Search - Record of Lodoss War - The Complete Series (Vols. 1-13) on DVD

Classic anime fantasy series, but with one slight problem in

P. Krug | portland, OR USA | 07/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Parn is a young warrior living in a small village whose father was a holy knight, who was eventually forced to leave in disgrace. Parn is determined to salvage his family's name. Then one day Parn saves a young woman who is attacked by a gang of goblins in the woods. That goblins should be out in broad daylight is very strange, since they normally only come out at night. Later the other villagers berate him for killing a goblin, since they're certain more will come and retaliate by attacking the village. This does happen, and it's up to Parn and his old friend Etoh, a cleric, (a priest who specializes in healing spells,) as well as two other warriors, Ghim, a dwarf warrior who has embarked on a quest to find and bring back home Karla, a young priestess, and his sorceror friend Slayn, to defend the village. After the battle with the goblins is over, the mayor sends Parn and Etoh out to find out the cause of the goblins strange behavior, like going out in daylight. Ghim and Slayn go with them. Soon the four are joined by Deedlit, a high elf maiden. It isn't long before they are captured by guards of the kingdom of Mice (yes, that's what it's called,) who suspect them of being enemy spies, and taken prisoner. While in prison they meet Woodchuck, a thief. They learn of the evil kingdom of Marmo, which is going out on a journey of conquest. Soon the captain of the guards meets them and realizes what a mistake has been made, and he orders the five released. Parn wants to join the guard ranks, but then Marmo attacks. The heros are unable to stop the oncoming army, and barely make it out with Woodchuck in tow. Now they must embark on a quest to save Loduss from evil.

Just about everything is great about this show, including the voice acting in both lanuges, but there's one serious problem in the continueity that might have some people confused. Episode 1 actually takes place AFTER episodes 2-5. Why they did this, I have no idea. Anyway, if you want the watch the episodes in their proper order, watch them like this:

#2:Blazing Departure
#3:The Black Knight
#4:The Grey Witch
#5:The Desert King
#1:Prologue To The Legend

After this, go to episode 6,"The Sword Of The Dark Emperor:, and watch the rest of the series in order."

Excellent job at the Sword and Sorcery genre for the screen

Bradley Potts | Chicagoland | 11/29/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lodoss War is D&D brought to the screen, even more so than the old Dungeons and Dragons cartoon. You find nearly all the old classes; fighter, thief, magic-user, cleric, elf, and dwarf. With interesting characters, a well thought out plot, and a villain worth cheering for, this is the fantasy genre at it's best.As specific to the DVD, this version continues the ongoing, and very annoying, tradition of placing the episodes not in chronological order, but rather in production order. The result is that the first episode of the series actually takes place three or four episodes into the story. This has been a long time pet peave of mine with the various video releases of the series, and I wish someone would watch this before they released it and realize how stupid it is to start in the middle of the story (very briefly) jump to the beginning of the story, and then skip that piece in the middle without explaination.This episode was produced first, to sell the show to producers because it was exciting and action packed. It was never intended to be aired in that order."

Not worth the full 5, but at least a good 4.5

B. Davenport | Atlanta, GA USA | 01/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alrighty, what can I say that hasn't really been said? I disagree with some of the reviews. I've seen both sets, and this one by far is better. I don't understand where one reviewer got the "Grainy" viewing on DVD, mine doesn't have that. Yes, the English dubs aren't as good as the origional voices, but that's a given in almost any anime.The first episode is a catcher episode, but takes place later in the plot. Aside from that, I found nothing confusing about it, even when the people split up and it skipped back and forth. The only annoying thing about it is the little commercial break thingy in the middle of the episode. If you sit down and watch all 13 in a row, you'll know what I mean.I enjoyed this anime more than the others of it's type because it has character. You see progress with each character, as they become more proficient in their abilities. Another plus is that even though Good triumphs over evil, good isn't the unstoppable force that only takes a few scratches. Some major setbacks occur, and I almost had to watch a couple scenes twice to make sure that really happened, my mind woulnd't believe it. The storyline also includes several plot twists, that will make you actually reconsider who is good and who is bad.The full VHS cost me almost twice the DVD cost. When I saw it for DVD for only 50 bucks, I ran out and bought it. This is most definately worth every penny I've spent, and I've seen the entire series 3 times and am still not tired of it. I highly recommend this not just for any anime fan, but for any fantasy fan as well."

A Fantastic Adventure of Epic Proportions !!

lechateau | Washington, DC | 11/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this DVD for my little brother and without a doubt it's paid for itself 10 times over with the amount of fun we've had with it.Record of Lodoss War is my favorite Anime series to date. The animation is top-notch, colorful and intense, the story is complicated enough to keep you guessing, the characters are wonderful and lively, and the musical score is out of this world!! If you enjoy losing yourself in a fantastic world of heroes and heroines, wizards and dragons, castles and enchanted woods, raging battles and medieval festivals, and everything else you'd hope to find in a quality epic fantasy adventure, Lodoss War is for you!Whether you're a hardcore Anime fan or just starting out, Lodoss War is not to be missed.P.S. I've heard from a few people that they dislike Lodoss War because it's "too mainstream" and because "everyone thinks it's good". Don't listen to people who say this!--just because something is popular doesn't mean it is unoriginal or clichéd. Lodoss War is so popular because it sets a standard of quality in animated storytelling that commands broad and diverse respect."