The Vision of Escaflowne is a 26-episode series wherein strange planets, love stories, and futuristic mecha are combined. The story starts with a girl named Hitomi who tries out for the school track team. She arrives a bit late for the tryout but just in time to see Amano Senpai, who she has a crush on, tryout. Her best friend, Yukari scolds her for being late, but they both get to watch Amano run anyway. He sets a new record, and when it was Hitomi's turn to tryout, she suddenly sees and image of Van Fanel, fighting with a large dragon. She makes the track team, but passes out afterwards. She wakes up in the bed of a clinic, with Amano beside her. He notices her beautiful pendant and she tells him that when the pendant swings, it swings once every second, like a clock pendulum. Anyway, that afternoon, Yukari tells her that she has to tell Amano her true feelings because he's about to go away. So that night, she and Amano go back to the school field, and she gives him her pendant. She tells him that if she can run 100 meters before the pendant swings 13 times, he would agree to be her first kiss. Before she runs, she sees Yukari, waving, just to say she supports her. She starts running, and suddenly, her vision of Van that morning came true. Van appeared in front of her, while fighting with a dragon. Hitomi suddenly sees the future, and is able to warn Van what the dragon was about to do. Because of her warning, Van defeats the dragon, and is able to get the dargu-energist he needed. A bright ray of light appears from the sky, and Van and Hitomi get pulled by the light. Amano tries to get Hitomi back by holding out his hand, but she is only able to get her necklace back from him. She and Van are then transported to the planet Gaea, where both the Earth and the moon are seen in the sky. Later on, they meet different characters and find themselves in a war, and in the middle of a loopy love triangle.
The Vision of Escaflowne, in my opinion, is one of the greatest animes ever made. It may be short but every minute is definitely worth watching.