Welcome to Astral Animations, where we'll examine the imports of Japanese animation currently available in the United States.

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the movie.

That said, on to the review!

Note: sorry about the quality of the images and how long it takes to load up, but I'm still learning how to use a digital camera and how to make thumbnails. A.D.V. Films owns the American rights to the anime, naturally, but I'm the one that took the pictures, so if you'd like to use them, please ask me for permission first. I'll grant it, most likely, but it's still nice to ask first.--XS

Prince Mars, heir to the throne of Aritia, has fled his homeland and the invaders bent on conquering the entire continent. Together with the Aritian Knights he hides and bides his time in the friendly island kingdom of Talus. Though criticized for constantly daydreaming or being in a bad mood, he has found a friend in Sheida, the princess of Talus. Together they indulge in hayrides and shopping trips, or just standing upon the parapet and looking out over the land. However, despite how pleasant life is, he cannot forget the circumstances that separated him from his land and forced his beloved sister to sacrifice herself for him.

Inadvertantly eavesdropping on Talus' king and his advisors, he is reminded of the ill feelings that marked his and his knights' reception into Talus. Reminded, also, is he of the desparate struggle of the Princess of Orleans, the one ruler willing to stand against the invaders that overran Aritia and the rest of the continent. The princess needs allies and reinforcements, but though Mars' advisors yearn to retake their homeland, none of them are certain that they can triumph against their enemies. The debate on remaining hidden or arming for battle becomes moot as Sheida brings word that pirates have attacked Talus and begs Mars for help.

The pirates have attacked when the king's best warriors have gone abroad, searching for more hidden Aritian survivors. Mars makes the decision to arm and ride forth, his first step to aiding Orleans being the reclamation of Talus itself. Together with his closest advisors, Jaigan, Gordon, Dohga, Cain, and Able, and with Sheida flying overhead upon her winged-horse, Mars leads the Aritian Knights into battle. The problem, however, is whether they can truly win. For, should they fall then all hope is lost. But if they win, they reveal their presence to their enemies and, with their numbers as small as they are, become a target for hostilities. Mars needs allies desperately, but where can he find them, when half the world is ruled by evil and death?

Fire Emblem is a 60-minute, two episode anime OAV. That, of course, means that there is no way Mars is going to reclaim his kingdom by the end of the tape, and the likelihood is that we will never see that happen since this isn't a series. But I wish it was! The action sequences in the first episode--whether it's on the battlefield where Mars' father, King Cornelius, struggles against the sorcery of the invaders' Supreme Priest or in Talus itself against the backdrop of a burning city--are all well drawn and executed. Everything's going so fast that you don't see the blood flying--which you might expect seeing as how there are swords flashing everywhere--but you do get to see spectacular deaths and the consequences of said deaths, such as when Cain kills a man holding a struggling boy, sending the boy flying up into the air and plummeting back to earth only to be caught by Able as he rides by. Oh, and Princess Sheida does her share too, covering Mars' flank while he's engaged one front with a pirate or two.

Mars is the main character, and in the first episode this is readily apparent. He seems a little small when compared to the Aritian Knights--except Gordon, who seems even younger than Mars--and sort of scrawny, especially when he's wearing his heavy breastplate. However, in more informal clothes he looks much better and more princely. Another thing that makes him an endearing character is getting to see his initial reaction to death and killing during some of Mars' flashback scenes. He remembers participating in a hunt and being unable to finish off a stag he's shot down. His father strikes him for it, but Mars' sister consoles him by insisting that he doesn't have to be as hard and ruthless as their father to be a good king. We see more of how this reveals itself during the second episode when he tells Gordon to let the pirates that survived their attack (a different one from the one on Talus) go (yeah, they survive the attack and reclaim Talus).

The second episode alternates between Mars and his companions and a mysterious swordsman named Navahl, who has taken up temporary employment with the mountain bandits of Devil Mountain Pass. Now, Navahl is an enigma. He has his own story which we get to see glimpses of, but we don't really get into his mind, not until the end. We see him closely observing Julian, one of the bandits, as he gives up his dinner to one of the prisoners, then helping Julian and the prisoner, a priestess, to escape. And of course, Mars becomes involved when Julian, failing in his objective and wounded in the process, encounters the Aritian Knights and begs them for assistance. Altogether the different stories make for a satisfying whole. Well, almost, since the "whole" is really only the first drop in a bucket that could be one of the best anime series ever...if someone would just make it. Sigh.

I really can't end without mentioning the voice cast. I've seen both the English subtitled version and the English dubbed version. Now, each has its own appeal for me (click here to see what I mean) but in this case I'd have to say I prefer the dub to the sub. Maybe I was prejudiced by owning the dubbed for so long before getting the subbed, but somehow the voices for the subbed version seemed inappropriate to the characters. Julian, for one, sounded too young, as did Princess Sheida most of the time. Mars' voice, too, was somewhat "off". Again, perhaps I was prejudiced against the subbed version. To me the voices on the dubbed versions seemed much more suitable for each character. The voice actor for Mars, Spike Spencer, adds a dimension to the character that I didn't experience in the subbed version. Julian--courtesy of his voice actor, Brett Weaver--came across as much more mature. On a side note, these two English voice actors are two of my favorites from those that provide voices for A.D.V. Films releases.

Fire Emblem is, if I remember correctly, the very first anime I ever bought (though not seen, since my relatives introduced me to anime with another video). I'm glad I did, because it opened a whole new facet of the entertainment industry that I usually find far more entertaining and enjoyable than "mainstream" movies. I bought the dubbed version, which I think is fine, but I'm now looking for the subtitled version for other reasons I'd rather not get into. Either version I'm sure is excellent. It's just a pity that there's just one OAV, because, as I said, this could well be one of the best anime series ever provided that the production team made certain that each episode was as well-handled as these first two. Oh, well. Maybe they will, and maybe they won't. But if they do, you can be certain that I'll be one of the first in line to buy it!

You can purchase Fire Emblem on videotape at any video store that sells Japanese anime. You can also order it at the A.D.V. Films website.

Visit the Fire Emblem Gallery to see more pictures from the anime!

Interested in buying this video? You can! Just follow the link to order the English subtitled VHS version or the English dubbed VHS version. You can also visit the Stellar Video Store for other titles.

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