T.A.O's: The Classics:

Review:

-To his good credit, creator "Hitoshi Yasuda" remembered one of the most ancient and effective clichés in anime, when he decided to formulate the "Record Of Lodoss War" OAV series: Give your villians in the storyline a human emotional arche, as well as the good guys; presenting a unique yet equal balance in the situation of good vs. evil plotlines. Such are the ways he goes about succeeding in creating the fantasy series which has become perhaps the definitive version, by which all others like it are compared.

"Record Of Lodoss War" is an immensly crafted tale featuring the cataclysmic battle of good vs. evil in a land torn apart (literally); a familiar terrain which is brought to pleasant life with a series of extraordinary characters. Those of which are created by Yasuda & drawn carefully by "Nobiteru Yuki" & "Yutaka Izubuchi"; among other elite anime art veterans.

It's an effort which is carefully defined and executed if not a bit dated. However, the remarkable human qualities and adventurous feats the show achieves, clearly outweigh it's entourage of flawed increments. The fact that it can also accumulate such feats in a matter of under 13 episodes is perhaps amazing in itself.

Aside from it's more recent T.V. series counterpart, the OAV is by far yet the greatest representation of the fantasy genre in animé (Not the permutation-style like "Escaflowne" mind you, full-blown fantasy genres). Also, if I'm not stretching it; it's quite arguably one of the greatest displays of fantasy in film ever created. Whether for television, the big-screen, live-action, animated or otherwise.

For the longest time I was a sort of junkie for the series, it being one of the very first animes I ever saw. I was astounded to say the least at it's awesome quality upon my first initial viewing; as it has grown to be one of my favorites. And while the series has shown it's techincal age with the progressing years, the wonderful human emotion it holds never ceases to amaze me. As real as any other human drama I've yet witnessed in any medium.

The story is foremost, a plot-arche of good vs. evil. At it's intended heart, Record Of Lodoss War is a straightforward narrative, through and through. It's conveys beautifully a plot of a desolate and tarnished land forged from a hatred and destruction too great to describe.

As the narrative states with much grace: it's a struggle which ended in the climax between a battle of two great powers. That of "Martha" the Earth goddess, & "Cardis" a futile god of madness & destruction. But above all, the story is a wonderful human drama and quest; involved with quirky & touching characters which hold true to their hearts and one another. Moreover, an even larger portion of their souls to the task waged forward in time.

Upon it's initial production & release, I don't doubt that Yasuda's vision of the popular fantasy RPG turned anime faced some traumatic problems of it's own. It was in fact an OAV series, so it's budget was relatively modest compared to the often excessive extents of feature film productions in Japan; which if especially happens to be sci-fi or fantasy, have a problematic history of being much overblown to the crucial point of near bankruptsy.

"Record Of Lodoss War" however proved to be more than successful enough, as it soon came to be one of the most recognized and popular franchises in the anime medium today. That which it holds true to this day, drawing new fans of all shapes and kinds during it's clever manga series run & recent television show. However, despite the hype or fame surrounding it's characters or game, many loyal fans will remember clearly the remarkable feat that is the OAV's storyline.

The world envisioned here is so immense in fact, that it's often hard to imagine the amount of conceptualization which goes into such projects. The story revolves around the headstrong & eager warrior "Parn", who's late father knight left a young Parn with little more than a memory & a sword w/suit & armor. Who is about to be presented with a serious fate which could tip the scales of Lodoss & his own destiny.

These plotline arches however, are all of course customary to the fantasy genres. But Yasuda's world has a whole lot of heart and soul, & screenplay writers "Mami Watanabi" & "Keichi Kanemaki" among many others keep the focus of the series intact; along with some thoughtful and poetic dialogue the likes of which may even cause a "Shakespeare" junkie to spew in 'awe'.

The evil witch "Karla" (AKA: the "grey witch") is one of the many obstacles which Parn encounters on his journey to save Lodoss. The very first episode directed by Nagaoka himself of many directors on the series project, is one of the many clever examples of the show's ability to let the audience know where things stand. An introductory quasi-prologue introducing the main heros of our story.

These six being Parn of course, a 'high-elf' named "Deedlit", a valiant & noble dwarf named "Ghim", a wise young sorcerer known as "Slayn", "Etoh" a 'high-priest' & "Wood-chuck", an eccentric but kind-hearted thief. It seems that almost automatically we are drawn into the clever world of the "acursed island", as writers "Watanabe" & "Kanemaki" along with others craft beautifully the camaraderie and slight touches of the characters.

This being an often difficult thing to achieve, considering it's more difficult to convey a sense of realism in animated works, without making the dialogue appear programmed or just plain 'lifeless' in a sense. This is due to the fact that most animated works' dialogue is written after the animation process, & is brought to life shortly afterwards by the voice actors, who supply the mouth movement to the otherwise soundless & emotionless animation.

Anime veterans such as "Miyazaki" himself have once said that: animation should attempt to convey a sense of emotion from life, not mimic it (Not his words rather his thoughts). Furthermore, this kind of distinct art style would explain the sheer amount of effort Lodoss War places into conveying a sense of dignified space; utilizing limited movement as a weapon instead of the so-called 'full-motion animation'.

As for the plot & characters of Lodoss themselves, they are hardly examples of fixated plotlines. The actual narrative itself is fueled by a sense of malice and ambition for the villians, and an overwhelming sense of duty and retribution for the heros.

It is fully a classic quest caper, but the level of detail placed into the characters and tiny worlds they embody is so detailed, that there is a distinct message played out which gives you the sense that every character in the show is out for themselves.

These factors are all crucial in laying out the foundation of the plot, but they alone never outweigh the characters or the emotion of the story; carrying through from start to finish without a hint of turning backwards. It knows what it wants to achieve as a form of entertainment, yet the series surprises us with it's unique human qualities and wonderful feeling.

"Mitsuo Hagita's wonderful score is both customary & thoughtful. Not only does it move us emotionally, but it also lets the audience know where people & ideas lie. Music serves as an edifice for moving the plot along, but it foremost provides a unique sense of emotion to both the characters and the storyline.

And although the series may be technically sluggish at times, & often over-ensued to the point of either ridiculousness or simply guilty pleasure; it's both passionately filmed and masterfully conceived. Serving foremost as a reminder that anime cannot only be thought-provoking or meticulous in dramatic/emotional scope, but it can also be a whole lot of fun too.

The series is engorged into a series of vibrant and glorious images, which in themselves are great standpoints as emotional arches. They succeed in telling an emotional story perhaps in better ways than any exchange of dialogue ever could. One of the last images in the series is in my opinion, one of the greatest images in anime history. It shows the grave of a fallen warrior & a new hero emerging on horseback into the horizon.

Like other lasting images in animes like "Cowboy Bebop" and "Grave Of The Fireflies", they always manage to make me break out in tears. Call me old-fashioned or simply a melodramatic person, but Hitoshi Yasuda's "Record Of Lodoss War" is a real treasure. Like most treasures of the same caliber or kind, they are meant to serve one purpose: be cherished.

-- (NOTE: As a fan of Lodoss, I can't help but wonder about some of the obvious and forgivable flaws. Which, correct me if I'm wrong; are sometimes fun to point out and criticize for production value purposes. If you haven't seen the series yet, I urge you not to read on. Consider a scene near the end of either episode 8 or 9 (memory escapes me at the moment), when Deedlit is captured by the dark elf "Pirotess". In the meantime Parn is back at the castle & somehow realizes Deed is gone & in danger, shows up; only to run conveniently into "Shiris" & "Orson" the mercenaries; who by some miracle or huge coincidence somehow managed to meet up with Parn w/out knowing about the situation in the first place. These however are all small complaints about a great anime series. They are foremost common trademarks of the anime medium which have been played out to be differentias of the industry. They should be paid no mind, only to worn-out fans like myself who bother at all; noted it's all in good humor & love for the animé medium.)

~This Has Been Yet Another One Of "T.A.O.'s" New Reviews Of Classic Anime Titles.~