Rune Soldier

Publisher
ADV
Director
Yoshitaka Koyama
Production
J.C.Staff, Louie the Rune Soldier Production Group, WOWOW
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
24 episodes
Year
2001

Rune Soldier Vol.2: Adventure for Dummies

By John Huxley
19th Sep 04

Considering that the fantasy genre was influenced by Europe's colourful history I find it to be slightly surprising that there are as many, if not more, anime based around this most Western of genres than there are Japanese based equivalents. Of course, it makes sense in a roundabout way; the period(s) of history from which the fantasy genre takes its cues is undoubtedly as fascinating (if not more so) for foreign cultures as it is our own. Dreaming of a land when knights in gleaming silver armour slayed fire-breathing dragons is probably universally appealing. And in the process of consuming this traditionally European genre the Japanese have created something quite unique by adding their own cultural influences in to the mix. Shows such as Escaflowne are unarguably Japanese in style despite their obvious European connections. It’s a fascinating example of how cross-cultural pollination can work for the benefit of all.

Oh all right, I found it interesting even if you didn't! Well, here we are, back for the second volume of Rune Soldier. If you cast your mind back to the episodes previous you may remember that Louie broke his wand (looks more like a club actually...) whilst trying to save his friends from impending doom. Having sourced the precious wood required, Louie's father graciously crafts the clumsy brute a new wand (...looks an awful lot like the old one unfortunately). With his wand fully restored to its former glory, Louie is eager to get back to the business of adventuring alongside his old companions. Unfortunately the girls don't share his enthusiasm, relegating his dubious talents to the task of baggage handler. However, with a horde of lumbering zombies, an egotistical prince and a mechanical dragon to contend with, Louie spies his opportunity to play hero, save the day and impress the girls. If only he had the skills to match his ambitions...

This disc throws up some of the best episodes of Rune Soldier thus far - in particular the third episode which sees Merrill become overly protective about her ‘darling jar', an out-sized pot that contains her recently acquired fortune. Much more so than the episodes that accompany it, this is a neatly woven, throughly enjoyable tale that's beautiful in its simplicity. Perhaps this can be accredited to the shift in focus from a large cast of characters to just two, but whatever the case it's refreshing to see a change of pace from the regular mayhem.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the story is progressing. Each episode presents us with a new adventure for our heroes and heroines, but these are largely unconnected and almost entirely unrelated to the central story. Whilst we're treated to a few scraps, a few morsels of precious story development every now and again, these are really too few and far between to keep your interest levels high. This is an area which I hope will improve as the series goes on, although it's probably best not to approach Rune Soldier expecting an epic of Escalfowne proportions. No, Rune Solider is an entirely different beast, and its emphasis placed firmly on getting a few laugh out of the audience.

And this it achieves with a varying degree of success. Generally speaking the slapstick-centric humour has travelled well; you'll rarely find yourself wondering what the joke was about and there are even a couple genuine laugh-out-loud moments to enjoy (witness Louie's attempts to summon a golem, or his self-inflicted Fist of the North Star style flurry of punches to keep himself from falling asleep). Sadly Rune Soldier can't keep up this level of quality for long; for every moment that makes you chuckle there are several which will leave you stone-faced. The character's exaggerated expressions do help lighten the atmosphere somewhat, but when the joke falls flat they appear to be more forced and out of place than anything else. That said, scant few series can keep an audience laughing from start to finish for 24 episodes running, so in retrospect Rune Soldier does pretty well for itself. It's probably the funniest fantasy-based series we've had in the UK since Dragon Half, which should be recommendation enough! (Although the competition hasn't exactly been stiff. Make of that what you will).

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English 2.0 and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, clean open/close, ADV previews, 6 page fold-out booklet, reversible cover

Release information: UK: 20th September 2004, ADV

Notes: Again the two covers showcase radically different art styles, both undoubtedly very pretty. Which you choose is up to you, although the transparent casing will allow you to see the alternate version through the inside of the casing so neither will be lost. The booklet makes a return, with more production sketches, episode summaries and colour artwork. For my money it's always better to have something as palpable as a booklet rather than a disc crammed full of throwaway extras, and although this isn't the best example ADV have produced in recent months it's certainly a welcome addition. The extras may be as basic as they come, but it's still a decent package nonetheless.

-- John Huxley 19th Sep 04

Rune Soldier Images