The majority of anime that I have watched is more recent, from around 2010 and onwards. I knew that this being a bit of an older series, there may be some things that are more dated. But this anime really worked for me. In my opinion, it highlights some of the best things from the 90s era of anime: art, sound/music, hand drawn animation, and comedic charm.
Ok, so the story isn't something we've never heard of before. Protagonist embarks on a quest to fulfill a certain goal. But it's all about the journey! The episodes start off as primarily self-contained, but they build into a larger plot. (one that I will not go into detail about because, y'know, spoilers)
The art and animation are on point when it's considered a priority. Unfortunately, there are a few episodes where the art and animation are noticeably inconsistent. But when these two necessities are given the due care that they deserve, it was a beauty for me to look at. Especially the character art for our main leads.
For the Japanese dub, I found no issues with the sound. I especially enjoyed the different sound tracks that were used for the different tones of the show. Azalie's theme was probably my favorite. Both openings were solid with some great animation. The endings were nice, poppy bits that sort of softened whatever action/drama had taken place earlier in the episode. Character acting was nicely done, too. As for the English dub, I have come to understand that this was at one time a divisive topic. I can understand why. This anime received quite a few critiques for having parts of the script changed. This particularly happened a lot in the first twelve episodes. And there were a few times where I even found that off-putting. Like, why change the initial reason for why Cleao decided to join Orphen and Majic? And yet, there was something that kept me coming back to the dub. Maybe it was a curiosity to see what they would change this time? But I also will say that I think the script changes worked for the comedic bits. And the character acting, for the most part, charmed me. I'll admit that Cleao and Majic took a little bit of getting used to. But I felt like the dub actors acted their hearts out to portray their version of these characters. It became fun for me to compare the two different language versions. Where I take issue with the English dub is that there were times where the volume for a character in a scene was so quiet that I had to go back and replay that moment more than a couple times just to hear what was said. (Hopefully that's not my hearing becoming an issue.)
Ok, characters. For me, this was probably where Orphen wasn't as strong. I wish that a few of our more prominent characters received a bit more development. Not to say that there is no character development. And I'm sure a lot of people found the Volkan and Dortin scenes to be more annoying than anything else. Somehow, I didn't mind the two trolls. Also, Hartia is precious and must be protected at all costs. Orphen's development was handled really nicely. I came to really like him as a character. And even bratty Cleao became someone endearing.
Even though this anime has its flaws, my overall enjoyment was a 10. I finished all 24 episodes of this first season in both subbed and dubbed in one week. That's technically 48 episodes. Now for some, I know that's mere pocket change. But for me, that's a fast consumption rate. I laughed. I...might have cried. Bopped my head to some of the music. Also, without giving spoilers, I had a "wtf" moment with the resolution for one character at the end. It forced my hand to dock a point.If you don't find yourself enjoying the first five episodes, then this probably isn't an anime you want to continue. But man, I got a kick out of Orphen!
