Although it didn't fare well on the Fox Kids network (where it played in an edited format), "Escaflowne" has a large, loyal following, perhaps because this sprawling fantasy offers the ingredients of classic mecha, sword-and-sorcery, and magical girl adventures. After psychic teenager Hitomi has a vision of a man battling a dragon, Prince Van of Fanelia and a dragon materialize. He slays the monster and transports Hitomi to the mysterious world of Gaea, an odd mixture of advanced technology and medieval culture. A typical romantic triangle develops, involving Hitomi, diamond-in-the-rough Van, and ideal knight Allen Schezar. The saga attains a byzantine complexity when Zaibach emperor Dornkirk captures the trio. He's at work on a machine that will enable him to create alternate destinies for Gaea. At times the story by Hajime Yatate and Shoji Kawamori seems to be careening out of control, as Hitomi whines and the supporting characters appear, disappear, and undergo radical personality changes. The evil Dornkirk has dispatched murderous doppelgangers, conducted sadistic experiments on kidnapped children, and attempted to subjugate an entire planet. The combination of teenage romance, fantastic robot-suits ("guymelefs"), elaborate battles, histrionic villains, and a world-threatening challenge has made the 26-episode series a favorite among "otaku". A feature film, released theatrically in the U.S. in 2002, repeated much of the story. Rated 13 and up for animated violence. "--Charles Solomon"