This movie had a very weak story. Some may be satisfied with your run-of-the-mill cartoon story, but even in animation, I expect quality. This was not the case with Escaflowne. The only part worth mentioning is when she is still on Earth feeling lonely and sad and talking to her friend. The rest is pure formulaic regurgitation: the hero who does not know she is a hero, the evil brother, what is destined to be... The romance is seriously lacking as all the heroine can say when her sweetheart is in combat is "Van...". They should have played more (and with better writing) with the theme of feeling alone, and made a better excuse for fighting and destruction.
On the other hand the animation was of high quality and the decisions the director took paid off as there are shots that are literally out of this world. I'm thinking in particular of when or heroine is called upon in a football field, but there are many other.
As a whole the movie was rather disappointing... but if you stick to the end you'll find a magnificent song that plays through the end credits. The music in the entire movie is excellent in fact. It's really unfortunate that the story could not hold up to the rest.
On the other hand the animation was of high quality and the decisions the director took paid off as there are shots that are literally out of this world. I'm thinking in particular of when or heroine is called upon in a football field, but there are many other.
As a whole the movie was rather disappointing... but if you stick to the end you'll find a magnificent song that plays through the end credits. The music in the entire movie is excellent in fact. It's really unfortunate that the story could not hold up to the rest.