Review: Record of Lodoss War (OAV)

The era of the Gods was closing. Their once eternal rule had come to an end. The heavens trembled as the armies of Falis, God of Light, clashed with those of Falaris, God of Darkness. Their perpetual battle ensued. The earth wept. The seas boiled. In the end, each side had but one survivor: Marfa, Goddess of Creation, and Kardis, Goddess of Destruction. They met in a final battle that echoed to the ends of the earth. When it was over, a new land was born, broken away from the rest of the continent, and the last flames of the once-invincible forces of the Goddesses of Light and Dark flickered and died away. Thousands of years have passed, and now the land to the south of the continent of Alicrast has become known as Lodoss, the Accursed Island.

Prologue to Record of Lodoss War

History

Record of Lodoss War was created in 1986 by Group SNE as a Dungeons & Dragons “replay” serialized in the Japanese magazine Comptiq. Replays are not novels, but actual transcripts of RPG sessions, meant to both hold the interest of readers and convey the events that took place. They have proven to be popular, even to those who do not play role-playing games but are fans of fiction.

The popularity of the Record of Lodoss War replays was such that the Dungeon Master Ryo Mizuno started to adapt the story into some of the earliest Japanese-language domestic high fantasy novels in 1988.

When the replay series went on to become a trilogy, Group SNE had to abandon the Dungeons & Dragons rules and create their own game, dubbed Record of Lodoss War Companion and released in 1989. All three parts of the replay series were eventually published as paperbacks by Kadokawa Shoten from 1989 to 1991.

The story (based here on the anime derivative of the manga, which is what I have watched) centers around the adventures of a youth by the name of Parn, the son of a dishonored knight. Part of his motivation for adventuring is to find out what happened to his father, and to restore his family’s honor. Despite his inexperience, Parn is considered the leader, who is accompanied by his childhood best friend Etoh, his friend and sometimes advisor Slayn (and later on Slayn’s lover Leylia), and his newfound mentor Ghim. They are accompanied by Parn’s romantic interest, the high elf Deedlit, who comes from the Forest of No Return seeking an answer to her people’s isolationism and an end to what she sees as a slow march to extinction and a thief named Woodchuck. Throughout the series, Parn comes into contact with friends and foes alike. His allies include King Kashue, King Fahn, Shiris, and Orson; his enemies include Emperor Beld, Ashram, and the evil necromancer Wagnard.

The Characters

Parn

Parn’s father, Tessius, had once been one of the greatest knights of Valis. However, a tragedy of the past left the family name in shame. Now, Parn has been forced to take up arms against a danger that has intruded on Lodoss. When monsters attacked his village, he took up his father’s sword and armor and fought back. However, he lacked the experience to face the leader of those monsters. Fortunately, the wizard Slayn was soon there to help. Driven by resolve and forced by the villagers to leave, he permanently marked his new life by burning the last trace of his old life: his house.

Parn has become dedicated to restoring peace to Lodoss and honor to his family’s name. Since he’s not a fully-trained fighter, he tends to make the common mistakes of the inexperienced fighter, such as acting on impulse instead of thinking things out – and this sometimes makes things difficult for the others.

Deedlit

Deedlit is a high elf from the realm of the faeries. She has a great appreciation for nature, and her magic always exhibits forms of nature, such as wind and water. She can also fight with weapons and carries with her a thin elven blade. She can be incredibly fast and, being an elf, she can match the attacks of dark elves like Pirotess.

Despite her occasional haughtiness (especially to Ghim), Deedlit is quite knowledgeable, always cautioning the others of potential dangers. She also has a fascination and affections for Parn, and it greatly frustrates her when he doesn’t return her attention; however, she stays with him anyway.

 

 

Etoh

Etoh and Parn have been friends since childhood. While Parn stayed in the village, Etoh left to enter the clergy. Currently just a novice, he still has learned a number of the ways of the Priests of Falis, God of Light. He has a limited capacity to heal wounds and can speak in an ancient tongue as a sign of authenticity.

 

 

 

Slayn

Slayn is a soft-spoken but powerful wizard. He and Deedlit are the only two in the group capable of using magic. Slayn’s also an old friend of Ghim, and he usually has to calm Ghim down or intervene in some way to curb his fiery temper.

 

 

 

 

Ghim

Ghim seems to blame himself for the disappearance of the priestess Leylia, and it’s usually up to his good friend Slayn to give him reassurance in one form or another.

 

 

 

Woodchuck

Probably Woodchuck’s cynicism is what annoys – and what encourages – the group the most. He certainly knows a lot of the tricks of the skulduggery trade, including loaded dice and knife throwing. He makes himself very useful once Parn releases him from the dungeon in Myce.

 

 

 

 

Wrapping it up

Of all the genres, fantasy has always been my favorite. I own uncountable amounts of fantasy novels, and have always lamented the lack of good fantasy in other media. Fortunately, with anime like Record of Lodoss War, I need not lament any more.

Only one word is needed to summarize this series: epic. Actually, calling it epic is almost an understatement. Between the massive armies, extensive story line, and sheer scope, Lodoss War is a monumental anime.

Word to the wise: When you do start watching, you may feel a little bit lost. The first episode actually takes place somewhere in the middle of the story. This allows for a quick introduction to all the characters, with lots of action to perk your interest early.

While the story line certainly isn’t skimped on in the slightest, the series strongly focuses on developing its characters as well. Everyone will probably their own favorite or two. The villains are also excellent. Karla and Ashram are simply two of the most devious and menacing (not to mention best dressed) villains I’ve seen. They just cast this aura of evil everywhere they go, which made me both hate and love them at the same time. Everyone is very fleshed out, and they all have their own agendas, some of which don’t get revealed until the very end. This allows for various twists and turns in the plot, which keeps things very intriguing.

If you like fantasy – are a fan of good cartoons – or play a Dungeons & Dragons type game -  then go get this series. For epic fantasy, Record of Lodoss War is one of the best.