Customer Reviews

Record of Lodoss War - Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (Complete Series)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have to say that "Chronicles of the Heroic Knight" doesn't seem as good as the original Lodoss War series, but is still mostly worth it.  There is a lot to this one, about 9 hours or so over 4 DVDs, and the quality is a bit up and down.

The series (broken up in 20 minute episodes) starts out with the familiar heroes (Parn and Deedlit, mainly) of the original series and passes the torch on to a new group of heroes.  The storyline puts a little revisionist history on the original plot and sometimes seems as much a re-make as a sequel when it recycles some of the plots familiar from the first series.  This is most prevalent in the first and last DVDs.  The middle two are the high-point of the set and are what saves this series.

The first DVD focuses on the original heroes of the Lodoss War and is the most derivative.  It's good to see the characters back again, like old friends, but after a few minutes you start to be bothered by things.  The quality of the animation seems a bit below par and it feels as if it's being written towards a younger (pre-teen?) target audience.  Dumbed down & too cutesy, in other words.  This is also where they ignore some of the history of the first series and re-use an entire plot line.

The 2nd and 3rd DVDs, however, are much better. The quality of the animation comes back up to par, they pick up a new story thread with new heroes, and the writing/production seems to have been re-targeted to a more mature audience.  This is the best part of the set and what makes it worth while, in my opinion.

The last DVD in the set loses some ground again, compared to the middle of the series.  I almost wonder if they were running low on money or getting tired of making it or something.  It brings the story to a satisfactory conclusion, but it does feel as if the quality of the animation slips some in the last few episodes, and as if the writers weren't making any great effort to do anything except get it over with.

DVD features include a bunch of previews and the expected language options, nothing much else.  I quickly took to skipping over the last two minutes of every episode where they do their "comedy theatre" bit at the end.  I really wish that had been done as a separate chapter so I didn't have to watch it (I, for one, hate that little featurette), but could still listen to the closing theme music.  Instead, it's all one chapter.  The music is excellent and worth suffering through some fast forwarding.

If you are a fan of the original Lodoss War, you will probably be disappointed at first, feel better about it in the middle, and then be left a little disappointed at the end.  Still, overall, I think it is enjoyable and worth it.  Could have been better, but it's still nice to come home to Lodoss again with this set.

Five years past, a band of six adventurers defeated the conquering armies of Marmo, the dark island, and saved the accused island, LODOSS. Since that day, the survivors have been honored as heroes, and their deeds have become legends. But the darkness never perished... Now, a mad wizard threatens to raise an ancient evil - the goddess of destruction. Old heroes must heed the call to defend their homeland and new heroes are forged as the battle for LODOSS begins anew.

I saw this on the VHS tapes and all I can say is WOW. the First story drew me in and I loved it. this one is SO much more...almost Twice a long with even More adventures and better animation. if u enjoyed the First one this one will Blow you away.

Greg

People complain about the repeats in the story line and such, it seems as if they didn't take the time to read the booklet that was in the first disc. It explains that much of this series *is* just a rehash of the OVA because the OVA was an incomplete adaptation of the novels, the animators decided to do a more complete and accurate retelling of the novels. The things in this series that negate the previous series are suposed to be taken as true, what you saw before didn't happen. Just pretend it was something you heard 2nd hand from an unreliable source.

I find it different enough to remain intersting, the animation is great, as is the music (the opening sequence is fantastic on both aspects).

At the end of every episode you get a super-deformed short called "Welcome to Lodoss Island". I find it hilarious in an "Oh my god that is so stupid" kind of way. Those episodes alone are almost worth buying the video for.

First off if you have seen the original 13 part series be warned this is not really a sequel. It is a sequel in the time frame and reflects history from the original but the characters are sometimes independant of that original series. For example in the very first episode Parn and Deedlit have never met Orson the berserker before when in the original they fought against and together for a couple episodes. Another is Shooting Star the fire dragon is still alive and is still guarding the Scepter of Domination. Once you realize that they are independant of each other you will get into it more. The original story still took place just without many of the original situations. Anyway enough of that. The series is a great series. THe animation is solid though not as convincing as the original series. It bogs at time when they fill time with the group standing around laying out whats going on in a conversation although it sounds forced. There really isn't any other way to get the story across though. The voice acting is the same as the original which is very nice since that was one of the strong parts of that series. The characters have aged and matured a bit and we get to meet quite a few new faces. With 27 episodes there is a lot of Anime to please. One thing I think a few of the other reviewers have kind of missed the point on is the focus on Spark. The original Manga was about Parn and his battles with Karla. however in "Chronicles" the original author (of the manga) put Spark in to take Parn's place. So the series is true to it's literature roots. So looking down on the series for not focusing on the star characters from the original isn't really valid since the new characters are where the focus should be. So when you watch the series and realize that is the way it should be it is very enjoyable. It is not as good as the original series but still one of the best fantasy Anime's out there.

I was thoroughly impressed when I saw the Record of Lodoss War OAV series. It was like being in a totally fantastic RPG. I've just watched all 27 episodes of the Lodoss TV series, and all I can say is... wow. I've always considered the Lodoss OAV series as ultimate anime RPG, but I think it's just been outdone by this marvelous TV version. I couldn't stop watching once I started. Lodoss TV begins five years after Ghim's death. Parn is no longer the struggling knight wannabee that he was. Lo and behold, he is now the legendary free knight -- and almost everyone on the land knows him. Parn's always on the road to adventure with Deedlit, but since there is a need for heroes again, they band together with the rest of the Lodoss gang (Slayn, Leylia, Shiris, Orson, etc...). If you've watched the OAV series, you'll probably get confused with the chronology of the events. Shiris and Orson are re-introduced as new characters. Ashram is alive and kicking, and going after the scepter of domination. According to the booklet that came with my DVD set, Lodoss TV is a re-telling of the whole saga. Lodoss OAV was so short that a lot of the events were condensed to fit a 13-episode series. Let's just say that this is the expanded version. Still, you'll make the most of this series if you've watched the OAV because they do make references to certain OAV events (i.e. Leylia's possession, Ghim's death, etc.). It's not really a pre-requisite though because the references are briefly explained, so there aren't really any loopholes. There are two main plots. The first half of the series features our old faves (Parn, Deed, Slayn. etc.) and some new additions. They have to stop the dark forces from acquiring the scepter of domination. The second half takes place ten years after the first half, giving way to a new generation of heroes. A younger set of enthusiastic characters is introduced. There's Spark, a knight-in-training who has always idolized Parn; Neese, Slayn and Leylia's daughter; Leaf, a mischievious half-elf... etc. They have to stop the dark wizard Wagnard from resurrecting the goddess of destruction Kardis. Of course, Parn and the gang are still there for support. At the end of each adventure-filled episode is a brief segment called "Welcome to Lodoss Island". This part features super-deformed versions of all the characters re-enacting certain events in a wacky manner. They also tell jokes, sing, dance... very cute and a very refreshing break from all the heart-stopping excitement. The art and animation are superb. The characters still resemble their OAV selves but their looks generally improve by leaps and bounds. The magic effects, battle sequences, and various encounters are also more intense and more detailed. Everything is more colorful and vibrant. I love watching the magic-users cast their spells. I look forward to every skirmish, I tell you. The songs and music complement the whole series perfectly (dang, now I have to buy the soundtrack!). I especially love the ending theme. The English dubbing is tolerable at best. Some of the dub voices don't really fit the characters, while some are just downright irritating. If you're an RPG fan like I am, this anime will definitely make your day... or your week for that matter.

There seem to be a lot of mixed reviews on this continuation of the original lodoss series, so I thought I'd share my bit.

First thing is the animation. Although some people say that it has improved compared to the original thirteen episodes I failed to see this. I thought the actual animation was like before, and that the drawing style had gotten more simplistic(i.e. Parn and Deedlit compared with their OAV characters).

The story itself is basically a retelling of the last six episodes of the OAV but with new heroes. I didn't find this particularly bad, but it certainly didn't provide with any new suspense. A little more than a disc(out of four) is contributed to the old heroes, and they take part later on as well. And although it was at first good to see Parn and Deedlit again, I grew tired of them pretty quickly - they seemed pretty lifeless and not like the characters I knew from the old series.

I liked the new heroes - my only gripe here is, as someone else mentioned, that with the old heroes still hanging around, many of the new characters were not given enough time in the story. They ought to have left the old characters behind and focused on the new ones.

I don't think this series is as good as the OAV but I did enjoy it. And considering it's a little over 10 hours long, I was mostly satisfied. A final note though - I thought the price, although fair, was a lot to pay and I found myself wondering if the money had been better spent on some other anime. If you're a lodoss fan it's not a bad buy, but otherwise I'd spend the money on some of the other great anime out there.

OK. This series has seemed to be slammed a bit for the changes in storyline it made. I myself was always left with a feeling that the OAVs seemed to really compress the story, even without having read the novels. It seemed like Parn was fighting Wagnard and he had not even lifted a sword for the first time a year before. There was just something ... off about the timing. This series retells the latter half of the story in a much more believable fashion. If I were going to make a reccomendation, I would say watch the oavs through the Karla storyline and then watch this series to get the full story.

The Shooting Star storyline was a bit marred by time limits per episode and animation quality, but the writing and plot grabbed me more than the oav telling. The meat of the series is in the second two thirds, however. This makes Lodoss seem like a much more epic storyline. I was amazed to see Parn actually a strong swordsman and leader. People have said they would like more romance between Parn and Deed, but it has been ten years since the WoH, and their relationship has grown into one of comfort and respect, which i feel is presented well just in the way they look at each other. The new Characters are fun, and better still, they are not mere rehashes of "Parn's party" This series really broadens Lodoss into a sweeping history (i.e. The Six Heroes, The Heroes of Lodoss, and the new Heroes of lodoss). By Late in the series, the animation has been improved, and the storyline is paced more evenly. I really enjoyed this series even above the latter half of the OAV Series.

(Note: Before I go onto my review, I would say this. If you are looking to collect this series and have not watched the original series, Record of Lodoss War, I would GREATLY advise that you do so. If not you will, 1) Miss out of the history to what lead to the Record of Lodoss War: TV series. 2) Miss out on one of the best beautifully drawn fantasy anime of it's time. Oh and 3) You'll be completely lost. This series was written believing that you actually watched the first part. Also on DVD, the entire original series is under $50 bucks in a box set offered by the good ole folks at Amazon.com. So really, it won't set you back that much cash at all, plus you'll thank yourself greatly. Now onto the review). After the first two or three episodes, you will not want to stop watching, trust me on this. As a fan of not spoiling the entire content of the series in a review, you'll see no spoilers of any kind here.

The Story: The series begins years later after the first Record of Lodoss war . It evolves around a new cast of heroes as well as bring back old favorites from the original. Years later after the first series a new evil arises in the land of Lodoss. Old characters of the original series are called back into battle to defend the land. The role of the new characters are very well written, tying into the main story beautifully, giving an equal weight between the first set of original characters with the new, giving a good feel of character exploration between the two. The series actually takes place in two parts. In which way, I won't spoil it for you. The transition between the parts are very good, one giving sort a prelude to the events that take place in the second. Again, out of respect for you I won't go too much into it. Other wise you'll have no need to watch the darn thing.

Animation: The animation is beautiful. I would say that the first series had better quality. But what you have to understand is that both series were created in different times. The old series' animation reflects what was mainly seen in that period of anime, and the second does the same, evolving with the trends of drawing styles. But you won't be disappointed at all. If your a anime-holic or even a casual viewer, the animation style in this series won't be much of a change from what you see today. Though I know many of you will side with the animation used in the first series because simply: it was magnificent.

Flaws?: The only main gripe I've had with this series was a decision made by the creators involving two main characters from the first series that make a second debut in the second. It was the way they were presented and the role they played in this story that was a very huge contradiction to they're role in the first series. Again, I won't spoil that for you. And really, in order for you to even catch it, you'll have to buy the first series. (Refer to my note above). Heck if you don't watch the first series you really won't even respect Parn or Dedlett at all without seeing how they once were. Or even know why Parn hates Ashuramu so much. And oh, Ashuramu, in my opinion is the best villain I believe you will ever have the pleasure of viewing. The way they wrote his character is so far from what is stereotypically used as the motives of like every villain in any fantasy series, which is to take over the world. No, that is not Ashuramu. His motives are....well, like I said, I won't spoil it for you, but I do say this...at times you will be rooting for the man, trust me.

Conclusion: Buy this series people. In today's world of anime, true dramatic fantasy anime is lacking. The Record of Lodoss war series as a whole, is really the last of it's kind. Fantasy anime today are filled with comical exploits, dry jokes, and really offer nothing but a comical relief. If you are looking for a fantasy series; one that'll get your heart, soul, and body jumping for joy after every scene, BEGIN YOUR SEARCH HERE!!! There is no rival to Record of Lodoss War other than another highly recommended series known as Heroic Legend of Arslan (note: which offers a artistic style VERY similar to the original series and also is very very good). I promise all who read this, you will not be disappointed at all with this series or the first. Do yourself a favor and click the "buy" button, people.

For fans of the original who want to continue watching more of the story from the Island of Lodoss, you might want to pass over these chronicles. In case you don't know, after Episode 8 in the first series, the directors of the original started to run out of time in which they could complete the story. As a result, many events were changed and characters deleted so they could finish the original with the characters that were already introduced. So, episodes 9-13 are a compressed version of the comics. From my understanding, the Chronicles are supposed to pick up the story after the War of Heros, 5 years after the death of one of the characters. After learning that, I was interested to see new characters and their interactions with Parn, Deedlit, and the others. I didn't get quite what I expected.

First of all, the Chronicles and the original were made by two separate teams of directors. In the first DVD, the booklet describes that continuity errors resulted from this. I assume it's because the Chronicles directors were keeping the story closer to the comics and the Original directors were trying to get the story done quickly. This is exactly why I got this set, to see the full story of Parn and his friends.

With that said, the first DVD and the first episode (episode 7) on the second DVD were excellent. It was a more complete story with better character development and a sensible plot. However, after the events of episode 7, there is a 10 year break in the story. To my dismay, I discovered that they changed the hero of the story. The story now revolves around Spark, a knight in training. Parn, Deedlit, and the others became minor characters who would appear occasionally throughout the story.

Don't get me wrong, it's a good story but as I said before, it's not quite what I expected. For the first part of the Chronicles, I kept expecting to see Parn and the others in their own episodes with their own stories but that never happened. As a result, I never really liked all the characters in the Chronicles as well as I liked them in the Original.

This my warning for anyone who's seen the Original 13 episodes. It's worth it to get this for the first 7 episodes in the set but the other 20 DO NOT have anything to do with the original characters except for minor roles. If you are interested in seeing how the actual story unfolds as it did in the comics, then the Chronicles are perfect. If you're interested in a story with good closure, keep to the Original.

This reminds me of one thing I haven't said about the Chronicles. I don't know if it's because of the continuity errors or something else but you'll come away from this with a lot of questions about the story. I frequently found myself saying, "When in the hell did that happen?!?!" Those of you who have seen the Chronicles may know what I'm talking about. For those of you yet to see them, you'll find out. As I said, if you're looking for good closure, this isn't the one.

Before I finish, I have to at least say this to appease my conscience. At the end of every episode there is a "Trailer". They are animated in what I consider to be a "children's style" of anime. I can not even find words to describe how terrible these trailers are but I will try. First of all, they have absolutely no bearing on the story at all, and neither do they show what will be on the next episode. At first I thought it was the director's way of introducing information that couldn't be fit anywhere else into the story. After watching the first disc and sitting through painfully unfunny puns and jokes, I realized they were completely worthless. Yet I persevered, and I watched every trailer, hoping that there would be some nugget of sanity or use for any of them. After seeing all 27, I must say I actually feel less intelligent than I was before I watched them. So please, if you buy this DVD, DO NOT watch those trailers. I would hate to see another human being subjected to that inanity. This was one time when I really wanted to find the directors and ask them "What in God's name were you thinking when you did that?"

No, it's not a sequel to the fabulous OVA series, but rather a remake of the events that occured after the death of Ghim (and the disappearance of Woodchuck). You see, the LODOSS OVA is actually a condensed version of the novels it's based on. This longer, more drawn out television series tells the story as depicted in the novels; hence why characters (namely Orson and Shiris) are reintroduced, and, likewise, plot elements already developed in the OVA are altered and/or disregarded. (The booklet included in the set provides excellent answers to such questions, as do various online sites.) The first eight episodes of this 27-part TV series focus on the fateful battle at Demon Dragon Mountain. The remaining 19 episodes introduce us to Spark, a blue-haired knight wannabe who identifies with Parn, and his ragtag team of misfits as they attempt to stop the Dark Wizard Wagnard from resurrecting Kardis the Destroyer.

Regrettably, CHRONICLES OF THE HEROIC KNIGHT has problems that its OVA predecessor didn't have: the limited animation is a step down from the artistic streak found in the OVAs, and the story, although engrossing for the most part, tends to move at a rather slow pace, causing for a few lulls. Once you get accustomed to these oddities, though, this sequel/remake isn't as bad as most fans say it is. There is still plenty of plenty of action, character development, and a superb soundtrack scored by Kaoru Wada (NINJA SCROLL) and Yoko Kanno (ESCAFLOWNE, COWBOY BEBOP) to maintain one's interest.

This 4-DVD set by Central Park Media has a disappointingly mediocre visual transfer -- the picture is rather jumpy, and there are moments where it almost looks like a videotape with a hole in it - that is, I saw a few static lines every now and then. It's not a terrible transfer by any means - the picture still looks pretty good in spite of its shortcomings - but I've seen far better transfers than this, particularly on the PRINCESS MONONOKE DVD. But what the video quality may lack in clarity, this DVD set certainly makes up for on every other level. The audio quality on the English language track (which I listen to a lot of the time) sounds every bit as good as the Japanese language track (which I only heard bits and pieces of), despite occasional static pops. The sound mix is very big and boomy, and a solid experience of truly experiencing the magical atmosphere of LODOSS. There are also plenty of DVD-ROM features, including the dub script and cast credits.

While the OVA dub of LODOSS has been criticized for one reason or another, I generally liked it and still consider it one of my favorite dubs. So I had significant hopes for the dub for CHRONICLES, made in 1999-2000. For the most part, the LODOSS TV English track is of passable (if not stellar) quality; it does, however, have its share of problems. Much of the original cast who lent their English voices to the characters of LODOSS return (including Lisa Ortiz as Deedlit!), which is a nice bonus. On the other hand, Billy Regan's more mature sounding Parn is a bit offputting. He doesn't do a bad job, but his voice came across as grating for the first eight episodes (causing some anti-dub fans to instantly diss the dub), but by the time Spark and company take the stage, I found it less bothersome. (I don't know if it's because he improved or if it just grew on me.) Also, not everyone from the OAV dub returns. Jayce Reeves only voices Wagnard (terrifically) for one episode; he's replaced by Pete Zarustica for the whole show, who gives a scratchy, but still malevolent turn (as well as the expected evil laughter). Anthony Cruise's Kashue, on the other hand, is too weary and takes about five or so episodes to find his stride. Oliver Gregory is probably the most effective as Orson, especially during his final dramatic scenes.

Aside from Lisa Ortiz (Deedlit), Karen Smith (Shiris), John Knox (Ashram), and Al Muscari (Slayn), the dub's best voices come from some of the newer characters, including Crispin Freeman (Spark, Maar, Garrack -episodes 16-27-), Roxanne Beck (Little Neese), Meg Frances (who voices Pirotess in the OAV but also voices Ryna with vulnerability and sassiness as well as Karla) and especially Angora Deb (who steals every scene she's in as Leaf the Half-Elf). The rest of the cast isn't terrible by any means, but a little more uneven than the OAV dub. Some are all right (Aldonova, Greevus) while others are lackluster (Hobb, palace guards, dragons, etc.) and few were awful (in particular, Prince Reona's VA is too harsh and monotone for a fighter of justice).

In fact the lack of aural continuity (some cast members get new voices for some unexplained reason by the time we get to some of the later episodes) is one of the problems of the dub. Others include less memorable and more awkward sounding dialogue, uneven synchronization, and finally (I apologize in advance to the fans of this) the LODOSS ISLAND segments. These offbeat, super-deformed interludes at the end of each episode will either amuse or drive you batty. Admittingly, I at first found them to be a major nuisance, but they sorta grew on me after a while. (Besides, there are some showstoppingly hilarious lines such as "I'm King Kashue, and this is my CASHEW! I'm REALLY quite a nut!") These flaws rank the dub for CHRONICLES just a notch just below that for the OVA, resulting in an uneven English track summed up best as "OK".

If one wonders if the Japanese language track is the preferred listening choice, well, guess what? The Japanese version has its good and bad points, too. While some voices are less annoying than the English language track, I found others to be less appealing than the English equivalents (in particular, the seiyuu who does Deedlit is nowhere nearly as good as Lisa Ortiz OR Yumi Tohma). Plus, I should mention that the Japanese cast is NOT THE SAME AS THE OVA. Because the series was made seven years after the original, all but one (Sho Hayami) of the cast members are replaced by new ones. Although they do a respectably good job, it may be a major annoyance for those who were used to the Japanese OVA cast. Shows that not everything in Japanese is better than English, eh?

All in all, RECORD OF LODOSS WAR: CHRONICLES OF THE HEROIC KNIGHT is not without its rough spots and doesn't always live up to its predecessor, yet there's enough good points to counter the bad, making this a moderately enjoyable fantasy Anime.