Search - The Legend of Condor Hero, Vol. 1 on DVD

Good Story, Poor Style

Guts | Jiang Hu | 09/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First off, the title is wrong. This is the story of Yang Guo (Youka in Japanese) and is actually the second part to the Condor Trilogy and therefore should be titled as "Return of the Condor Heroes." The error may be due in part to the fact that although the story and the publisher are of Chinese Origin, the animators are Japanese.

I would have given this (the entire series, not just this single DVD) 5 Stars if I had not been exposed to any Japanese animation and the Condor Trilogy Books and TVB series adopted from those books. The story is good enough that it warrants this series getting a high mark, but poor animation (design, and actual animation - on par with something the United States would make for TV) and some inaccuracies make me take off a point.

For those of you already familiar with the series, this version is not even close to covering the story as much as the live series with either Andy Lau or Louis Koo. It does cover the main part of the story quite close, but there are still some minor discrepancies such as the "Beggar of the North" having his pinky intact. For those who are not familiar with the series, this is a good introduction to the Condor series and I highly recommend you watch it. If you are used to a higher standard of animation, please don't be turned away by the poor design and choppy animation, because the story is the strong point of this series."

AWESOME STORY!Loathsome enemies, noble but flawed characters

J. Soo | New York, NY | 10/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"LEGEND stays true to original animation will little to no use of CGI. The story is thoughtful and sophisticated, based on Jin Yong's classic novel. Honestly, I'm itching for the second volume to come out. The characters are very dynamic AND the story doesn't drag...Yang Gor and Dragon Girl are thrown together almost immediately and immediately you can sense the involvement the two will have. I usually look for new fight techniques in Anime and LEGEND doesn't disappoint (from what I've seen so far). A lot of references to real Kung-Fu principles and tactics. Excellent so far. The end song is stunning.








"