Fans of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series (or even Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring) will instantly recognize the inspiration for the in media res opening scene of this 13-episode dungeons and dragons RPG-themed anime classic from 1990, which finds a plucky party of six Lodoss defenders (Parn, the warrior; Deedlit, the elf; Ghim, the dwarf; Etoh, the healer/priest; Slayn, the magician; and Woodchuck, the thief) trapped in a warren of caverns fighting winged gargoyles…and something considerably larger. Following this "prologue," the first few episodes of Record of Lodoss War trace the origin of the "fellowship," whose journey to seek the counsel of the sage Wort regarding "a dark evil awakening all across Lodoss" is characterized by obstacles, battles, and eventually, disappointment--ultimately spurring the heroic group to lead their own war against the evil sorceress Karla and the other forces of darkness. Sporting sharp, sumptuous animation (nicely rendered on this digitally remastered release), and a beautiful score by Mitsuo Hagita, this handsomely packaged double-disc set features both the original Japanese and English language versions, a handful of featurettes, and character profiles. Sure to be popular, especially given the current resurgence of interest in epic fantasy, this is definitely recommended. [Note: The sequel, Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (VL Online), completed five years after the original 13-parter, is currently also available in a 4-disc boxed set featuring all 27 new episodes and a slew of extras for $129.99.] Aud: P. (R. Pitman)
Record of Lodoss War DVD Collection
(1990) 2 discs. 355 min. DVD: $59.99. Central Park Media (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 1-58664-180-8. Volume 17, Issue 5
Record of Lodoss War DVD Collection
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