Six who barely know each other. Six who must learn to act with a single purpose. Six hwo are destined to become heroes as they encounter enemies and allies beyond thier wildest imaginations. Join the quest - the war for the future of Lodoss had begun!

Let me start off by saying that "Record of Lodoss War" has to be one of the best anime series/OAV's that I have ever, yes ever, seen in my life (how ever few that may be). The aspect of the classic "AD&D" theme is carried on throughout the movies with medieval references to breath-taking magic, powerful enemies and intuiging conflicts.

The 13 or so episodes (around 26-27 mins each) gave the audience, and animators alike, a great amount of time to get to know the characters individually. From the charming Deedlit, to the tarnished reputation of Parn, Lodoss has the time and the talent to bring all of it to you.

Animation Quality    8
The animation wasn't really top-class elite, but it was suffice enough to be visually pleasing. The animators, on the other hand, re-used a lot of the same cells and animation during battle scenes, which was really annoying. The hand to hand combat scenes of the main characters were well done and the sword strokes were not to repetitive (unlike some other battle scenes where you kept seeing the same soldier dying the same way!). The magic and magical spells were pretty neat, although not too flashy. The classic green fireball of Slayn, and the purple electricy shockwave of Karla became all too familiar towards the end. The characters looked good and were very unique in their respective ways. Overall, I enjoyed the animation, it was pretty good and it did not detract from the excellence of Lodoss War!

Sound Quality     7
The sound effects of Lodoss were pretty well done. The clashing of blades and the deep, rich battle cries added to the war-like atmosphere. The shimmering of magical spells and the eerie sound of Karla's electrical charges brought some of the spells to life. One weak point to the sound effects, however, would have to be the high-pitched, and sometimes annoying, cries of the ancient dragons of Lodoss.
The musical score of the movie wasn't something to talk about. The opening and ending theme songs were excellent and very well done and the singer's voice was beautiful. During the movie, however, I found a lot of the same short pieces being played over and over again. There were no other great noticable pieces played during the movie other than the opening and ending songs.

Content     10
Aside from the decent animation and fair musical score, the story and content of Lodoss was more than enough to make up for it. The story was well built and the characters were given an immense amount of time to develop and bond with the viewers. Various villians and seemingly infinite battles added to the excitement as well.
Since Lodoss was composed of 13 episodes spread out over 6 tapes, the movie was definitely VERY long. Over 5 hours of footage gave the plot a long time to develop and gave it a change to make numerous drops and rises. The battle between King Beld and King Fahn itself would have been enough to create a single movie. At the same time as the war between Marmo and Valis, many other things were simultaneously happening. Karla, the witch, had her own plans and desires set aside for the future of Lodoss. The evil wizard, Wagnard, had his quest of reviving the goddess of destruction, Kardis. And, aside from the main plot, each individual character had their own seperate quest, like Ghim's desire to free Leylia from Karla's evil grasp. Just read the plot outline (shown below) to find out how much really goes on in Lodoss...

Overall     9
Lodoss was a relatively "old" anime. The animation, as could be expected, wasn't as elite as it could be and the musical score was good, although it defenitely could have been better. The content and plot, however, was the thing which kept me interested in the movie. It's driving force and almost non-stop action kept my eyes glued to the screen. This is a film definitely worth checking out! It carries a hefty price (which is worth it down to every last penny!) so you might just want to rent it. BTW, unless you think you can take 5 straight hours of animation, I don't think you should watch them all at once. I saw them seperately (maybe 2 tapes at a time) and it adds to the anxiety. Watching it at the same time might draw you into the "pool of boredom" and you might miss the excellent things that go on in Lodoss. This one is a Fantasy Fan's dream come true!

A Short Run-Down of the Basic Plot (The text in italics at the top comes from Episode 1)

Episode 2:
The fall of Myce has dragged Parn and his friends into the midst of the invasion of Lodoss, and now they race against time to warn the remaining free kingdoms of the impending peril. As they attempt a dangerous short-cut through the Forest of No Return, the King of Valis sends his daughter to confer with the King of Alania. But fate once again intervenes, and the party must do battle with Karla, the mysterious "Grey Witch", as she attempts to kidnap Princess Fianna.

Having rescued Fianna, the six heroes are honoured guests at a lavish court party where Parn meets a pwerfull new ally: Kashue, the warrior king of the desert kingdom of Flaim. But Karla's mysterious plans continue to touch everyone in King Fahn's palace, as Kashue is targeted for assassination.

As Emperor Beld's dark forces approach Valis, Parn and his riends seek out the sage Wort to learn about Karla's origins and her real intentions. Racing against time, a desperate attempt to stem Beld's invasion begins to take shape.

Episode 3:
After learning all they can from Wort, the heroes return to Valis to report their findings to King Fahn. But the tide of the invasion is turning steadily against them, as Beld's forces sweep across the island. Finally reaching Valis, they advise the King that Karla is the last descendant of an ancient kingdom of sorcery who has appeared throughout Lodoss' troubled history to shape it according to her whims.

Pleased iwht Parn's success, King Fahn invites him to serve in his army of Holy Knights, an offer which the young fighter quickly accepts. Meanwhile, Ghim leaves his friends behind to pursue his own personal quest...

Once on the blazing battlefield, Parn confronts the Black Knight, Ashram; the man upon whom he swore venegeance at the fall of Myce. And two kings, once friends, face each other in a duel to the death. But sometimes even kings are pawns when a withc controls the chessboard!

Episode 4:
The War of Heroes has left Lodoss in turmoil, and it is clear that Karla must be stopped at any cost. Pursuing Ghim to Karla's castle at Lake Stillness, the heroes encounter the mercenary fighter, Shiris, and her berserker partner, Orson. Though they met at the point of each other's swords, they are soon valuable allies.

At Karla's stronghold, Ghim faces the witch in a duel of wills in an attempt to free Leylia. As his friends come to his aid, the shocking reasons for Karla's treachery are disclosed.

Meanwhile, the forces of Marmo are in disarray as Ashram prepares to take up the struggle where Beld left off. Urged on by the dark wizard, Wagnard, he sets off for Fire Dragon Mountain to obtain the Scepter of Domination. But Wagnard has plans of his own, as he dispatches the dark elf Pirotess to kidnap Deedlit. Ambushed in the forest, Deedlit is soon fighting for her life. But new allies can show up when laest expected!

Episode 5:
The journey to Fire Dragon Mountain becomes a race between Kashue and Ashram, with the Scepter of Domination being the prize. But the scepter is guarded by a formidable obstacle: Shooting Star, one of the last of the ancient dragons of Lodoss. This fould beast has terrorized the surrounding villages for years, and now he must be killed if the scepter is to be recovered. As both sides clash, Shooting Star awakens to protect his holy relic...

Meanwhile, the evil of Kardis the Destroyer stirs beneath the dark island of Marmo, and Wagnard takes the final steps towards her ressurection. As he plots for his chance at godhood, Kashue and the others prepare for one last assault on Marmo. SInce no one is prepared fot the powers Wagnard has already gained from Kardis, he succeeds in kidnapping Deedlit. But not ever Wagnard can know that Karla is still plotting to prevent any one man from controlling all of Lodoss. The final armies are assembled as the war for Lodoss' future builds to a climax.

Episode 6:
As Kashue and the remaining armies of Lodoss cross the southern straits to enroute to the dark island to stop the ressurection of Kardis, Parn and his friends arrive just ahead of them. With Deedlit's eternal life about to be sacrificed to Kardis by the now pwer-mad Wagnard, they have no time to lose! But ht eisland of Marmo holds a frightening trump card: the evil dragon Narse. This remnant of the ancient dragons stands ready to fight the forces of light while Wagnard proceeds with his dark ceremony far beneath the earht's surface.

As Parn and the others rush to stop his dark rite underground, Kashue and his army face the demonic forces of Kardis on the surface. With Karala and Wort standing by to watch humanity fight for its desitny, there are surprises in store for lll sides.

Man against wizard. Dragon against dragon. Light against darkness. This last chapter in the record of the war for Lodoss can now be written!

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