Record Of Lodoss War

Vol. 1 "Chronicles Of The Heroic Knight"
—by Chadwick Ngan

Before I even start my review, let me answer one nagging question those of you who have seen the LODOSS OVA may ask: why re-tell the story in an "alternate" timeline? The truth is because this is how the story is meant to be told.
LODOSS first appeared in 1986 as some role-playing game replays, serialized in a magazine called COMPTIQUE. These records are different from the RPG REPLAY books published a few years later, and are for all practical purposes lost for good. The novels (Japanese only as of this publication) came next in 1988, and they are considered the definitive version both because of their chronological order as well as plot integrity. Although the RPG REPLAYs (they really re-played the campaign for this) were published around the same time, they are geared towards explaining an evolving RPG system rather than telling a story.
It took seven novels to complete the main LODOSS saga, which spans a period of 15 years. In fact, when production began on the OVA in 1990 the novels were far from finished. This means the producers had to somehow shoehorn an ongoing story covering a dozen years and more into 13 episodes. In the end, they decided to focus the first eight episodes on the first novel, which detailed the beginning year of the saga, and use the remaining five to provide a closure of their own. This means major story revisions. Much was simplified and entire casts of characters removed.
In other words, the LODOSS OVA was nothing like the novels. However, the time has come for a TV series to pick up where the OVA and radio drama left off. Finally, the common viewer will experience the full grandeur of the saga.
So what does that mean to people who have only seen the OVA before? To quote a famous Jedi Master, you have to unlearn what you have learned. All you need to know is this: the party of six (Parn, Deedlit, Etoh, Ghim, Slayn and Woodchuck) formed and got involved in the War of Heroes. King Beld of Marmo killed King Faun of Valis in a climatic duel. Before Beld could even recover from his winning blow, King Kashue of Flame killed him with an arrow. This underhanded ambush is something Ashram, Captain of Beld's Royal Guard, never forgives. Realizing the Grey Witch Karla was responsible for the constant strife in Lodoss, Parn and company confronted her. Ghim died, but Leylia, missing daughter of Ghim's friend, was rescued. Karla possessed Woodchuck and he vanished without a trace. During the next two years, Slayn married Leylia while Parn and Deedlit traveled the world looking for Woodchuck-Karla. They ended up in Flame and helped King Kashue resolve a civil war, becoming famous in the process. Now, five years have passed since Ghim's death, and a new danger threatens Lodoss as Ashram seeks to follow Beld's path of conquest.
Events aside, the biggest difference between the LODOSS OVA and the TV/novel is characterization. Because the OVA compressed a 15-year tale into at most two years, much of the character development was lost. Take Parn for example. In the OVA he was a hothead who couldn't even hold onto his sword three minutes before the final credits rolled. By comparison, the TV/novel Parn matures over time. While he still possesses much restless energy, he tempers it with caution and forethought. He improves his skill as a swordsman, and he has grown sensitive to other people's feelings, particularly Deedlit's. The two developed a partnership that was only hinted at in the OVA.
In the first TV episode, Parn and Deedlit encounter and fight the mercenary pair Shiris and Orson. Parn disarms Shiris with ease and elegance. Upon seeing that Orson turns into a Berserker and his rage-enhanced strength puts Parn in a severe disadvantage. Seeing that Parn is hard-pressed, Deedlit steps in and uses her magic to distract and confuse Orson. Parn then knocks out Orson and returns him to his usual self. The whole sequence gives you the impression that Parn and Deedlit are in full command of their crafts, and they share an understanding that can only be born from trusting their lives to each other over the years.
As for the production value of the LODOSS TV, it is fairly decent. Don't expect to see awesome visuals or stunning backgrounds throughout like in the OVA. This is a TV production and thus a lower budget with tighter schedules. The first episode is well drawn and animated, but subsequent ones show a noticeable degradation in quality. But at least the fight scenes are animated this time. One of my bigger gripes about the OVA are the cheesy "a flash in the dark and it's all over" sword fights, and the "zoom in on the one dragon cel we've got" animation. It's embarrassing when a porno flick like LYON FLAIR has better animated sword fights. I'm glad to see some well-choreographed movements during the action sequences this time.
And the opening sequence is nothing short of breath taking. Nakazawa Kazuto's beautifully drawn animation is choreographed to Kanno Yoko's composition, sung by Sakamoto Maaya in an endearing voice. It gives me the impression that I'm about to enter a fantastic world, one that is full of joy and sorrow, as well as hope and wonder. I highly recommend the single to any interested readers. Special kudos to U.S. Manga, who decided to leave the opening and ending credits free of subtitles, except for song lyrics for the first OP and last ED. Viewers can enjoy the visuals without being distracted by screen clutters. That's a nice touch.
While I'm handing out praises, I have to give it to those involved in the dub. The cast is well chosen, with such recognizable names as Billy Regan (Parn) and Lisa Ortiz (Deedlit) bringing life to the famous couple. The supporting characters are equally impressive. Karen Smith (Shiris) really brings out the outgoing, impulsive nature of the redheaded character she plays. And Oliver Gregory (Orson) is dead on with his portrayal of a man who has lost all his feelings except his uncontrollable rage.
To those purists out there who claim a U.S. dub always sounds awful compared to the Japanese original, well I've got news for you. The Japanese version sounds awful too. They replaced the OVA cast with new people who interpreted the characters in a very different way. The only returning voice actor was Hayami Sho who played Orson originally. He is "promoted" to play Ashram, replacing veteran Kamiya Akira. Sad to say his rendering of Ashram lacks panache compared to Kamiya's. On that note, the Japanese voice actress who plays Deedlit in the TV sounds plain wrong too. Granted Touma Yumi's act is a tough one to follow, but still, the new Deedlit sounds really old and husky. That's dramatically different from her description in the novels. On this account I have to say Lisa Ortiz does a far better job at bringing out the fairy nature of the elf.
As for the translation, it doesn't just sound right, it feels right too. Dialog is chosen with the fantasy setting in mind. This takes a lot of hard work. The dub also captures the silly nature of the WELCOME TO LODOSS jokes as well. At the end of each episode is a short clip, called WELCOME TO LODOSS. They feature a super-deformed cast making fun of the show itself, like Parn being a simple-minded guy, Deedlit a narcissistic person or Kashue a King of really bad puns.
I'm pleased by what I found in this tape. Sure, there are some low points: gradually decreasing animation quality, and background music that sounds okay on screen but nothing to get excited about without the visuals. However, the good far outweighs the bad: better fight sequence, beautiful opening, character growths, and finer depiction of inter-character relations. Above all else, I'm happy that the story of LODOSS is told the way it's meant to be.

Released in North America by U.S. Manga Corps, a division of Central Park Media VHS, 90 minutes
UPC: 7-19987-18013-0 (subbed) / 7-19987-18003-1 (dubbed)
ISBN: 1-56219-801-7 (subbed) / 1-56219-800-9 (dubbed)
Cat. #: USM_1801 (subbed) / USM_1800 (dubbed)
Price: $24.99 (subbed) / $19.99 (dubbed)
Available now in the USA
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