My initial introduction to anime was through features and OVAs classified as science fiction of one sort or another, a genre well represented in the art form.  It was inevitable I was going to branch out into trying fantasy themed works as well, particularly with early exposure to Ninja Scroll, a film that blended an historical setting with subtle magical elements.

Occasional dabbling in pen & paper roleplaying, table-top war-gaming and high fantasy novels had whet my appetite for sword & sorcery from young adulthood.  I knew the archetypes and tropes of fantasy settings intimately – fitting then that my first true taste of a fantasy anime was the excellent, Record of Lodoss War OVA.  Based on a franchise of novels by Ryo Mizuno that were in turn based on a RPG setting that he had developed, the anime wears its Dungeons & Dragons inspirations on its sleeve.  Elves, dwarves, wizards, warriors and all the other familiar hallmarks one would expect are visible at every turn.

The D&D references practically smack the viewer in the face from the very opening of the opening, albeit not chronologically first episode of the series.  We follow a party of adventurers as their as yet unexplained quest takes them into a foreboding series of tunnels of caverns, in search of a wizened sage.  A young human knight is joined by a perceptive wizard, nimble elf, resolute cleric, dour dwarf and wisecracking thief.  Perils, traps and adversaries abound: it would hardly be spoiling the proceedings to mention that an encounter with a dragon follows in due course.

Record of Lodoss war positively revels in its RPG roots, even as the full scope of the narrative is revealed in subsequent episodes.  The travails of the band of adventurers is framed as part of an epic conflict of good versus evil.  The more personal journey of Parn, the young knight protagonist as he seeks to learn about his family history is another main thread to the story.

The region-free DVD (Central Park Media) version of the OVA breaks the action up into the 13 episodes as they were originally aired, complete with supplementary “next on Record of Lodoss War” previews prior to the credits.  I am completely unfamiliar with director Akinoria Nagaoka’s body of work so I can’t suggest whether this OVA is typical of his output.  I can comment that the quality of animation is on par with what you’d expect of anime produced in the early 90’s generally.  The action sequences are strongest where they focus on one-on-one combat rather than raging battles.  Both the VHS version I watched years ago and the DVD I own now are overly dark/saturated in short intervals, but I’m doubtful if that is the fault of the original material.

The sound and music are worth mentioning – both are a mixed bag.  The quality of the English language dub varies widely in terms of the strength of the performances.  You’ll not recognize more than a handful of the voice actors utilized: the only one that really stood out to my ear was the narrator.  The most memorable line deliveries are those of the various spell-casters: by the end of the 13 episode run you’ll be able to recite a few incantations word-for-word.

The music is also fairly repetitive, even for an ongoing series, but at least it lines up with the action.  The same cannot be said of the ill-fitting theme song and credits music.  I’ve touched on this subject before during my review of Cyber City: Oedo (LINK) but Record of Lodoss War’s intro song is definitely a head-scratcher.  Themes of romance, devotion and “strong and powerful arms” don’t really gel with the show, but after a first listen you’d be forgiven for expecting a dominant love story where one doesn’t really exist.

Episode 7 “War of Heroes” is my personal favourite, where the armies of Valis and Marmo and their respective champions clash.  The series takes a slightly different direction from that point – the war takes a backseat to a sinister plan to resurrect a dark god, drawing in the heroes once again.  As befits a tale of Good vs. Evil, the most important characters that drive the plot have contrasting rivals: Parn vs. Ashram, Emperor Beld vs. King Fahn, Deelit vs. Pirotess.  Few other characters are extensively developed, content to fill the assigned stereotypical roles of cleric, dwarf, wizard, thief et cetera without much deviation.  Mysterious grey witch Karla is one notable exception, with her motivations having a central impact on the direction of the story.

Two subsequent animations, Chronicles of the Heroic Knight and Legend of Crystania were released some years later and are new tales set in the Lodoss world.; I have not seen either series/OVA, but friends who have didn’t exactly give me strong recommendations to bother.   Chronicles in particular is confusing by virtue of recycling or retelling certain points from the first Lodoss War and outright contradicting others.  Neither are said to achieve the quality of animation or polish generally found in the first series, but I know next to nothing of where the voice acting and music stand.

Video game adaptations, most notably Advent of Cardice on the Dreamcast back in 2000 (the only one released outside of Japan) have appeared periodically but are not widely loved.  Given this property’s RPG roots, this is greatly disappointing to learn.  With the excellent Heroic Legend of Arslan recently resurrected and also getting an interesting looking game earlier this year, I think the case for a Lodoss revival is clear, even as a passing fan.

This is an easy recommendation for a series for any classic anime enthusiast or lovers of the fantasy, sword & sorcery genres.  A cursory glance at eBay or Amazon reveal you shouldn’t have too much difficulty obtaining a DVD version somewhere, or even VHS for the adventurous.  This isn’t a towering achievement in anime but a highly enjoyable watch nonetheless.