So, while roaming on Crunchyroll, I found an anime that I hadn’t seen since I was a kid and really got me into the fantasy theme early on. It’s called Record of Lodoss War. I am not sure how many people have seen it, remember it, or know about it, but I don’t really hear it come up all that much when talking about classics. Honest opinion, I think it’s underrated and should be a starting point for anyone interested in things like LotR or Wheel of Time.
The premise is simple and familiar: A young boy leaves his village in the midst of a war to become a knight. On his way, he teams up with a Cleric, a Mage, a Thie, a Dwarf, and an Elf. Honestly, the only thing missing is someone shouting “roll for initiative” at every battle.
Not only that, but the art is some of the best I’ve ever seen. It really displays the kind of shading that was lost when drawing went from ink to digital. It’s some of the best use of light and shade I’ve seen since Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.
The only flaw I have with it, is that some of the voice acting is sub-par. This was mostly because it was done by Madhouse, a subsidiary to Central Park Media. If you don’t know who they are, just to a YouTube search of their name along with “anime abandon”. The Sage can describe their sins better than I can.
I really don’t know how many people haven’t seen it, but it does deserve to be watched at least once. The show’s creator Ryo Mizuno was a huge D&D nerd, and it shows. He even used Lodoss Island as one of the places for his own tabletop called Sword World RPG. I genuinely believe that if anyone loves classic fantasy anime, you will binge watch this series. If you don’t believe me, go on Crunchyroll and give it a watch.
Just fair warning, the first episode is kind of like a pilot, and takes place several episodes in. so, the second episode is really where the adventure starts, and somewhere in the middle is where the first episode would take place. Confusing? Well, that’s Central Park Media for ya.
