Customer Reviews

Orphen - Spell of the Dragon (Vol. 1)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I remember seeing the cover to the first volume of the Orphen DVD, Spell of the Dragon. I also remember saying, "Hey, looks cool" and five minutes later I was walking out of the store with a new DVD in hand, and thirty dollars shorter than before. Yet, when I popped it into my DVD player, I realized that this was a real keeper.

Orphen starts out just about the same way as any other anime or TV series does. The characters are introduced: Orphen, the main character, and his I-don't-care attitude, Majik the innocent apprentice, and Cleao the annoyingly stubborn girl that gets sucked into the plot by a twist of fate. Seeming too cliche for you? Well then, perhaps I forgot to mention the unwelcome teachers from Orphen's past chasing after him. Or maybe the fact that Orphen is trying to save a terrifying dragon named the Bloody August from those teachers for his own personal reasons.

Yes, it's the lovely thing called foreshadowing that makes us want to throw down another thirty bucks for the next DVD, and it works so wonderfully. Granted, there are only 3 episodes on this certain volume, but there is so much promise in these three episodes that you can't help but love it. Characters quickly begin to develop and plot quickly begins to thicken. Yet beneath all the dark thoughts and mysterious memories, there's comedy that will put a smile on your face. The sarcastic attitude of Orphen is what made me laugh, and get this, it was the ENGLISH track that did it.

Yes, you heard me right, the ENGLISH track. The voice acting is professional and doesn't sound forced like most anime. I actually think that the American dialogue was much sharper than the original, but maybe that's just because I'm not Japanese. But in any case, there's something to be said about the translation job in the Orphen series. It's so surprisingly good...it's almost scary.

Orphen is for just about anyone who enjoys some good magic action every now and then, and perhaps for even the people that don't. Give it a try and decide for yourself.

Now for those of you who played the dismall PS2 game titled "Orphen," I want you to forget that period in your life.... Now that you have done that...sit down and get your hands on this anime. It combines a well organized plot with the commical antics of those involved in the story.

The plot in itself is amazing, purely because it takes until the last episode to have every piece in place. Most movies leave you with a few pieces missing or too quickly bring them all into focus. This story spawns over many years with flash backs that lead the viewer a bit closer into the world that is being displayed. This anime's plot is worth five stars in itself actually and is far more evolved then most animes on the market these days.

Orphen also uses top notch animation. The characters are well draw and look more realistic then most on the market today. The spell casting and action sequences are gripping. The humor animation really adds to the jokes as well.

The music track has a few decent scores, but overall is quite average. The voice overs are really really really good. I can't say it enough, they are great. I really can't say it enough, I love the voice actors for this series. If they do a sequal series, they had better have the same voice actors.

The lighter comedy aspects of this story are wonderful as well. They are well placed and don't detract from serious scenes. Some of it is so funny because of the randomness. If you love comedy I suggest this series strongly.

So overall this series is what real animation is about. Funny, serious, story to die for, great animation and great voice overs. A truely excellent series that I hope has a sequal.

I first got a glimpse of Orphen at my fist con, AMA. They showed the three episode, which I think are all that's on the DVD, which is sort of disapointing, but in the way of the animation, this anime immediatly caught my attention. It was actually the talk of the con for a good while after it was shown, and I immediatly came here to find out when and if the DVD was coming out. I was happy to find that it was.

The story starts out in what seems to be the middle of a complex storyline. Orphen is a sorcerer of some power, who left the Tower of Fang, where he trained. He picks up an apprentance called Majic (yes, it's pronounce just like magic) in a small town where he is also doing a little 'birdwatching' and no, it's not what you think at first either. The storyline picks up very quickly after a little bit of introduction, when a dragon called bloody august shows up, and it's even more interesting that Orphen seems to know the dragon. The series has a good amount of comedy, brought by two short trolls, and a girl who is tha wanna be love interest of Orphen (I find her kinda annoying, but berable), plus having Orphen do a good amount of angsting in only three episodes. I think it does a good job of bringing both of these elements together nicely, and I'm hoping that with the release of these DVDs, they'll be an upsurge of good websites for him as well.

I don't know much about the extras on the DVD, since I don't own it quite yet, but ADV isn't exactly known for having lots of extras, only trailers really. Evangelion only had the character bios, so this DVD may have that. The opening and closing themes are really good too.

All and all, give this series a shot, because it's really good, and Orphen's cute to boot.

Ever since I saw a picture of the Sorcerous Stabber Orphen while scanning the net (which, when clicked on, led me to a whole site devoted to the man), I've been intrigued by this anime. Then the video game came out and I was even more interested in it, as it showed potential beyond your basic sorcery anime. Now this DVD has finally been released, and I have to say that if they don't up the September date, I'm gonna die.

Orphen was everything I hoped it would be. A hotshot hero is always welcome, and his intricate personlity draws you into the storyline immediately. Our man Orphen is a star student of his sorcery school, or should I say was... since he's run away, looking for a dragon called the Bloody August. Now he's got to keep his old comrades and teachers off his back, and at the same time balance a pupil and a tag-along heiress. What's a guy to do?

The humor is refreshingly balanced with the plot, and the animation is simply beautiful. Not only that, but the dub is excellent. Each voice fits perfectly and they all do a great job, and we all know how rare that is. The DVD is set up well... they play around with interactive menus (as opposed to what, i always wonder) and there's a nice slideshow of character sketches.

Orphen is an anime I highly reccomend. It's fun to watch for all ages, and a great anime to get your friends hooked. Heck, it's even one you might wanna try out on your parents if you're feeling lucky! So be smart and buy it. You won't regret it, I'll promise ya that.

My first experience with Orphen was with the PS2 game. While I do agree with many of the negative remarks about the game, I ended up liking it a decent amount simply because the relationships between the five pre-existing characters (Cleo, Magnus AKA Majik, Vulcon, Dortin and, of course, Orphen) was unlike any other RPG or story I had encountered. Orphen was only a hero for two reasons: 1) he was incredibly good at sorcery, and 2) being a hero meant he got to get off that stupid crazy deathtrap island. Orphen is a hero who is lazy, greedy, and usually doesn't give a damn. He travels with two companions, who constantly annoy the hell out of him. That was amusing!

So, soon afterward, I heard that it was based on an anime series, and after some searching, I stumbled upon this DVD in the "New Releases" section at a local movie store. I popped it in, and I was quite pleased. The attitude, while toned down (due to it being the first episode -- the tension hadn't built up yet) was the same. The best part is right at the end, where Cleo says to Orphen: "I can be nice and caring if I wanted to be!" and Orphen replies with a tone I came to expect: "No you couldn't."

The plot in this trilogy of episodes is quite marvelous. It's about Orphen hunting down an evil dragon called "The Bloody August," but it's really not a good vs. evil scenario, since it would seem Orphen is slightly evil, but rather it's a better evil taming the worse evil. While Orphen is aiding the evil dragon, while also protecting the good from it, he is being hunted by his former collegue sorcerors who want to destroy the dragon, because there is a story behind the dragon they do not know. I won't spoil it; see it.

My final verdict is that this DVD is quite nice. Both tracks are amusing, since both are well acted, and the writing in both are actually different (the American track is meaner). While each episode is short, and it would be accurate to state that the first episode of the trilogy is really just character development of Orphen, Cleo and Majik. It is dramaic, comedic, and fantastic. Now that a second DVD is out, and a third on the way, I cannot wait! I hope it only gets better!

I have only two words for this movie. The best!! It has plenty of action as well as humor. I loved it the moment I saw it! I have only two things to say to you all. Buy it!!!!!!

This DVD was a total impulse buy, and looking back, I'm very glad I was so eager to spend my money on that day.

First off, I am not a fan of fantasy. Having said that, I'm not quite sure what drew me to this title, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

One of my favorite things about this anime is Orphen himself - he does not look like your typical main character. With his leather jacket, black pants, and red headband, he looks like a bad guy, but looks are decieving. Orphen is a very interesting character with a mysterious past, and by the end of the first episode, the viewer knows that there's a lot more to this story than they've been shown so far.

These first three episodes are like a trilogy; they all run into each other to make one long story designed to introduce us to the anime, and it does this well. We are introduced to Orphen's student Majik and a girl named Cleo who has a crush on Orphen, but would never admit it. We also meet the troll Volcan and his sister, Dortan. Volcan's anti-Orphen attitude is quite amusing, though he can become quite annoying at times.

This show has well-placed comedy and a very good story; one that left me excited and interested in what the next volume held in store. Needless to say, I threw the second disc in my DVD player as soon as the third episode finished.

What amazes me most is that this show could have such a strong hold on me when I'm not particularly into fantasy. I definitely recommend this show - it doesn't get enough recognition.

When I first checked out this DVD I was really skeptical. My first impression was that the main character 'Orphen' was a walking hybrid of Squall from Final Fantasy 8 and Ryu from Street Fighter, but I was in for a pleasant surprise. If you have ever seen (and liked) the Escaflowne television series and/or enjoyed X the movie then I have no doubt that you will enjoy this series. Orphen is a character that brings a different twist to 'the hero saves the day' concept that so many Japanese Animations float around. He's lazy and seemingly egocentric at times, but unequal when it comes to magic. This DVD also includes all the must haves in a good movie including action, suspense, great music and a little romance with some comic relief. Enjoyable with solid characters and a story line that keeps you guessing, Orphen is every Japanese Animation fan's must have collection. Anyone who has ever played the game that this series is based on (Orphen: Scion of Sorcery) and enjoyed it (even just the characters alone) should not hesitate to get this DVD. Now only if they made Final Fantasy 8 into a series like this...

Another excellent start to another excellent anime... After knowing nothing about this anime initially, I was hooked from the first ep. Orphen and co. battle a dragon ( and each other ^^) and then set out for adventure on the open road. All charas get equal time in the first three eps and you can already see the dynamic between them as they start on new adventures together. DVD quality is top-notch,as expected from ADV (as someone commented upon entering my room while watching this DVD "Is that a DVD? It's so crisp-looking!" ) Anyway, bottom line is you need to hurry out to get this first chapter in this new anime series. I personally can't wait for vol 2! Forget the mediocre PS2 game and go for the anime original! You'll be glad ya did! ^_-

I happened to catch an episode of Orphen while I was at the Comic-Con convention this year. Since I was watching the 3rd episode of the series, it didn't make a whole lot of sense. But, with an arrogant yet cute hero such as Orphen, anyone is bond to be hooked on the series! The animation is of excellant quality along with the japanese voice cast. My only dissatification with the DVD was that there was only 3 episodes. Also, they could have had some better extras. Otherwise, this

is a must-see for any anime fan!