Escaflowne is one of the greatest anime of all time.
I'm not kidding*.
With a beautiful soundtrack provided by Yoko Kanno and Hajime Mizoguchi, excellent character design and animation (typical of most Sunrise releases), and a beautiful story, Escaflowne has quickly become my favorite series, topping even Cowboy Bebop.
Created in 1996, the story follows the journey of Hitomi after she is taken to Gaea following an encounter with Van Fanel and his journey to slay a Dragon.
The show itself is an interesting combination of the Shounen and Shoujo genres, blending wondefully drawn action sequences with a touching story detailing the characters emotional interaction.
Bandai's original USA release occurred in 1997/98, on VHS in a boxed set. They later got the show licensed by Fox, whom were given the show with the dub, music, sfx, and the total show. Fox then promptly hacked it to death. As of late, the show has been canceled from Fox, and Bandai has ceased to distribute the Fox hacked version. Fox's version, to say the very least, is a travesty.
Bandai subsequently began releasing the DVDs quickly after the show was found not to be doing well, in an 8 disc release format (4/4/3/3/3/3/3/3). Correcting many issues people had with the VHS release (no one really liked the covers), Bandai redesigned them. Additionally, on discs 2 and up, Bandai included an extra, "Club Escaflowne," which was included on the Japanese video release. Featuring interviews with the Japanese cast and crew members, it provides wonderful (and very funny) look into the behind the scenes.
While Bandai did acquire new masters for the DVD release, the new masters did not include some footage that was later added by Bandai Visual to the home release.
The following is a (nearly) complete list of all of the episodes, by disc (R1 Bandai Release), of Escaflowne.
Format:
Disc # - Disc Title
#) English Title - Japanese Title (romaji) - Tarot Card
Disc 1 - Dragons and Destiny
1) Fateful Confession - 運命の告白 (Unmei no Kokuhaku) - La Torre
2) The Girl From the Mystic Moon - 幻の月の少女 (Maboroshi no Tsuki no Shoujo) - Il Fusco/La Luce
3) The Gallant Swordsman - 華麗なる剣士 (Karei naru Kenshi) - La Morte
4) The Diabolical Adonis - 魔性の美少年 (Mashou no Bishounen) - L'Impiccato
Disc 2 - Betrayal and Trust
5) The Seal of the Brothers - 兄弟の刻印 (Kyoudai no Kokuin) - Il Giudizio
6) City of Intrigue - 策謀の都 (Sakubou no To) - La Giustiza
7) Unexpected Partings - 予期せぬ別れ (Yokisenu Wakare) - La Carrozza
8) The Day the Angel Flew - 天使の舞う日 (Tenshi no Mau Hi) La Temperanza
Disc 3 - Angels and Demons
9) Memories of a Feather - 羽根の記憶 (Hane Ne no Kioku) - L'Aria/La Vita
10) The Blue-Eyed Prince - 青き瞳の王子 (Aoki Hitomi no Ouji) - La Ambizione
11) Prophecy of Death - 死の予言 (Shi no Hanegoto) - Il Diavolo
Disc 4 - Past and Present
12) The Secret Door - 秘密の扉 (Himitsu no Tobira) - Il Papessa
13) Red Destiny - 赤い運命 (Akai Unmei) - L'Imperatore
14) Dangerous Wounds - 危険な傷跡 (Kiken na Kizuato) - Il Veggente
Disc 5 - Paradise and Pain
15) Lost Paradise - 失われた楽園 (Ushina wareta Rakuen) - La Stella
16) The Guided Ones - 導かれし者 (Michibika reshi Mono) - La Luota
17) The Edge of the World - この世の果て (Kono Se no Hate) - L'Imperatrce
Disc 6 - Fate and Fortune
18) The Gravity of Destiny - 運命の引力 (Unmei no Inryoku) - Il Monde
19) Operation Golden Rule of Love - 恋の黄金律作戦 (Koi no Ougon Ritsu Sakusen) - Il Pazzo
20) False Vows - 偽りの契り (Itsuwari no Chigiri) - La Luna
Disc 7 - Light and Shadow
21) Reaction of Fortune - 幸運の反作用 (Kouun no Hanchiyou) - Il Papa
22) The Black-Winged Angel - 黒き翼の天使 (Kuroki Tsubasa no Tenshi) - Il Sole
23) Storm Premonition - 嵐の予感 (Arashi no Yokan) - La Terra/La Legge
Disc 8 - Forever and Ever
24) Fateful Decision - 運命の選択 (Unmei no Sentaku) - L'Elemita
25) Zone of Absolute Fortune - 絶対幸運圏 (Zettai Kouun Ken) - La Forza
26) Eternal Love - 永遠の想い (Eien no Omoi) - L'Amore
*Seriously. I paid near full retail for the entire series. I NEVER do that!