Three alternate retellings of The Vision of Escaflowne have been released in manga form, with first two manga series developed at the same time as the anime. Due to the radical changes in the anime series during production, these two manga series are very different from the original anime series, as well as each other.
Manga—Katsu Aki
The first series, also titled The Vision of Escaflowne was one of the first manga series to appear in the then new Shonen Ace magazine from Kadokawa Shoten. Despite the anime series itself being on hold, Sunrise gave artist Katsu Aki the existing production and character designs, resulting in the first manga series having the heavy shōnen feel and curvaceous Hitomi that was originally planned for the anime series.
The series premiered in Shonen Ace's first issue on October 24, 1997 and ran until November 26, 1997. Kadokawa Shoten also released the series in an eight taknuban collected format from April 1995 through January 1998. It was licensed for released in North America by TOKYOPOP with the first volume released on July 10, 2003.The TOKYOPOP English editions were also imported for distribution in Australia by Madman Entertainment.
Manga—Yuzuru Yashiro
In 1996, with the premiere of the anime series, Messiah Knight - The Vision of Escaflowne was created. This shōjo adaptation was written by Yuzuru Yashiro and serialized in Monthly Asuka Fantasy DX from April 08, 1996 through January 18, 1997. When the tankuban volumes were published, the series was retitled HITOMI - The Vision of Escaflowne. This adaptation has not been licensed for an English language release.
Manga—Collaborative
A final manga retelling, Escaflowne - Energist's Memories, was a collaborative effort of various manga-ka around Japan to create 15 "mini-stories" related to the anime series. The single volume manga was published in January 1997 by Kadokawa. It also has not been licensed for an English language release.