the film the world of Gaea has a more Asian design than the heavily European-influenced television series. Other media Victor Entertainment released one drama CD for the series, Escaflowne Original Drama Album, which was released on December 18, 1996. A video game based on the series, also titled The Vision of Escaflowne was released to the PlayStation system by Bandai Games in 1997. A limited edition version came packaged with a small collector's book and 26 tarot cards. The action-adventure game had an altered plot line and featured additional characters. Reception Though well received, The Vision of Escaflowne was not as popular in Japan as producers hoped. Outside Japan, however, it was a worldwide hit. In the United States, it outsold Gundam on video tape, and the first volume of the English DVD release of The Vision of Escaflowne was the fourth best-selling anime DVD for the month of September 2000. The series aired in South Korea where it enjoyed consistently high ratings. Producers noted that it was the worldwide success that led to the eventual creation of the anime film, Escaflowne. Egan Loo, writing for Animerica, considered it an "epic fantasy" with some of the "most dramatic music in any soundtrack, anime, or live-action", and a "breathless pacing" that result in its being an "acclaimed masterpiece." The Anime Encyclopaedia calls it the "genuine family entertainment, both in and out of the anime world, and arguably the best TV anime of the 1990s". It is called a "fantastically beautiful series, with striking production design" and an "incredibly well executed fusion of familiar anime genres and devices" by Anime Classics Zettai! References External links Official website Official CR The Vision of Escaflowne website 1994 manga 1996 anime television series debuts 1996 Japanese novels 1996 Japanese television series debuts 1996 Japanese television series endings 1996 manga Anime with original screenplays Bandai Entertainment anime titles Funimation Isekai anime and manga Isekai novels and light novels Kadokawa Shoten manga Light novels Madman Entertainment anime Madman Entertainment manga Mecha anime and manga Romance anime and manga Shōnen manga Shōjo manga Sunrise (company) Bandai Namco franchises Tokyopop titles TV Tokyo original programming