Tales of Symphonia The Animation: Sylvarant-hen

Story:
Well, this OVA of course comes from the video game Tales of Symphonia. So, the story is the same, however theres quite a few parts left out. However, I don't think it is quite right to say that just because of that the story isn't that good. This is the animation, not the game. Sure, it's based on it, but it's not gonna be an exact copy of it.
It starts really being a kind of 'save the planet' storyline, as a girl who is the Chosen One and her friends set out for a journey to a tower where she'll become an angel and rescue ... the planet. However, after Lloyd (the main character) learns something serious about becoming an angel, the story takes a pretty big twist, which it pretty interesting. The OVA ends really like only about half-way through the game, so it does not give you a feeling of closure whatsoever, but that's exactly why more episodes are supposed to be made at a later date.

Art:
The artwork is similar to the cut scenes from the video game. Which means it's pretty good. Everything is nicely drawn, and the motions are pretty fluent. It's more of a simplistic style, which is actually quite nice.

Sound:
The voice acting really couldn't have been better. The voices really fit the characters greatly. The background music isn't spectacular, but serves its purpose and is fairly good. The OP, I feel, couldn't have been better for this OVA. It, for some reason, just felt so perfect for the overall mood and tone of the show. The ED is actually a song that Collette, the Chosen One, sings in the series, so I guess it was a nice idea to have it as the ED.

Character:
The characters are all pretty cool, and each have a different personality, making them very likable. They didn't really get too develop themselves very much, which is unfortunate and disappointing, but I don't think it is fair to degrade the show for that, since it's simply 4 episodes.

Enjoyment:
Enjoyment would have been a 9 if the battles were better. That's really my biggest disappointment. The fights were very short and curt, and rarely involved a lot of intricacy or really just intensity, especially the battles against the seals. However, despite that, it's still a pretty enjoyable watch since there's a lot of emotion and, well, it's really just fun to follow it along, even if you haven't played the video game.

Story: This OVA is based off the game by the same name "Tales of Symphonia" basically there is a girl that is the "chosen" and she is to go on a mission to save her world from dying of a mana shortage. She is joined by her friends and they go on the journey for her to become an angel, which she needs to become to save the world. Now, I won't say this OVA won't be enjoyable if you haven't played the game, but you will notice that there are big gaps in time which they are supposed to be filled in in the ... game. And if you've played the game, you'll be disappointed only because it has sooo much potential to be a very good anime series, but it cuts short :( Assuming you haven't played the game, there'll be some plot twists, and should keep you interested.

Art: If you've played the game, then you've seen the movie cut scenes that show up every now and then, and seeing as how Gainax produced those scenes, it's understandable that it was high end animation. Although Gainax doesn't produce the OVA, the quality stays. The characters are drawn well, and all the animation is smooth.

Sound: I assume sound means the soundtrack and voice acting, both of which I felt were okay. I enjoyed the voice acting more than I did the music, mainly because of a very good cast. You'll recognize many of the voices, and I they fit the characters well. The soundtrack wasn't bad, but nothing memorable, personally, i got kind of bored the OP, and ED.

Character: The characters never had a chance to progress, mainly because the series was so short. There was some progression, such as with Sheena and Lloyd, and change of character with someone else..., but there wasn't much gradual change. The characters are fun to watch, there are many personalities, serious, nerdy, naive, kind, etc. with all of them complementing each other.

Enjoyment: Ever since I played the game a few years ago, I loved the movie cut scenes, and always said that they should make a series just from this, and now that they did, I had to watch. Although it did not nearly meet my expectations, I did enjoy it, in fact it had me wanting much much more. But as a person who has never played, I'd imagine that they would enjoy this series moderately, seeing as they'll obviously notice plot gaps, and a pseudo-ending.

Overall: I give this series a 7 mainly because I thought it had an unimaginable amount of potential, but alas, this OVA series seems more like a promotional trailer for the game. And seeing as it is an OVA, it's too short, making the creators progress the story too quickly. I'd recommend anyone to watch this, and it may even make you want to play the game.

Tales of Symphonia, the original being a video game, is probably the best rpg games out there for both Gamecube and PS2. From its epic plot to its memorable characters--one of the best villains of all times, Yggdrasill!--all the way to its awesome soundtrack, it is a masterpiece.

The OVA does an excellent job in capturing the most important aspects of the videogame, although, leaving out some major side plots that are very significant to the overall theme. Even with it's fast paced, and sometimes obviousness that is not present in the original game, the OVA allows fans to relive that heart-rendering experience with the ... characters in control. Although, we, the players, have no more role in revealing the destiny of their Worlds, it would seem as the characters have evolved from our level of direction! Awesome OVA, 10/10.