Lodoss-tou Senki

Of all the Anime series that I have viewed, Record of Lodoss War holds a special place in my heart. If you happen to be fond of fantasy adventure videogames as I am (or great literature such as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings), then this 13-episode video series is a very clever hybrid of these two great works of art. It's got everything fans could ask for--dragons, elves, dark gods, unlikely yet compelling heroes, villains you'll either hate (or love, depending on who you side with), action, suspense, romance, a small dose of humor, and an engaging feel to keep on watching ... by the time each episode ends.

This is a direct-to-video animation series produced back in 1990, which unfolds over thirteen half-hour episodes. Adapted from the fantasy novels of the same name by Japanese author Ryo Mizuno, Lodoss is a classic good-vs-evil story, exploring the chronicles of six adventurers: these include Parn, a young, inexperienced warrior eager to (literally) jump at any chance to clear his father's tarnished name; Deedlit, a spunky, mystical high elf who tries (with varying degrees of success) to prove her love to Parn; Etoh, a loyal, good-natured cleric; Slayn, a gentle wise mage; Ghim, a gruff and tough dwarf; and Woodchuck, a wanted criminal who nonetheless provides loyalty (and occasional chagrin) to his pals.

The story is hardly original, and the plot tends to "jumps around" from one event to the next (for instance, the first episode starts off in the "middle" of the heroes' quest; chronologically, it'd be best to see eps 2-5, 1, and then 6-13)--yet the overall show is so engrossing that this fault (in addition to a few others I'll come to in a moment) becomes irrelevant.

It's the characters which make Record Of Lodoss War so much fun, and much of the best scenes belong to Parn and Deedlit; especially in a royal banquet episode where she forces Parn to dance with her (one of my favorite sequences from the show). As is typical of a elf-dwarf rivalry, Ghim and Deed bicker about each other's differences yet maintain a somewhat begrudging level of self-respect. It's Parn, however, whose plight stays with you long after the show approaches its climax. Eager to discover whether his father died in disgrace or not, he finds a father figure in Kashue. (This gets on Deedlit's nerves; she continually competes with the king for Parn's attention--a running gag that plays out unfortunately for only a couple of episodes.) In the latter episodes, we meet two new characters who don't get much screen time but are no less fully realized. Shiris, the hotheaded young mercenary who vies with Deedlit for Parn's affections is strongly depicted, as is her partner (and secret love), Orson, the moody Berserker, who becomes an angry, uncontrollable monster at the sight of Shiris in trouble.

Even the bad guys are richly developed. Ashram, as mentioned, isn't driven so much by malice as he is by what he believes is right; in fact, he becomes the most three-dimensional of the villains for that reason alone. For support, he has a Dark Elf accomplice named Pirotess (the opposite of Deedlit) who'll do anything to prove her loyalty to him... including sacrificing herself. Karla, incidentally, is no ordinary villainess. Her primary goal is to bring to Lodoss the balance she feels has been so greatly disturbed... yet her psychologically unbalanced persona leads her to cause far worse chaos with deadly consequences. She is shifty, cunning, manipulative -- an almost deadly combination. Wagnard, on the other hand, is just plain evil -- every bit the equivalent of Kefka from Final Fantasy III who cackles fiendishly as he puts his dark plans into action. When we first meet him, he appears to be a nondescript character, but when he becomes possessed by Kardis, he becomes frighteningly villainous. (Every scene he's in sends shivers down my spines.)

Its the strength of the characters and their chemistry as well as the compelling (if jumpy) plot that make Lodoss as a whole that one can overlook its occasional shortcomings, notably the animation, which, although gorgeously drawn, uses a low cel count resulting with some stiff movements. Taking into account that this is an older show, however, this doesn't really detract all that much (although there are some later episodes where some of the same footage is reused, for cost cutting purposes).

No fantasy adventure would be complete without a stirring soundtrack, and Record of Lodoss War delivers this in style. The musical score by Mitsuo Hagita is mostly symphonic, although it is (obviously) generated by electronics. Yet the compositions were so rich and lovely that they eventually grew on me over the course of the show. Equally lovely are the opening and ending theme songs, "Adesso e Fortuna -Now & Fortune-" and "Fantasia of the Wind", both of which are excellently sung in Japanese by Sherry. As a nice bonus, these songs were even translated for the English version; the woman who sings the dubbed songs, Lisa DeSimone, sings with an equally splendid voice.

One aspect of Lodoss often criticized is the English dub, produced by New York-based Central Park Media in 1996, a time when most dubs had a low reputation. I've read all kinds of mixed opinions about this English track; some say its fake and/or mediocre while other claims its unbearable, but here's a better review from one of its several (albeit outspoken on the net at least) enthusiastic fans (that's me). No, it's not perfect, and some lines do come off as a bit awkward, but a lot of the voice-overs are really good. In particular, Billy Regan (Parn), Lisa Ortiz (Deedlit), Al Muscari (Slayn), Jacques Le Can (Woodchuck), Simone Grant (Karla & Leylia), John Knox (Ashram), Jayce Reeves (Wagnard), and Alexander J. Rose (Wort and the Narrator), are among my favorites. Plus, the dialog is close to the subtitled script and packed with some memorable one-liners (Parn: "Quick, Deed, what's this dragon's weak spot?" Deedlit: "I'm not a dragon expert! How should I know?!") and great chemistry between the actors. I especially loved the interactions between Parn and Deedlit, the banter between Ghim and Deed, and a lot of other things. Which is why it saddens me that some would find all of this "inferior" to the Japanese language track. I listened to parts of the Japanese language track, too, and while I did find it to be of top-quality, I find that the dub still holds its own position decently. Of course, it may be in danger of being overshadowed by some of the better dub productions of today, but for a dub made in 1996, its a rather decent, if unspectacular listen. I'm still fond of it, as a matter of fact, even after hearing some better ones.

Record of Lodoss War has received its share of detractors over recent years, probably due to its cheap production values and/or inconsistent plotting. However, it is important to remember that these "shortcomings" is mainly because it's an older Anime series. While Lodoss may show its age in places, its infectious appeal and complexity rings true even after other shows of its ilk, and like most classics, it can stand against the test of time.

Story:

Overall though this was a good OVA. However, the Story is very scattered and doesn't have proper closure. The completest in me tells me I have to at least see the TV series that follows. I haven't had any luck finding it, however. This anime has a special place in my heart due to the nostalgia factor. I only hope that the TV series that follows this up somehow gives better closure. And one minor gripe, I think all of us understood the backstory of Lodoss by the 3rd episode so it really wasn't nessesary to retell it prior to every episode.

Art:
It's very good looking ... for an older piece, however it's not so old as to forgive some of the shortcuts and mistakes that are noticable.

Sound:
I love good sound. This doesn't really diliver however. IMHO there's no excuse for 2.0 now that dvd has been on the market so long. other wise it's got repetative music that you'll never forget. But that doens't make it good. Sigh...

Character:
All of the characters have some sort of charisma to them. Parn and Deedlit are still one of the most recognized anime couples of all time. I just wish there was more down to earth characters like Woodchuck.

Enjoyment:

I really do like this anime alot. It's more nostalgia than anything but I do like it. I recommend this Anime to fans of Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons or other swords and sorcery stories.

Overall:

Fanboy opinions and nostalgia aside you should...

Borrow it!

See reviews and more at my site BRANS!: http://bumrapanimeneverseen.blogspot.com/

An excellent job of sword and sorcery, that has become an everlasting classic for anyone to enjoy. Many others like it fail where this anime grabs you and truly enthralls from the very beginning. Its character progress is a defining aspect that leads to a wonderful adventure. It has everything in just the right dosage, not too mention great character interaction. The art work for its time is sure a landmark in anime. If i had never seen this great masterpiece i would have never acquired my addiction for all things anime.

I don't know what it comes down to. Maybe it's the color composition and background art. Maybe it's the contrast of digital vs. hand-drawn animation. Maybe it's the fact that the characters are all adults or at least adult-looking, rather than children or teenagers. Maybe it's a combination. Maybe it's all of the above. Maybe it's something I'm missing. Whatever the case, watching fantasy anime from before the advent of Sword Art Online is a wild, quasi-mystical experience. They just have such a different look and feel to them. The result is a world that instantly captivated me from its opening sequence.

In today's day and ... age, even some of the better fantasy anime that do not outright copy the SAO formula, their worlds and environments still somehow end up retaining that same plastic, candy-colored look and feel. I believe that Martin Scorsese’s point about contemporary superhero cinema very much also applies to the state of the modern isekai and fantasy genres. Exceptions always exist, certainly, such as Kouta Hirano's Drifters, but there's a reason they are called exceptions. They are few and far between. We've become so accustomed to the SAO aesthetic, that it's not until we see a fantasy show that came before it, that we realize or are reminded of what was lost, and how different and unique each show used to look.

The OVA opens on a narration scene of the universe’s history, very much akin to Galadriel’s exposition at the beginning of Fellowship. Is it as tight? Is it as concise? Is it as relevant? Is the premise as unique and inspired? No, absolutely not, but after more than a decade of being brainwashed by SAO clones and derivatives, a return to classic fantasy made me feel as though I was awoken from a deep sleep and I was instantly drawn in.

There’s not much point in me talking about the plot, for an abridged version of the aforementioned narration scene will be featured at the start of each and every single episode, but the basic idea is as follows. War is once more coming to the island-continent of Lodoss, and it is up to our merry band of 6 adventurers to prevent it, and if they can't, then they must at least make sure Lodoss itself still exists in the aftermath. This gave the show a sense of purpose I had forgotten was possible in fantasy. What do you mean this isn't a journey to collect bitches for your harem?

Parn is our swordsman hero protagonist, and he is accompanied by Deedlit, the beautiful elven user of spirit magic, Ghim, the stoic dwarf axe-user, Etoh, the priest healer, Slayn, the sorcerer, and Wood, the skeevy rogue. Do any of these characters have even a sliver of an original bone in their body? Not a chance, no, but there is a qualitative difference between the unoriginal characters of today and the unoriginal characters of yore.

The overwhelming majority of characters today are clichés and stereotypes that pander to the fans’ desires and fetishes. That's why a lot of them feel like they don't belong. Fate/Apocrypha‘s Atlanta isn't a cat girl in because it made sense for the story. She's a cat girl because weebs love cat girls. Did the story of Re:Zero need Ferris to be a trap? Do Rem and Ram need to be wearing maid outfits? No, again, Ferris is a trap because weebs love traps. Rem and Ram are dressed as maids because of how popular the look is. None of it serves the story’s universe. It simply serves the fans, hence the term fanservice.

All of Lodoss’ characters, though wildly derivative and unoriginal, feel like they belong to the world they’re in. None of them feel shoehorned in. They are all stereotypes that serve the story and setting, not the audience, and you would be surprised what a massive difference that makes.

The resulting effect was so radically different, that even something as generic as chanting spells through poetry, which is a trope so trite that even modern isekai shlock makes fun of it, somehow felt compelling to me here. The first time we see Slayn chant a barrier into being to protect his mates as they retreat, I could not be more enthralled and wanted to know more!

Record of Lodoss War was an OVA released by studio Madhouse in 1990. The anime was based on a Japanese short novel, which was in turn based on a Japanese tabletop RPG, which was in turn a rip-off of Dungeons & Dragons. The OVA was such a smash hit that it spawned a litany of video games, radio dramas, manga, and even a 2 cour sequel, though this initial OVA is the only entry in the franchise that found any substantial success in the West.

I often see terms like “cliché” and “breath of fresh air” thrown around a lot in conversations like these, typically in order to describe one's positive or negative experience with any given story. Before we can have an intelligent discussion about the subject, however, we need to define our terms, for they do not always mean the same things at all times. When talking about whether or not something is a cliché or a breath of fresh air, rather than “what”, the more important question is “when”. Would it have been reasonable to call the content of Lodoss cliché back in the 90s? Perhaps, but is that assessment still fair today?

Consider the following. The 80s and 90s were saturated with super serious and overdramatic fantasy and sci-fi stories that, after years and years, had become exhausting and stale. Enter Mike Myers’ big dumb green ogre. In 2001, DreamWorks Animation released an instant classic in Shrek. Shrek was the solution that Hollywood came up with in order to fix the state of cinematic fiction at the turn of the millennium. It felt like a breath of fresh air because it beautifully parodied the pretentious and predictable tropes of Disney movies. Alas, like I said, it's a matter of when, not what. In the words of Terenas Menethil, “No king rules forever, my son.” By its third installment in 2007, Shrek’s own formula, which originally made it such an international runaway success, had itself become cliché in turn.

Regardless, DreamWorks opened the floodgates to the parody genre. Every single armchair writer who previously never got anywhere because of a lack of creativity, was now free to rip-off every already-existing IP in their purview under the guise of parody and satire. This led to the genre completely jumping the shark with dumpster fires like Meet the Spartans, The Comebacks, Scary Movie, Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, Date Movie, Stan Helsing, The Starving Games, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, and so on, and so forth.

We now live in the world of 20 years later, and every single mainstream movie in recent memory has either been some kind of openly satirical work, or has at least contained substantive satirical elements. Granted, while the MCU had a humoristic tint from the beginning – what with RDJ’s Iron Man – starting with the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel has turned this into an exact science. There’s a reason the phrase ‘Marvel humor’ exists. Some of their latest entries, such as Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder, are legitimately difficult to categorize into a genre. Do they even count as primarily action movies with comic relief anymore? Or are they just straight up comedy movies with some action relief? And herein lies the importance of asking “when”.

After all, what is a cliché? A cliché is a trope that has become overused in recent memory. Well, when every single piece of entertainment that has come out in ages is a parody or satire of some sort, then the turns table, and the parody becomes the cliché and the serious drama becomes the breath of fresh air once more.

For the benefit of the jury, I present to you Exhibit A: Aquaman. In spite of being inextricably linked to a sinking ship of a cinematic universe and its protagonist having been the butt of every superhero joke for the past half a century, the success of Aquaman proves that audiences were clamoring for a return of the unironic fantasy genre – a classic, archetypal hero’s journey that takes itself seriously and attempts to sincerely sell you on its premise without subverting it with self-deprecating humor or self-aware meta gags. Mind you, the relative failure of the Aquaman sequel, which included a whole lot more of the aforementioned self-satirizing elements, serves only to further prove my point.

As such, it is my contention that, to a contemporary audience that has spent the last 2 decades being force-fed a constant stream of media that mocks everything that is beautiful and sincere, it is inappropriate to describe Lodoss as cliché. If you are as desperate as I am for even a whisper of a genuine story, then Lodoss will feel like, dare I say it, a breath of fresh air.

Nevertheless, nostalgia for a bygone era can only take you so far. What matters at the end of the day is the quality of the material itself. Does Lodoss hold a candle to the heavy hitters of Western fantasy? Surprisingly, until the release of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, many considered Record of Lodoss War the de facto king of cinematic fantasy. Even after it was dethroned, in the eyes of many critics, it still reigns supreme in the realm of animated fantasy.

Alas, as is the case with all trends, the genre became populated by and bigger and better IPs, and Lodoss slowly became lost to the void of cultural oblivion. The shadow cast by Berserk was too deep and too dark.

The tragedy of Lodoss is that it lives and dies with its aesthetic. I so wanted to like it more. I really did. Regrettably, once the retroactive novelty of the non-SAO fantasy feel wore off, and the return to a Tolkienesque aesthetic alone was no longer sufficient to keep me engaged, it became utterly transparent that the show had little to offer beyond that.

Though the setting and worldbuilding initially drew me in, before long, it became apparent that the emperor is wearing no clothes. Now, you might think to yourself, and you would not be wrong, that Lodoss has better worldbuilding than 90% of fantasy anime, so how can I possibly be unhappy with it? It has always been my belief that any given work of art needs to be judged, not by some universal standard, but by the standard of what it is attempting to be. Lightweight entertainment like Cautious Hero, My Next Life as a Villainess, and How Not to Summon a Demon Lord have no real worldbuilding to speak of, but then again, they don't need it. They have no lofty aspirations to rise to any kind of standard of fantasy excellence. Lodoss, on the other hand, presents itself with all of the haughty pretense in the world. It expects itself to be taken seriously as definitive epic, and it simply falls utterly short of said expectation.

The main narrative thrust of Lodoss is the big war backdrop constantly going on in the background. Our main characters are not OP light novel guys and gals. It is made very clear to us that they can't solve everything single-handedly through brute force. For most of the story, their primary goal, more than anything else, is to just stay alive, for the war is too vast and unwieldy for them to get involved. They eventually get dragged into it in spite of their best efforts, and they don't really… do anything. For all the hype about wars and battles, there’s not much of either. When actual battles are shown on screen, it's mostly either stills or recycled shots of the same action animation over and over again. And then, at the end, through some kind of pretzel logic, Parn solves everything single-handedly through brute force.

In a sense, I was reminded of Made in Abyss. You are constantly told that this is a world full of cool shit, and you are told that cool shit is always going on, and it is – just never really around you. All of the cool shit is contained in the stories other characters tell you about things that happened elsewhere or in flashbacks, but what you actually see happening around the main cast is fairly mundane. If I were inclined to be cruel, I would say that a more fitting name for the show would be Record of Lodoss People... Which Tangentially Touches on the Lodoss War... Briefly... Sometimes. Fortunately, I am a very polite and kind person and would never say that.

Perhaps the best (worst) example of this is the fact that for the first few episodes, the party’s main objective is to find this wise old sage and ask for his advice concerning the coming strife. You spend several episodes with them struggling on their way to meet this dude. Naturally, you can't help but get a bit excited about what he's gonna tell them, what they're gonna learn, the things that are about to come to light. Then, midway through episode 6, you learn that they're back in the kingdom and the meeting with the sage happened off-screen. You then get a CliffsNotes version of what they learned from the sage. What's the Japanese expression for “show, don't tell”?

Much of the same goes for the characters. They have very little to offer beyond the appeal of their archetypes. They are all very nice for as long as you can indulge in the feeling that you’re watching anime LotR, but as soon as that spell wears off, it becomes apparent that what you're watching is something more akin to Rings of Power – mind you, minus the political poison, just the hollow characters.

Speaking of which, even accounting for my initial enchantment with the characters and their designs, I disliked Deedlit from the get-go. Make no mistake, she's beautiful and all that, but literally one of her first speaking lines is some tsundere shit where she's blushing while frowning. Remember how Akira Toriyama-sensei used to draw pouting girls as having inflated cheeks? As though they’re blowing air into them, all ready to burst? That’s exactly the visual I’m talking about. I think she was mad she wasn’t getting enough attention. Maybe she was quarreling with the dwarf? Fuck if I remember. No, I'm sorry, we haven't yet come full circle to making that cliché cool again. As far as I was concerned, she was kind of dead in the water from that point on.

As time moved on and the series progressed, I grew to genuinely dislike Parn, the protagonist. If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times. I don't understand the appeal of protagonists who are the literal worst at everything and easily the least interesting and likable out of the entire main cast. As a wanna-be swordsman, Parn is not the best melee fighter of the group. That would be Ghim, the dwarf. He can't use offensive or protective magic like Deed or Slayn. He can't use healing magic like Etoh. He's also not as cunning and crafty as Wood. In terms of conventional intelligence, the argument can credibly be made that he is legitimately the dumbest of the group. So, then why is he our protagonist? Why is this the dude we follow around? Why is everything centered around him? Why does everyone take him so seriously?

The one thing he's got going for him is bravery. Full disclosure, even there, I don't accept that he is any braver than some of the other party members, but let's pretend, for the sake of argument, that he is. Ok. In principle, I don't have a problem with a protagonist who's got nothing going for him except bravery, because the bulk of the enjoyment stems from the journey – his journey to become cool, that is.

The rub here is that Parn never really goes through any meaningful change. He is the epitome of hype without action. He is the leader of the group and we are told he is a born leader, but we never see any evidence of that being the case. In fact, we never really see any evidence that he is exceptional in any way, shape, or form. We are told that he is our last hope for this, that, or the other, but we never see any evidence that he is special or uniquely equipped to do much of fucking anything. He will often be praised and honored for his actions, and he is the one chosen to inherit Lodoss’ version of Excalibur, but again, we never get any indication of tangible growth or evolution on his part, so as to be worthy of any of it. By the resolution of episode 13, he still very much felt like the same dickhead from episode 1.

The finale was a rush to get to the main bad guy and save the day. On the way there, various threats and obstacles interfere with Parn et co. Every one of the obviously stronger, more experienced, and more competent supporting characters stays behind to deal with said obstacles and they all tell Parn some variation of “Go! You have to make it! All of our hopes rest on your shoulders! You are the key!” and I'm just left thinking, why? Literally why? Where's this assumption coming from that he would somehow perform any better than any of you? What's special about him? It was a feeling very reminiscent of The Philosopher’s Stone, when Ron said: “Harry, it's you that has to go on, I know it. Not me, not Hermione – YOU!” Again… why?

The argument can be made that a lot of these issues are to be laid at the feet of the anime, not the source material, for the OVA had to cut the story up pretty drastically in order to make it fit the 13-episode length of the series. Would the epic have felt more fulfilling had it included all of the novel’s contents? Perhaps, but there are some problems that cannot be hand-waved away in that manner.

It got to be so unfocused, that by the end, I tuned out completely. It took me a whole ass week to motivate myself to watch the final episode.

Oh, and lest I forget, a word of advice to any aspiring worldbuilders out there. If you're going to have less than 50 names of items, characters, and locations in your story, make sure to name them something more distinct than: Falis, Falaris, Fleve, Flaim, Fianna, and Fahn. Those are all real names that all represent very different and important elements of the Lodoss narrative. I mean…

Still, Lodoss is a forgotten gem of the Japanese take on Western fantasy. If you’re at all a fan of fantasy or isekai anime, you owe it to yourself to check out the big poppa. This is ground 0. This is where it all comes from. Will it lose you eventually? Maybe, but the journey up to that point will be well worth your time, because somewhere within us, buried deep, I think we all feel this indescribable sense of loss. We’re all longing to go back, pining for something artful and perhaps a little dark, if for no other reason than just exhaustion with today’s retina-burning flashy colors.

Take Disney, for instance. If you look at Disney movies today, it’s as though Toy Story never ended. If you go back, however, and take a look at Sleeping Beauty, 75% of that film consists of frames you would be unsurprised to find on someone’s wall. Lodoss is not quite Sleeping Beauty, but it is the Oliver & Company to The Lord of the Rings’ Lady and the Tramp. That is to say that it’s nowhere near as good, largely derivative, but still very enjoyable because it is representative of the era and satiates the same deep-seated yearning. To many, to this day, it is an unshakable staple of the genre.

Besides, if you’re not as critically-minded of an asshole as I am, and it is highly unlikely that you are, most of the problems I outlined here might not even register with you, let alone bother you.

P.S.: Under no circumstance whatsoever are you to watch this show if you suffer from photosensitive epilepsy. There are so many scenes of brightly and rapidly flashing lights in this anime, that on occasion, it came dangerously close to giving even me a headache. No matter how you cut it, it’s just an irredeemable aspect of the visual production. Even in the absence of the danger of causing seizures, the attempt to fabricate excitement by way of shoving strobe lights in your face every 5 minutes is just disturbing and tiresome.

First of all, i can slap myself for not watching or seeing it as an kid, though i noticed it decades ago the collection in the VHS store´s, but i had no idea about it until recently and its MAGICAL.
This ova serie´s that i think a side or continuation of the t.v serie´s ( 1990) that was a cornerstone for fantasy anime till this day with exception of Y´S ( 1989).
But there is a catch if u watch it for the 1st time ever, and its that u have to watch the epidose´s in the right order, start with episode 2,3,4,5 after that ... watch the 1st episode , than # 6 till 13 in order wich i never was able to solve why they did it.
Storywise it was definetly a epic fantasy , dark and well put together with the whole package, dragons, Knights, spells, ancient kingdoms, sort of a ´fellowship´, princesses, trolls, treasures ect. ect. and ofc could be very violent at parts.
As for the animation , in my eyes it was almost flawless for its time, very low background animation fails, charachters and villians design was quite well done and had the right outfits, but what i love the most are the DRAGONS!!!!!!! for 1990 it looked tight and well animated , fluend movements and drawn to look terrifying, we don´t see it like that anymore , sad.
FANTASY OPERA as i call this,and i not mean only the intro but througout the ova serie´s has numerous moments with opera music blended in nicely, to me the intro alone i played it repeatedly in my head, rememberable.
Most of the charachters had a good relationship , likable and not the sort to be forgotten easely, especially if u are an anime fantasy fan, only the main protagonist has still some of that oldskool hotheaded type like that rushed in fights without thinking , those kind of chara popped out everywhere in the late 80´s and 90´s, a bit tasteless, but does have a good turnaround later on.
Elves are some of the main basis as charachters and storywise, if ur talk about fantasy ofc, and they have a great role in lodoss.It was more than entertaining, it was a very colorful and memorable experience to me that finally i watched lodoss war, till i gonna get the full t.v serie´s, too bad i never saw it aired because it somethinf like Record of lodoss war could fill up lots of today´s fantasy anime that has rushed or weak substance!

I'll go ahead and get the inevitable comparison out of the way. Record of Lodoss War is The Lord of the Rings of anime. Maybe not as highly regarded as Tolkiens fantasy trilogy but still a spectacular addition to the genre.

One of the very first OVAs I was introduced to back in the late 90s ROLW was everything I'd ever wanted out of american animation but never recieved. A dark and serious fantasy adventure that touched on all the familar qualites that the genre is known for. Knights, Elves, Dwarves, Dragons, Wizards, and epic bloody battles. This was a show strictly made for Fantasy fans.

The ... story is pretty straight forward with a few twists and surprises here and there but it's mostly the world is in peril from a great evil and our band of heroes must set out to defeat this evil and save the peoples of Lodoss. It's simple but satisfying. Theres great characters throughout the entire series and just when you think theres no one else to introduce we get treated to probably my two favorite characters Shiris and Orson. A couple of bandits that join up with our heroes around the midway point that gives the show a breath of fresh air after the few dark eps leading up to their introduction.

Last thing I want to touch on is the animation. Now remember this is 1990. So its not going to be nearly as pretty as what your use to watching these days. But theres a certain charm to its dark and dirty old school style approach that makes me apprechiate it even more today then I did back then. It's a great product of an art style long gone.

Record of Lodoss War. Fantasy fans shoud love it. Casuals should apprechiate it. Whichever catergory you fall under one things for sure. You should respect it.

This OVA is Considered An Underrated Masterpiece!! Yep!! The characters are Well developed. Parn & Deedlit's Relationship is way better than generic Anime relationship. The Music Of This Anime IS FREAKING ORCHESTRAL-LIKE MASTERPIECE. The Story is Reminded Me Dungeons and Dragons With Mix elements with Lord Of The Rings(BTW, I Didn't Watch Lord of The Ring movie trilogy yet, Surely I Plan too). The Artstyle is Unlikely Generic Fantasy light novels yeah!! This Artstyle Looks Mature Period. Animation is The Best If you watch in Blu Ray Version. This Could Be Everyone's Favorite & Became My Favorite OVA. Also English & Japanese audio Are Great. ... I've watched in Japanese Audio cause Ashram is Voiced By Akira Kamiya(Voice of Kenshiro from Fist Of The North Star, Ryo Saeba from City Hunter & Kinnikuman From Kinnikuman)

Once, a young man toured the empty, echoing halls of an ancient dungeon, a place abandoned by time and now slowly, painfully grinding towards a final collapse named "Blockbuster Video". A few petty coins were left behind for his prize, a priceless treasure known as "Record of Lodoss War"...

OK, enough of that, you want to see a review of the 13-episode OVA series Record of Lodoss War. So, right off the bat, here's my objective opinion: This is a flawed, often deeply-flawed series, but one that has a lot of high points to go along with its flaws. Personal opinion, though? ... I love this series. I love this series because its creators clearly loved it, and that shows.

So let's talk about those flaws. The story is strong, but the pace of the story is fairly uneven, taking its sweet time here and there while rushing (or even skipping) ahead at other parts. In fact, 'uneven' could probably be the big criticism of Record of Lodoss War as a whole, since it can, thanks in part to those pacing issues, be applied to the problems with the characters as well, since we're missing or at least have poorly emphasized elements of their development and arc.

The animation is another thing, and part of where I'd like to point out being able to see a creator's love for something: The images are all gorgeous. Look at just about any still from the show and chances are you'll be able to like what you see. Now, I don't actually know the production history of Record of Lodoss War, but later on, when you just know the budget was running dry and corners had to be cut they just use... less of it, relying on slow pans over their scenes and very limited movement. It never looks worse, just less animated. The "Budget is out, have to cut corners" ending situation is hardly unique to Lodoss, but unlike other examples the creators of Record of Lodoss War knew where they could cut those corners and where they absolutely could not cut them in order to still tell the story they wanted to tell and transport the viewer to this fantastical world. Again, trying to think of it objectively I have to mark the show down for what it did there, but I think they found the best solution they could to their problem that it seems clear from the final product that they faced.

For all its problems, Record of Lodoss War has a very timeless quality to it, a trait it tends to share with the best of the best in fantasy if not in media in general. It's very earnest. It feels natural. It feels, I dare say, real. Or perhaps more than real it feels like an actual legend. In this day and age when so many works pillage their predecessors all the way back to the myths and legends of the world and end up feeling hollow or artificial it's somewhat astounding to see something, much less something with the fairly shallow roots of Record of Lodoss War (which clearly owes much to the 1974 genre-shaper Dungeons & Dragons) that feels like it could stand up alongside them.

Part of that is because, I personally feel, that the people involved clearly wanted to tell this story and tell it well. Another part I realize now might actually be the very flaws of the piece helping to propel it forward. Few indeed are the myths and legends that are complete and self contained, so when Record of Lodoss War frays at the edges but manages to do so in a graceful manner it ends up invoking not dissatisfaction with what was missing, skipped, accelerated through, or seemingly riddled with plot holes or continuity errors, but rather it evokes the sense of those old tales that are generally told and retold through many sources, leaving them misty-edged glimpses of a tapestry that can never be beheld in a full and finished state. Whether by design or by accident, it seems possible to me that the elements that make Record of Lodoss War technically weaker may be, in some ways, actually enhancing the emotional experience.

And in the end, that's what Lodoss best delivers: an experience. If you're going to come in to this like a health inspector setting foot in the kitchen of some old, beloved diner you're going to find problems here and there and you certainly won't enjoy yourself as would the patron soaking in the warm hues of the yellowed wallpaper and rich bread-and-grease aroma of the patty melt brunch on its way to them. To an extent, that's true of any work of media. Someone watching something as a critic can't be forced to get invested if they're too busy thinking and analyzing to feel. But it's especially true for works like Record of Lodoss War that play more strongly to the viewer's emotions, rather than a mystery or think-piece that goes primarily for the intellect.

A fantastic piece of fantasy anime that feels like it brings alive the lore of Dungeons & Dragons in the medium of Japanese Animation. I really liked the heroes who were all well-drawn personalities despite their fantasy archetypes and the villains were well imagined as well with several morally 'grey' entities inhabiting the moral ground between the armies of Darkness and Light struggling for Lodoss such as the Grey Witch Karla and wildcard Dragons. With even secondary characters like the Good King Fahn and the Dark Emperor Beld receiving some impressive development the series has a sense of history and worldbuilding that helps create an ... impressive series, despite some of the limited animation that plagues some of the larger set-piece moments in the OVA series.

Record of Lodoss War was recommended by a classmate back in university, during a time when VHS was still a thing. Anime releases in North America back then were generally abysmal, favoring titillating shows or big productions over diamonds in the rough, and you usually were stuck with shows with low-budget dubbing, replacing passable or overacted Japanese acting with terrible acting by unknown actors or extras furiously trying to stay in sync with the animation.

When I watched this in the university dorm (complete with so-so fan subtitles), I couldn't wait for the next episode. And the next. Great shows always leave you wanting more (terrible ... shows leave you demanding a refund), and Lodoss War is probably the anime that, to me, sets the bar for quality.

So, yes, the animation is dated. Well, think about the computers that were available in 1988-89. Apple IIs, greyscale Macs, an Amiga if you cared about graphic quality. None of these were used in the animation business at the time (that I know of, anyway-- graphical processing power just wasn't up to snuff). Anime was hand-drawn on cels, every single frame, 24 frames per second. Sometimes they will loop an animation and zoom out the camera to save a few yen, but that kind of shortcut breaks the illusion easily and was used sparingly. If the director or anyone in charge of production calls for a retake of a scene, it had to be redrawn, completely. If the colors were off, you didn't have color correction, you had to redraw it. Don't believe me? Watch Shirobako. They're not kidding when they say animation was extremely hard work in these days. Just as Steamboat Willie was state-of-the-art in its day, so was the animation in Lodoss War, and doubly so because OVAs allow a good production staff to take its time to make sure everything was right, unlike the mad dash of a weekly television series. Sure, showing the glint of the blade tip rather than the full animated swing is a shortcut, but it is undeniably effective (and no anime since has used this nearly as effectively). The animation staff knew exactly how to employ the imagination of the audience and draw them in. I'm sorry to say, this is a lost art today largely because animators now have the tools to show us all the gory details, overload our senses, and leave plot and characterization in the dust.

The soundtrack. Oh, yes, the soundtrack. The score's soaring battle themes evoke Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (which is fitting, because that was the soundtrack of the film Excalibur). The composer, while he's no Yoko Kanno (let alone Howard Shore, James Horner, or John Williams), nevertheless demonstrates his mastery of every section of the orchestra, from tracks that would probably evoke zombie apocalypses, to tracks that Vivaldi could've written for a royal court, to tracks that could be the backdrop of Eomer's counterattack in The Two Towers. I usually don't remember anime soundtracks because they're totally unimpressive (or I remember them because they're terrible)-- I cannot say that about the soundtrack to Lodoss War.

Adesso e Fortuna is the only anime song with a tango beat that I can remember (it's a slow tango-- listen to the bass line and the harp), and while romance isn't a particularly important part of the show until the final 3 episodes or so, it turns out to be a great match. The ending theme is good as well, but I never really got into it nearly as much.

The voice acting is very well cast, written, directed, and performed. How do I know this? As another reviewer mentioned, there is chemistry. In the behind-the-scenes to Star Wars, we see that one reason why George Lucas cast (a very young and terrified) Carrie Fisher wasn't because of her Hollywood star parents, but because of her chemistry with Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill. If you want to see why casting matters, look at early deleted scenes of Star Trek: Voyager with a very different Captain Janeway. Poor casting (especially political casting) is never a benefit to a production, and thankfully here all the voices fit like gloves.

Now, sure, it seems like an anime cliche-- fantasy theme, RPG party of a fighter, a mage, a healer, a dwarf, a thief, and an elf, now go and fight {dragon|evil warlord|wizard}. But you need to understand that you are watching the series that in my opinion set the standard for this genre. In fact, it probably did its job too well-- nearly every fantasy anime I've seen since was either a cliched copy of this party, or a parody (intentional, in the case of Slayers, or otherwise, in the case of follow-up productions). Without a good script, the characters can't grow. Without good direction, the audience won't care about the characters. Here, the characters have depth, they don't remain who they are in the beginning, and they all have journeys, for good or ill. Good casting, great script, good direction.

Part of me wishes that there are more episodes, and part of me dreads what happens when there isn't enough plot to go around. The pace is just right to me, and other than an introductory episode, there isn't much of "jumping around" to my recollection (which means I should rewatch the DVD). The story does meander a bit, and despite all the stuff happening, the show never loses its focus on the main cast. For all the liberties taken with the original RPG/novels, this is the best adaptation to animation, hands down.

Am I biased in thinking this is the bar for all fantasy anime? Damn straight I am, and proud of it too.

After watching so many fantasy story I can say finally I found the true fantasy story I've been looking for something fimiliar to final fantasy or maybe elden ring or even lots of the ring something that can the complete universe of fantasy story with various factions such as humans, elves and dragons something has hat that classic typical story about good and evil something that talking about legends and heroes, this anime could be the ultimate fantasy story you can find in anime community, no overpowered main character , and there is no friendship power , no harem bullshit , just a ... story that could be too realistic than entertaining, and trust me ain't exaggerating at all , it has some dark theme elements like berserk , ppl here can easily die and every fight they struggle and they face their weaknesses.

im sick of shitty isekai or OP MC I wanna see something that will make love all characters without favorite any one of them , with some true love story without harem and over ecchi things , and we don't have that silly or cringe comedy here like most of shows have .

the soundtrack were stunning I loved em , classic and fancy and honestly that's why I prefer 90s anime , at that time ppl create stories with pure love , you can feel how much hard work they put on it , short amount of episodes with decent stories no filler no several seasons .


i really hope this anime get a reboot because there is a lack of lore hereI feel the plot needs more episodes to explain the universe during my walkthrough I noticed they kinda rushed the story to the end and that's why can't give it full besides that I believe the source material here needs at least 25 episodes to adapt it .

The age of this series shows, but the OVAs still hold up today as a classic high fantasy anime. The story itself isn't anything special and plays out like a D&D campaign, and the characters are pretty much ripped out of a D&D session as well. But that's the charm of it, It's just a straightforward high fantasy story. I'll also admit the influx of the "Isekai" genre has influenced my review as the most generic fantasy plots are masterpieces compared to that garbage.

Animation and sound wise it still holds up fairly well for something it's age, and the first episode in particular ... had animation that puts some series today to shame in comparison. Story wise as I said before, it's pretty much a D&D campaign in animated format. Your enjoyment of it hinges on whether you like those kinds of plots, I did so I liked it. The characters are all pretty generic, but that's what makes them endearing. They aren't some ridiculous over the top anime trope like a lot of "fantasy" anime does these days. Parn the main character isn't a Japanese teenager who got killed by a truck and sent to this fantasy world where he's given a ridiculous OP power that's considered weak. He's just the son of a knight who starts off as a complete greenhorn, and by the end you see his progression both in his combat skills and his personality.

All in all, it's a classic series that I'd recommend anybody who loves Fantasy or those who are tired of the bland self insert Isekai genre to check out.

As a big fan of fantasy, Record of Lodoss War is one of my very favorite anime. This is an old show. I remember watching it streaming on Cartoon Network's web site when I was a kid, before streaming was really even a thing. I instantly loved it.

The story is very good. I like the theme of light/dark and balance. The characters are interesting, though not very complex. The art is really good. It has more detail than a lot of anime. And the music is really beautiful as well. I really wish there were more anime like this one out there, because in my ... opinion, it truly is a masterpiece.

If you have the choice, watch it subtitled. The dubbed version is pretty bad. I don't notice it much due to nostalgia, but when I pay attention to it, the dubbed version is noticeably bad in comparison.

If you are looking for a good fantasy anime, one that isn't too complex, but also is quite enjoyable, I think this would make a really good choice.

Record of Lodoss War is a basic high fantasy story that is carried by its gorgeous art, outstanding designs, and wonderful music.

There's not much to say about the stories, characters, and themes. Your average RPG starter character Parn gets together with a group of RPG archetypes to go on a quest to stop a war orchestrated by some dark deity. The characters in the group are fine; they're not given much exploration, development, or backstory but they're each competent at what they do and their dialogue and interactions are fine. Deedlit falls into that category as well--- despite having an awesome character design that ... suggests she would play a bigger role, she's just there to be the chick to Parn.

The story opts to focus on fledgling hero Parn, who of course talks a lot about saving people and rushes into battle but doesn't have any of the fighting skill to back it up. He's pretty much a noob who tries to be a hero up until the very last episodes and it gets tiresome to watch him get bailed out by the other, much more competent characters in the group. The emphasis on Parn over the more capable and potentially more interesting members of the group severely hurts the story.

Speaking of the story, the group also just doesn't do much in general; for the first 8 episodes or so they simply travel from place to place. There's nothing egregious about the plot (except for one thing), but it would have had some life if the battles that they fought were actually well animated. I understand it was 1990 and their budget was limited, but still the slowness and reliance on still frames for the action sequences limits their entertainment value. That's not to say the art is bad, though. The backgrounds and characters are beautifully drawn and really convey that classic fantasy setting.

I was OK with the plot until they damseled Deedlit so that Parn could finally man up and save her. Not only did they damsel her, they also seemed to use this as an opportunity to sexualize her. This is a cardinal sin in my book- they took a character with a strong design and objectified her. When Parn saves her, they act like he's a big hero who's gone through a lot of development, but in reality he didn't learn much and his sword skills made an inexplicable jump from noob to master.

Anyway, enough about the plot and characters. Let's talk about the art and design. Like I said, the art is gorgeous. The designs are some of the best I've seen in anime and in fantasy in general. Parn's suit is a great knight design and Deedlit's outfit, with its broad shoulder pads, is powerful and elegant. The face designs are among my favorite in anime. Each character's face is unique and handsomely constructed, achieving a perfect blend of anime beauty and realism. The male faces are actually handsome and not pretty in the feminine way that anime designs usually do it. Parn's eyes, in particular, do a lot to soften my dislike of him. The second series blindly discarded these face designs in favor of more generic ones.

The music has an otherworldly beauty that capture the finest feelings of the fantasy genre, doing the job that the story and characters couldn't. The opening and ending songs feel like they embody the quintessential fantasy adventure aesthetic.

The design and music alone make the series worth checking out, but don't expect too much from the actual story.

first anime I ever watched and i been hooked on the genre ever since!!!
I just loved how it was basically an RPG come to life, tell me an epic story any day of the week!!! From start to finish character development/progression is prevalent in ALL characters, not just the main. even the villains have motivations for their actions. I honestly wish it was longer but even for 13 episodes it felt like an 'epic' tale without sacrificing the pacing at all.

Depending on the time frame you pick this up, you may be off-put by the art style but for the early '90s this was gold, ... pure animated goodness!!! though its been a while between this review and my actual watching of the show i can't recall the musical score being anything but appropriate. bass drops occurred in time with the action beats, not a whole lot of 'BIG EXPLOSION' moments but the fight choreography was impressive and well thought out between knights crossing swords with wizards chanting spells from the rear to assist everyone was in place where you would expect them to be and if they weren't... then things most likely didn't go well for the side that slipped up.

All in all great work done well with lots of care and it shows. give it a view and see for yourself!!!

Thousands of years have passed since the war amongst the two gods of dark and light had ended which, broke off a piece of land from the main continent and the island "Lodoss" was formed. Now the forces of darkness brews once again as the dark ruthless armies of Marmo begins to invade and threaten the inhabitants of the island. After his village is attacked by a a horde of strangely behaving goblins, the badly untrained and rash Parn is sent out to investigate the source of the darkness. Joining him is an unruly party of six each journeying for their own reasons - his ... priest-in-training and friend Etoh who chose to accompany him, Ghim the dwarf in search of his daughter, Slayn the self-taught mage who sees potential in Parn, Deedlit the curious High Elf and Woodchuck a thief they rescued during a raid. Soon they discover there are much greater forces at play.

This show is based on Ryo Mizuno's 7 volume novel series which are actually a novelisation of recorded Dungeon & Dragon gameplay sessions. Think RPGs with pen and paper without any electronics, just dices to determine what happens. As such, the setup is very RPG-like with your party member of humans, elves in their familar classes such as mage, warrior etc. It's very much your classic Western fantasy world setting filled with legends and the simple plot of a party setting out to adventure to vanquish the evil that leaves a trail of ruin wherever it goes. Complete with the evil laughs too.

Art is good and suits its fantasy setting. I think the character designs are beautifully done and aren't done as fan service heavy like most shows these days. You do notice the repeated animations used during battles and how short duel scenes are but, with the amount of work involved in doing cel animation you'd probably give them some slack for it. You can also see the lack of animation sometimes such as when a troupe of knights are moving like a cardboard stand. The emotional "twinkly eye" animations feel overdone and overly used and, there's a bit too much flashing of scenes sometimes. There's lots of blood but little gore.

You could say the 13 episode OVA is roughly based on the first half of the novels but has its original ending as the novels were still ongoing at the time. RPG fans should find the fantasy premise entertaining as it is with the familiar battle scenarios and party setups.

Story - The main story itself is not half bad for a fantasy themed anime. Some things are a bit unclear that I don't think I missed yet go unexplained. The whole thing feels like a small part of a the novels it was adapted from. That said, you can follow along with what's happening for the most part so it could be worse. It's no Lord of the Rings but the story was absolutely fine for it's genre.

Art - The art for me is really great, I'm a sucker for the genre and this classic style. However, Deedlit and Pirotess' ears really shot out ... a bit too far. I guess they really wanted you to know they were elves. Just a small quirk of what otherwise is a pretty beautiful style, but may come off as "boringly realistic" to people who don't like that stuff. I however, loved it.

Sound - So this is a real mixed bag. The quality ranges from poor to good. The sound effects are mostly actually quite good and never feel too stock. The music is also extremely hit or miss, and it's less about the writing of the music and more about the quality and whatever weird synth they used to make said music that sounds extremely fake for what's supposed to be a beautiful orchestral score. I think if it had a bigger budget this could have been ironed out. As it stands it's only ever distractedly bad a couple times and I'll forgive it.

Character - I wish characters got fleshed out more, but the couple that did were pretty good. Parn is a decent MC if not a bit plain. Ashram was really cool as well as King Kashue. I wish they had more time to expand on the campaign characters as they feel largely glossed over and probably the anime was made for people who already knew the characters from the novel series. It doesn't make the story hard to follow but it just leaves me wanting in the character development department.

Enjoyment - I actually quite liked this a lot. Some episodes are far better than others, sometimes the animation and budget really plummets and it gets unevenly cheap looking. However, I could see myself watching it again in the future. Easily one of the better series I've seen lately. It left me a bit frustrated that it didn't have more episodes to expand on things or a bigger budget to really make the good ideas look better in execution. They did well with what they had I think.

Overall - If you like that type of old school Swords and Sorcery through the lens of Japanese people you can hardly do better than Record of Lodoss War. It fulfills it's niche and if you don't fall into this western fantasy sort of fandom you may find it to be a dull or average watch.

An excellent classic anime. If you like medieval, legendary creatures and elves, Record of Lodoss War is your anime.

For fans of the role and the fantastic medieval atmosphere Lodoss is a feast for the eyes. The beings that appear, the history, the music, the art of the places make you want to see LOTR or play a D&D role-playing game.

The story centers on Parn, a young warrior who goes out in search of his father and why the orcs are more active, accompanied by the classic role-playing team: His friend Etoh the cleric, Slayn the sorcerer, Ghim the dwarf warrior, Woodchuck the thief and the ... elf Deedit.

Together they visit kings, fighting against necromancers and other creatures that appear. Loddos includes sequels, manga and even video games, so if you get hooked, you can continue addicting for a while.

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Un excelente anime clasico. Si te gusta lo medieval, las criaturas de leyenda y las elfas, Record of Lodoss War es tu anime.

Para los fanaticos del rol y la aentura medieval fantastica Lodoss es un festin para los ojos. Los seres que van apareciendo, la historia, la musica, el arte de los lugares hace que te den ganas o de ver LOTR o jugarte una partida de rol de D&D.

La historia se centra en Parn, un joven guerrero que sale en busca de su padre y por el porque los orcos estan mas activos, acompañado del clasico team de rol: Su amigo Etoh el clerigo, Slayn el hechicero, Ghim el guerrero enano, Woodchuck el ladron y la elfa Deedit.

Juntos van visitando reyes, peleando contra nigromantes y otros bichos que van apareciendo. Loddos incluye unas secuelas, mangas y hasta videojuegos, asi que si quedas enganchado podes seguir viciando para rato.

Simple. Straightforward. Quality. For what it was and when it was, it knocked it out of the park. Put on your nostalgia goggles for this one, folks.

Story
Dungeons and Dragons as an anime. All the classic stuff. Fighter, elf, dwarf, mage, cleric. They level up and fight stuff. Good vs. evil. There is a mirror evil team too.

I believe that the story was a transcription of a D&D campaign so all the standard plot events were here. Gobins attacked our fighter's home village. He started adventuring, met allies, ran into enemies, and inserted himself in the middle of war between good and evil.

Nothing ... is new about this now. But I imagine it was groundbreaking material back then. It was for me when I first saw it.

The real story took place in the first 7 or 8 episodes. The stuff that happened after seemed like an after thought. It was stakes and the conflict was resolved halfway through the season. Apparently, it was because the producers were adapting books couldn't find a good way to spread out the story over 13 episodes.

In any case, the story is average at this point but really good in 1990 or if it is your first foray into the D&D world.

Characters
The characters were straightforward. Lodoss was actually my first dive into D&D. I liked fantasy things before then but never got the real D&D experience. As tropey as they were, they were new and fresh to me.

Parn was our guy. He started as a low-level warrior and took his lumps as he leveled up. He made up for his lack of skill with his conviction to duty and honor. I found it refreshing that he got his ass kicked by just about everyone. He was a budding swordm and had to earn every inch of ground he got. In the first few episodes, he could barely hold his own against basic goblins and guards. He was the shonen protag.

Deedlit is our gal. Waifu S-tier for sure. She just kind of showed up and fell in love with our guy. It was shallow, but how else were the producers going to maximize her screentime? I like that she acted like an elf. In the prologue, she haughty and a little childish, was at odds with the dwarf, and got distracted by random bling. She was madly in love with Parn for some reason. It seemed random, but I rolled with it just because it made for a good story. She was our original anime elf girl.

The other members of the crew are basic but solid. My only gripe was that Etoh, the cleric, didn't really get to do anything cool until the last or second to last episode. And I thought he was a girl for most of the show.

There was a mirror evil team too. Pretty cool group.

Art
The art was pretty good for the most part. The character designs were solid. The action was not good.

The art seemed to focus on the faces. It's been a while since I watched it, but I remember the director zooming in on faces for dramatic reactions. The magic was cool. But the fighting was not well animated. The fighting used a lot of streaks of color and reused footage instead of showing the characters in motion. I remember hearing that it could have been a measure to conserve the budget. Who knows.

The character designs were cool. I remember giant shoulder pads. Maybe this is where Warcraft got its inspiration.

Deedlit is the character you're going to remember.

Sound
The voice acting was good. Everybody sounded like they should. I wasn't sure if Etoh was a guy or a girl for most of it.

The sound effects were okay. Nothing great but it was a professional production.

I love the opening theme and visuals. It captured the epic fantasy romance feel perfectly. The OP is one of the best parts of the show.

The ending theme was decent. Surprisingly, it was more upbeat than the OP. It was not as epic, sweet, or catchy as the OP but still got the fantasy vibe right. Decent song.

Enjoyment
Lodoss was one of the first animes I saw. It was my introduction into the D&D world and high fantasy in general. I had a great time with it.

That said, there were shortcomings. The first episode is the best one out of the lot.

The prologue is awesome. I love creation myths and we are given one that was animated as paintings on a ruined dome. Badass. This is where most of the animation budget probably went.

We're thrown into the middle of the story. Our adventurers are going through a dwarven tunnel to consult the great sage. The sage and a witch decide to toy with our heroes and throw some challenges their way. Our guys show off their character attributes it's cool.

The episode ends with a confrontation with a minor dragon. Our characters do their character stuff complete with tension between the elf and the dwarf. It's cool as hell.

But then after the first episode, things never get quite as good. The action isn't as good, the spells don't hit as hard, and the characters don't have their stereotypical moments. I mean, the rest of the show is still decent, but not as awesome as it could have been. They started on a high note but weren't able to keep it up with the art, action, or storytelling.

Another thing is that the MC is underpowered for most of the show. It's a stark contrast to the OP MCs of modern isekais. I haven't seen too many isekais, but I'll say that being OP takes the piss right out of the story. If our guy is effortless, then what's it really all about? There's no tension. We are confident in our guy prevailing so I don't worry. I don't get invested. I like underpowered MCs because it makes the W feel earned.

Parn got his ass kicked so much through the story. Toward the end, when he was finally making his way through the final castle, he was taking down normal baddies left and right and it felt good. This was ROTJ Luke Skywalker handling shit. He was always headstrong but now he had the skills to back it up. He wasn't the same little boy no more. I loved the growth.

Overall
It shows its age now, but Lodoss was awesome when I saw it.

I loved the underpowered MC who grew up, the OP, and that Deedlit is bae.

When I first watched this series back in 2005 I never cared to much for it. It was enjoyable but never really could get into it. Now in 2021 having this on Blu-ray being able to see there stunning art as it was meant to be helped a lot.

This time around I was far more invested in the story even though it kind of falls flat at the end and feels a bit rushed. The characters are really what sell this show. The first few episodes are a bit slow and honestly felt like just another fantasy story, but those episodes really help with ... the character development and get you invested in them, because by the end of this OVA at least there are things that happen that really make you appreciate those earlier episodes.

Overall I had an absolute blast with this series. It's far from perfect, but for what it is trying to do it's a lot of fun in you are into D&D type fantasy. The animation is stunning and has a rather unique look to it.