I found the whole thing a bit too rollercoasterish from ep 1. A little more time to get to know these guys, a la Utena, would have gone down a fair treat. But I think Escaflowne never decided which audience it was most after, guys or girls- hell, there were two manga series after all, one shoujo and one shounen. So it gave us both mechas and emotional interaction, and I rather fancy not enough of either to please die-hards on both sides.