The Vision of Escaflowne
In 1996, with the premiere of the anime series, "Messiah Knight — The Vision of Escaflowne" was created. This "shōjo" oriented adaptation was written by Yuzuru Yashiro and serialized in "Asuka Fantasy DX" from April 8, 1996 through January 18, 1997. Unlike the first manga, it focused more on the interaction of the characters and severely toned down the violence to the point that the mecha are not used for battle at all and Escaflowne only appears near the end of the series. It was abruptly canceled after only 10 chapters and the end of the anime, due to the slowing popularity of the series. The individual chapters were released in two "tankōbon" volumes, at which time the series was retitled "Hitomi — The Vision of Escaflowne."