the original English dub with Dilandau having an extremely high and chirpy voice that makes him sound like he's nine years old! [[spoiler: Justified in that he is actually a girl.]]
57	** "My cheek BURNS Van, just like the city! And all because YOU'RE in it!!!"
58	** Also, Dilandau stroking his cheek while murmuring "cheek, cheek, cheek..."
59	** There is also one "preview" for the next episode in which the characters say "Altering Fate" a dozen and a half times.
60	** The Funimation redub has an unironic usage of the [[StockScream Wilhelm Scream]] during a pretty serious moment. By then the scream had long passed into [[DeadHorseTrope only being played for laughs]].
61	* NeverLiveItDown: For some reason, fans only seem to remember Dilandau for being psycho and saying "moero", even though he technically only said moero once or twice in episode 4, nowhere else.
62	* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: The [[NoExportForYou Japan-Only]] Platform/PlayStation game was not well received. The only saving grace was that the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic soundtrack was beautiful]].
63	* TheScrappy: Millerna makes a very bad first impression, starting out a jealous RichBitch that treats Hitomi with a contemptuous undercurrent, and manipulates Allen into a kiss specifically to send Hitomi running away in tears. She undergoes quite a bit of character growth, but many fans were not willing to forgive her initial sins.
64	%%* StoicWoobie: Folken.
65	* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing:
66	** This honor goes to the German dub, solely for its downright awesome voice acting! Seriously, whoever dubbed this show in German needs to win some kind of prize for casting the perfect people as the right characters, Dilandau especially! Not only did the German dub totally do him justice, the voice actress who did his German voice seriously nailed EVERY SINGLE FIBER of his being and threw so much emotion in her delivery of his voice, especially in his sad scenes (like his only scene in episode 16. That's where this lady is at her absolute BEST!)!
67	** The Latin-American dub was also pretty good. I.e., Creator/JoseGilbertoVilchis's Van was simply ''spot on''.
68	** Creator/AndrewFrancis who voiced Dilandau in the original English Dub should also be given a special mention considering that he did a good job in making the character sound like the [[AxeCrazy axe-crazy]] homicidal psychopath and pyromaniac that he is; and so Andrew's voice actually fits the role. Not only that but Andrew, at the time he did the voice-acting for the show and was going through puberty, was actually around the same age as Dilandau - and it's rather fitting too. Not bad for a 14-15 year old either. With that, Dilandau not only looks like a young teenage boy, but he actually sounds like one. [[spoiler: Note: Celena was voiced by a woman, not Andrew Francis, which still makes the voice-acting choices all the more interesting]].
69	** For that matter, depending on who you ask, either Bandai or Funimation's dubs can qualify for this.
70	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Many fans' opinion of the movie. As the magazine ''Animerica'' put it:
71	-->''"What a waste. If I'm ever tasked with doing a movie spinoff of a TV series that perfectly balanced flowery romance with butt-kicking mecha action, please remind me not to start by cutting out ''all'' the romance and ''all'' the mecha."''
72	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Did you expect [[spoiler:Chid's parentage]] to have any effect on the plot? Sorry. Aside from a couple mentions later on, it means ''nothing''. This is just one example.
73	** The pendant's history.
74	** Why exactly did Dornkirk need the Power Spot again?
75	* TooCoolToLive: Because if Balgus ''did'' survive, he'd probably solo the ''Escaflowne'' universe [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Master Asia style]].
76	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The portable CD player, Tarot cards and lack of students with cell phones (having a pager, instead) firmly mark this as taking place in the mid-1990s.
77	* ValuesDissonance: Allen's father neglected his wife and family because he fell in LoveAtFirstSight with Hitomi's grandmother (or thought of her as his non-romantic soulmate) when she was briefly transported to Gaea, and doesn't realize he really loved his wife until he was dying in the snow. Fair enough, it's a classic tragic love story... except the object of his obsession was probably not fully out of puberty when he met her. Later, Allen proposes to 15-year-old Hitomi partly to resolve the LoveTriangle with 15-year-old Millerna. In both cases the story treats this as "He's focusing on the wrong girl," not "Wait, she's ''how'' old?!". [[DeliberateValuesDissonance Gaea's set of values are close to the mindset reigning in the Renaissance, where high-class women were expected to be ''already'' married by Hitomi and Millerna's age.]]
78	* VindicatedByHistory: A mixture of this and [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Other Countries Love Escaflowne]] - it actually did not do very well in Japan and in fact bombed when it first aired. It was even canceled when it first aired in America (due to Fox Kids not knowing its violent content and intended demographic). However; when more people discovered the uncut dub as well as the subtitled version, it grew to become an anime classic, becoming a GatewaySeries.
79	* {{Wangst}}: Hitomi and Folken in the movie. Hitomi is depressed and contemplating suicide because she lost a track race and Folken has become a StrawNihilist OmnicidalManiac simply because his younger brother was chosen to inherit the throne instead of him.
80	* TheWoobie: Hitomi, Van, and many others.

Context YMMV / TheVisionOfEscaflowne