US Manga Corps
Running time: 290 minutes, 2x DVD, Region Zero/Free (Also released on VHS in several volumes)
Plot: A new and terrible evil is stirring in the land of Lodoss. Evil forces are on the move, and it has been foretold that six great warriors will rise up and save the kingdom. The battle lines have been drawn - on one side there is the benevolent King Farn, the ruler of Valis; on the other is the evil Emperor Beld, leader of Marmo and the one time friend of King Farn. However, war is not the only thing that threatens Lodoss - Beld's wizard, Wagnard intends to resurrect the evil God Kardis the Destroyer.
To fully sum up the plot, it'd take a few pages...this is 13 episodes of action, after all...
Animation: The first episode, Prologue To The Legend, is beautifully animated, but then it should be - it was the pilot episode, and it needed to impress if further installments could be produced. As a result, the second episode looks awful - the quality of animation drops considerably. Thankfully, this only happens once - the remaining episodes are all of a high standard, considering this was a TV series. The action scenes are a joy to behold, classic sword and sorcery stuff. The general character design is good too, and the background are nicely constructed. There are some overly static scenes, but they're not too common.
Sound: Thanks to the wonder that is DVD, you get both the dubbed and the original Japanese soundtrack. Obviously, you also get subtitles, which can be used with both soundtracks. The English dub isn't actually that bad, and although the Japanese vocal recording is better, it's worth watching it again with the dub, as there are several script changes in the Western version that actually sound a lot better.
A special mention must go to the music - it's stunning. I was afraid that the soundtrack would be weighted down with sickly sweet J-Pop. but instead we get a majestic, booming medieval score which manages to convey both menace and tenderness in equal measures. The Dolby Stereo track might not push your 5.1 amp, but it's a damn sight better than what most anime fans are used to.
Summary: This is what all anime fantasy should be like. Lodoss War manages to capture the feel and look of western fantasy, but with added anime action and character design - a match made in heaven. DVD is the perfect medium for Lodoss - for a reasonable price you get a whole TV series worth of action - and trust me, you won't get through all this in one sitting. Seeing as this is DVD, you also get a bonus "Making Of" feature, which isn't quite as in depth as I'd have wanted, but is still a nice extra. The only downpoints of the series are the occasional dips in animation quality, but as I said, they happen rarely.
If you're new to anime on DVD, this is a good place to start. If you want to enjoy this fine series but don't want to spend all that money on the VHS tapes (like me) then this package is perfect.
5 out of 5
