Exciting news this morning rocks the Japanese animation world! Studio Sunrise has announced a sequel to the hit 1996 anime series Vision of Escaflowne! The series will debut on streaming services and Japanese broadcast television in early 2024. I screenshot captured this exclusive concept and promotional art from a livestream straight from Japan early this morning (UK time).
This series follows the adventures of Van and Hitomi's son Kenzo who was born on Earth after Hitomi left Gaea following her passionate love affair with Van. Now a hot blooded teenager, Kenzo goes on a quest to learn who he really is and to claim his royal Draconian heritage on Gaea. He meets a fascinating young lady who is the Crown Princess of Asturia, Millerna and Dryden's daughter Delcardes. However, a dark evil is rising in the Gaea country of Valusia where the sinister leader Lord Ascalante has rediscovered the Atlantean technology and is using it to gain ultimate power over fate.
With exciting new Guymelefs to pilot, new cultures to discover, and the return of many favourite characters, the sequel to Escaflowne promises to be an instant classic. Unfortunately the produces could not hire Yoko Kanno and Mayaa Sakamoto to create the music, so we will have a new Medieval-inspired soundtrack by esteemed composer Beedle the Bardcore and the Dungeon Synth archives.
This tantalising collage features official art from the fantasy manga Seimaden by You Higuri and from the anime series Aura Battler Dunbine. The new character and place names were taken from Robert E Howard's Conan the Barbarian and Kull the Conqueror novels. Beedle the Bardcore is real though!
What would YOU like to see in a sequel series to Escaflowne?