Review Statistics

Times Read

549

Comments

1

Reviews

Ova

Plot Synopsis

No plot synopsis or other information available for Record of Lodoss War

Story & Characters

Record of Lodoss War (RoLW) - the OAV version is one of only a few anime that I've seen to play the fantasy RPG elements contained in "Dungeons and Dragons" with a high degree of integrity and accuracy. Of those, RoLW is the only one that stands out in my view as exhibiting the quintessential elements of the Dungeons and Dragons genre. Elves, dwarves, clerics, magic-users, fighters, thieves all play a part in this series - and play it well. Each character stands out as if one was reading from the RPG players handbook and then embarking off on an epic quest.

The story is fundamentally an epic tale of "good vs evil", and the viewer gets to see the extremes at both ends. The OAV kicks off in the middle of the group's adventures - so you get to see a decent fight before the first episode is out, against a dragon no less. The first episode doesn't give any background to the characters, but that is redressed in the following few episodes. Character interaction and development plays a major role in this series, and the highly effective scripting provides a decent pace to the story that builds throughout the series to the climax at episode 13.

A bit about the characters themselves. As suggested above, the main characters have virtually been plucked out of any Dungeons and Dragons RPG and clearly exhibit those traits. The young fighter (Parn) is headstrong and trying to prove himself as a decent warrior. The elf (Deedlit) is often flighty, but certainly shows her strengths and abilities when necessary. The fact that she also has romantic views of Parn adds to her charm. The cleric (Etoh) is well-mannered, well-balanced but not a doormat. He pulls his weight when combat duties come around, but not to the extent of the more combat-oriented characters. The magic-user (Slayn) is highly intelligent, quiet spoken, but has a sizeable raft of magic spells and knowledge at his disposal. The dwarf (Ghim) is a gruff seasoned fighter and often acts as a surrogate father to the younger cast. Finally, the thief (Woodchuck) comes in more of a comedy relief, sarcastic comments and looking out for himself first.

In summary: get a good fantasy storyline, populate it with well-developed characters that interact well with each other, and you have an epic high-level fantasy adventure well worthy of any decent Dungeons and Dragons RPG.

Rating

8 (good)

Art

Originally released in 1990, RoLW shows its maturity in a good way. No computer-generated graphics or techniques are evident here - it is all traditional cel-drawn work. The artwork shows a degree of roughness, particularly in regard to most characters (Deedlit, and Parn to a certain extent, excepted). This roughness is entirely appropriate to the genre, and gives the characters a degree of authenticity that would otherwise be missing if smooth cel-shading or CGI techniques were employed.

Monsters and other ancillary creatures are also well portrayed and are faithful to the original RPG genre. Ogres, dark elves, kobolds, goblins, and orcs, amongst others are all drawn with varying levels of nastiness. The dragons simply convey calculated and significant menace in each action, even simply moving through the dungeon environments. All of the characters, good and evil are portrayed with a lot of attention to detail, which demonstrates the effort put into this series.

Even the basic scenery and buildings are well detailed to contribute to the storyline and the context of the scene. Crumbling dungeons and tunnels, impenetrable fortresses and castles, small villages, forests, all of these convey the very nuances of the RPG genre that establish this series as one of the classic fantasy anime stories.

Rating

8 (good)

Sound

With the DVD release, primary listening was done with the the original Japanese audio track. Having seen (and enjoyed) the dubbed series on VHS previously, I was particularly interested in hearing the original dialogue. Generally speaking, the characters' voices were well matched and subtle inflections, such as Deedlit's haughty attitude at times, came across clearly and succinctly. Spot checks were also made to the English audio track, and a similar opinion was held. Credit must go to the producers of the English track with regard to their choices of casting. No apparent problems were observed with the audio, and it was a decent Dolby Digital stereo mix that made good use of the front soundstage.

Music was equally convincing and contributed well to the series. From the opening track (with the original narration), the orchestral score conveyed epic proportions and high drama where required. Similarly, the music used in the quieter scenes reflected the closeness and intimacy of the story at that time. One thing to note was frequency of repeating certain elements of the music. One could easily tell where the story was focusing on Parn when a particular track or motif was used. In this context, the repetition is considered acceptable as the focus on the character with the music was warranted. It didn't show that the producers were simply recycling the music for the sake of it.

Rating

7 (above average)

Presentation

For a show that's fifteen years old, Record of Lodoss War has not dated. The originality of the series at the time and its faithfulness to the RPG (particularly Dungeons and Dragons) genre is equally relevant today as a high calibre fantasy adventure. The version reviewed (Region 1) contains two discs spanning the thirteen episodes. The transfer has worked well in this case as there appeared to be no obvious visual problems, artifacts, or similar issues. In contrast to other fantasy adventures, RoLW manages to convey well its serious nature but is not entirely without aspects of lighter moments (such as Parn and Deedlit dancing together at a formal evening). You will see scenes of violence, combat and battles; some quite graphic, but much of it is implied rather than explicit. In the context of a fantasy adventure, the degree of violence is considered acceptable - but suggest that this series is more suitable for mature audiences (M15+) when considering some of the scenes conveyed.

I would have to say without exaggeration that this series verges on classic status as the essential RPG fantasy anime and is highly recommended for anyone interested in this genre.

Rating

8 (good)

Final Verdict

7.83 (good)

Reviewed by davidh01, 1y 7wk ago