Heroic Knight Legend, the TV sequel to Record of Lodoss War is a surprisingly entertaining anime series. Whereas Lodoss attempted mythic storytelling to the point of pretentiousness, Heroic Knight Legend wisely jettisons all pretense to an epic for the ages. The result is a fast-paced adventure further removed from "Dungeons and Dragons" literalism and closer in spirit to the best anime action series.
The TV series begins a few years after the Lodoss OAV series ends. Parn the knight, Deedlit the High Elf and Slayn the wizard are drawn out of seclusion when they learn that their old nemesis Ashram is plotting something dastardly. These three characters have been redesigned slightly by Kazuhiro Soeta to conform to mainstream anime tastes, and the simplified drawing of their hair and facial features is an improvement. Along the way, they team with several newer (and somewhat weaker) characters. Parn has proven himself as a knight (the goal of the OAV) and now finds himself as mentor to his team.
The most interesting of the new characters are Shiris and Orson. Shiris is a sassy female warrior with shocking red hair and an eye for Parn. Orson is a berserker; a warrior literally possessed with a fighting spirit that occasionally turns him into a muscle bound madman (not unlike the Incredible Hulk). The tension between those two characters and Parn and Deedlit is fun to watch, as Orson and Parn both seem unaware of Shiris’ shifting feelings.
SD versions of the lead characters pop up in little parody vignettes after each episode, letting us know that we shouldn’t take any of this too seriously. Heroic Knight Legend can’t compare to the flat-out fun of Fushigi Yuugi, but it’s an enjoyable (if ultimately lightweight) thriller. Thusfar, I’ve enjoyed every minute of Heroic Knight Legend, and it’s rare that I can say that about any animated series.
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Other Anime Reviews Dragonball Z:The Movie Review* Fushigi Yuugi Review* Galaxy Express 999:Eternal Fantasy Review* My Neighbor Totoro Review* Neon Genesis Evangelion Review |
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