Search - Tales of Phantasia - The Animation on DVD

Entertaining enough

D. E. Haynes | Southern Mississippi | 02/19/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The two reviews dated 2000 are obviously about a different product since this dvd has just come out. This is an anime OVA based on a RPG. The characters fill stock roles (cleric, warrior, witch, etc.) and the storyline is a typical quest to conquer a world-threatening evil being (Dhaos the demon king). However, the animation is beautiful,the heroes are appealing despite the lack of character development, and the story was interesting enough to hold my attention. The beginning and ending musical themes are very nice. The storyline is complete on this disc -- I don't know if there will be a sequel (re the vol. 1 in the title) but this works well as a stand-alone."

Here's hoping Symphonia's OVA hits Amazon next

Brendan2k5 | Boston, MA USA | 11/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Ok first off, familiarity with the game itself is necessary to get the OVA. Why? Because about 65% of the game is absent from the OVA. I don't know what the expectations of the last 4 reviewers were but this OVA was made FOR THE FANS and it is assumed those who watch are already familiar with the game's story and what have you. Oh, and the Game Boy Advance Version of the game is the BEST Version to have played prior to watching the OVA. Unlike the PSX, PSP and SNES versions (which were all released in JAPAN) the chracter sprites are easy on the eyes and make getting into the game's storyline worthwhile.

If you buy the North American version, you can choose to watch it with English or Japanese Subtitles and/or Audio. The score is, in a word beautiful. Yume no Hate (the song that plays during the opening credits) is an overall favorite of mine.

All the Playble Characters make an appearance though Suzu (optional in all but the GBA Version) make a short and brief appearances. Hands down the main reason for me to get this on DVD is to see Claus (Klarth in Japan) SUMMON, which is AWESOME. We don't see much of Cress (Cless in Japan) in terms of techs. Ditto for Chester and Mint. Arche uses several spells herself (Indignation, Firestorm and God Breath being among them) but Claus' summoning stole the show.

If you're familiar with the storyline then you owe it to yourself to buy the OVA. Otherwise, buy the GBA version and the OVA at the same time.
"

A few things could have been smoother

A. Buckus | 07/08/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I had just finished watching this short series. I haven't played the game myself, but I know enough about it to understand what is going on in this series...which it really does help to a degree. First of all, the animation and score is absolutely beautiful! It makes the animation enjoyable. And the fact that the storyline for this animation and video game is tied in which Norse Mythology really gets me interested! My major issue is with the plot for this show. It lacks transitional scenes which, as a writer, I find extremely important. There are many cases here where the viewer is let in on how something is going to happen or what needs to be done to move onto the next stage, but that's really it. It's done through conversation, not action. So essentially, if you don't have a careful ear you may wonder what the characters are suddenly doing in some new location. It is one major scene after another with out any transition scenes in between. So that aspect of the writing makes for a little bit of harsh viewing and it makes the show very rushed. A fifth episode atleast probably would have been better to smooth out the pumps and change the pace a little. The characters, in regards to their development, are very simple and never reach a deeper dimension. BUT, like I said, the art and score is beautiful and makes up for any critism I may have. I was kept entertained and it was well worth buying this four episode animation."

Finally, now us gaijins can see it!

Shinde Kudasai | Des Moines, WA United States | 03/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most people who experienced Tales of Phantasia were able to do so through the magic of fan-translation and rom-hacking. Most people who experienced this little 4 part anime were able to do so through the love and devotion of fan-sub teams. Attempting to meet the demand, Pioneer has finally released this OVA to North America. It follows the story line of the game pretty well. There are elements of Secret of Mana (the use of the elemental spirits like Gnome and Sylph, come to think of it, why doesn't SoM have its own anime???) I loved the game, and this OVA was also pretty good. I wish they would sell this at Suncoast or something... it'd also be nice if Star Ocean EX made it to the US on DVD!!! Star Ocean was made by Tri-Ace, the same company who worked on Tales of Phantasia for Namco. LONG LIVE EMULATION!!!!"