Record of Lodoss War

Director
Nagaoka AkinoriNagaoka Akinori, Shigeto Makino
Production
Kadokawa Shoten, Madhouse, TBS
Country of origin
Japan
Format
OVA
Running time
13 episodes
Year
1990

Record of Lodoss War

By Eric
21st May 04

Dungeons and Dragons geeks, rejoice! There's something that combines our beloved fantasy worlds with our beloved anime into one great, wonderful pit of nerdery! I mean that in the nicest possible way...

There are plenty of animes about fantasy worlds with elves and swords and wizards, but Lodoss does it the best. The characters act more like a character from that time period would, and the problems and conflicts are more realistic (as realistic as a fantasy world would get, anyway). There are wars to be fought, magic artifacts to be had, and dragons to slay. It's all combined very seamlessly, and the plot smoothly flows from one point to the other.

It focuses on a war between Valis, the kingdom of light, and Marmo, the kingdom of darkness. It's nothing new, but the beauty of it is that rather than focusing on battles, you see the war from the perspective of the people, who are losing their homes and families to this unstoppable onslaught. A soldier mentions to Parn, our hero, a good luck charm around his neck that his son made for him, but when the battle is over, that same charm is around the neck of a corpse. The knights are fighting for their families and homeland, not because they were ordered to.

I mentioned Parn. He's a boy trying to be a knight...and he's kind of a loser. He can't fight, he has a temper, and he rushes into things without thinking. Not to worry, folks, he has his friends to show him the way, including an elf and a dwarf...who argue ALL the time.

During the course of the series, Parn meets his friends, becomes tied up in the politics of the war, and eventually discovers the horrible truth about why it began in the first place. It's an enchanting series, but there are a few things that drag it down from "magnificent" to "decent."

First, the artwork isn't the best. It's not a new anime, so this is forgivable. Anime wasn't always gorgeous to look at. What can't be overlooked is the fact that certain cels are reused a LOT during big battle scenes between armies. You'd swear you were watching the same battle all over again. This alone brings it down significantly. Finally, there are times when it's just too much talk. Talk talk talk, and when you reach a battle they reuse the cels.

Sounds awful, doesn't it? Well, it's a lot to put up with, but in return you get a great story, wonderful characters, and a fascinating world of magic. If that's what you seek, you'll find it here. If you're looking for something with lots of sword action...maybe you want to look elsewhere.

7/10

-- Eric 21st May 04

Record of Lodoss War Images