Anime Breakdown: Escaflowne

ANIME BREAKDOWN:
ESCAFLOWNE
天空のエスカフローネ

Summary:

"Hitomi Kanzaki is a typical high school girl, with typical high school problems. But when a vision of a young man battling a dragon becomes a reality, her life changes forever. Drawn into a strange vortex with the swordsman, Van, Hitomi is thrust into the strange world of Gaea. Entangled in a struggle over life and death, Van must learn to master the suit of armor, Escaflowne. Chased by the Empire of Azibach, Van and Hitomi will encounter both allies and enemies in an effort to unlock the secrets within Escaflowne. Hitomi's heart is stirred by love and adventure, but at times aches with sorrow."

Volume 1: Dragons and Destiny

"Hitomi is a sensitive teenager who reads tarot cards for her friends and nurses a crush on the track star Amano. As she runs on the school track, Hitomi has a vision of a young man battling a dragon; a few days later, the man and the dragon materialize. Hitomi and Van, the young warrior, are carried off to the mysterious world of Gaea, with its odd mixture of advanced technology and medieval culture. Hitomi watches as Van is crowned king of Fanelia, and then another of her visions comes true: Fanelia is destroyed by an army of monstrous robot-suits called "Guymelefs." Van and Hitomi escape in Escaflowne, a legendary super-Guymelef. In the kingdom of Asturia, they meet Allen Schezar, a gallant knight who resembles Amano. They also encounter the villainous Dilandau, who destroyed Fanelia at the orders of the evil emperor of the Zaibach Empire. Although Asturia is allied with Zaibach, Dilandau attacks the small kingdom, forcing everyone to flee. "

01 Fateful Confession (La Torre)
02 The Girl from the Mystic Moon (La Luce)
03 The Gallant Swordsman (La Morte)
04 The Diabolical Adonis (L'Impiccato)

Volume 2

05 Seal of the Brothers (Il Giudizio)
06 City of Intrigue (La Giustizia)
07 Unexpected Partings (La Carrozza)
08 The Day the Angel Flew (La Temperanza)

Volume 3: Angels and Demons

09 Memories of a Feather (L'Aria)
10 The Blue-Eyed Prince (La Ambizione Ambition)
11 Prophecy of Death (Il Diavolo)

Volume 4

12 The Secret Door (Il Papessa)
13 Red Destiny (L'Imperatore)
14 Dangerous Wounds (Il Veggente)

Volume 5: Paradise and Pain

"Folken sends out Naria and Eriya after the Escaflowne as Van hovers between life and death. Meanwhile, Dryden has discovered what he thinks is the location to Atlantis. Hitomi finds that one of her ancestors has been to Gaea, and Allen confronts his past. Once they reach Atlantis, however, they find that they have memories to fight and fears to overcome. "

15 Paradise Lost (La Stella)
16 The Guided Ones (La Luota)
17 The Edge of the World (La Imperatrice)

Volume 6

18 Gravity of Destiny (Il Monde)
19 Operation Golden Rule of Love (Il Pazzo)
20 False Vows (La Luna)

Volume 7: Light and Shadow

"Hitomi surrenders to the fortune-enhanced soldiers Naria and Eriya, but the fortune-enhancing process has some unpredictable side-effects. After her escape, Hitomi and Van are summoned to the ruins of Fanelia by Folken. There, they face the menace of the dragons and the shadows of the past that have haunted Van's older brother since the days of his dragon-slaying ceremony. "