PINNED IT, Hi everyone and welcome (/welcome back) DISCLAIMER: when we say "fantasy" in the title, we mean high fantasy, there's a difference. Either way, once again we're wanted to go back to an awesome classic this week. We debated for a couple days on what to cover and eventually landed on lodoss war Tuesday night, which left us 3 days to get this done -we managed. I would imagine probably 20% of our audience has seen this show TOPS so hopefully this spoiler free in depth look gets you curious enough to watch! as always the goal is to entertain, introduce, and get people thinking so hopefully we accomplished that with this one. we've got some really aesome surprises coming in the next couple weeks so get hype! In the meantime, thanks for stopping by and enjoy the show. see you next time -Mike
I'm glad you guys covered lodoss War as it's one of my favorite anime OVA!! Also wouldn't it be accurate to say Ganon got his looks from BELD considering he had red hair, armor, anr an established look?
Bonsai Pop cool video and finally someone is talking about this gem. Also maybe try to find “Warlands” a comicbook from the early 00s from Dreamwave productions (pre- Udon Entertainment) which is basically mimicking Lodoss Wars. Maybe fun to do a video on the resemblance between them.
@@ssbac98 The soundtrack is exceptional, even for the OVA series of the time which had more artistic leeway than the TV anime. It's what every would-be epic Square Enix JRPG soundtrack wanted to be.
Watched Lodoss OAV on fansub VHS back in the day. For a while the TV show was the only thing people had heard of, so it's great to see the OG series get some love. Those ears by the way pre-date Lodoss: Deedlit is drawn in the style used in Elfquest (Wendy & Richard Pini). 70s-80s era Japanese fans of Western fantasy art/comics would've definitely been all over EQ, and that series in turn was inspired by classical Japanese art & folklore.
Studio Madhouse was behind this MASTERPIECE and will always be my fave fantasy next to BERSERK. I had the honor of meeting Lisa Ortiz( Deedlit) and thanked her for her wonderful performance! She was quite sweet and very lovely!! Also, has anyone noticed...THEY KNEW HOW TO DRAW EPIC DRAGONS!?
Lisa Ortiz is THE reason that the LODOSS OVA dub is such a classic. The rest of the actors are good, but she's the real standout. For being it being her first role, she does an outstanding job as Deedlit.
YES! The dragon designs are so epic and beautiful and pretty much what I want dragons to look like. And it also makes me look at dragons in recent fantasy blockbusters like Hobbit, Game of Thrones, and Reign of Fire and realize, "we've basically just been using the same design since Dragonslayer in 1981, haven't we?"
@@FlyingFocs yes! We really have been using the Dragonslayer design! It's a shame really since there's so many other unique art styles out there! Personally, I'm a huge fan of the traditional D&D dragons from the backs of comic books in the 80s and 90s, flight of Dragons by Rankin bass Jr, and of course record of lodoss War dragons! Also I do prefer Smaug's design from Rankin bass has The Hobbit as he had a unique design which wasn't a wyvern.
I remember buying this VHS boxed set because I wanted a complete anime story. Back then we had to walk 3 miles through the snow up a mountain to buy or rent our Japanimation. I'm so glad I lived long enough to have practically all of anime history at our fingertips.
It was an adventure. Going thru some lengths to get something you wanted and making memories doing it. Although, having everything at my disposal thru the internet is nice, too.
I love the Italian parts to it. A shame I can never find the full version of the opening as it sounds in the opening. There's always something a bit off about the versions that I've found.
Thanks for mentioning it. The first five minutes of the first episode is so iconic to me. You get the dark and serious narration explaining the creation myth and then it transitions into a storybook beautiful song and gorgeous fantasy images. I still have the song on my chillout playlist.
I miss anime like Lodoss. They don't make them like that anymore. I had SOME hope for The Heroic Legend of Arslan, but alas.... If you want to check out another fantasy 90's show/OVA you might want to try Wizardry. It's not as good or deep, but it'll bring back that 90's nostalgia. I really can't stand how anime is nowadays. Hell, they even ruined Saint Seiya smh. Nothing is sacred anymore
Literally Never heard of this anime but shows its influence on the art form and general culture in every aspect. Very impressive work. Definitely deserves a watch
Nick Mason When does a man truly die? When he is shot through the heart with a pistol? No. When he is ravaged with an incurable desires? No. Is it when he eats a soup made of a poisonous mushroom? No! A man dies when he is forgotten.
"They don't make 'em like they used to" comes to mind when rewatching Record of Lodoss War. Gonna put that out there before they ruin it with some awful Berserk 3D animation reboot.
i miss old style animation and old anime art style, managing to blend the bubbly nature of manga style with a slightly western aesthetic it was real nice
It's also interesting to note that Beld and Fahn were friends and fought a demon lord together and Beld's fall into madness because of that demon lords soul locked away inside the very blade he wields. Also the battle of their ideals that they could not come to terms with each others ideals.
There's a manga that narrates the story of Farn, Beld and their companions during the war they fought together, if you're interested, but I seem to remember that it's not complete.
There's more to the story as well. The OVA's cut and changed a lot of the latter archs. There was also a tv series that wrapped it up called Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight. I recommend watching both.
Such a good series. I can rewatch them multiple times. While not nearly as good as Lodoss, check out the anime Wizardry, if you want to get that nostalgic 90's fantasy anime feel. It's not nearly as good or deep, but the animation is similar, and it'll def hit that fantasy itch
@@blaxpoitation8528haven't seen that one ill have to check it out. If you haven't seen it yet Guin saga is rather good as well. The dubs a bit messy but I found it still watchable. The books are also one of the things that led to the creation of berserk. be warned though the series will never finish as the writer died awhile back before she could finish it.
@@saiki1k755 The island movie was rather bad if I remember right. It also had very little to do with the main lodoss war story. Its been awhile since i watched it.
The character designs of this show are exceptional. Even if it is decades old it's still one of the most beautiful designs in the Anime world. Especially Deedlits iconic design.
Remembering Orson's introduction still gives me chills. Tried numerous times to recreate him on paper but the D&D sandbox didn't seem able to do him justice.
Fun fact: this was the first series I owned on DVD. When it came through the pawn shop I was working in, it was actually one of the first DVDs our shop had ever received as part of a pawn. Yes, I am that old, and this happened that long ago. I even had to rent a DVD player from a video store to watch it, as I didn't even own a player at the time. That's how much I wanted to see this. I literally sat down and binged the whole series in one night. I regret nothing. I still have this series in my collection to this day. I'll probably hand it down to my grandkids. It will probably still hold up then. ⚔️😎⚔️
This series has a lot of meaning for me. It was the first anime series I ever collected. I had no Idea it was based on D&D until one day a friend introduced me to D&D and I just fell in love with it because it was like Record of Lodoss War. Years later...I was absolutely floored when I found an article explaining that the series was created based off of an actual D&D tabletop session and each of the characters were played by actual people.
nothing makes me a sad fan than seeing orson get done dirty by that other lodoss ova or spinoff w/e it is. but also, picture 5-8 year old me watching it in its entirety. then not watching it until im 21. "Goblins? Out in broad daylight?" wooshes away. the entire dub is so good and just remembering tiny me crying at the second to last episode with deedlit and just oof. memories.
The Blu Ray remaster is a must-watch. DVDs used to go for $300+ for a cruddy VHS transfer, but now you can finally watch this show they way it was meant to be seen.
This was my first anime I'd ever seen, totally on accident too. I was probably 5 years old and it came on a random cable tv channel. It was episode 3 of the OVA with Captain Jeffrah. That episode really drove the emotions home and I think defined what other games and anime that I'd grow to love.
I haven't even watched this video yet but the moment I saw my boys upload a Record of Lodoss War video I stopped everything I was doing to come here. This show *IS* what got me where I am today, what got me into anime, geek culture. What got me the friends I have. This show gave me everything I have today. Thank you.
#proudpatreon Fun Facts: Rune Soldier Louie takes place in the same world as Lodoss but the tone is way different. Also, yay for the Dreamcast game shout out Mike!
Almost everyone but maybe kids who like the action shonen genre thinks anime is kinda stupid at first. Then you watch the classic 80s and 90s shows and movies and you read the big seinen manga like Berserk, Vinland and Vagabond and your opinions take a 180° turn. That was the case for me as well.
Lodoss War aged like the finest of wines. I love it so much. 90's anime sure hits different. What I like about Deedlit's design is that it doesn't try to fanservice. She doesn't have a massive rack and other than her legs she doesn't show much skin. Yet she still is charming in her own adorable way.
This classic was one I rented on VHS during summer break way back when. It's timeless, cathartic, and amazing. Animation that had a flow, purpose, maturity, and sometimes made you care for every character (including the villains). It always stuck to me, even though there are many Fantasy titles now. This was one you had to see. It raised the bar on storytelling, character designs, atmosphere, and world building. I recall the D&D origin. Still an epic. I miss animation like this
I watched Lodoss war years ago on polish channel called "Canal +" they provided lots of awesome anime like "Ghost in the shell" , "macross". I also had that on VHS. I remeber playing "record of lodoss war" on sega dreamcast. I was an awesome diablo clone. Btw that opening was so awesome!
THE anime of my childhood. I was 6yo when my neighbour lent me his VHS of RoLW. My first anime binge ever...actually first binge of anything. Good memories. It was around christmas break too so almost 30 years ago to the day. I remember personally fanboying over Orson of all people, just cause I was impressed at how he split that rock in two lol (And then proceeding to mostly play berserkers in my DnD campaigns in his honor)
Every time I watch an older anime (Ranma 1/2, City Hunter...), I find you've done a video on it and I'm so happy to see someone talking about these shows. Thank you!
What I found interesting about the record of lodoss wars. Was that it was the first time elves were ever depicted with mobile ears. Several times throughout the series including the books elves ears perk up and move. They can move up and down and in the direction of somebody who is speaking in the series. It's not showing often but it does happen in several scenes and it's the first time this has ever been used. One of my favorite authors E William Brown uses the same thing for his elves in his Daniel Black Series. They are effectively elves from the record of lodoss wars.
All these awesome videos about nostalgic 90s anime makes me hope you guys make a video on the vision of escaflowne and Orphen both of those are real gems in my opinion
If anyone is curious about the "game" from 1:18. It is from an episode of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. The characters are playing a game called Dragon Souls lol. I legit thought this was an old RPG in a soulsborne style . . .
Nice call back this brings back some fond memories of watching this when I was younger. I was hoping you would do a follow up on the other spin offs like Legend of Crystania OVA that deals with Ashram and Pirotess, Record of Lodoss War Chronicles of the Heroic Knight a pseudo retelling of Record Lodoss War covering the OVA's and extended as a 2 season TV series witht he second season introducing a new Parn-like character, Spark and his adventuring party. Two other spin offs while not tied to main story or continuity, none the less occurs within the same universe and I believe the same Island. These are Rune Soldier a comedy adventure and Meshimase Rōdosu Senki: Sorette Oishii no?, translation, Have Some, Record of Lodoss War: Is That Delicious? parodying the Lodoss franchise. You might enjoys these as it extends the lore and influence that was Lodoss Wars. Thank you for the reigniting why love this franchise.
I ought to watch this anime. My husband said it was in his top anime picks and I saw him the other day trying to find a good animation cel for that series.
One of my favorite shows of all time! Collecting all the VHS, back when this was released, was a quest in itself and cost like $200 for the entire series. It's so much easier being an anime fan these days.
I accidentally stumbled upon Lodoss War one day while browsing crunchyroll. I was immediately enamored by it: its flowing animation, its dedication to atmosphere and its diverse character designs (that bit you said about being able to distinguish these character by the shapes of their noses? 100% correct and so refreshing compared to many modern anime art styles.) Even its cookie cutter party and formulaic story setup felt comforting and tried and true. And while I initially watched it in Japanese, when I had to change streaming platforms I was forced to try the English dub and surprise surprise its actually pretty good! I very much enjoyed Lodoss as a beautiful, nostalgic look at the high fantasy genre through the lens of the East. Though I tried to show it to some friends and they seemed to think it was too slow paced and weren't very interested. That left me with an odd sense of "I recognize something of value here, but maybe it doesn't have mass appeal." This video came in my feed out of nowhere so thank you for letting me come to understand the lasting cultural impact of this gorgeous show. And I can see it now, and see why it impacted me so deeply only seeing it for the first time in the late 2010's. Because its art style is foundational to all sorts of things I grew up on (Legend of Zelda being a major one). This was a very cool analysis of a great show.
Lodoss OVA was actually one of the better dubs of the 90s considering it was done in 1996; too bad the CHRONICLES OF THE HEROIC KNIGHT dub wasn't as good. There were a LOT of vocal dropouts and some slapdash delivery on certain characters. I did like that a lot of the actors from the OVA returned though.
This was the first ever anime that I purchased and watched knowing it was "anime". Before that, I just recognized things like Voltron, Saber Rider & the Star Sheriffs, Ronin Warriors, & Teknoman as just odd cartoons that I recognized as being from... somewhere else. Lodoss War was young me walking into the mysterious "Japanimation" section at the local Media Play and throwing down $100+ for the whole box set of dubbed VHS tapes. It is still one of my top 5 favorite anime of all time, tied for first with Scrapped Princess. Orson is the best. And mostly good dub, but I'll never forget Slayne's stilted "Hey. Parn. Get over there now" in the first episode.
Orson's berserker transformation in episode 8 gave me SEVERE Super Broly vibes. The way the camera zooms in on his arms. I almost wonder if Broly's power up scene when he begins the fight with Goku is a visual omage.
My name will be forgotten except by those that have have touched through my healing hand throughout the years. This brings me solace and I can go to my grave with that.
Only came across this video now. Speaking of the influence the Record of Lodoss War has had on anime, it is interesting as academics who study the influences of Alphonse Mucha have noted his influences on Akihiro Yamada, who worked on both Record of Lodoss War and The Twelve Kingdoms - this influence is especially noticeable in artwork focused on Deedlit. (For those who arent't familiar, Mucha's that early 20th century Czech Art Nouvea artist who created a genre of pretty women ads in 1920s Paris - you'll recognise his style the moment you google him).
This anime has always left an impression on me. Akira may have been my first anime (I was way too young when I seen it) but RoLW, along with maybe Ronin Warriors/Samurai Troopers, were that anime that got me INTO anime.
Yo. I got the blu ray remasters recently. Holy moley. It looks fantastic. If any of you are fans of DnD or fantasy on general, do NOT miss this show. This was one of the shows my roommates and I had on bootleg VHS tapes back in the day. Great episodes my brothers. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Peace be with you!
I looooooove this series! It was so hard to find for a long time, so when the Blu-Ray box set came out a few years back, I snatched it up. Awesome video!
I had to rewatch this vid because I plan on rewatching this iconic anime. One of my all time favorites. I loved this anime. They really don’t make’em like this anymore. The Heroic Legend of Arslan (the original version), Wizardry and to a lesser extent Ys and The Legend of Crystania are animes that I revisit all the time. Gotta feed that nostalgic hunger. Dig your channel my dude.
Just finished binge watching the original OVA again 10mins ago (love this anime, rewatch every few years, bought the VHS and later on DVD over 20 years ago), browsed RUclips and found your vid. Have to say, you're spot on. Like the vid and your style. 👍🏻 Gonna check out more of your stuff.
I remember picking the series up at a Blockbuster when I was a teen and sleeping through most of it. Even after watching this video I don't recall most of the characters or any of the plot. Maybe it's time to give it another shot and see if Parn irritates me less.
Good subject. Genuine love for it comes through. Take Bonsai Pop videos to the next level by getting others to proof them for pronunciation, both of English words as well as character names.
My brother and I spent 13 years looking for this. We used to watch it when our uncle came over and needed to talk to my dad, but wanted us to have something for us to do. So we used to sit down and watch this on a VHS tape until they were done. But we could never remember the name of it, and out dad and uncle forgot that this even existed. We found it a few years back when we were in high school.
They rarely make fantasy anime like Record of Lodoss War these days. I’m getting sick and tired of all the isekai stuff thee days dominating the fantasy genre.
Awesome video. This was really well articulated and expressed. In my doddering old age (30), I am learning to appreciate and feel more for these deep introspective stories, and they're lessons for those willing to listen.
I had just been thinking about how nobody seemed to remember this series, and then I saw this in my feed. Now I'm going to have to go and dig out those old VHS tapes. Two other points: the OVA had a really epic score (which I also need to dig out and give a listen), and that Series that followed really wasn't that bad.
You know, I saw pictures of Shooting Star (the red dragon) a long time ago and could never find the anime he was in until recently (like 17 years later) and I proceeded to binge watch the whole series. Truly a great anime. It's sister series Rune Soldier was good as well.
My parents bought the VHS box set of this OVA back in the day. You can actually get an official translation of the first book now. It's about damn time. This is still one of the most gorgeous series I've ever seen.
Don't know if Japanese fantasy games like final fantasy were out when this aired, but it's obviously more based on Dungeons And Dragons. The elves, clerics, a FREAKING BESERKER WARRIOR. Love it
this was my first anime movie. yeah i know it is a series but in my country it was shown as a movie, just glued together in 2 movies on tv. i think i was 10 or younger when i first saw it at night.
I remember as a kid I managed to get my hands on 1 chapter of the manga and a vhs tape with 3 episodes. I became fascinated by it and went kinda nuts trying to find more but never did and for some reason I completely forgot about it until now. Thankfully nowadays I can just use the internet to find the parts I was missing. Thanks for reminding me this show exists ^^
We owe the amazing chara designs of Record of Lodoss War to Nobuteru Yūki (Escaflowme, Gunnm/Alita, Seiken Densetsu 3/original Trials of Mana, Chrono Cross, Solatorobo...), one of the greatest chara-designers that ever existed in my opinion. I also love the incredible work of Akihiro Yamada for RoLW - The Lady of Pharis, in terms of character design the 90s were a true golden age : - Yusuke Nakano's work for Ocarina of Time and by extension Majora's Mask - Yoshiaki Koizumi's illustration for Zelda ALTTP's book - the iconic design of Samus Aran by Tomoyoshi Yamane - Benimaru Itoh on the Super Metroid's comics plus the visual of Samus in her suit for the game's guide - Ayamii Kojima's illustrations for Symphony of the Night - Yoshitaka Amano on Final Fantasy's visual - FFVII designs by Tetsuya Nomura... Also fun fact : one of my former live model teacher is just king Kashue in real life. XD
Just finished the OVA yesterday. Such an awesome series in terms of character design and action. My only real gripe with the series is around items. A few times characters pull huge items like lances out of nowhere, and in one episode there is a big deal made about Parn being gifted a shield...which he NEVER uses haha. Still a fantadtic fantasy anime I highly recommend. Agree the pacing is great and it is amazing how nuch story happens in just 13 episodes.
PINNED IT, Hi everyone and welcome (/welcome back) DISCLAIMER: when we say "fantasy" in the title, we mean high fantasy, there's a difference. Either way, once again we're wanted to go back to an awesome classic this week. We debated for a couple days on what to cover and eventually landed on lodoss war Tuesday night, which left us 3 days to get this done -we managed. I would imagine probably 20% of our audience has seen this show TOPS so hopefully this spoiler free in depth look gets you curious enough to watch! as always the goal is to entertain, introduce, and get people thinking so hopefully we accomplished that with this one. we've got some really aesome surprises coming in the next couple weeks so get hype! In the meantime, thanks for stopping by and enjoy the show. see you next time
-Mike
I'm glad you guys covered lodoss War as it's one of my favorite anime OVA!! Also wouldn't it be accurate to say Ganon got his looks from BELD considering he had red hair, armor, anr an established look?
Bonsai Pop cool video and finally someone is talking about this gem.
Also maybe try to find “Warlands” a comicbook from the early 00s from Dreamwave productions (pre- Udon Entertainment) which is basically mimicking Lodoss Wars.
Maybe fun to do a video on the resemblance between them.
Interesting Freddy Kruger shirt there Mike.
@@LowellLucasJr. Oh totally, tloz took a ton of inspiration from this show design wise, wonder if miyamoto was a fan?
@@BonsaiPop without a doubt!
Truly an iconic show. It’s nostalgic hearing about it now. Many people have never even heard of this.
Man, I love watching this anime and the opening theme is dope. I have the full song downloaded on my phone lol
@@ssbac98 The soundtrack is exceptional, even for the OVA series of the time which had more artistic leeway than the TV anime. It's what every would-be epic Square Enix JRPG soundtrack wanted to be.
@@observationsfromthebunker9639 Oh yeee
Watched Lodoss OAV on fansub VHS back in the day. For a while the TV show was the only thing people had heard of, so it's great to see the OG series get some love. Those ears by the way pre-date Lodoss: Deedlit is drawn in the style used in Elfquest (Wendy & Richard Pini). 70s-80s era Japanese fans of Western fantasy art/comics would've definitely been all over EQ, and that series in turn was inspired by classical Japanese art & folklore.
"Many people have never even heard of this."
And ain't that a fuckin' tragedy? This show was a masterpiece.
Studio Madhouse was behind this MASTERPIECE and will always be my fave fantasy next to BERSERK. I had the honor of meeting Lisa Ortiz( Deedlit) and thanked her for her wonderful performance! She was quite sweet and very lovely!! Also, has anyone noticed...THEY KNEW HOW TO DRAW EPIC DRAGONS!?
Yes, definitely the art style of this OVA is incredibly details.
Lisa Ortiz is THE reason that the LODOSS OVA dub is such a classic. The rest of the actors are good, but she's the real standout. For being it being her first role, she does an outstanding job as Deedlit.
YES! The dragon designs are so epic and beautiful and pretty much what I want dragons to look like.
And it also makes me look at dragons in recent fantasy blockbusters like Hobbit, Game of Thrones, and Reign of Fire and realize, "we've basically just been using the same design since Dragonslayer in 1981, haven't we?"
@@FlyingFocs yes! We really have been using the Dragonslayer design! It's a shame really since there's so many other unique art styles out there! Personally, I'm a huge fan of the traditional D&D dragons from the backs of comic books in the 80s and 90s, flight of Dragons by Rankin bass Jr, and of course record of lodoss War dragons! Also I do prefer Smaug's design from Rankin bass has The Hobbit as he had a unique design which wasn't a wyvern.
Madhouse? That explains a little something.
I remember buying this VHS boxed set because I wanted a complete anime story. Back then we had to walk 3 miles through the snow up a mountain to buy or rent our Japanimation. I'm so glad I lived long enough to have practically all of anime history at our fingertips.
I have the Vhs box set and the BluRay set
Yep and had to have the whole store mapped in your head because the evil normies not knowing what japanamation was and then called it cartoons.
It was an adventure. Going thru some lengths to get something you wanted and making memories doing it. Although, having everything at my disposal thru the internet is nice, too.
I feel you. I had to import my VHS tapes from the US at the end 90s because our market was dry here...
Still have the vhs subbed...both series
One of my favorite anime of all time.
More people should know about this.
You got a sub for naming your self after my favorite literary character besides Conan, Guts and Guin
Just learned and watched last night on Funimation
The opening for Record of lodoss wars is so nostalgic to me.
I love the Italian parts to it. A shame I can never find the full version of the opening as it sounds in the opening. There's always something a bit off about the versions that I've found.
The openings for both OVA and TV series were great. I have trouble picking which one I like more.
@@Vejitatheouji I much prefer the TV version it just has such a epic feel. I was never really fond of the Ova intro.
Actually scratch that. Just listened to the ova intro for the first time in a while and I still like the tv one way more but its pretty good actually.
Thanks for mentioning it. The first five minutes of the first episode is so iconic to me. You get the dark and serious narration explaining the creation myth and then it transitions into a storybook beautiful song and gorgeous fantasy images. I still have the song on my chillout playlist.
The art style of this OVA is incredibly details. Simply beautiful.
I miss anime like Lodoss. They don't make them like that anymore. I had SOME hope for The Heroic Legend of Arslan, but alas....
If you want to check out another fantasy 90's show/OVA you might want to try Wizardry. It's not as good or deep, but it'll bring back that 90's nostalgia. I really can't stand how anime is nowadays. Hell, they even ruined Saint Seiya smh. Nothing is sacred anymore
I miss when female anime characters actually had noses! Go Deedlit!
pirotess > deedlit
@@jebes909090 :P
She's the protag in the Lodoss game (which is still in development), but you can play the first 2 stages (about 5 hrs of play) on steam.
And weren't used as sexualization pawns 100% of the time -_- I mean really, take notes modern animators!
??? What are you french? Only French anime, or at leas the one french anime I've ever seen, doesn't have noses.
Literally Never heard of this anime but shows its influence on the art form and general culture in every aspect. Very impressive work. Definitely deserves a watch
There is anime and then there is everything else. Hand drawn real anime from the 90s.
"You die twice. Once when you draw your last breath, and again when your name is spoken for the very last time."
-No idea-
Nick Mason When does a man truly die? When he is shot through the heart with a pistol? No. When he is ravaged with an incurable desires? No. Is it when he eats a soup made of a poisonous mushroom? No!
A man dies when he is forgotten.
I think that's a banksy quote
No, there is a third death, when the last person related to you dies
Nicholas D. Wolfwood too long.
Foxhelm Everyone related to me could be dead, and I could still be alive though... so no.
"They don't make 'em like they used to" comes to mind when rewatching Record of Lodoss War. Gonna put that out there before they ruin it with some awful Berserk 3D animation reboot.
But a well done reboot including more of the story would be nice, or shit even a prequel is possible. Always felt like there was context i was missing
i miss old style animation and old anime art style, managing to blend the bubbly nature of manga style with a slightly western aesthetic it was real nice
It's also interesting to note that Beld and Fahn were friends and fought a demon lord together and Beld's fall into madness because of that demon lords soul locked away inside the very blade he wields. Also the battle of their ideals that they could not come to terms with each others ideals.
I remember thinking the Soul Crusher was the coolest weapon ever and Ashram was the hero we deserved.
There's a manga that narrates the story of Farn, Beld and their companions during the war they fought together, if you're interested, but I seem to remember that it's not complete.
"A war with no meaning, a war that saved no one."
I felt that.
War. What is it good for?
@@ryuoh6928 Absolutely nothing!
A beard that grew to the ground
Hwah! Good gawd, yall
There's more to the story as well. The OVA's cut and changed a lot of the latter archs. There was also a tv series that wrapped it up called Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight. I recommend watching both.
Such a good series. I can rewatch them multiple times. While not nearly as good as Lodoss, check out the anime Wizardry, if you want to get that nostalgic 90's fantasy anime feel. It's not nearly as good or deep, but the animation is similar, and it'll def hit that fantasy itch
@@blaxpoitation8528haven't seen that one ill have to check it out. If you haven't seen it yet Guin saga is rather good as well. The dubs a bit messy but I found it still watchable. The books are also one of the things that led to the creation of berserk. be warned though the series will never finish as the writer died awhile back before she could finish it.
@@blaxpoitation8528 You should check out Record of Grancrest War. It's also written by Ryo Mizuno, and came out a few years ago.
I think there was 3 part movies also .named welcome to the lodoss island
@@saiki1k755 The island movie was rather bad if I remember right. It also had very little to do with the main lodoss war story. Its been awhile since i watched it.
Lodoss War is the campaign the DM wants, Slayers is the campaign the Players want.
Seeing as it was based on the animators d&d Faerun campaign, makes sense.
Word.
Always hated Slayers so I wouldn't be playing with those players.
Rune Soldier Louie is the campaign the players really want.
And Konosuba is the campaing they end up playing
Deedlit is ~160 years old, so she's totally legal
She's even legal in elf standards!
Ah yes the original modest flat chest elf before they all got giant milkers for no reason.
Hell yeah man just rewatched this last night. Still own the VHS copies of this.
The character designs of this show are exceptional. Even if it is decades old it's still one of the most beautiful designs in the Anime world. Especially Deedlits iconic design.
Haven't seen or heard of this anime, but already feeling nostalgic.
90s fantasy had a very magical style that is basically absent in today's gritty realism. It's not just Lodoss War but most fantasy from that era.
It is one of the better 90's animes that won't make you wait 5 episodes for a battle to complete, or even start in DBZ's case. #proudpatron
Remembering Orson's introduction still gives me chills. Tried numerous times to recreate him on paper but the D&D sandbox didn't seem able to do him justice.
Fun fact: this was the first series I owned on DVD. When it came through the pawn shop I was working in, it was actually one of the first DVDs our shop had ever received as part of a pawn. Yes, I am that old, and this happened that long ago. I even had to rent a DVD player from a video store to watch it, as I didn't even own a player at the time. That's how much I wanted to see this. I literally sat down and binged the whole series in one night. I regret nothing. I still have this series in my collection to this day. I'll probably hand it down to my grandkids. It will probably still hold up then. ⚔️😎⚔️
This series has a lot of meaning for me. It was the first anime series I ever collected. I had no Idea it was based on D&D until one day a friend introduced me to D&D and I just fell in love with it because it was like Record of Lodoss War. Years later...I was absolutely floored when I found an article explaining that the series was created based off of an actual D&D tabletop session and each of the characters were played by actual people.
I never even heard of this anime and I was a teen in the 90s. I will be giving it a watch now. Looks good.
A M it’s a good series for its time. Just a warning it is very 90s.
Ki Swore I’m okay with that.
nothing makes me a sad fan than seeing orson get done dirty by that other lodoss ova or spinoff w/e it is.
but also, picture 5-8 year old me watching it in its entirety. then not watching it until im 21.
"Goblins? Out in broad daylight?" wooshes away.
the entire dub is so good and just remembering tiny me crying at the second to last episode with deedlit and just oof. memories.
The Blu Ray remaster is a must-watch. DVDs used to go for $300+ for a cruddy VHS transfer, but now you can finally watch this show they way it was meant to be seen.
This was my first anime I'd ever seen, totally on accident too. I was probably 5 years old and it came on a random cable tv channel. It was episode 3 of the OVA with Captain Jeffrah. That episode really drove the emotions home and I think defined what other games and anime that I'd grow to love.
This is the core vanilla Epic Fantasy anime. It's a classic, iconic. All the tropes in it are portrayed magnificently.
I haven't even watched this video yet but the moment I saw my boys upload a Record of Lodoss War video I stopped everything I was doing to come here. This show *IS* what got me where I am today, what got me into anime, geek culture. What got me the friends I have. This show gave me everything I have today.
Thank you.
#proudpatreon Fun Facts: Rune Soldier Louie takes place in the same world as Lodoss but the tone is way different. Also, yay for the Dreamcast game shout out Mike!
MAKE EM BIG!
This is still one of my favorite animes. :3 Great work guys!
My dad and brother thought anime was stupid, but they got hooked on Record of Lodoss War when then saw it.
Almost everyone but maybe kids who like the action shonen genre thinks anime is kinda stupid at first. Then you watch the classic 80s and 90s shows and movies and you read the big seinen manga like Berserk, Vinland and Vagabond and your opinions take a 180° turn. That was the case for me as well.
Lodoss War aged like the finest of wines. I love it so much. 90's anime sure hits different. What I like about Deedlit's design is that it doesn't try to fanservice. She doesn't have a massive rack and other than her legs she doesn't show much skin. Yet she still is charming in her own adorable way.
This classic was one I rented on VHS during summer break way back when. It's timeless, cathartic, and amazing. Animation that had a flow, purpose, maturity, and sometimes made you care for every character (including the villains).
It always stuck to me, even though there are many Fantasy titles now. This was one you had to see. It raised the bar on storytelling, character designs, atmosphere, and world building.
I recall the D&D origin. Still an epic.
I miss animation like this
Record of Lodoss War is one of my favorite from my childhood.
I love the epic dragons.
Deedlit and Etoh are my favorite.
And the opening/ending songs in japanese and italian are simply MAGNIFICENT
I really like that you guys don't just cover what's poppin. trends are for sheeple
I'm sheeple and I take offense to that statement
At the time of Lodoss Wars release, Anime was a trend in the West.
Nothing inherently wrong with trends.
Dave Marx
Manga Corps!
I owned the vcr tapes of this and the spine covers when properly align formed a mural on your shelf.
Jesus... this guy is like a modern philosopher. Great video.
I watched Lodoss war years ago on polish channel called "Canal +" they provided lots of awesome anime like "Ghost in the shell" , "macross". I also had that on VHS. I remeber playing "record of lodoss war" on sega dreamcast. I was an awesome diablo clone. Btw that opening was so awesome!
THE anime of my childhood. I was 6yo when my neighbour lent me his VHS of RoLW. My first anime binge ever...actually first binge of anything. Good memories. It was around christmas break too so almost 30 years ago to the day. I remember personally fanboying over Orson of all people, just cause I was impressed at how he split that rock in two lol (And then proceeding to mostly play berserkers in my DnD campaigns in his honor)
It's true, the first disk is a fully capable party laughing at Parn consistently failing upwards.
Every time I watch an older anime (Ranma 1/2, City Hunter...), I find you've done a video on it and I'm so happy to see someone talking about these shows. Thank you!
What I found interesting about the record of lodoss wars. Was that it was the first time elves were ever depicted with mobile ears. Several times throughout the series including the books elves ears perk up and move. They can move up and down and in the direction of somebody who is speaking in the series. It's not showing often but it does happen in several scenes and it's the first time this has ever been used. One of my favorite authors E William Brown uses the same thing for his elves in his Daniel Black Series. They are effectively elves from the record of lodoss wars.
mike likes star wars.
Which part the stars or the wars?
Lol, what a loser, imagine liking Star Wars, one of the greatest sci-fi stories ever made, at least it was fumbled and spiked into the muddy ground.
All these awesome videos about nostalgic 90s anime makes me hope you guys make a video on the vision of escaflowne and Orphen both of those are real gems in my opinion
Escaflowne is on the docet ✌👀
One of my favorites. It has special importance to me. I’m so glad to see that it’s appreciated by many fans around the world.
This is a good old anime, they don't make anime like this anymore
If anyone is curious about the "game" from 1:18. It is from an episode of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. The characters are playing a game called Dragon Souls lol. I legit thought this was an old RPG in a soulsborne style . . .
Nice call back this brings back some fond memories of watching this when I was younger. I was hoping you would do a follow up on the other spin offs like Legend of Crystania OVA that deals with Ashram and Pirotess, Record of Lodoss War Chronicles of the Heroic Knight a pseudo retelling of Record Lodoss War covering the OVA's and extended as a 2 season TV series witht he second season introducing a new Parn-like character, Spark and his adventuring party. Two other spin offs while not tied to main story or continuity, none the less occurs within the same universe and I believe the same Island. These are Rune Soldier a comedy adventure and Meshimase Rōdosu Senki: Sorette Oishii no?, translation, Have Some, Record of Lodoss War: Is That Delicious? parodying the Lodoss franchise. You might enjoys these as it extends the lore and influence that was Lodoss Wars. Thank you for the reigniting why love this franchise.
I watched Lodoss Wars a lot in high school . Timeless perfection
I ought to watch this anime. My husband said it was in his top anime picks and I saw him the other day trying to find a good animation cel for that series.
One of my favorite shows of all time! Collecting all the VHS, back when this was released, was a quest in itself and cost like $200 for the entire series. It's so much easier being an anime fan these days.
I accidentally stumbled upon Lodoss War one day while browsing crunchyroll. I was immediately enamored by it: its flowing animation, its dedication to atmosphere and its diverse character designs (that bit you said about being able to distinguish these character by the shapes of their noses? 100% correct and so refreshing compared to many modern anime art styles.) Even its cookie cutter party and formulaic story setup felt comforting and tried and true. And while I initially watched it in Japanese, when I had to change streaming platforms I was forced to try the English dub and surprise surprise its actually pretty good! I very much enjoyed Lodoss as a beautiful, nostalgic look at the high fantasy genre through the lens of the East. Though I tried to show it to some friends and they seemed to think it was too slow paced and weren't very interested. That left me with an odd sense of "I recognize something of value here, but maybe it doesn't have mass appeal." This video came in my feed out of nowhere so thank you for letting me come to understand the lasting cultural impact of this gorgeous show. And I can see it now, and see why it impacted me so deeply only seeing it for the first time in the late 2010's. Because its art style is foundational to all sorts of things I grew up on (Legend of Zelda being a major one). This was a very cool analysis of a great show.
Lodoss OVA was actually one of the better dubs of the 90s considering it was done in 1996; too bad the CHRONICLES OF THE HEROIC KNIGHT dub wasn't as good. There were a LOT of vocal dropouts and some slapdash delivery on certain characters. I did like that a lot of the actors from the OVA returned though.
This was the first ever anime that I purchased and watched knowing it was "anime". Before that, I just recognized things like Voltron, Saber Rider & the Star Sheriffs, Ronin Warriors, & Teknoman as just odd cartoons that I recognized as being from... somewhere else. Lodoss War was young me walking into the mysterious "Japanimation" section at the local Media Play and throwing down $100+ for the whole box set of dubbed VHS tapes. It is still one of my top 5 favorite anime of all time, tied for first with Scrapped Princess. Orson is the best.
And mostly good dub, but I'll never forget Slayne's stilted "Hey. Parn. Get over there now" in the first episode.
That was probably the only iffy moment in the OVA dub. Otherwise I thought it was good.
This video is actually life learning, huge respect
I've never watched this one but I do love Slayers and Escaflowne
An absolute classic and the story with the Berserker always hits me in the feels.
Orson's berserker transformation in episode 8 gave me SEVERE Super Broly vibes. The way the camera zooms in on his arms. I almost wonder if Broly's power up scene when he begins the fight with Goku is a visual omage.
My name will be forgotten except by those that have have touched through my healing hand throughout the years. This brings me solace and I can go to my grave with that.
Only came across this video now. Speaking of the influence the Record of Lodoss War has had on anime, it is interesting as academics who study the influences of Alphonse Mucha have noted his influences on Akihiro Yamada, who worked on both Record of Lodoss War and The Twelve Kingdoms - this influence is especially noticeable in artwork focused on Deedlit. (For those who arent't familiar, Mucha's that early 20th century Czech Art Nouvea artist who created a genre of pretty women ads in 1920s Paris - you'll recognise his style the moment you google him).
This anime has always left an impression on me. Akira may have been my first anime (I was way too young when I seen it) but RoLW, along with maybe Ronin Warriors/Samurai Troopers, were that anime that got me INTO anime.
Finally someone that appreciates and loves this show as much as I do!
The openings to both the OVA and the series are my favorites of all time.
Yo. I got the blu ray remasters recently. Holy moley. It looks fantastic. If any of you are fans of DnD or fantasy on general, do NOT miss this show. This was one of the shows my roommates and I had on bootleg VHS tapes back in the day. Great episodes my brothers. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Peace be with you!
super well-crafted video brother, great work and thanks for putting me onto this Classic ~
Oh shit never heard or seen of this and I love all these themes. Thanks for turning me on to this Bonsai Pop!
Thanks for the recondition. Definitely gonna check it out
I looooooove this series! It was so hard to find for a long time, so when the Blu-Ray box set came out a few years back, I snatched it up. Awesome video!
This series was amazing. It reminded me of Ultima, as it had different characters of different professions.
Lord of the Rings looks different....
Tell me about it...Gollum ended up with an Elf!
I had to rewatch this vid because I plan on rewatching this iconic anime. One of my all time favorites. I loved this anime. They really don’t make’em like this anymore. The Heroic Legend of Arslan (the original version), Wizardry and to a lesser extent Ys and The Legend of Crystania are animes that I revisit all the time. Gotta feed that nostalgic hunger. Dig your channel my dude.
Just finished binge watching the original OVA again 10mins ago (love this anime, rewatch every few years, bought the VHS and later on DVD over 20 years ago), browsed RUclips and found your vid. Have to say, you're spot on. Like the vid and your style. 👍🏻 Gonna check out more of your stuff.
Thank you for putting this in my radar! I'll for sure give it a watch at some point~
One of thefirst anime I watched, which was when I was in middle school. Glad you covered this, now I want to rewatch it!
I remember picking the series up at a Blockbuster when I was a teen and sleeping through most of it. Even after watching this video I don't recall most of the characters or any of the plot. Maybe it's time to give it another shot and see if Parn irritates me less.
Good subject. Genuine love for it comes through.
Take Bonsai Pop videos to the next level by getting others to proof them for pronunciation, both of English words as well as character names.
Woodchuck is the best damn thief, and him being voiced by Wakamoto makes it him even better.
My brother and I spent 13 years looking for this. We used to watch it when our uncle came over and needed to talk to my dad, but wanted us to have something for us to do. So we used to sit down and watch this on a VHS tape until they were done. But we could never remember the name of it, and out dad and uncle forgot that this even existed. We found it a few years back when we were in high school.
They rarely make fantasy anime like Record of Lodoss War these days. I’m getting sick and tired of all the isekai stuff thee days dominating the fantasy genre.
i used to watch this on the cartoon network website as a kid along with daft punk music videos. this stuff meant so much to me.
compared to other MODERN Fantasy nowadays, this anime is pure eye candy
Awesome video. This was really well articulated and expressed. In my doddering old age (30), I am learning to appreciate and feel more for these deep introspective stories, and they're lessons for those willing to listen.
I had just been thinking about how nobody seemed to remember this series, and then I saw this in my feed. Now I'm going to have to go and dig out those old VHS tapes.
Two other points: the OVA had a really epic score (which I also need to dig out and give a listen), and that Series that followed really wasn't that bad.
The duel between the two old kings was one of the best plot twist I've ever com across.
Started with this, FotNS, Wicked City, MD Geist and Akira.
The only anime in my VHS-store back then lol
Completely forgot about this - this just opened a mental blank spot. Thank you dude
You need to get yourself some sponsors. You literally inspired me to track down this anime I watch when I was 8 yr. Old and buy it.
You know, I saw pictures of Shooting Star (the red dragon) a long time ago and could never find the anime he was in until recently (like 17 years later) and I proceeded to binge watch the whole series. Truly a great anime. It's sister series Rune Soldier was good as well.
Thank you for making this video. I am in an anime club in my hometown and I do a panel based on this series.
Great video essay. Thanks. This too is one of my favorite anime series.
My parents bought the VHS box set of this OVA back in the day. You can actually get an official translation of the first book now. It's about damn time. This is still one of the most gorgeous series I've ever seen.
One of my favorites ever. D&D at its finest. You're right, it feels like a video game.
I love this anime and the opening song is my favorite!!!
I remember the trailer popping out in other anime vhs intro trailers section, the song gives me feels
Don't know if Japanese fantasy games like final fantasy were out when this aired, but it's obviously more based on Dungeons And Dragons. The elves, clerics, a FREAKING BESERKER WARRIOR. Love it
'I cast silence'
this was my first anime movie. yeah i know it is a series but in my country it was shown as a movie, just glued together in 2 movies on tv. i think i was 10 or younger when i first saw it at night.
I remember as a kid I managed to get my hands on 1 chapter of the manga and a vhs tape with 3 episodes. I became fascinated by it and went kinda nuts trying to find more but never did and for some reason I completely forgot about it until now. Thankfully nowadays I can just use the internet to find the parts I was missing. Thanks for reminding me this show exists ^^
We owe the amazing chara designs of Record of Lodoss War to Nobuteru Yūki (Escaflowme, Gunnm/Alita, Seiken Densetsu 3/original Trials of Mana, Chrono Cross, Solatorobo...), one of the greatest chara-designers that ever existed in my opinion. I also love the incredible work of Akihiro Yamada for RoLW - The Lady of Pharis, in terms of character design the 90s were a true golden age :
- Yusuke Nakano's work for Ocarina of Time and by extension Majora's Mask
- Yoshiaki Koizumi's illustration for Zelda ALTTP's book
- the iconic design of Samus Aran by Tomoyoshi Yamane
- Benimaru Itoh on the Super Metroid's comics plus the visual of Samus in her suit for the game's guide
- Ayamii Kojima's illustrations for Symphony of the Night
- Yoshitaka Amano on Final Fantasy's visual
- FFVII designs by Tetsuya Nomura...
Also fun fact : one of my former live model teacher is just king Kashue in real life. XD
Just finished the OVA yesterday. Such an awesome series in terms of character design and action.
My only real gripe with the series is around items. A few times characters pull huge items like lances out of nowhere, and in one episode there is a big deal made about Parn being gifted a shield...which he NEVER uses haha.
Still a fantadtic fantasy anime I highly recommend. Agree the pacing is great and it is amazing how nuch story happens in just 13 episodes.
Missed this video, still hits right like the rest of em. Good job guys