This D&D player has been watching Lodoss Wars since it first came out in the 80's. My gaming group had the soundtrack in the dungeon music we used to play for games, on random play (from a 5 disc CD player lol). We had a houserule- every time the Lodoss Wars fight music started, a battle would start in game- no exceptions. It was random fun and it was more often than not right on time when a fight was started normally. Greats times.
Anything beyond 3.5e is incompatible with Lodoss. In 5e it would be a technicolor goat and a nonbinary bear daddy fighting a POC psion in a wheelchair or something.
@@ThePhilocrates I'm sorry but I have to report you to the HasbroWoTC sensiblity police for calling something about me without sense, nonsensical. This is inseinsitive and ableist, I have all my senses, sure, but our diverse and inclusive playerbase also consists of those who are differently abled. Some have low vision, for example. Furthermore, you used 'idiotic', please change that word to 'incurious' to make it more appropriate for our audience. Due to your bigortry, I am afraid you are now banned from OneDND, all game stores, all discords, and, everything really, until you have undergone sensitivity training. We simply cannot tolerate this kind of language and/or conduct. HasbroWoTC wishes you a very uncringe and not awful at all day, just how you like it.
The animated emotive detail in the 1 SECOND where she's dropped to her knees and catches him has more character in it than some modern entire episodes. It's breathtaking.
Drawn, Inked, and painted by hand, on cells, photographed with a real camera-- you can tell these artists cared about their work. Not that great animations aren't still being made today, but those hand crafted elements are sadly gone, forever. This series, and many others from its time wouldn't be the same if it were digital. I'll take one beautifully drawn image of a dragon over a complexly animated CG monstrosity, any day.
@@TheNwahDango. It's a shame. I'd love a continuation of Berserk 1997. I would be completely unbothered if they did the same style of "animation" during the high detail scenes where it's a single frame that the camera pans over to suggest action. I don't strictly hate 3D animation, I think it needs more work to look good.
It's sometimes hard for me to believe that this was done by Madhouse, the same studio that handled Trigun. Not that that is a bad thing. 😅 It's just seems kind of obvious which show arguably had either the most resources, or the most talent, working in it's favor. For all my love of the original trigun anime, it's leagues behind Record of Lodoss War. I just recently discovered that Madhouse made this OVA, so consider my mind blown by that fact. 😅
Regarding animation, there were some battle scenes that they recycled. I remember showing this anime off to a friend and he was laughing when he caught that recycled footage.
Lodoss sucks though... I would have probably enjoyed it more as a naive kid than I did when I was a teenager. I've tried again as an adult but I judt couldn't. I want to to try again though...
Unenchanted swords doing massive damage? Elves that actually do something other than complain and be irritating tsunderes? Where was this all my life? Hell, I probably saw this and just forgot.
Oh, believe me, Deedlit is just as annoying as any other Elf you've seen in anime. She's practically the codifier for how Elves are portrayed. Now Arshes Nei from _Bastard!_ on the other hand...
A lot of people rightfully point out the quality of the animation, especially for the time, and being an old f*ck who grew up with this (still own the original VHS tapes of it) I totally agree. But even more to the point, Record of Lodoss War felt like an actual f*cking FANTASY. It doesn't have characters speaking in modern lingo, it doesn't have stupid iPhone UI spell casting, it makes no mention of "Levels" and even if it references "Classes" it does so in an organic way that makes it feel like part of the setting rather than the characters reading off of their character sheet. The music was atmospheric and wonderful, the sense of adventure was great, the pacing was top notch. I actually rewatched this series a few months ago, curious to see if it still held up or if nostalgia had tinted it Rose Colored... and I am quite happy to realize that not only is it as good as I remember, now that I'm older it's in many ways even better! Compare this to stuff now where everything is either an Isekai or even if it's not it still feels like a video game world. The magic feels fake or uninteresting, characters make nonsensical references to JRPG crap like leveling or gaining skills on a skill tree even if the setting isn't even meant to be an isekai. Just about every modern fantasy anime out there now just causes me to yawn, and I usually tune out after a few episodes. Even the "Good" ones like the Frieren: Beyond Journey's End feels... lackluster. The basic story is okay, but the world feels lifeless, none of the cities or places have any life to them, no sense of history or meaning. And yet Lodoss War, despite having only a small number of episodes managed to capture the sense that the land of Lodoss was actually alive. Maybe I am just an old f*ck who can't appreciate the new stuff. Or... maybe the new stuff is legitimately less engaging because the people making most of it have no actual life experience and just don't give a crap and just want a paycheck.
Your last statement is 100% correct my internet friend. The people who made this were a different breed of nerd compared to modern writers who don't give af. I watched this show for the first time only a few years ago, and immediately it became not only one of my favorite animated shows but one of my favorite fantasies in general. Not because the characters are particularly well fleshed out (though very memorable), but because it feels so damn _classic_ with its fantasy iconography. It looks, sounds and moves so majestically. Everything in Lodoss is effortlessly inspired.
I’m more fond for the older anime as well. It felt like it had an actual purpose and artistic value to it, whereas nowadays most anime are either fanservice, video games, or cheesy slice of life, or all three at the same time. While there are still great anime nowadays, I just prefer the feel and charm of the older stuff.
First off, Lodoss is the greatest fantasy-genre anime of all time, that's what I think of it. But I don't think a little bit of videogamey presentation would have ruined it. Maybe it's because I grew up in the 90s playing (A)D&D with my friends, playing numerous JRPGS on my Super Nintendo and Genesis, and watching Record of Lodoss War (Sci-Fi channel showing) all the at the same time but in my opinion making it feel like a D&D game with a somewhat more direct reference to game mechanics wouldn't have been a bad thing. The problems with modern fantasy anime are really the same problems that all modern anime have. I could talk about them, but it would be a very long list.
Interesting in the “drop your sword!” There. Berserker is raging with I assume back then rage rules is same as pathfinder/dnd Barbarian on rage lasts until combat ends. So if parn drops the sword then combat encounter ends which rage also shuts off. Edit: for the love of god moment I type in pathfinder even though I also said dnd you get the brand lickers leaving the underdark and get anal. If get anal on pathfinder brought up because it’s getting more known remember: blame liches of the coast for that, not pathfinder ppl, especially what happened in 2023 for ogl 1.0.
That's rad. I have no idea if this is true, but I read somewhere that in the original DND campaign the author based his story on, the guy playing Parn was supposedly terrible at DND. It makes the show hilarious when you consider Parn spends most of his screen-time charging blindly and being annihilated by everything.
It would have been ADND, I think. Pathfinder came out early '00s; Lodoss is based on DND with BECMI, I believe. I prefer Pathfinder myself, mind, just wanted to clarify that I think it was og 2e DND
Orson: *takes a sizable chunk out of a hillside* Parn: “I’mma keeping fighting this guy!” Me: Parn. Bro. Buddy. My guy. This mofo is clearly out of your league, and I don’t mean the way Deedlit is. He hits you like that and you’re gonna lose all your blood. You need that to live.
I always liked how you can tell their history together by how she held him until the sun started setting. She knew the source of his ability and how it effects him.
i love the look of confusion i get whenever i'm asked what kind of fantasy i like? usually goes harry potter? nope oh lotr? nope it's record of lodoss wars, amazing animation, flawless voice acting both original and dub with amazing music for both, villains more interesting then the heroes, perfect d&d party structure, and a story that progresses naturally with a fully fleshed out world and history.
I agree with everything but I'd argue that all of that applies to LotR as well, except the villains part. It's alright if you don't love that story as much but Lodoss War owes a _ton_ to Tolkien and the world he created. It's fair to say it owes more to DnD though-- which also owes a ton to Tolkien.
Good for you? Most of these fantasy shows and anime wouldn't exist without Tolkien who has much better worldbuilding and complex characters so I don't know why you're proud of not appreciating that. Oh right because it's more mainstream. An anime is much better than books. Or do you only think the world of LOTR is in movies?
@@jovanleonardi1574 Alright, that's straight retarded. Do you know what Mythology is? Because that's what Tolkien was writing. He wanted to create a mythology for England because they lost a lot of their mythological writings. You wouldn't have the "Fantasy" you know and love so much today if Tolkien hadn't _fantasized_ so much about British history and then wrote that shit down. Just because you prefer one over the other, is no reason to talk trash straight out of your ass. Middle Earth rules, Lodoss rules. Don't be a weeb.
Best fantasy anime ever. These days you can't seem to have a simple fantasy anime without some sort of Isekai / Reincarnation / Video game element added to it. Bring back Lodoss!
This wasn't supposed to get very many views. I'm glad people like this show as much as I do. Edit: Getting lots of comments along the lines of "people only like this show cuz nostalgia". If you feel this way, then might I humbly suggest, you shut your mouth. Because you don't know what nostalgia is. People enjoy this series for WHAT IT IS, not what they remember it being. And what it is-- is well written, brilliantly animated, marvelously scored, and impeccably directed. I don't need "nostalgia glasses" to see any of that.
Haven't seen it, but I do believe that I'll love it. Thank you. Huge berserk fan here and loving older animations from 80s / 90s. They had focus on EVERYTHING back then, not just visuals.
@@OfficialPuvve If you like fantasy and old OVA's then you'll undoubtedly like it. Plot and characters are nowhere near as complex as Berserk but it's not trying to be, it's classic dnd brought to life. Hell if I helped get even one person to check out an old show then I'm happy.
in the oav he's still at shiris side at the end, after owning shooting star, made pirotess crap her pants by sheer presence and if not for mycen, that psycho would have gone to solo narses. still a winner in my book.
@@alvercaine8893 I think a lot of people think that way. I don't know all the details myself but I guess they condensed story events and altered them a bit in the OVA? That's what it seems to me at least.
I had this on my watchlist for a while but watching this scene has motivated me to make this one my april 2024 immediate watches for the month.I've been watching a few older anime lately (fist of the north star,eat-man) so Imma keep it rolling and give this a shot next month
Probably my favourite fantasy anime of all times. Back when I was a kid, I even run a couple of D&D sessions in Lodoss, before shifting to other settings.
I remember seeing this for the firar time on the Sci-Fi channel back in the mid-90s. Every Saturday, they'd show an anime(before i actually knew what anime was) and you knew itd be mostly peak anime in its prime. MAN those were the times
I was forced into this world just a few years too late.. damn. At least the internet allows me to experience these things today, and in better quality than it would have been.
It's more than likely the other way around. While the first Lodoss War novel as well as the Berserk Prototype are both from 1988, according to interviews with Miura, Guts was mostly inspired by various western action-heroes popular in Japan at the time. It's entirely possible that this OVA was influenced by the early chapters of Berserk.
@@TheNwahDango i wasn't sure whom came first. I only knew that both came about in the 80s and shared several similarities that seemed to be more than simple coincidence.
the rules of a berserk are simple when you play the character. quiet disposition but ultimate strength isn't something "based off" as much as it just is. You know, what i'm super psyched about is its 2023 and we still have a few of us actively loving this show and what we consider possible inspiration. its ...kinda miraculous when you consider the world and everything. Good stuff gents.
I guess if Elves are rare, and you've only seen Dark Elves, it's possible you could get Deedlit confused... even though she was riding w/ a Priest! And FFS, they're not even being paid to protect the village any more... Well, it fits an RPG logic. My favorite part was truncated at the end as they ride past them, I think Deedlit makes a comment, that wherever a Beserker goes, there is only death an despair.
1:15 🎵Dies irae dies illa solvet saeclum in favilla Dies irae dies illa solvet saeclum in favilla Dies irae dies illa solvet saeclum in favilla Dies irae dies illa solvet saeclum in favilla🎵
The buff to Olson by Fury, the angry spirit, is strong. It's not a magic sword, so it wouldn't be surprising if the sword got crushed, but Olson's sword is sturdy.
to this day, no cgi anime nor western cartoons can replicate the way light reflects and shines in cel animation. All those lightnings, car lights, metal sword reflections...
Exactly. I've never seen it accurately replicated with modern technology. It always has the artificially clean digital image look. And CGI in 2D always, _always_ looks cg even when it's well implemented. I'mma have to seppeku myself after saying this but I think Blue Eye Samurai looks like a lot of ass. In screenshots it's fine but in motion the models just have no weight. It doesn't look like the artwork it's inspired by, it looks like 3D models with a cel-shading filter.
YES. You're not alone. Thought I had seen every anime to my taste. I had no idea this show existed, randomly saw the poster, thought it looked dope, checked it out, instant masterpiece status. It makes me unreasonably angry that no-one talks about stuff like this, but won't shut the fuck up about the hottest shiniest new turd the entertainment industries squeeze out. Makes me wonder what other gems I'm sleeping on.
Not surprising, the anime is from late 80s into 90s. The story is a transcript of RPG sessions (mostly DnD, though beats me if they used 1E or 2E) played by the author along with his friends who either were novelists or would become novelists in the future. It also features the best elf gf (all the Re:Zero fans seethe their waifu ain't even half as good as Deedlit), so definitely watch it.
Not such influence, i guess. There have been too many such muscle blood inflating type of berserking characters well known in Japan, far older than Kenshiro.
the man pulverizes rocks and the ground like nothing but the other two not having their swords and their whole arms get blown off while parrying his attacks. make it make sense.
"For its time" Maybe some kid reading this will learn something. "For its time" is an extremely dumb phrase along with "nostalgia goggles". What exactly about the early 90's meant you couldn't draw crisp looking images onto animation cells? Akira was two years earlier. Quality is not determined by the time something was made. Quality is determined by the skill and resources of the people creating it. There were bad looking shows in 1990, and there were great looking shows in 1990. It's down to the talent, not the times. To say something was "Ahead of its time" is equally silly. All that really means, is that it was the best _of_ it's time. It wasn't ahead, it was _with_ the times, and everything else was behind _it_ I'm aware how pedantic this all is, but I'm seriously tired of this sentiment. It wasn't the middle ages. Art didn't suddenly become good in the last 10 years. In fact, I'd argue its only gotten worse since the 80's and 90's.
@@TheNwahDango Exactly. New Dominion Tank Police, Bakuretsu Hunters, Lodoss War, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust, Slayers. And many many more Anime's were and is still masterpieces, it's about talent, as you say. "Fot it's time" and "ahead of it's time" pisses me off.
Anime shot on film can be remastered to a very high quality, and can look fantastic if the restoration work is done well. In fact, a ton of shows from the 60s, 70s, 80s, look better than early 2000s shows, because those are made entirely digital, and are constricted by the image quality of the time.
@@TheNwahDango Facts bro. One of dumbest takes ever. Crazy how people just dont think. I mean, everyone have seen at least some scenes of disney 30's movies and those jaw droping animations. So what? They think everyone just became dumb for the next 90 years until some japs create some generic harem isekais where everyone look, move, think and act the same? It was always about ability, will and budget. Astro boy was revolutionary mostly because the decision of cutting most animation and quality to achive a long run series. So Astro Boy and lot of things of same time wasnt "gOoD fOr hiS tiME" they was cheap as possible to have 50, 100 eps. When something special as an OVA or movie then could have high budget and was just beauty those days, this day and until everyday. But those people dont think none of this, probably they dont even know who tf is "Astro Boy", its a shame but that happend to everything, cant fight with time. Everyone know the name Shakespeare, but those who know more than that about him are less and less and less (and im include on that)