For those of you expecting a manga version of the anime series, I'd suggest you throw that idea out right now. Other than a shared setting and some similar elements (the Escaflowne, the main character's names), this is an entirely different story.

While the TV series of Escaflowne combined both shonen and shojo elements, this manga is decidedly shonen. The mecha are bigger (Escaflowne itself is about 10 stories tall), female fanservice is everywhere (Hitomi ends up naked no less than three times in the first volume alone) and the story and protagonists are more like the characters in InuYasha than the TV series, and Hitomi in particular resembles Kagome with glasses. Dilandau is almost unrecognizable in this incarnation, and it's best to think of this story as an alternate universe not unlike the Escaflowne movie. Van also manages to top the TV series Van in terms of rudeness and can be downright stupid from time to time. Being a shonen manga, the character interactions also lack any sort of subtlety and usually end in yelling.

My main complaint is that the pacing seems odd, with certain scenes taking far too long and relatively little focus on the characters and their development. The fanservice can also be distracting, in particular when Hitomi has to power the Escaflowne and turns into a blond bombshell. This fact can also rub people the wrong way if you're used to the strong, independent girl from the TV series. It's best to remember the intended audience when stuff like this happens, but even knowing that it still seems gratuitous and a bit cheap.

Nonetheless, if you had no foreknowledge of the TV series this is a perfectly fine manga, though at times the art seems slapdash and character designs fluctuate in terms of detail and proportions. It has the mecha battles, blood, and growing relationship between Van and Hitomi from the TV series, but this is an entirely different creature that lacks the gradual buildup and real emotional depth, and at times seems like a slap to the face in terms of developing that they'll be together.

Nonetheless, as far as enjoyment goes, it still manages to deliver at least something of the original. If people want the distilled Escaflowne in the sense of the battles and bloodshed, then by all means check out this series, but if it was the deeper, quieter parts that won your heart, this series is likely to be a disappointment.