Orphen: Complete Collection

The eponymous Orphen could easily be mistaken for the anime poor relation of Harry Potter—another young sorcerer with magical powers who learns how to deal with both monsters and people. But unlike the bespectacled hero of the well-crafted J.K. Rowling franchise, Orphen finds himself running amok in sprawling but none-too-compelling adventures. At the crux of the drama we find Azalie—a sorceress and Orphen's best friend—who has somehow been transformed into a dragon (known as the Bloody August) and no one at the Tower of Fangs (a Japanese Hogwarts) is able to figure out how to return her to her original form. Orphen leaves the magical university in search of the Sword of Baltanders, which has the ability to split open time and space and—more importantly—free Azalie. In the course of his quest, Orphen collects sidekicks: an obstreperous little girl, a bumbling would-be magician, and a pair of trolls. Along the way, the troop encounters plenty of distractions and trials, with bursts of sorcery to lift drooping storylines that nevertheless tend to flag over the 47 episodes from the 1998-1999 first and second seasons, collected on this dual-language eight-disc boxed set, rated TV-14. DVD extras include an interview with the Japanese voice cast and crew. Not a necessary purchase. Aud: P. (P. Hall)