I first saw Escaflowne in 1996 on TV in America. I must have been 11 years old.

I didn’t know it was a Japanese animation at the time. I really only became cognizant of Japan during my time at the Job Corps Center in Astoria, OR.

Escaflowne aired on Fox Kids (1990-2002) with 10 episodes before it was canceled. I wouldn’t find out about the cancelation until years later when I discovered the internet.

I didn’t have the best attention span back then and didn’t take notice that the show had disappeared, and it’s not like they issue notices on kids afternoon cartoon channel’s, “…oh hey, by the way, the shows been canceled.”

I didn’t even really remember the plot, only the first scenes with the dragon slaying and the mecha operation in the first episode. That sealed the deal for me. It became my favorite cartoon.

Later, in college when I was introduced to torrenting by friend and roommate Ian Dumych at Tongue Point JCC, I was able to download and watch the entire series in its original Japanese language with subtitles.

It was both nostalgic and new to me at the same time. Simply splendid.

I considered mentioning a synopsis or plot lines, but I feel that would be a spoiler. I will say, Escaflowne holds an older ascetic among anime and departs from some of the traditional tropes. The shows perspective centers on a female lead, while the trials and tribulations of the male protagonist are seen from her point-of-view.

At the time it was a fresh take storytelling. I understand Fox Kids had made many edits to the dubbed version I saw as a child. Notably, for their young Western audience, they reduced the importance of the female leads role in the show.

If you are interested in checking it out, but don’t have the energy for a full 26-episode anime series, I’d suggest watching the movie, Escaflowne (DailyMotion).