Customer Reviews

Record of Lodoss War: The Complete Series (Vols. 1-6) [VHS]

5 star:		(147)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Parn is a young warrior living in a small village whose father was a holy knight, who was eventually forced to leave in disgrace. Parn is determined to salvage his family's name. Then one day Parn saves a young woman who is attacked by a gang of goblins in the woods. That goblins should be out in broad daylight is very strange, since they normally only come out at night. Later the other villagers berate him for killing a goblin, since they're certain more will come and retaliate by attacking the village. This does happen, and it's up to Parn and his old friend Etoh, a cleric, (a priest who specializes in healing spells,) as well as two other warriors, Ghim, a dwarf warrior who has embarked on a quest to find and bring back home Karla, a young priestess, and his sorceror friend Slayn, to defend the village. After the battle with the goblins is over, the mayor sends Parn and Etoh out to find out the cause of the goblins strange behavior, like going out in daylight. Ghim and Slayn go with them. Soon the four are joined by Deedlit, a high elf maiden. It isn't long before they are captured by guards of the kingdom of Mice (yes, that's what it's called,) who suspect them of being enemy spies, and taken prisoner. While in prison they meet Woodchuck, a thief. They learn of the evil kingdom of Marmo, which is going out on a journey of conquest. Soon the captain of the guards meets them and realizes what a mistake has been made, and he orders the five released. Parn wants to join the guard ranks, but then Marmo attacks. The heros are unable to stop the oncoming army, and barely make it out with Woodchuck in tow. Now they must embark on a quest to save Loduss from evil.

Just about everything is great about this show, including the voice acting in both lanuges, but there's one serious problem in the continueity that might have some people confused. Episode 1 actually takes place AFTER episodes 2-5. Why they did this, I have no idea. Anyway, if you want the watch the episodes in their proper order, watch them like this:

#2:Blazing Departure
#3:The Black Knight
#4:The Grey Witch
#5:The Desert King
#1:Prologue To The Legend

After this, go to episode 6,"The Sword Of The Dark Emperor:, and watch the rest of the series in order.

Alrighty, what can I say that hasn't really been said? I disagree with some of the reviews. I've seen both sets, and this one by far is better. I don't understand where one reviewer got the "Grainy" viewing on DVD, mine doesn't have that. Yes, the English dubs aren't as good as the origional voices, but that's a given in almost any anime.

The first episode is a catcher episode, but takes place later in the plot. Aside from that, I found nothing confusing about it, even when the people split up and it skipped back and forth. The only annoying thing about it is the little commercial break thingy in the middle of the episode. If you sit down and watch all 13 in a row, you'll know what I mean.

I enjoyed this anime more than the others of it's type because it has character. You see progress with each character, as they become more proficient in their abilities. Another plus is that even though Good triumphs over evil, good isn't the unstoppable force that only takes a few scratches. Some major setbacks occur, and I almost had to watch a couple scenes twice to make sure that really happened, my mind woulnd't believe it. The storyline also includes several plot twists, that will make you actually reconsider who is good and who is bad.

The full VHS cost me almost twice the DVD cost. When I saw it for DVD for only 50 bucks, I ran out and bought it. This is most definately worth every penny I've spent, and I've seen the entire series 3 times and am still not tired of it. I highly recommend this not just for any anime fan, but for any fantasy fan as well.

Lodoss War is D&D brought to the screen, even more so than the old Dungeons and Dragons cartoon. You find nearly all the old classes; fighter, thief, magic-user, cleric, elf, and dwarf. With interesting characters, a well thought out plot, and a villain worth cheering for, this is the fantasy genre at it's best.

As specific to the DVD, this version continues the ongoing, and very annoying, tradition of placing the episodes not in chronological order, but rather in production order. The result is that the first episode of the series actually takes place three or four episodes into the story. This has been a long time pet peave of mine with the various video releases of the series, and I wish someone would watch this before they released it and realize how stupid it is to start in the middle of the story (very briefly) jump to the beginning of the story, and then skip that piece in the middle without explaination.

This episode was produced first, to sell the show to producers because it was exciting and action packed. It was never intended to be aired in that order.

I bought this DVD for my little brother and without a doubt it's paid for itself 10 times over with the amount of fun we've had with it.

Record of Lodoss War is my favorite Anime series to date. The animation is top-notch, colorful and intense, the story is complicated enough to keep you guessing, the characters are wonderful and lively, and the musical score is out of this world!! If you enjoy losing yourself in a fantastic world of heroes and heroines, wizards and dragons, castles and enchanted woods, raging battles and medieval festivals, and everything else you'd hope to find in a quality epic fantasy adventure, Lodoss War is for you!

Whether you're a hardcore Anime fan or just starting out, Lodoss War is not to be missed.

P.S. I've heard from a few people that they dislike Lodoss War because it's "too mainstream" and because "everyone thinks it's good". Don't listen to people who say this!--just because something is popular doesn't mean it is unoriginal or clichéd. Lodoss War is so popular because it sets a standard of quality in animated storytelling that commands broad and diverse respect.

I don't know why all of the other reviewers say the plot is unoriginal, maybe they just don't understand it. First, the idea of a sorceress controlling peoples' lives in order to create a war that will 'save Lodoss' is very original in my opinion. The story is wonderful and complex and I think it is a joy to watch again and again. The characters are well thought out and you even begin to sympathize with them. I'll admit that a lot of the character and plot ideas originate from Dungeons and Dragons, but it is played out in an original way.

(You can read many other reviews for all the plot and events)

Basically the with Karla decides that the balance of power must be restored in Lodoss so that the world is not destroyed. In order to accomplish this, the witch instigates the war that is already beginning to develop. Beld and Fahn, the two opposing Kings engage each other with Parn and his companions caught up in the struggle.

On the second disc, events do get bogged down after Karla is defeated and moves on to her new body. Finally things pick up when Ashram and Parn engage each other in Demon Dragon Mountain. Both the Japanese and the English Dub are wonderful. I prefer most anime in Japanese, but this is one that I prefer in English (along with IRIA Zeiram).

I would say that for fans of any RPGs or Lord of the Rings this is a great boxed set to pick up. You may be able to find it to rent (usually you can rent both discs in one box, sometimes you have to rent them separately).

Just remember that this is an anime developed in the EIGHTIES and drawn right around 1990. The animation is great for being almost 15 years old.

I encourage everyone to just watch it and decide for themselves. Everyone has their own opinion.

OK. I'll get down to the point. I'm not a big anime fan. Akira and Ghost in the Shell, but that's it. Then I came across this DVD collection, and thought I'd give it a shot. After all, I was saving myself 50% of what VHS buyers were paying for. Let me tell you, I became engrossed. A fantasy tale told in thirteen chapters, all in two DVDs! The art is excellent, the story is great, and even the voice acting is decent. The chapter search is a great benefit, which allows you to go to your favorite scenes again. And did I mention the price? The only minus I can think of is that it does appear to be just a transfer from VHS, so if you own the original set, don't bother with the DVD. Also, I never liked the ending. It was good, but for five hours I wanted something a little more. In the end, this has become my favorite anime, period.

Lodoss War is a 13 episode fantasy adventure story, set in a fairly generic Dungeons & Dragons type fantasy world with all the ordinary complement of races such as elves and dwarves. While a comfortable setting in that, if you like fantasy, you already know the basics, it is not terribly imaginative. The story begins as a good vs. evil matchup, but some of the evil characters are far more complex than they appear, and the particulars of the alliances and animosities shift over time. It's reasonably well-executed and enjoyable, just not fresh or innovative. The soundtrack is nice, as well--I picked up 3 CDs to get it. The English dub cast takes some getting used to, as well--some of the voices are a little annoying at first, but I tend to think now that this was intentional.

There are some concerns. First, the story is not chronologcal at first. It starts after the adventure has begun, then jumps back to start from the beginning; it can be hard to follow. Second, there are some real quality control problems on this disc. The second through fourth episodes are grainy and look pretty bad--not unwatchable, but disappointing for DVD. The audio sometimes goes up then down, which is distracting, but not fatal to enjoyment. If you like fantasy, this is a good, but not great, show at a reasonable price for 13 episodes; just be aware that the DVD is not technically perfect.

If you are a fan of Anime (manga), comics, or RPG video games this is a must watch in some form. I always watched Anime movies sporadically but when I borrowed this series from a friend years ago it sparked me to hit the hobby big time. This mini-series was so well done I could not believe the quality of a cartoon. I am big into RPG video games like Final Fantasy and played quite a bit of AD&D as a kid so these films were a perfect fit into my interests. The animation is great although many have claimed it could be better. I see that point but the series is pretty old and for a project that large they did a great job. The characters really develope well throughout the story and the US voice overs are great. parn is the only real annoying voice over but he is supposed to be in many ways. Every other charater was superbly cast. The story is great and expands on the original Manga comics greatly. I have watched the entire series probably 2 dozen times since I first got them and the DVD set is a nice upgrade with some cool added features. it may be a bit long for some people but like I said it is a true RPG fans heaven and even watching it in installments is great. Pick this one up. It is probably one of the best quality (and clean) Anime series's on the market.

I first heard a lot about this series from friends who said they loved it. I bought on of the first volumes on vhs and was not all that interested. Then I just purchased Record of Loddos War Chronicle of the Heroic Knight. Heroic Knight happens five years after the original story of the Loddos War. I then began to wonder how the original charcters got started and how things ended and why they began in this new sereis. So I broke down and bought this Dvd collection. I loved the story because it awnsers all of my questions that I had. I might not have gotten this dvd if it was not for the televison series that just was released. The tone of this anime is really dark and horrifying. People are slaughtered and kingdoms are overrun with goblins and dragons. This fantasy story is definately not for those looking for a bright and feel good anime. This anime has very interesting charcters that just stepped out of their role playing game. I think that this anime dvd is good for those like dragons and role playing games or those who just enjoy a good romance and fantasy story.

It seemed like I only existed in this world just to see this movie. It's perfect. Two glitches that's it. The characer's concepts are wonderful and you just have to smirk at some of their humour. It includes a quick dash of everything from gods, dragons, and so on. The story is incredibly powerful and you cannot help but sniffle a bit. A small touch of bloody violence, jealousy factor, the villain that has a heart, the contest of good and evil, and the hero and his girl riding off into the sunset. Just perfect...