Record of Lodoss War / Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles
Sept 16, 2022 12:32:08 GMT
The Lost One likes this
Post by Catman on Sept 16, 2022 12:32:08 GMT
Follows the exploits of a group of adventurers amidst some wars on the island of Lodoss (the accursed island as they constantly remind viewers). The first series (from 1990) consists of 13 OVAs, the second series (from 1998) consists of 27 episodes. Basically a Dungeons & Dragons anime.
The plot in the OVAs meanders quite a bit with flashbacks mixed in liberally, and some storylines are never quite finished (such as the quest in the first OVA). The plot in the series is set at first 5 years after the original series but actually begins right after the deciding battle between two kingdoms (The War of Heroes). Turns out the way things played out in the OVAs didn't match the manga, so they spent the first 8 episodes telling that story as it 'really' happened. Then flash forward 10 years, a new set of adventurers, and the quest finally gets started.
Parn, the clueless paladin in the OVAs, is a knight in the second series, but he and his companion Deedlit (a high elf) play only a secondary role. The real stars are Spark (a slightly less clueless paladin beset by angst) and Neese, the daughter of Slayn and Leylia from the OVAs. Turns out Neese is the necessary element to the evil Wagnard's plan to resurrect the long dead goddess of destruction. Oh, and Etoh, a priest in training in the OVAs, is somehow now a king. Of course, Wagnard manages to get all the elements he needs to complete his plan.
One curious element: Aside from Wagnard, there are no real villains. Ashram and Karla oppose the heroes, but they really are simply following other agendas which don't mesh with the heroes' plans.
The voice acting in the OVAs is adequate, but in the series the voice acting is quite awful. Parn's voice sometimes sounds like the wide-eyed youth from the OVAs, sometimes like that wide-eyed youth trying to sound like a tough guy. Garrack (Spark's bodyguard more or less) and Neese both sound like they are from the cleaning crew of the recording studio (which is weird because both actors have done much better in other series).
The animation is subpar, and in later episodes of the second series, they appear to use panels from the manga for battle sequences. To add insult to injury, instead of using all the time available to tell the story, in the second series they end each episode with a bizarre 'comical' recap of the events of the episode. Fast forward through those.
The opening and closing themes for the OVAs are love songs which would be okay but the musical style does not mesh well with the content of the series. Yeah, Deedlit is madly in love with Parn, but he remains clueless to her love. The opening theme to the second series is a love ballad which musically matches better with the content. The ending theme is okay.
So if you're starving for some Dungeons and Dragons action, you might find this interesting. But probably not.