LEGEND OF LEMNEAR
Satoshi Urushihara: Prince of the Pencil, Pauper of the Plotline
Review by: Craig "Omigosh Boobs!" Norris
Length: 45 minute OAV
Genre: Fantasy
Watched: All, subbed
Even though I'm sure having a conversation about plot in anime with Satoshi Urushihara is most likely a maddening experience ("There's not much plot here, Mr. Urushihara." "Oh, no, it's got plenty of boobs." "Yeah, but I'm talking about plot." "You mean boobs?" "No! Plot!" "...Boobs?" Etc.) I refuse to give up on him. Simply because anyone who can draw that well has to be given every benefit of the doubt. So, undeterred by his later project, the light plotted (and heavily breasted) Plastic Little, I took a deep breath and hoped for the best from the Legend of Lemnear. While what I didn't get was the best, I did get a production with all of Urushihara's trademarks, as well as a handful less of his pitfalls.
Plot synopsis: Years ago, the sorcerer Gardein slaughtered Lemnear's family, as well as just about everyone else in her hometown. Now a polished warrior, Lemnear is out for revenge, and will stop at nothing to bring about the death of Gardein and avenge her family and friends. However, unbeknownst to her, she is the legendary Champion of Silver, who is destined to save the world from the Dark Lord, whom Gardein serves.
Artwork: The main purpose of this OAV was more than likely to show off Urushihara's breast-tacular artwork, of which I will always be a tremendous fan. The character designs are extremely well executed, if not a tad farfetched in some areas. For example, why would Lemnear run around and fight with swords in nothing but a bikini? Not that I'm not grateful for seeing her clothed as such, but from a practical standpoint it makes little sense. Action scenes are well done, with healthy doses of blood and guts staining the earth. The artwork is definitely the shining jewel within this rather mediocre production.
Music: The soundtrack is hit or miss. Some of the tracks help to accentuate the epic mood that was being conveyed, while others seemed woefully out of place. In terms of actual quality, the music is nothing that hasn't been done before, and is quickly and easily overshadowed by the artwork.
Characters: Urushihara seems to have a lot of trouble creating characters that transcend the ink and cel they were so lovingly rendered in. Once again, his character development is tissue thin. Lemnear, the main character, is developed the most, but only because she receives the most screen time. She is an eager and skilled fighter who is mostly out for revenge, but who sometimes takes a step back from her quest for vengeance and tries to help others. I'd say that she is a bit Mary Sue-ish, but she's not developed enough for that characterization to stick. Gardein is evil "just because," as villains often are in fantasy series. We're not ever given any firm idea as to why he has embraced evilness-ness-ness, and he is pretty much a token villain placed solely for progression of what semblance of a plot is present. The secondary characters are all fairly unimportant, and are not given much back story to make them worth mentioning. Suffice it to say that anyone who values character development will probably be appalled at the lack of it in this OAV.
Plot: Reluctant hero(ine) must save the world from the evil sorcerer. It is a plot line that has been recycled over and over again with greatly varying degrees of success. Record of Lodoss War made this plot it's bitch. Legend of Lemnear... not so much. No matter how hard you try, I'd say it's impossible to flesh out a plot successfully in 45 minutes. Granted the lovely artwork often distracted me from the fact that there was little to no plot, but more often than not I lamented its absence.
CHICKS!: Anyone who has been fortunate enough to get a hold of one of Urushihara's artbooks can take a good guess as to what kind of scrumptious fanservice awaits viewers of this OAV. There's definitely more focus on breasts, panty shots, and innuendo than on plot (although that's not really saying much). Lemnear is a sweet taste of eye candy, especially considering her battle wardrobe is more sparse than that of most beach-goers. Predictably we get to see her boobies, along with the naked torsos of several of the secondary chicks. As far as actual romantic interest, not enough is known about her to make the call. I suppose she's worth consideration if you like legendary heroines, but I'd like a little more info on her before I consider her for membership in Black Seventeen's Lovenasium.
Overall: Anyone familiar with Satoshi Urushihara will not be surprised by what they see here: more skin than plot and character development combined. However, it isn't a total waste of time, as the artwork really is very impressive, and the fantasy world is well rendered, if not a tad generic. Connoisseurs of fantasy series probably won't find much here to be impressed about, though.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Fantastic art
+ Appropriately short considering the focus
- Too short considering the lack of plot and character development
- A cookie-cutter fantasy anime
Rating: 6/10
Return to Index