Based on the titular 2005 PlayStation 2 game, this otherworldly action anime set on a planet divided into two hostile realms—Kimlasca and Malkuth—centers on Luke fon Fabre, teen son of the ruler of Kimlasca, who has been kept safe in the palace after his rescue from kidnappers years earlier. While he is training with his teacher Van, a woman attacks and mysteriously transports Luke into Malkuth. Revealed to be Tear Grants, Van’s sister, she volunteers to escort Luke back home, and along the way they encounter numerous friends and foes, including a knight named Asch who bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Luke. Confronting a succession of challenges, Luke gradually matures as a person, while also contending with the members of the religious society Order of Lorelei, which is devoted to the interpretation of "The Score," an ancient prophecy outlining the world’s future preserved on fragments of tablets that both nations (and others) are anxious to acquire. With its plethora of technical terms, plot convolutions, and characters, this will probably most appeal to those familiar with the original game, but it offers decent entertainment for anyone willing to make an effort to enter into this fantasy world. Compiling all 26 episodes from 2008-09 in a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-14, this is a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)
Tales of the Abyss
(2009) 7 discs. 650 min. In Japanese w/English subtitles. Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $54.99. Funimation (avail. from most distributors). Volume 34, Issue 3
Tales of the Abyss
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