One thing I love about this OVA, and I don't really see it touched on by others, is how they do magic. Too many series just do a flick of the hand and out pops the effect. Here, you have the chanting, the channeling, arcane focuses, hand gestures and sometimes material components. It gives magic a real weight and impact.

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

That is actually a really great point and I wish I had thought of it while writing this video! It's not something that really ever crossed my mind, but you are 100% right.

@darkengine5931

11 ай бұрын

That's something I noticed a lot too on my first viewing back in the 90s, especially with Slayn right from the beginning. I loved that he had to really concentrate and chant but, moreover, that casting spells left him exhausted and vulnerable giving a practical need for companions to protect him to have space to chant safely and also after when he's rendered very weak and vulnerable. Another one that struck me in a similar way was Dragonslayer (1981). I loved the way they conceived of magic in that one as something still very mysterious but requiring reagents and chants and artifacts to utilize. Vancian magic is actually my favorite system although it seems very divisive. It seems extremely grounded to me in the analogical sense of only being able to carry finite ammunition into battle. We can know in advance that a spellcaster has only memorized 3 magic missiles, 1 sleep, 1 mirror image, and 1 fireball as an example: knowing their precise limitations and rules by which they have to abide. Then once they cast those memorize spells, they're spent and cannot cast any more until they spend a good amount of time "re-supplying" by re-memorizing the spells they've used and forgotten.

@luxitos2867

6 ай бұрын

Except for Karla. But that was specifically to underscore that she was the only survivor of Kastuul, the Kingdom of Sorcery.

@falconeshield

5 ай бұрын

And they don't just forget to do it like in Naruto. And don't tell me 'if you're experienced you don't need it' Zabuza and Kakashi wouldn't have shown off the signs otherwise.

@mathinho1237

5 ай бұрын

​@@falconeshieldwhat you talkin about

The anime with peak elf design

@VikingMale

4 ай бұрын

Crappy elf design.

@danmaertens7872

4 ай бұрын

Hell yes!

@breannaw7254

4 ай бұрын

They're so beautiful

@foregroundeclipse8725

4 ай бұрын

​@@VikingMale Stop the cap

@wudly9195

2 ай бұрын

@@VikingMaleyou’re high

I love how Vanilla this show is. The tropes are played out perfectly. It's epic and beautiful. A very nostalgic and emotion inducing show. The epitome of the Epic Fantasy genre in Anime form. Nothing can best it in that department.

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

couldn't agree more!

@Garl_Vinland

5 ай бұрын

This and the Tower of Doom Capcom arcade game go hand in hand

@falconeshield

5 ай бұрын

​@@Garl_VinlandIt reminds me of that Dragons Quest series that got a TV show and a recent game. The one where scorerers and warriors cannot have both skills except the one who bears the mark of the dragon.

@williamchamberlain2263

5 ай бұрын

OTOH to an extent it's vanilla because it's so close to D&D, and D&D plus LOTR set a lot of the standards for the genre that others make variations on.

@FasterthanLight11

4 ай бұрын

At the time it's wasnt though. There is no previous example besides Tolkien himself

The way it was drawn. So pretty. To think this used to be the quality standard.

@mrnygren2

4 ай бұрын

Back in those days companies had little choice as computers weren't what they are today.

@pinkmann8399

4 ай бұрын

@@mrnygren2limitation breeds innovation

@CnoacdeTara

3 ай бұрын

​@@pinkmann8399 And pure talent.

Watching Frieren now makes me kinda sad thinking of Deedlit living on for centuries after Parn...

@vigil4812

3 ай бұрын

And that is the plot of the game that mentioned in this video, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth.

@meatybtz

3 ай бұрын

She wasn't supposed to. She lost her immortality at the alter before Parn rescued her. That was part of the theme in the OVA, she was mortal after that incident and had but a life to live with Parn. Prior to that she was an immortal elf still vested with that power, and supposedly, the last of her kind. The dark elves were all long lived but fully mortal. I know that the books had another theme in mind, but for the OVA it was integral that she lost her long life and immortality having it sucked out to wake the evil god. It was why she was the target. Only an immortal soul could wake the god.

That first episode is just chef's kiss, a perfect, self-contained D&D adventure.

We need more fantasy like this that just plays the tropes of genre straight and with sincerity. Too much of it is either trying to be "subversive" or "original", which ends up meaning gimmicky and try-hard in practice. Of course this anime is even more enjoyable for those of us who play tabletop RPGs.

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

I couldn't agree more. I enjoyed some of the goofier spins on fantasy when I was younger, but I can't just pop them in and watch them like I can with Lodoss these days. Taking the genre seriously gives in staying power. It also helps that the artwork is wonderful and so it has aged quite well.

@sumerian88

Жыл бұрын

Fully agreed. I love how straight this show is in the execution of its tropes.

@imsentinelprime9279

Жыл бұрын

​@sumerian11 which makes the show kinda boring.

@falconeshield

5 ай бұрын

Don't worry, Baldur's Gate III and Vox Machina probably launched a new golden age of high fantasy interest

@Metaphysicist

5 ай бұрын

Until isekai dies and pure strain fantasy returns to prominence. 😊

Special mention is deserved for the timeless music. Maybe it was forgotten in making this through all the enthusiasm. I feel like rewatching this show every 3 years or so it seems.

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

I admit, it is something that fell by the wayside but not so much that I had forgotten it. As it turned out, I discovered some interesting things about the music in the OVA. I had a faint memory of hearing one of the "battle themes" in a commercial on TV, or a trailer of another movie, years ago but couldn't quite remember where it was that I had heard it. I instantly recognized it from the OVA and thought it was strange to hear it in something that was not associated with Lodoss in any way. I decided to research it while working on this video to see if I could dig up what it was, I had heard the music in. It was then that I had discovered that several of the pieces in the OVA were actually songs that were apparently lifted (and had their speed increased) from the Jerry Goldsmith score of the film 'Leviathan.' I didn't think I could do justice to discussing all that in the video considering there isn't a ton of information I could find as to "why" this happened. So, I decided to just leave it out. If you are interested, I did manage to track down a video on KZread that does a back-and-forth comparison of the songs in question: kzread.info/dash/bejne/o2WNy6lxpduoc8Y.html

@FlorisDVijfde

Жыл бұрын

@@VansAnime Those are just generic tension/action tunes. Besides the intro song these are my favorite melodies: Parn's intention kzread.info/dash/bejne/lqx5prCpgLvNd7Q.html Deedlit's theme kzread.info/dash/bejne/Y5Nrx9F6dc3eh7w.html Parn's theme kzread.info/dash/bejne/p5xlmNuKlNK7p7g.html Chika Sinden kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZX1ok7SkitKzY7w.html

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

@@FlorisDVijfde Oh, I completely agree with you. It was just something I found interesting when I discovered it and wanted to mention it but ultimately decided not to do so. But you're right, the original scores from the OVA are fantastic. I probably should have added at least a quick mention about the music one way or the other. The intro is an instant nostalgia trip for me. Of the ones you listed above, I would have to say Parn's theme is probably my favorite, but they are all wonderful.

@jmssun

6 ай бұрын

The team worked on Gundam 0083 Stardust Memories, also one of the pinnacle of Mecha anime. As for high fantasy, Elden Ring for video games is akin to what Lodoss to the anime genre

@alfonsomacias1569

2 ай бұрын

I came cause I wanted to hear the music again. So good always brings me back to this magical place

This is my favourite anime of all time. It's so fucking classic. Yes it has a lot of repetition and more still shots than true animation, the characters are SO well done and defined and the music is INCOMPARABLE

The part when bard sings the legend of hero's party, is for me best rendition of a bard giving a preformance. It grabbed my attention immediatley. Its up there with Priscilla's song in Witcher 3

Record of Lodoss War and Vampire Hunter D were my first anime on the sci-fi channel. I feel in love with anime then and there. That was over 30 years ago I think now. Thanks sci-fi channel for showing these 2 anime.

" Record of Lodoss War - Fantasy Anime Perfection " AMEN to that !

Deedlit was my first childhood crush. I've had a soft spot for elves and female characters that kick ass ever since.

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

She certainly kicks ass. I have a feeling she is a childhood crush for a fair amount of people.

@FlorisDVijfde

Жыл бұрын

It's not the really stereotypical stoic kick ass chick she has a more gentle approach, is very feminine, girly even and uses magic more than her blade. I think she's a popular fantasy for being fun, giggly and cute but also wise (she's supposed to be 200 years or so?) and in tune with nature, besides being fascinated by humans. Great animation art and wonderful voice acting (I happen to adore the English dub) finish it.

@elece1124

Жыл бұрын

Nadia was my first anime crush but Deedlit is close second. 🤩

@Turnajon

Жыл бұрын

@@FlorisDVijfde You are not alone. There are fans of the dub. How do I know this? Because when I gave a panel about LODOSS at DerpyCon last year the audience was intrigued throughout, and one audience member in particular was really delighted to hear me cover the English dub cast. I was so pleased especially since the Lodoss OVA dub is a favorite of mine.

@Vagabond820

9 ай бұрын

Deedlit and Lina Inverse

Now that isekai animes are becoming stale this days, i think ill go back to watching old gems like this again.

Watching Frieren , i can see Lodoss was a big inspiration.

@wyvern723

Күн бұрын

Absolutely! Frieren is so good! My goodness. Definitely can see some inspiration there!

One of the last big handdrawn animes. That opening sequence too 😭 So beautiful!

I just re-watched it for the first time in 18 years and holy shit! It's so good! The art style. Character designs. Tone. Colors are gorgeous. I love that you mentioned their use of limited animation as I find it in this era of 80s and 90s to be an art form. Controlled animation and using it wisely is such a masterful animation technique. Kids today watching all digital won't understand the time it took for animators to use cell and painted backgrounds. Great review!

I only had the chance to see a few episodes of this back in the 90s. I was impressed how it used the basic (Red Box) version of Dungeons & Dragons, like the fact that Elves are both fighters and magic-users.

@danmaertens7872

4 ай бұрын

The good old days

@GordonGordon

4 ай бұрын

I think it's in Crunchyroll

@hian

4 ай бұрын

It doesn't use that. Lodoss is based on a Japanese ttrpg known as Sword World. In fact, the novel on which the anime was based was itself a transcript of a game of Sword World.

I loved the series so much as a teen! It was the closest approximation to how I imagined a D&D story adapted to the screen while growing up on D&D books and games as a boy. There's something about that style of anime that seems so perfectly well-suited for sword and sorcery fantasy, like the closest economical adaptation I've seen yet of the equivalent of an animated version of Larry Elmore's D&D illustrations. I also loved the Capcom D&D arcade games (Tower of Doom and Shadows Over Mystara) in much the same way of how they conceived the D&D world: everything from the character designs to the animations, backgrounds, music, and sound effects. I rewatched RoLW recently and it didn't age quite as well for me as I hoped, although I still think it's such a wonderful fantasy depiction. I think ideally it would have had at least twice as many episodes given how much of an overarching story it told so that I could spend more time getting to know each of the characters and their backstories.

I love how this anime based on novels based on Dungeons & Dragons campaign of the author are regarded as classics

Record of Lodoss War is the original Critical Role

Cool!🤩 I am relatively new to anime and was born in 94 in Nigeria, so i could not watch this but i absolutely love fantasy! I recently bought the OVA on the Microsoft store snd your review makes ne even more excited to watch it. Thanks 👍👍

So glad i found a channel that focuses on retro anime.

As a huge fan of Lord of the Rings and fantasy-like stuff, I always knew Lodoss by name, but never took the time to watch it. I'm too young to have seen it on TV as a child. Now that I've seen it, I can tell that I loved it ! Everything is simple and yet perfect. The animation quality blew me away, modern animation can be impressive but really does not have the same charm, grain, details, facial expressions than 80-90s anime had. I really wish we could have modern production with that same old hand-drawing vibe. I recommend to everyone who loves top tier animation to watch Vampire hunter D Bloodlust, it's amazingly beautiful. Anyway, thank you for motivating me to watch Lodoss OVAs with your video, it became one of my favorites !

Artist: "How big do you want the pauldrons?" Director: "Yes!"

@techpriest6962

3 ай бұрын

You have 4 sizes in pauldrons: - Small - Realistic - Large - Space Marine

It’s also on Crunchyroll right now. Both versions

Bro that opening fucks up my soul. This was so important to my growing up lol

I really appreciate this video. Randomly stumbled across it and just finished the OVA. Definitely one of my favorites I’ve seen. Thanks for this!

12:50 "Like Venus Wars". Absolutely agreed.

Couldn't agree more, a Classic and well worth watching even to this day 30 years after it came out.

Really liked this video. Improved compared to the previous one and you already dropped the Plinkett-style jokes. This is a good review of a good OVA and hope to see your next video soon.

@VansAnime

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Wonderfully made video dude, you sold me. Love to see people share their nostalgia

@VansAnime

4 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Man, brought back some memories of a long, LONG time ago. I saw this for the first time when I was in the Navy. I even had the Dreamcast game (it's horrible). I'm an old man who appreciates the anime of my 20s (yikes!), so I subscribed. Keep making these. They're really good takes on classic anime.

@falconeshield

5 ай бұрын

You're not old man you're just experienced lol. A fantasy fan is always welcome no matter the age!

@100Servings

5 ай бұрын

@@falconeshield I don't know, I'm old enough that KRULL is one of my favorite movies. If you haven't seen it, take a high fantasy world and have it invaded by aliens. It's also Liam Neeson's first film. Highly recommended!

@fiatfan83

3 ай бұрын

Thank you for your service and though you might have 10 or 15 years on me, you still sound young in heart. 👍

@100Servings

3 ай бұрын

@@fiatfan83 Oh I say all the time I'm the world's oldest boy. It makes me a good dad, especially since we started a family late in life. I don't care that I'm 45, I'm happy to build a pillow fort with my kids. After 22 years in the military, being a cop, firefighter, and EMT, this is all I ever wanted out of life. None of my awards and achievements matter compared to the time I spend with my boys. We've even started on some of the anime of my early years. Heck, I remember when Robotech was first on television. I still have my Rick Hunter action figure!!!

@fiatfan83

3 ай бұрын

@@100Servings you sir sound like an awesome dad! If we could have kids I suspect we'd be the same way. 45 isn't old either, or at least at 41 I'm telling myself that, though my body says otherwise most days, lol. Back to the topic at hand, we are starting to rewatch the classics, and fill in some glaring holes in our watch lists. I never watched Robotech for instance, so I think I'll put that on the list next. We're watching Lodoss War now and it's fantastic.

The Silmarillion, Conan the Barbarian and Record of Lodoss war, these are the best

@keaganwheeler-mccann8565

Жыл бұрын

You have the taste of a legend

Thanks for this, brought back some good Memories... Subscribed.

Agreement and nostalgia aside, great video! Saturday morning on sci fi, Record of Lodoss War (and Vampire Hunter D) were the first anime I’d seen and was floored. I always rewatch every so often, Designs, characters, music, and a world that made me want to know more. I remember I saved my allowance back then to buy both the Japanese and English version VHS box sets as I HAD to have them. Great times as a kid and now! Thanks again for making this video!

I too first saw it on Scifi's Saturday mornings of the rising sun, the first anime I ever saw I recognized as anime and have loved it ever since.

One of the best animes ever!! Everyone needs to experience Lodoss Wars in all its glory

After the third Frieren rewatch I was suddenly very much reminded of this old masterpiece. Went and watched it again. And it is as good as always.

@VansAnime

21 күн бұрын

I just started watching Frieren based on a recommendation from another comment. I have only managed time to get through a couple of episodes as of yet. I am not a big viewer of modern anime, but I am impressed with it so far. I can definitely see how fans of that would enjoy Lodoss and vice versa.

@NexusNoxCS

21 күн бұрын

@@VansAnime in that case, I feel like I need to warn you: Frieren is not normal in modern anime. It is by far an anomaly. The manga itself was sort of an accident as the author had a very simple idea, but then during the process the world-building and interwoven nature of the story took over. Frieren is more like a very good fantasy novel told in visual form through the manga. Which was adapted very faithfully. That's the reason for the pacing and narrative focus being very different from what is nowdays typical of anime. It is imo best anime of the decade and worth a watch. And a rewatch or two as it becomes even better with more and more narrative layers and parallels and allusions revealed through flashbacks. Enjoy it :)

@VansAnime

21 күн бұрын

@@NexusNoxCS Yeah, I had a feeling stuff of this quality is likely the exception and not the rule these days. I knew by the end of the first episode that it was going to be worth watching. The problem is finding peace and quiet time to sit down and enjoy it - or anything for that matter lol.

Excellent review. I only found Lodoss after the release of Frieren, and fans were mentioning the work. Lodoss is as you say, super excellent High Fantasy done with seriousness. The still art is stunning, and evocative, but the animation lacks a budget which forces the artists to take a still piece of its own art and slowly move it across the screen. Constantly riffing through still pictures is only a suggestion of animation. But any anime fan of High Fantasy, should watch this kind of story done right in Lodoss.

Love it. I still have the VHS.

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

Same here. Although, they are barely watchable these days. I wore those poor tapes out lol

Thank you, Van. Because of you I started watching Record of Lodoss War, and it's pretty neat. Your videos are very interesting, thanks to them I've discovered a couple of hidden gems. Also, I wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts on Jin-Roh The Wolf Brigade.

I have been searching for this for a while! I finally found it!

I have been looking for a medieval, DnD like series, and have not found much. Thought I'd check if an anime existed for it (the saying goes that if it exists there is an anime of it), so I checked and checked, couldn't find much since I am generally not a fan of anime...but man, I just found this series, gave it a few minutes of a watch and it is EXACTLY what I was looking for! The general vibe, setting, look, it is perfect. Gonna be giving it a watch for sure.

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

If that is what you are looking for, this is probably the best option. I have not come across an anime that scratches the DnD fantasy itch quite like Lodoss does, imo. Don't get me wrong, there are some good anime in the fantasy genre out there, but this will always be my favorite.

@Diminisherqc

Жыл бұрын

i wish iw as you all over agian.

@StewNWT

Жыл бұрын

@@VansAnime any suggestions?

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

@@StewNWT There are a lot of options out there but I think it largely depends on the era of anime people are into. I grew up loving Slayers but it is far more comedic than something like Lodoss. Berserk is a good choice for fantasy anime that takes itself more seriously. Black Clover is another good option. I also recommend Vision of Escaflowne for those who don't mind some mecha blended with their fantasy anime. But that is just what I can think of off the top of my head.

@keaganwheeler-mccann8565

Жыл бұрын

What did ya think???

You sold me on cool fight scenes and hot chicks. I was tired of everything set in high school I will watch this one

Thanks for the suggestion. Ill look it up.

I never knew this was loosely based of an actual campaign. I'm glad you showed Louie the Rune Soldier at the end. I only learned about Louie just a few years ago.

Just watched it thanks to your video and I couldn’t agree more with your points. I loved its sincerity in its setting and characters, the beautiful artwork and music. Sometimes, a “cliched” high fantasy story executed perfectly can contain great storytelling too and this ova proves it. There happens a lot in 13 eps, it never slows down. Also, nothing against subversive or more deconstructive takes on the genre, but sometimes I do get a bit tired of the more nihilistic or cynical approaches. Classic heroism is neat (even though Parn is a very stubborn lad, he gets his ass kicked A LOT). Also, I’ve been playing DnD for 2 years and it does feel like a campaign, but not in a bad way. Loved it!

This series also intertwined with my childhood/teen years. I remember showing one of the VHS episodes to my DnD group and my DM was amazed by it. Media was harder to come by in the 90's so this was a cool artifact.

Love this movie I remember watching this one early Sunday morning on sci fi channel!

character design nd world design is top tier reminded of concept character sheet of fighting games

I remember watching this as a kid when it first appeared on Saturday Anime bloc and I would just sit my butt down every Saturday morning in front of the TV to catch the second but it nevered aired.

I finally got the chance to watch it recently in 2024 and yeah the first thing that came to my mind was 'this is pretty much a DnD session'. They have warrior guy, warrior/mage elf, mage, cleric, rogue, and dwarf fighter. They clearly power up through the episodes too especially Parn, without it really being shown on screen as if they gained levels. Magic has casting time for the most part, and they fight dragons goblins ogres etc... Not that this is a bad thing, modern fantasy anime are almost all isekais with ever more unhinged premises by comparion. Some of them are still good but most are 'wtf is going on here' or give the MC world ending powers by episode 3 which make everything happening later on irrelevant. I thought there was gonna be more episodes and char developpement tho. They speed from one location and to the next fight really fast. Which also sounds DnD like I guess.

@VansAnime

4 күн бұрын

If you are interested, ROLW Chronicles of the Heroic Knight might be what you are looking for in terms of more episodes and fleshing out some of the characters. The production quality of the show is not nearly as good as the ROLW OVA, but it does continue the story in a more "faithful" way to the source material (the RPG replays/light novels). Chronicles of the Heroic Knight takes place after episode 8 of the OVA and replaces episodes 9-13.

Lodoss the island cursed by the world. A place where man has to struggle to survive where demons and monsters thrive without question and where only those of strong Minds for magics and arms for blades can survive. An island of adventure that awaits those brave enough to challenge it.

Time for a rewatch! Idk what it is about Record of Lodoss War in particular, but it conjures really strong feelings in me. It was one of the first great anime I saw as a kid, after graduating from Saturday morning stuff like Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z. It also reminds me of a time when a show- in particular a fantasy anime- could take itself seriously and fully exist within its own world completely removed from the trappings of modernity.

Great review , The music is also what makes this anime so spectacular. I still remember the day I watched the opening theme of the dub version and became mesmerized by Sherrys voice . I would watch the opening over and over again. Record of lodoss is also the first anime soundtrack I ever bought , well my dad bought for me lol. I ordered it off a Japanese music website . It took 2 weeks to get to me and I still have it to this day. Apple Music also has all the record of lodoss wars soundtracks !

Hell yeah I rented this on VHS in the early 90s it's so good. I've got the collectors edition dvd now and it has some cool artwork on the packaging. There's a guy on youtube with the channel Happy Console Gamer and he's a huge fan of classic anime, I think he'd love this channel it's right up his alley

5:25 😂 that was hilarious! Parn was looking at her like, "that's a bad bitch." 😅

RoLW as a Sword and Sorcery anime has more in common with Lord of the Rings than it does with other fantasy anime. It has a serious tone that other fantasy anime generally lacks and has generally adult characters that don't act childish. It's also not cheesy and suffers from curtness like others do as well. There are "rules" that all anima fantasy follow like a boring repetitive bible that RoLW did not follow at all, instead borrowing rules from western publications like TSR, Michael Moorcock, Tracy Hickman & Margaret Weis, R.A. Salvatore and Robert Jordan. This is why I liked it, it felt like a proper fantasy done in anime rather than an anime fantasy.

@alexharman9001

9 ай бұрын

Hickman and Weis are a particularly salient reference, I think. When I first saw a bit of RolW (one of my brother's friends had brought over a fansub of it, and I came in in the middle of them watching it) I thought for a moment I was looking at an anime adaptation of the Dragonlance Chronicles. The storyline and characters aren't actually all that close to Dragonlance, but the themes and overall structure (a D&D PC party having adventures against the backdrop of a major war, with their actions having disproportionate effects on the outcome of the greater conflict) are quite similar; I expect the original DM and author was familiar with the Dragonlance novels and adventures and drew some inspiration from that series. The _look_ of Lodoss also draws inspiration from the art created for the Dragonlance setting by Larry Elmore, Jeff Easley, Keith Parkinson, and Clyde Caldwell. In particular, the final image in the opening credits, of the five dragons looming over the dais where the six central heroes stand, is a direct homage to Elmore's cover for "DL14: Dragons of Triumph," the final game module in the original Dragonlance adventure series. Deedlit's character design also owes something to Elmore's design of Laurana Kanan, though the super-long elf ears are pure Lodoss; IIRC, RolW was the show that first established that look for anime elves. It's since found its way back across the Pacific to influence the design of elves in the art for the Pathfinder RPG.

@level9drow856

9 ай бұрын

@@alexharman9001 This waa the Golden age of anime, directors in Japan were inpired by things like Bladerunner, Terminator, Aliens, Mad Max and by artists like Mobeus and Frazzeta. When you look at anime/manga like Akira, Fist of the North Star, Ghost in the Shell, Neo Tokyo, Wimgs of Honeimise, Demon City Shinjuku, Angel Cop, Wicket City, Black Magic M66, Ninja Scroll and so many other in thar era you see the influence. The directors back then were individuals who weren't trying to emulate each other or fallow a "rule". It made for such incredible and unique anime. There was mo "industry standard" I hate calling it anime because it's too limiting. Instead I say this was a Yoshiaki Kawajiri movie or a Katsuhiro Otomo movie and that says more than "it's anime". However now it's all the same. It looks a certain way, anime isn't unique from each other and hardlines their own tropes from the Industry Standards. Instead of each director being influenced by unique things they're all influenced by each other making an inbred standard, much the same as Marvel and D.C. comics and why I left them.

Subscribed because very few talk about this anime.

Started watching it again thanks to you❤

Ashram = absolute stud. Pirotess > Deedlit. But you've always known where I stood on these hot takes.

@jovanleonardi1574

2 жыл бұрын

i'm pretty sure i looked like parn when he was enamored with cashew in the ball scene when I was watching this as a kid, ashram is to this day one of my favorite anime characters.

@StewNWT

Жыл бұрын

@@jovanleonardi1574 I love Parn's gay man crush on Cashew.

@darkengine5931

11 ай бұрын

​@@StewNWT I always that idolatry came because Kashue so strikingly resembles Tessius: Parn's father. There's even a clip in one of the earlier episodes that shows Kashue walking away from Parn and they show the lighting and shot in exactly the same way Tessius looked walking away from him when Parn last saw him, so I always thought there was going to be some twist reveal that Kashue was actually Tessius in disguise who managed to survive despite being stripped of his rank to become a mercenary king.

The soundtrack both in sub & dub is amazing & still holds up to this dau

I found it through the OVA of Battle Arena Toshiden in the previews thought it looked amazing only recently got me the dvds wanna watch it from start to finish.

As a lifelong Record Of Lodoss War fan. I'd like to thank you for this video. This is legit my comfort anime...also thr Venus Wars shootout (fantastic). Still to this day it's the best high fantasy anime in my book. I dont think we'll ever get back to this quality of anime again....not dissing what we have now , but that energy and type of effort and style seems hard to rekindle.

Thank you for spelling out everything I felt about this anime. When I watched the D&D cartoon they first put up, I felt it didn't do the genre any justice. Meanwhile, Tomino and Takahashi had released an anime in Japan based on high fantasy featuring robots, and they did it better. Although the viewers were pretty much befuddled by the concept back then. (There was no Dragon Quest (Dragon warrior) or Final Fantasy back then) It was only when I watched RLW that they really captured what we wanted from this genre. It's interesting that the character designer for Diedricht said he got that inspiration for the elf ears from Kira in the Dark Crystal film.

I rented the box set of this anime from Blockbuster when I was a kid. Still remember it fondly.

Have you seen Frieren? It reminds me a lot of Record of Lodoss War. A DnD world set in Medieval Europe

@VansAnime

6 ай бұрын

I haven't. However, thanks to your comment I looked it up and I am intrigued. I'll be checking this out in the near future! Thanks!

this was the first anime i ever watched, good times.

I loved this anime

I bought my DVD Special Edition set from Fry's back in 2002. It sits next to my Dungeons and Dragons boxed set. This is *the* definitive fantasy anime. It's actually based on a Fighting Fantasy campaign run by the creators. Deedlit and Parn were a whole lot different in their campaign.😂

Definitely gonna have to give this a watch when I got some time.

Ashram! I like him so much last time when I first watched the OVA. The part about him being a stud got me 😂

Just ordered the blu ray collectors edition. Will be the perfect blend in on my shelves next to the Berserk collectors edition and Vampire Hunter d bloodlust collectors edition :)

Studio Madhouse put they're foot in this anime as well

Logos war and samurai troopers were always my favorite. I miss old anime compared to what we get now

I was rambling about this needing a remaster/remake multiple times to my friend this week; I think he's fed up hearing it

@VansAnime

5 ай бұрын

...tell him again 🤣

Thanks for the video. It's on my list to watch.

I do remember watching this but as a Powermetal music video, man How I always wanted to watch this show, yet it was during the era of Kazaa, so I must've forgotten it right after I downloaded some very blurry Berserk Episodes which to me never gets old. Still a shocking ending lol and I believe I was 16yrs old when I saw Berserk and I am 39yrs old right now and I'm still very very pissed off and hate the shit out of Griffith till this day lol Or Femto as he calls himself. But will definitely watch this show, it is very OVERDUE to watch. Thanks friend.

It straight up plays like a DnD campaign and I love it for that.

I watched Lodoss war years ago on polish channel called "Canal +" they provided lots of awesome anime like "Ghost in the shell" , "macross". I also had that on VHS. I remeber playing "record of lodoss war" on sega dreamcast. I was an awesome diablo clone. Btw that opening was so awesome!

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

I also had Record of Lodoss War on Dreamcast. I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get to play as Parn but once I got over that I enjoyed it quite a bit! I have always wanted to play the Sega CD and TurboGrafx CD entries into the series but, as far as I know, there has never been an English translation for either game. There is a translated ROM of the SNES/Super Famicon Record of Lodoss War out there though. I still haven't played through it yet - it is on my long list of games I hope to find time for one day.

Beatiful

One of the first animes I ever watched. Loved it. I remember renting it on VHS from Blockbuster. I'm so old... T_T We need more stories like this! I've basically stopped watching anime because there is so much ick. Isekai is so tired.

Thanks for htis overview. Very Good Stuff.

It was a beautifully drawn anime.

this anime is such a hidden gem that i didn't find out about it until i ask chatgpt for recommendations lol

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

I never thought to ask AI for anime recommendations. I might have to try that out myself!

I did not knew this one, thanks a lot!

I love this show, great stuff had a dvd my dad gave me

Awesome essay!! I loved "Record of Lodoss War" when I read the "Chronicles of the Heroic Knight" manga back in middle school. Sadly that was my only knowledge of it back then. You mentioned about the anime adaptation I never knew about. Are you going to make a video out of it? By the way, new sub for you! Notification squad!! 🤗🤗😊😊

I'm here because I emulated the game on my Nintendo switch emulator and it's the type of metroidvania RPGs I like I had no idea it was an anime

@VansAnime

Жыл бұрын

The game is pretty great!

@BoatMurderedDF

7 ай бұрын

Bruh, you would love the anime.

OKAY, my story of my introduction to ROLW. I was already, FINALLY, finding anime that wasn’t censored to Hell. I had VHS tapes of Dangaioh, Bubblegum Crisis and Akira. While hanging out at a comic shop, I caught a flyer stating that a Japanese-Canadian club at a local college had fansubbed the first 8 episodes and were screening them. Went, sat through all 8, fell in love! I eventually saw the whole OAV series. I couldn’t really get into the TV series, though.

Love the video! Thank you.

This Series is a Classic of Classics. The Scenes I like the most were the Ones showing Parn and Ashram wielding Their Kings Swords and made it Their own.

This is still the best fantasy anime decades later.

Have the whole series on DVD and LOVE it! One of the first Anime series i watched... 😊

This show is so good. I'm always amazed when my D&D buddies say they haven't seen it

I couldn't get into it, but the music I will always love. I might dive in again one time, it seems like one of these things that you can really immerse yourself in.

@VansAnime

7 ай бұрын

It is. Admittedly, it is probably much easier to get into if you are a fan of Dungeons and Dragons or high fantasy already. Nostalgia for those of us who saw it back in the day goes a long way as well. But the music is certainly wonderful.

@eden4949

7 ай бұрын

@@VansAnime i know that nostalgia feel from other shows and music. I'm not too much into DnD however I like high fantasy, on the newer front i can recommend Made in Abyss - it is really amazing .)

@VansAnime

7 ай бұрын

@@eden4949 I will certainly add it to the list to check out! Thanks!

Damn this looks really good, gonna have to watch it, never heard of it before but the name seems familiar

I always speculated that 'Lodoss' (Rodosu) could just as well be a variety of Rhodos (Greece), though it works totally ok with being it's own 'Lodoss' due to the interpretive transliteration.

If I remember correctly as a kid I had a SEGA Dreamcast game with this title. I could not stop playing it.