The Vision of Escaflowne 1-2
My first and only exposure to
The Vision of Escaflowne was the movie which I saw a few times when
Adult Swim aired it. At the time, I sort of just assumed the movie would provide an aside to the series, or maybe even some sort of conclusiveness that wasn't provided otherwise. The style and quality of the movie really captivated me and drove my interest to (eventually) watch the series. I guess it turns out the movie is a retelling of the events in the series? It doesn't really matter at this point, I just want an excuse to revisit that world. Other than seeing the movie on tv, I've pretty much gone into the series blind of any reception good or bad, which I think is generally an ideal situation in most cases.
That being said, I'm specifically enamored by the design of the universe presented thus far. The different weapons and armors that people tote are really familiar, but seem... more real? Like each swing of a sword has more oomf. Though I guess that's better attributed to the way they're animated. Kinetic and equally impactful.
Specifically the mechs (if you can even call them that) are really awesome in the way that they're animated. I much prefer these bulky slow swinging armors than I do the fast and erratic ones you see elsewhere.
The characters aren't really anything to write home about, but a lot can happen in 26 episodes I guess. Looking forward to watching more after that fantastic and eventful 2nd episode. Great pacing can do wonders on one's outlook of a series.