Customer Reviews

Rune Soldier - Fists of Folly (Vol. 5)

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This disk is almost the funniest one yet, especially the second episode (on the disk), where Louie gets transformed into different things for an unknown magical reason, one of which being a girl...a bordering-on-hentai scene. Although the extras on these disks have never been much to gawk about, the episodes themselves are worth the price, and you'll be rolling around on the floor in hysterics by the end of this one.

I've enjoyed this comic series since it's inception, combining as it does modern production values with the same attitude that the old Slayer series did. Every time a new DVD comes out I say a quick prayer that Rune Soldier stays true to its beginnings and avoids becoming overly serious. (Why is it that Anime never starts out serious and becomes comic?) Well, here we are at DVD 5 and this remains a delightfully upbeat series, where the most serious issues are Merrill's overweening greed, Melissa's disbelief in her hero's antics, and Louie's habit of using his magic wand as a weapon.

This time Louie enters a tournament with predictable results - chaos. Then Ila inadvertently gives Louie a sex change. Merill saves money by buying an overly haunted house. Finally Louie and Genie compete over who can carry a wine bottle furthest fastest. All quick, pleasant entertainment without the slightest pretentions at deep meaning - other than that hero's don't always ride in on white horses.

Now I genuinely like a lot of serious anime works. But I also regret the rarity of well done new series that rejoice in the sheer fun of whatever they are about. The writers and director take ever advantage of Rune Soldiers fantasy setting to create physical comedy with a fair amount of style. If any real criticism can be leveled, it's that the story lacks any strong continuity at present. Eventually Louie will have to prove that he really is the hero Melissa deserves, but there's no rush and plenty to enjoy in the mean time.