Amon Saga

- ANIMATION -
Let not the cover art fool you, Amon Saga is from 1986 so the animation is very basic (yet typical of that time) and might not appeal to most audiences accustomed to modern illustration styles. Having said that, the sequences are fluid but do occassionally seem to stall with frames where animation was done against still background shots. This anime does not show much attention to image detail or definition but this is probably due to budget constraints. It seems evident that Amon Saga did not recieve a digital remastering when issued into its DVD format leaving the images blurry and the colours ... with a 'faded' feel to them; which sadly has hampered the viewing pleasure.

- SOUND -
Regretably the soundtrack is not a memorable one as it lacks a gripping opening score. Dialogue is limited specially from the main character who is a silent reserved figure. English narration is not to modern standards with a varied lipsync.

- STORY & CHARACTER -
The storyline is simple and relatively easy to follow without much prior knowledge of the title. Fantasy and vengence are very much the main themes but it allows for some romantic elements to develope between Amon and the captive Princess Lichia. Amon, the main character, shows little development and does not stray far from the stereotypical quiet, lone warrior who is tormented by violent past memories. It is interesting to note that he is not without flaws, since he is not the best fighter within the cast and relies on his comrades throughout his quest - strangely atypical for the genre.

- VALUE & ENJOYMENT -
I was not impressed by Amon Saga as I felt it was too basic in all respects to leave any mark on the viewer. It might however appeal to fans of Vampire Hunter D or Fist of the North Star as the main characters share the same traits, and more importantly have the same art director. I have tried to be impartial to its flaws by trying to relate to how the anime scene was back at the 80s. Yet even taking that into consideration, when compared to other titles from that time, Amon Saga still falls short.

Amon Saga is a ridiculous OVA from 1986. Yoshitaka Amano worked on the script and character design which was enough to pique my interest; he’s a great artist and I recommend you check out his work. Except maybe Amon Saga; I recommend you stay as far away from Amon Saga as possible. This thing is capital L Lame. A lot of anime from this time period has been derided for being unnecessarily violent, having questionable animation, and telling piss poor stories. Unfortunately Amon Saga fits the bill pretty well in all of these categories.

The film in a nutshell: Amon is involved in an epic saga. ... He wants revenge on a tyrant and ends up meeting a hot princess and having some weird, vaguely homoerotic adventures despite the hot princess. There’s some brief nudity and a possible Vampire Hunter D cameo (renamed Ekuna, but they can’t fool me). The dub is almost competent, a disappointment considering a horrible dub would have made the film funny, as opposed to boring. Oh so cliché and boring.

I’d definitely pass on this one unless you’re REALLY hard up for some fantasy anime, but even then you can do a lot better. Should you ever find yourself forced to watch Amon Saga however, I’ve got your back:

Amon Saga: The Drinking Game (believe me, you’ll need it):

1) Someone says “Amon”; take a drink.

2) Someone is punched, kicked, stabbed, whipped or generally hurt in some way; take a drink.

3) There are breasts on the screen; finish your drink.

4) You are reminded that the sorcerer is a sorcerer; take a drink.

5) A character's eyes do a weird thing; take a drink.

6) There’s a rock turtle on the screen; chug.

7) Amon has tears in his eyes; cheers!

8) Exxxtreme rules, experts only: An oily man has no shirt on; drink.

This will get you drunk, and possibly dead. Have fun.