Do not be deceived by the brighter colors of this page. This is a shrine to Windaria. Windaria is an anime of adventure, drama, war, and tragedy.

The mountainous kingdom of Paro (the Shadowlands) and the coastal city-state of Itha (Lunaria) had been at peace for over a century. They would have remained that way but for the ambitions of Paro's power-hungry king. Despite the love between Ahanas (Roland), Paro's prince, and Jill (Veronica), Itha's princess, a viscous assault is launched. Caught between duty and emotion, the star-crossed lovers must fight a war to its bitter conclusion.

When Isu (Alan), a simple farmer from the neutral village of Saki (the Valley), saves Itha from being destroyed by a spy from Paro, he finds himself hungering for wealth and glory that the Ithan monarchy cannot provide. Agents from Paro make him an offer he feels he can't refuse, despite the protests of Marin (Marie), his dedicated and loving wife...

In this world, peoples spirits turn into red birds at death and fly off to an air ship and the Enlightenment they've earned. The Tree of Windaria (The Tree of Life), located between the embattled kingdoms, is said to bring only good memories to those who live under it's branches, including the inhabitants of Saki. But by the time the senseless war is over, memories may be all that remain...

Since Windaria is set in a time of war, there is a variety of fighting scenes: aerial, hand-to-hand, etc. The art and animation are very good in this 1987 anime.

The American dubbed version is slightly different:

Alan and Marie are a young peasant couple who are very much in love. They don't have much in terms of material things, but they are happily married to each other. On the other hand there is Veronica and Roland. Veronica is the princess of Lunaria, while Roland is the prince of the Shadowlands. Veronica and Roland are also very much in love, but their love is forbidden because Lunaria and the Shadowlands are at war. One day, a strange man tells Alan he can do something to stop the war. Alan decides to set out on a journey despite Marie's feeling of foreboding. What Alan didn't know was that his journey would decide the future. The stories of these four people are intertwined in a world where deception, greed, and jealousy reign... a world called Windaria.