"Brothers in Arms" is dedicated to one of my favorite relationships in all of anime-Van and Folken. The two are brothers on different sides of a war, each a leader with considerable power and influence, and both fight fiercely for his side, yet they remain brothers.

Folken hurts Van repeatedly and Van opposes his brother with vicious determination, but Folken never hates his brother and Van eventually accepts him back, even if it is too late. It is this strange mix of love and hate, betrayal and loyalty that makes this relationship so sweet and so interesting. I love the characters individually, but I adore them together. Each gives the other a sense of depth.

One of the first episodes I ever watched was the one where Folken has captured Van and his Escaflowne. Van wakes up and hears someone whistling a song from his country which has been recently destroyed. The person in the room has been waiting for him to wake up and Van has no idea of what to expect. He grabs his sword ready to fight, but Folken is not afraid. It isn't until Van puts the sword to his own throat, claiming that he will kill himself rather than betray his comrades that Folken draws his sword and shows a genuine emotion-he is annoyed that his brother would throw away his life in such a pointless manner.

Over the course of the series, the context of their relationship develops and both their true feelings become somewhat apparent. Folken believes that he is fighting for a future where no one will have to suffer-in other words, a world where his brother can be happy. He seems to think he can sacrifice his own innocence by killing people, using people who love him, and generally betraying everything he believes in, and still bring peace to his world. It is true that in a dead world there is peace, but there no one is alive to enjoy the peace. He is even willing to kill his brother to achieve his goal, but he realizes the contradiction (that he is killing those people he loves most in a wrong attempt to create a world they can live in) and leaves his position to join his brother's side.

Van is still a young man just starting to come of age. Throughout the series he develops slowly into a man, but the brutal reality of the war twists his noble and compassionate spirit until he is prepared to kill a comrade. Hitomi provides a balance to the lessons of war. While battle suppresses his true feelings (an appreciation of live and peace, tenderness, and a great capacity for love), Hitomi helps his to express them, even though he is often clumsy and ineffective at doing so. What he perceives as his duty and his feelings for Hitomi eventually come into conflict and he is forced to choose between the two.

His feelings for Hitomi are often confusing and difficult to articulate, as are her feelings for him. As much as they care for each other, they are both inexperienced with mature romantic relationships resulting from emotional intimacy. Van must overcome Hitomi's crushes on Amano (a boy from her own world) and Allen (a dashing knight who becomes one of their closest comrades), and Hitomi must overcome Van's cold exterior and fumbling manner. Van suffers a great deal of loneliness, due in part to the betrayal by his brother.

Van defended his brother's name, claiming Folken had died nobly rather than abandoning him and his mother, who in turn abandoned her younger son. Learning that Folken had survived and had taken part in the destruction of their homeland was devastating to the young man who had once idolized his brother. Still, Hitomi's influence allowed him to forgive his brother in the very end.

Aside from the song fitting their relationship quite well, I chose the name "Brothers in Arms" for its double meaning. The first is that they are literally brothers at war-brothers who are armed against each other-and it refers to the negative, destructive feelings they each have towards his brother. The expression, however, refers to the camaraderie experienced by soldiers on the same side of a battle. While their methods are different (and Folken's are ultimately wrong), both fight for peace and a world without bloodshed. The reality is that even war cannot completely break the love and loyalty of their brotherhood, even though they are unable to reconcile in life. Folken gets forgiveness and Van finds peace, and both end up happy in the end, and that is the second meaning.

"Brothers in Arms" explores much of this in greater detail, exploring the characters separately and together. A lot of time, effort, and love have gone into this project and I am very proud of it as a whole. I hope it remains a valuable resource for all Escaflowne fans, especially those who adore these brothers as much as I do.