Rating: 
Summary: Blown away by Orphen's spell...
Review: Another excellent start to another excellent anime... After knowing nothing about this anime initially, I was hooked from the first ep. Orphen and co. battle a dragon ( and each other ^^) and then set out for adventure on the open road. All charas get equal time in the first three eps and you can already see the dynamic between them as they start on new adventures together. DVD quality is top-notch,as expected from ADV (as someone commented upon entering my room while watching this DVD "Is that a DVD? It's so crisp-looking!" ) Anyway, bottom line is you need to hurry out to get this first chapter in this new anime series. I personally can't wait for vol 2! Forget the mediocre PS2 game and go for the anime original! You'll be glad ya did! ^_-
Rating: 
Summary: A superb anime although it lacks a bit in action.
Review: Despite being a hardcore anime fan, I had never heard of Orphen before I purchased this DVD. I had previously explored what I consider to be two of the best anime's of all time, Rurouni Kenshin and Trigun. Orphen is a superb anime, however, it will not be removing these anime's from their throne. The action is quite enjoyable, although action sequences are few. The storyline is deep and enchanting, the humour is insanely funny, and Orphen himself rocks! This is not an anime to pass up! Be sure to check out Trigun, Rurouni Kenshin, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Spriggan, Princess Mononoke, Ninja Scroll, and Wrath of the Ninja!
Rating:
Summary: A superb anime although it lacks a bit in action.
Review: Despite being a hardcore anime fan, I had never heard of Orphen before I purchased this DVD. I had previously explored what I consider to be two of the best anime's of all time, Rurouni Kenshin and Trigun. Orphen is a superb anime, however, it will not be removing these anime's from their throne. The action is quite enjoyable, although action sequences are few. The storyline is deep and enchanting, the humour is insanely funny, and Orphen himself rocks! This is not an anime to pass up! Be sure to check out Trigun, Rurouni Kenshin, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Spriggan, Princess Mononoke, Ninja Scroll, and Wrath of the Ninja!
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous art, action, and plot. Who could ask for more?
Review: Ever since I saw a picture of the Sorcerous Stabber Orphen while scanning the net (which, when clicked on, led me to a whole site devoted to the man), I've been intrigued by this anime. Then the video game came out and I was even more interested in it, as it showed potential beyond your basic sorcery anime. Now this DVD has finally been released, and I have to say that if they don't up the September date, I'm gonna die.Orphen was everything I hoped it would be. A hotshot hero is always welcome, and his intricate personlity draws you into the storyline immediately. Our man Orphen is a star student of his sorcery school, or should I say was... since he's run away, looking for a dragon called the Bloody August. Now he's got to keep his old comrades and teachers off his back, and at the same time balance a pupil and a tag-along heiress. What's a guy to do? The humor is refreshingly balanced with the plot, and the animation is simply beautiful. Not only that, but the dub is excellent. Each voice fits perfectly and they all do a great job, and we all know how rare that is. The DVD is set up well... they play around with interactive menus (as opposed to what, i always wonder) and there's a nice slideshow of character sketches. Orphen is an anime I highly reccomend. It's fun to watch for all ages, and a great anime to get your friends hooked. Heck, it's even one you might wanna try out on your parents if you're feeling lucky! So be smart and buy it. You won't regret it, I'll promise ya that.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive
Review: I first got a glimpse of Orphen at my fist con, AMA. They showed the three episode, which I think are all that's on the DVD, which is sort of disapointing, but in the way of the animation, this anime immediatly caught my attention. It was actually the talk of the con for a good while after it was shown, and I immediatly came here to find out when and if the DVD was coming out. I was happy to find that it was. The story starts out in what seems to be the middle of a complex storyline. Orphen is a sorcerer of some power, who left the Tower of Fang, where he trained. He picks up an apprentance called Majic (yes, it's pronounce just like magic) in a small town where he is also doing a little 'birdwatching' and no, it's not what you think at first either. The storyline picks up very quickly after a little bit of introduction, when a dragon called bloody august shows up, and it's even more interesting that Orphen seems to know the dragon. The series has a good amount of comedy, brought by two short trolls, and a girl who is tha wanna be love interest of Orphen (I find her kinda annoying, but berable), plus having Orphen do a good amount of angsting in only three episodes. I think it does a good job of bringing both of these elements together nicely, and I'm hoping that with the release of these DVDs, they'll be an upsurge of good websites for him as well. I don't know much about the extras on the DVD, since I don't own it quite yet, but ADV isn't exactly known for having lots of extras, only trailers really. Evangelion only had the character bios, so this DVD may have that. The opening and closing themes are really good too. All and all, give this series a shot, because it's really good, and Orphen's cute to boot.
Rating:
Summary: See one episode and be hooked for life!
Review: I happened to catch an episode of Orphen while I was at the Comic-Con convention this year. Since I was watching the 3rd episode of the series, it didn't make a whole lot of sense. But, with an arrogant yet cute hero such as Orphen, anyone is bond to be hooked on the series! The animation is of excellant quality along with the japanese voice cast. My only dissatification with the DVD was that there was only 3 episodes. Also, they could have had some better extras. Otherwise, this is a must-see for any anime fan!
Rating:
Summary: Very. Good.
Review: I remember seeing the cover to the first volume of the Orphen DVD, Spell of the Dragon. I also remember saying, "Hey, looks cool" and five minutes later I was walking out of the store with a new DVD in hand, and thirty dollars shorter than before. Yet, when I popped it into my DVD player, I realized that this was a real keeper. Orphen starts out just about the same way as any other anime or TV series does. The characters are introduced: Orphen, the main character, and his I-don't-care attitude, Majik the innocent apprentice, and Cleao the annoyingly stubborn girl that gets sucked into the plot by a twist of fate. Seeming too cliche for you? Well then, perhaps I forgot to mention the unwelcome teachers from Orphen's past chasing after him. Or maybe the fact that Orphen is trying to save a terrifying dragon named the Bloody August from those teachers for his own personal reasons. Yes, it's the lovely thing called foreshadowing that makes us want to throw down another thirty bucks for the next DVD, and it works so wonderfully. Granted, there are only 3 episodes on this certain volume, but there is so much promise in these three episodes that you can't help but love it. Characters quickly begin to develop and plot quickly begins to thicken. Yet beneath all the dark thoughts and mysterious memories, there's comedy that will put a smile on your face. The sarcastic attitude of Orphen is what made me laugh, and get this, it was the ENGLISH track that did it. Yes, you heard me right, the ENGLISH track. The voice acting is professional and doesn't sound forced like most anime. I actually think that the American dialogue was much sharper than the original, but maybe that's just because I'm not Japanese. But in any case, there's something to be said about the translation job in the Orphen series. It's so surprisingly good...it's almost scary. Orphen is for just about anyone who enjoys some good magic action every now and then, and perhaps for even the people that don't. Give it a try and decide for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: vol 1--orphen
Review: i rented this vido whithout even reading what it was about.ive seen about 15 different series this was one of my favorite's. it starts out with orphen teaching magic/the boy hes training) a few trickes. orphen was one of the berow of magic --witch only top wizards go. but for some reson he droped out and they want him back u see. well the whol vol 1is about this dragon locking for this sword that can change her back into a human. but the thing is that nothing can change her back. but see keeps on going for it well she kidnaps 2 girls for there home. and orphen has to save them. and make sure the dragondoes not get the sword. what well happen wel im not going to tell u the whole story youll have to see the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Quite Enjoyable!
Review: My first experience with Orphen was with the PS2 game. While I do agree with many of the negative remarks about the game, I ended up liking it a decent amount simply because the relationships between the five pre-existing characters (Cleo, Magnus AKA Majik, Vulcon, Dortin and, of course, Orphen) was unlike any other RPG or story I had encountered. Orphen was only a hero for two reasons: 1) he was incredibly good at sorcery, and 2) being a hero meant he got to get off that stupid crazy deathtrap island. Orphen is a hero who is lazy, greedy, and usually doesn't give a damn. He travels with two companions, who constantly annoy the hell out of him. That was amusing! So, soon afterward, I heard that it was based on an anime series, and after some searching, I stumbled upon this DVD in the "New Releases" section at a local movie store. I popped it in, and I was quite pleased. The attitude, while toned down (due to it being the first episode -- the tension hadn't built up yet) was the same. The best part is right at the end, where Cleo says to Orphen: "I can be nice and caring if I wanted to be!" and Orphen replies with a tone I came to expect: "No you couldn't." The plot in this trilogy of episodes is quite marvelous. It's about Orphen hunting down an evil dragon called "The Bloody August," but it's really not a good vs. evil scenario, since it would seem Orphen is slightly evil, but rather it's a better evil taming the worse evil. While Orphen is aiding the evil dragon, while also protecting the good from it, he is being hunted by his former collegue sorcerors who want to destroy the dragon, because there is a story behind the dragon they do not know. I won't spoil it; see it. My final verdict is that this DVD is quite nice. Both tracks are amusing, since both are well acted, and the writing in both are actually different (the American track is meaner). While each episode is short, and it would be accurate to state that the first episode of the trilogy is really just character development of Orphen, Cleo and Majik. It is dramaic, comedic, and fantastic. Now that a second DVD is out, and a third on the way, I cannot wait! I hope it only gets better!
Rating:
Summary: Quite Enjoyable!
Review: My first experience with Orphen was with the PS2 game. While I do agree with many of the negative remarks about the game, I ended up liking it a decent amount simply because the relationships between the five pre-existing characters (Cleo, Magnus AKA Majik, Vulcon, Dortin and, of course, Orphen) was unlike any other RPG or story I had encountered. Orphen was only a hero for two reasons: 1) he was incredibly good at sorcery, and 2) being a hero meant he got to get off that stupid crazy deathtrap island. Orphen is a hero who is lazy, greedy, and usually doesn't give a damn. He travels with two companions, who constantly annoy the hell out of him. That was amusing! So, soon afterward, I heard that it was based on an anime series, and after some searching, I stumbled upon this DVD in the "New Releases" section at a local movie store. I popped it in, and I was quite pleased. The attitude, while toned down (due to it being the first episode -- the tension hadn't built up yet) was the same. The best part is right at the end, where Cleo says to Orphen: "I can be nice and caring if I wanted to be!" and Orphen replies with a tone I came to expect: "No you couldn't." The plot in this trilogy of episodes is quite marvelous. It's about Orphen hunting down an evil dragon called "The Bloody August," but it's really not a good vs. evil scenario, since it would seem Orphen is slightly evil, but rather it's a better evil taming the worse evil. While Orphen is aiding the evil dragon, while also protecting the good from it, he is being hunted by his former collegue sorcerors who want to destroy the dragon, because there is a story behind the dragon they do not know. I won't spoil it; see it. My final verdict is that this DVD is quite nice. Both tracks are amusing, since both are well acted, and the writing in both are actually different (the American track is meaner). While each episode is short, and it would be accurate to state that the first episode of the trilogy is really just character development of Orphen, Cleo and Majik. It is dramaic, comedic, and fantastic. Now that a second DVD is out, and a third on the way, I cannot wait! I hope it only gets better!
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