Escaflowne special (#3)

Allen & Mirana, ep.8

Episode#20 As Allen and Hitomi stand together on the bridge, Van sees them and walks away. Later, Allen comes to Hitomi's room and says that he still loves Mirana.
The two cat-girls have a violent practice fight and then argue about their feelings for Folken, and remember how he rescued them when they were small.
Mirana searches her jewel chests for a particular item, then surprises the Mole-man who is sneaking out beneath a draped chest. He hands over a piece of jewellery.
Folken gives instructions to his catgirls, who are now fastened into a machine which is enhancing them (?)
Hitomi leans over a wall, wondering if Mirana's marriage will really turn out all right. While she is thinking about Allen and Van, Mirana comes up and surprises her. Mirana asks Hitomi to read her fortune for her. Hitomi sees from the cards that the marriage will lead to disaster, (in other words, it will fall in with Domkirk's Fortune Control scheme), but suppresses this information.
The ceremony opens with barges carrying the bride and groom passing along the canal. (This lavish scene is clearly inspired by Venice, just as the other views of the city are inspired by Renaissance Florence.) Mirana's father, King Aston, sits in a wheelchair. Hitomi, in the crowd, is holding a card. She mutters something, and the crew members standing immediately behind ask her what she means. She says that it's nothing now, and that the couple are fortunate. (Hitomi's expressions in this scene are delightful to see.). The wedding ceremony progresses.
Folken's airship approaches. The cat-girls are ordered to get Hitomi.
Hitomi has an awful vision of the city under attack, and runs forward, shouting that the wedding must be stopped. However she trips and falls on the red carpet, and then Mirana and Dryden kiss.
The airship covers the sun, and the two cat-girls' teiring gaimelfs sweep down to attack. "Why?" the King asks. Van flies up in Escaflowne (dragon mode) and engages one of the cat-girls in air combat. He has a lot of trouble, and as he breaks off the girl is apparently expecting him to fall into the harbour. He seems to be having trouble with Escaflowne on landing.
With the attack paused, Folken issues his demands, the first of which is that the girl from the illusory moon, Hitomi Kanzaki, be handed over.
Hitomi confesses to Mirana that the marriage was ill-omened, but that she lied about the reading because she wanted the wedding to go ahead, and that she loves Allen. (The faces in this scene are very striking). Hitomi, who evidently has had enough, surrenders herself to the teiring, telling them that she is the girl from the illusory moon, the one they want.
Synopsis v1.0 by GC.

Episode#21 One of the cat-girls uses the liquid metal tentacles of her teiring to grab Hitomi, who yells in pain. Van runs forward to rescue her, but is knocked back. One of the cat-girls says in satisfaction that Folken will be pleased. The airship, above, drifts so that the sun is revealed. Immediately the cat-girls stagger and Hitomi is dropped, to be caught by Allen. Folken says that he is sorry.
Narya crashes while trying to regain Folken's airship. (It seems that the cat-girls are now affected by bright light)
Hitomi says that the devastation is her fault. Dryden says that it isn't.
Erya gets back to Folken's airship. Meanwhile Narya drags herself out of a canal.
Van speaks angrily about his brother.
Hitomi tends the wounded. She drops a pile of dishes and loses one of her shoes, and is grabbed by Narya. Hitomi is taken by boat to the outskirts of the city, while an alarm is raised. On the boat, Hitomi learns Narya & Erya's history. Hitomi is taken into the woods, by night, on a cart. She tries to talk Narya out of aiding the Zaibach cause. When the cart crashes, instead of escaping, Hitomi bandages up Narya's arm. Hitomi has become convinced that Narya isn't all bad. Narya just says that she won't kill Hitomi but will take her to Folken.
Van flies around on Escaflowne, wondering where Hitomi is. He is attacked by Erya's teiring and goes into a dive, but is able to detect where the airship is. He attacks it, shouting for Hitomi, and causes some damage so that the smoking airship becomes visible and sinks.
Now in a boat by the coast, Hitomi argues with Narya till Narya hits her, telling her to shut up. Erya lands in her teiring as Van attacks the airship. Narya pushes Hitomi back, and enters the teiring alone. It takes off. Hitomi is sighted by Allen in the Crusade.
As the brothers confront each other, the teiring returns and knocks Van down. Narya argues with Folken, the airship goes down in flames, and Van crash-lands with Escaflowne. A teiring separates from the sinking and flies off; Van wonders if his brother is in it.
Synopsis v1.0 by GC.

Episode#22 Folken is seen with his cat-girls. One says that what happened was good fortune. Folken says that t was his feeling.
There is an acrimonious conference in the Astorian capital. Hitomi asks Allen how it went. Various nobles go by giving her dirty looks. Van is in a bad mood, and goes off saying that he is the King of Fanelia. Hitomi remarks that it's his brother.
Allen comforts Hitomi; she asks him not to say anything. While she sits alone in her room, her pendant glows and she wonders who is calling. Wolf-calls are heard.
A messenger from Folken asks Van to come and meet him. Van has a flashback to his childhood.
Van and Hitomi are discovered to be missing. Everyone runs around looking for them, till the Mole-man crawls out from under Mirana's coach and says that he saw Hitomi and Van together last night.
Van and Hitomi are flying on Escaflowne.
In a garden, a girl watches a snail, watched in turn by Zaibach soldiers. A dog-man (Jajuka) approaches and grasps her hands, telling her to leave it.
Folken waits in the ruins (of Fanelia). His beast-man companion says that somebody is coming. When Hitomi gets down, the beast-man remarks on her being with Van. Van is furious with his brother, and, on learning that Folken is now alone, threatens him with his sword and abuses him. Hitomi protests.
Abruptly, two dragons appear. Seemingly they are attracted by heated emotions.
There is a flashback, showing how Folken lost his arm to a dragon, and was then fixed up by the Zaibach. He reacted with horror on seeing his artifical arm but agreed to serve Dornkirk.
Van tells Hitomi to run, but on ascending some steps she is confronted by a second dragon. Folken grabs her, pulls her into the ruins of a building, and gags her with his hand, whispering to her to be quiet.
Hitomi argues with Folken. It seems that Narya is dead as well as all the other calamities. This is interrupted by the pair of dragons menacing Van. Folken flies down and tells his brother to drop the sword. The dragons withdraw.
A flashback to the brothers' childhood.
Folken offers his hand to Van, remarking that they are kings.
Synopsis v1.0 by GC.

Episode#23 Folken, who has changed sides, attends a conference in Astoria, and addresses a meeting in a hall with raked seating. Van seems less than delighted. The citizens are clearing away the wreckage left after the Zaibach attack. Merle, Hitomi, and the others are doing what they can to help those left homeless or hungry. In a church packed with refugees, Merle and Hitomi do their usual sniping at each other.
Hitomi has sharp words with Allen, and ends by saying she'll return by herself.
Hitomi goes running, and then has a conversation with Folken. An Astorian airship enters a large below-ground base.
Hitomi and Allen meet. Allen confesses that he is the father of Prince Sid (of Freid province). He says that he now loves Hitomi and wants to marry her.
Dilandau, now more unbalanced than ever, asks the dog-warrior Jajuka what has become of his (Dilandau's) companions. To each name, Jajuka replies that that person is dead. Dilandau calls for his gaimelf.
On the Crusade, Allen tells Van that he wants to marry Hitomi
Hitomi helps Mirena hang out some washing, and asks her if she can speak as a friend. Rather hesitantly, she asks Mirena if she thinks Allen is a bit of a playboy. Mirena doesn't give a clear answer, but from her manner it's evident that Mirana still likes Allen very much.
The Zaibach mount an attack on the Astorians' base while Van & co are still on their way to reinforce it. They see the attack from the air, and Allen says that he'll use the Scherezade gaimelf. Van descends separately in/on Escaflowne. Dilandau, in the red gaimelf, causes a good deal of trouble.
Van engages Dilandau, as does Allen, and between them they gradually get the upper hand.
Meanwhile Hitomi senses the battle in progress, and wonders who will die this time. She senses her champions giving way to hatred and calls on them to stop.
Dilandau who is now (yet again) panicking, is about to be killed by Van, when Jajuka interposes himself, and the Zaibach's Fortune Control machine activates, whisking Dilandau away to safety. He is followed by Jajuka.
As the battle ends, Hitomi is exclaiming about what she can't see. After the battle, Hitomi goes to see Van and Allen, and protests about the way Van gave way to rage during the battle. She tells them that it is better if she returns to the Illusory Moon. And she does! She disappears in a beam of light (how does she do that!?) and wakes up in the sickroom of her school, just as if she had merely fainted during a race.
Synopsis v1.0 by GC.

Episode#24 Hitomi wakes up in a bed in the sickroom of her school (seems all Japanese schools have a medical room - it's featured in many anime) Amano (the boy she likes) is leaning over her. Seems that she has been telling him about Gaea, because he says that she's romantic, and clearly thinks she has just dreamt it.( Note that Hitomi has jumped back to the point at the beginning of the series, where she faints during a race. And that she is now wearing her sports kit, not the school uniform.)
A group of schoolgirls chatter, wonder if Hitomi is coming, and then go.
Amano notices the pendant. Hitomi explains that she got it from her grandfather. Hitomi's friend Yukari looks in. This time Hitomi can clearly see how dismayed Yukari is by the sight of Hitomi and Amano together.
Hitomi recovers, and the girls go off to indulge in some 'kamakura cheesecake' (sounds like it's from the Kamakura district of Japan??). Yukari seems rather anxious. Hitomi is merely distracted. Yukari, in the underpass, says that she loves Amano.
On the train home, Hitomi sees a white feather, like that from an Atlantean's wings.
Meanwhile, on Gaea, in the capital of Astoria, the rest of the company is wondering where Hitomi is. Van says that she has returned to the Illusory Moon.
In her room, Hitomi looks at a photo of herself, Amano and Yukari. In the photo, it's now obvious that Yukari is looking at Amano in a special way. Hitomi's mother calls, telling her not to be late. The wind blows, and a Tarot card falls.
In Gaea, a girlish figure walks towards the woods.
Allen sits, talking to hisdead father and thinking of Hitomi, and his lost sister Serena. Just then (it's that sort of show) Serena walks in.
Hitomi picks up the card. It's a dragon - Escaflowne?
On a rooftop, Van sits moodily. Merle bugs him to tell her who he is thinking about. Is it Hitomi? He denies it; she says he's lying. She says he should fetch Hitomi.
Allen and Princess Elise (Mirana's sister) visit his mother's grave along with Serena. Is it really Serena, Elise asks. Allen remarks that it's ten years since he last saw his sister. Serena (who doesn't seem to be all there?) catches a butterfly. Suddenly Serena cries out, and transforms into Dilandau, who asks where he is and then starts screaming for Jajuka. A gaimelf materializes and whisks him away. Allen and Elise are both dumbfounded.
Folken explains that this transformation is Zaibach work, the result of one of Domkirk's experiments.
On Earth, Hitomi's mind is not on school work (the teacher is talking about apples) She sees another feather appear and then dissolve away.
In the next scene, with Hitomi in her running shorts (stop drooling over those long schoolgirl legs, boy!) Hitomi is saying that she wants to meet him (Van, evidently).
On Gaea, Van sets off to fly Escaflowne in the direction of the Illusory Moon.
Hitomi has set up a repeat of that sprint, timed by the swinging pendant, when Van first appeared. She asks Amano to wish her luck. Yukari switches on the track lights. Van appears on Escaflowne and carries her off. The pendant follows her. They return to Gaea. "A warm (emotional) world" Hitomi says.
Synopsis v1.0 by GC.

Episode#25 Hitomi and Van land on Gaea, amidst the debris of a Zaibach attack. Van sends Hitomi off in an airship, to the Astorian capital.
Hitomi and Allen meet and look out at the rain. Not a happy day, but Van has sent Hitomi to the capital for her safety.
(You'll notice that Hitomi is once again wearing her school uniform. Before you tear your hair out at this continuity error (or evidence of incurable wetness), recall that the uniform disappeared when she went back to Earth, so now it has presumably materialised somewhere... No more implausible than anything else in this series.)
Mirana meets Dryden, and they formally end their engagement/aborted marriage. Dryden hands back the ring, and says that she looks really pretty. He goes, saying that he still loves her.
Hitomi visits Folken, who is building his own small Absolute Fortune Control machine. Hitomi has a sudden vision of Folken's death. She asks him to explain what he is doing.
Mirana and Allen meet. She shows him the ring that Dryden returned to her.
Dilandau and Jajuka meet. "It's been a long time," Dilandau says, referring to the forthcoming battle.
The forces engage. Merle is frightened. Hitomi asks what's the matter, and attempts to comfort her. She tells Merle that Van will be OK.
The Zaibach alliance air fleet drops the local equivalent of a tactical nuclear bomb, with devastating effect, vapourising much of the Zaibach fleet and causing some damage to the Alliance forces as well. This provokes dissention in the ranks and a rupture of the Alliance. In the capital, Hitomi sees a glow in the sky and hears a distant rumble.
Hitomi is alarmed that Van is about to be killed; she has seen some vision of his death. She asks Folken to help. He takes off his coat and his wings appear. Folken's plan is to jump to Domkirk's headquarters using the small Fortune Control machine, and kill Domkirk. Hitomi is rather dismayed as she knows this means Folken's death. Folken says that he doesn't clutch tightly to his life, and they both warp to Domkirk's HQ as the machine activates. Folken flies up and kills a defiant Domkirk, but Folken is wounded by a fragment of his own sword, falls to the floor far below and dies, leaving Hitomi stranded.
Van senses his brother's death and, seeing flashbacks of his brother when alive, cries out.
Synopsis v1.1

Episode#26 A light shines upwards from Domkirk's palace. The battle continues. The Crusade collides with a huge Zaibach airship, and crashes.
Domkirk's ghost appears to Hitomi. His Absolute Fortune Control Machine has been activated. "Humans want peace and happiness. If I get rid of people's misfortune, humans will not envy each other any more, thus perfect peace and happiness can be obtained." Unfortunately, the warlords of the Alliance see the advantages in Zaibach's defeat and start to fight each other, making Domkirk's plan useless. Hitomi begs him to stop.
On the battlefield, Van sees Dilandau's red Alseides and promply disables it. Once again, Jajuka intervenes. In a flashback, Jajuka offers food to the imprisoned Serena.
This time, Van kills Jajuka, and Dilandau turns into Serena. Hitomi calls on Van to stop. Allen jumps in to stop Van, but the latter is in a killing mood. The two prepare to fight. Serena watches, and calls to her brother.
In a disembodied sequence, Hitomi tries to talk to Van's soul, to talk Van out of fighting, but to little avail. The spirit of Folken appears to her, and Hitomi realises that it is Van she loves the most.
Van strikes the Scherezade across the vizor, and it falls, but Van makes no more aggressive moves as Allen gets out and embraces his sister. "Allen's sister" Van says to himself, as Serena says "Brother", etc. Allen then tells Van that Hitomi is waiting.
Van flies off, but over Zaibach territory Escaflowne malfunctions, and Van abandons the war-machine to continue on his own wings. He rescues Hitomi.
Schoolgirls chatter on a train platform, in Japan. One asks Hitomi to tell a fortune, but Hitomi says she's finished with fortune-telling.
Meanwhile on Gaea, reconstruction is in progress.
In a flashback, Van and Hitomi stand by Folken's tomb and mourn Folken. She asks Van what he will do.
Van thanks Escaflowne, and then de-commissions the gaimelf by removing the energiste from its breast, and remarks that he is putting the machine to sleep.
He says that he wants to see her world. She says that she wants to see Van, that she loves Gaea and Fanelia. But... They embrace, and various figures ( some deceased) appear in the background. He holds up the energiste and sends her home.
In an unique credit sequence, various characters, including the mole-man, say goodbye. After the credits, she glimpses Van above the sea and says "Van, I'm fine."
Synopsis V1.0

That's the end of the 26 TV episodes. I also have two volumes in the DVD edition. The TV episodes, stripped of ads and credits, contain only about 21 minutes of animation, but \i have not spotted any significant differences between TV and DVD versions.

Sub-Index
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