Record of Lodoss War (1990-1991)

[ロードス島戦記]

Director: Akinori Nagaoka
Studio: Madhouse
Starring: Takeshi Kusao, Yumi Toma, Kappei Yamaguchi
Episodes: 13

Synopsis:
The son of a disgraced knight seeks adventure amid a brewing war that shakes the accursed island of Lodoss to its foundations.

Impressions:
I was introduced to this series via the Sci-Fi Channel's Saturday Anime block back in the late '90s and I have a lot of fondness for it. It had quite an influence on me and continues to be near and dear to my heart. It's one of the best fantasy anime ever made and likely the best adaptation of a D&D campaign brought to the screen. It's an unapologetically archetypical story and the fact that it plays it so straight is one of its charm points. Though we see a lot of the cost-cutting measures taken in anime, especially for that time period, it often looks quite gorgeous with some great character designs and the visuals are nicely accompanied by the outstanding score by Mitsuo Hagita. If you're a seiyuu connoisseur, the cast is a veritable who's who list of many of the major players in the '80s and '90s. If you're a fan of high fantasy, this is a must-see. This series is actually the first set of DVDs I ever purchased and it would go nicely in the collection of just about any anime fan.

Rating:
Own It