Rating: 
Summary: The Last Of Brilliant Fantasy Anime
Review: (Note: Before I go onto my review, I would say this. If you are looking to collect this series and have not watched the original series, Record of Lodoss War, I would GREATLY advise that you do so. If not you will, 1) Miss out of the history to what lead to the Record of Lodoss War: TV series. 2) Miss out on one of the best beautifully drawn fantasy anime of it's time. Oh and 3) You'll be completely lost. This series was written believing that you actually watched the first part. Also on DVD, the entire original series is under $50 bucks in a box set offered by the good ole folks at Amazon.com. So really, it won't set you back that much cash at all, plus you'll thank yourself greatly. Now onto the review). After the first two or three episodes, you will not want to stop watching, trust me on this. As a fan of not spoiling the entire content of the series in a review, you'll see no spoilers of any kind here. The Story: The series begins years later after the first Record of Lodoss war . It evolves around a new cast of heroes as well as bring back old favorites from the original. Years later after the first series a new evil arises in the land of Lodoss. Old characters of the original series are called back into battle to defend the land. The role of the new characters are very well written, tying into the main story beautifully, giving an equal weight between the first set of original characters with the new, giving a good feel of character exploration between the two. The series actually takes place in two parts. In which way, I won't spoil it for you. The transition between the parts are very good, one giving sort a prelude to the events that take place in the second. Again, out of respect for you I won't go too much into it. Other wise you'll have no need to watch the darn thing. Animation: The animation is beautiful. I would say that the first series had better quality. But what you have to understand is that both series were created in different times. The old series' animation reflects what was mainly seen in that period of anime, and the second does the same, evolving with the trends of drawing styles. But you won't be disappointed at all. If your a anime-holic or even a casual viewer, the animation style in this series won't be much of a change from what you see today. Though I know many of you will side with the animation used in the first series because simply: it was magnificent. Flaws?: The only main gripe I've had with this series was a decision made by the creators involving two main characters from the first series that make a second debut in the second. It was the way they were presented and the role they played in this story that was a very huge contradiction to they're role in the first series. Again, I won't spoil that for you. And really, in order for you to even catch it, you'll have to buy the first series. (Refer to my note above). Heck if you don't watch the first series you really won't even respect Parn or Dedlett at all without seeing how they once were. Or even know why Parn hates Ashuramu so much. And oh, Ashuramu, in my opinion is the best villain I believe you will ever have the pleasure of viewing. The way they wrote his character is so far from what is stereotypically used as the motives of like every villain in any fantasy series, which is to take over the world. No, that is not Ashuramu. His motives are....well, like I said, I won't spoil it for you, but I do say this...at times you will be rooting for the man, trust me. Conclusion: Buy this series people. In today's world of anime, true dramatic fantasy anime is lacking. The Record of Lodoss war series as a whole, is really the last of it's kind. Fantasy anime today are filled with comical exploits, dry jokes, and really offer nothing but a comical relief. If you are looking for a fantasy series; one that'll get your heart, soul, and body jumping for joy after every scene, BEGIN YOUR SEARCH HERE!!! There is no rival to Record of Lodoss War other than another highly recommended series known as Heroic Legend of Arslan (note: which offers a artistic style VERY similar to the original series and also is very very good). I promise all who read this, you will not be disappointed at all with this series or the first. Do yourself a favor and click the "buy" button, people.
Rating:
Summary: In my opinion...
Review: If you like Fantasy (elves, dragons, dwarves, etc.) and even if you don't but instead like fight scenes, romance, and humor, then you should get Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight. It's about a knight (your typical good guy) and his companions and his enemies and his elders and the island of Lodoss and a LOT more. I am a huge Lodoss fan and started out with the TV series. I find that both OVA and TV are very enjoyable. It's my very favorite anime ^.~ I could go on saying how much I love it, but I'll get to the point. The OVAs are very serious compared to the TV. The animation is better, and beautiful. But I tend to like more humorous and vivid animes. There is a lot more humor in the TV series (as you would see with Spark). And the animation is very nice, but not as nice as the OVA. It is still serious at times, and you can get into as much as you can get into the OVAs. I love both, but I like the TV better. And it's worth getting just for the opening. Oh and how could I forget? Lodoss Island appears at the end of every episode with chibies (chibi in the singular) (smaller deformed forms of the characters in the show, chibi means "child" in Japanese) that are very cute and make really corny jokes and do strange things, basically making fun of the episode you just watched and the characters within it. But some people really don't get Lodoss Island... but I say... "Watch it anyway!" Hmm, I'll stop rhyming now. And some people hate the TV because it doesn't go with the OVAs in terms of dead people not staying dead and changes in story. But it's fairly easy to forgive in my opinion. Seriously, Lodoss is a wonderful series. If it's between TV and OVA, I would get both... but if only one.. I'd get TV because it gives you a nice feel of Lodoss the accursed island itself and the characters within it. But it really depends which you like, humor or seriousness, but TV has both. Well OVA has a little humor in it too... I hope my review helps ^.~ -chibidragon
Rating:
Summary: Best Fantasy Anime Ever
Review: A quick note to those of you who have previously watched the excellent Lodoss OVA series (or for those of you who are giving this TV series a "try" by renting the first disc somewhere).... DO NOT BE PUT OFF BY THE POOR QUALITY OF THE ANIMATION ON THE FIRST DISC! The art direction and the overall quality of animation of the first six episodes (which comprise the first disc of four) are rather sub-par even for a TV series, especially when you consider the Lodoss name and the fact that it was made in 1998. However, starting from the seventh episode (on the second disc), the art quality picks up drastically. And although the art quality fluctuates a bit from episode to episode (due to the fact that different episodes are subcontracted out to different animation houses), you can rest assured that the rest of the episodes will look much better than the dismal-looking first six. So even if you are disappointed by the look of the first disc, be patient and continue onward to the second disc. Personally, I found episode # 7, 20, and 27 to be the best-looking of the bunch, near-OVA quality. Too bad that the series couldn't have the look and quality of the opening and ending sequences, which are jaw-droppingly beautiful. Speaking of which, the opening and ending songs are quite awesome too. (The opening theme is written by Yoko KANNO, of Cowboy Bebop and Escaflowne fame.) It's amazing how theme songs to an anime series can be harmonically and rhythmically more creative and interesting than most of the pop stuff out there. As for the story, it's a kind of a retelling of the story from the original OVA series. (Actually, the DVD says that this TV series is a more faithful rendition of the original Lodoss novel.) So while the continuity may seem weird at first to those of you who've watched the OVA series, it doesn't really detract from the enjoyment of the series. In fact, I felt that this TV series had a much better ending than the OVA series. For fans of Lodoss and the fantasy genre, Chronicles of the Heroic Knights series is easily worth watching. My couple of very minor gripes: I really couldn't care less about the cutesy, super-deformed comedic sequences at the end of each episodes. I didn't find them to be funny most of the time, and they took me out of enjoying the main storyline. But then again, I guess some people enjoyed it, and the advantage of DVD is that I can easily skip them. Which brings me to my second gripe: the chapter divides are done quite poorly. Instead of the opening sequence, the first and second halves of the story, the ending theme, the preview, etc each getting their own chapters like usual, one episode is divided by only two chapters. The first contains the opening theme and the whole episode. Then the second clumps the above-mentioned comedic sequence, the ending theme, the preview, and the American credit roll together. It's still functional, but it's not very convenient. I have no idea why the Central Park Media chose to do it this way. But, like I said, these are all very minor gripes. I just thought I'd mention it. :) In any case, to many anime fans who came to revere the Lodoss name, this series will not disappoint. People have, and will continue to argue whether the original OVA or this TV series is better. I'll take both. Highly recommended. (^_^)b
Rating:
Summary: Not without faults, but lives up to the Lodoss fame!!
Review: A quick note to those of you who have previously watched the excellent Lodoss OVA series (or for those of you who are giving this TV series a "try" by renting the first disc somewhere).... DO NOT BE PUT OFF BY THE POOR QUALITY OF THE ANIMATION ON THE FIRST DISC! The art direction and the overall quality of animation of the first six episodes (which comprise the first disc of four) are rather sub-par even for a TV series, especially when you consider the Lodoss name and the fact that it was made in 1998. However, starting from the seventh episode (on the second disc), the art quality picks up drastically. And although the art quality fluctuates a bit from episode to episode (due to the fact that different episodes are subcontracted out to different animation houses), you can rest assured that the rest of the episodes will look much better than the dismal-looking first six. So even if you are disappointed by the look of the first disc, be patient and continue onward to the second disc. Personally, I found episode # 7, 20, and 27 to be the best-looking of the bunch, near-OVA quality. Too bad that the series couldn't have the look and quality of the opening and ending sequences, which are jaw-droppingly beautiful. Speaking of which, the opening and ending songs are quite awesome too. (The opening theme is written by Yoko KANNO, of Cowboy Bebop and Escaflowne fame.) It's amazing how theme songs to an anime series can be harmonically and rhythmically more creative and interesting than most of the pop stuff out there. As for the story, it's a kind of a retelling of the story from the original OVA series. (Actually, the DVD says that this TV series is a more faithful rendition of the original Lodoss novel.) So while the continuity may seem weird at first to those of you who've watched the OVA series, it doesn't really detract from the enjoyment of the series. In fact, I felt that this TV series had a much better ending than the OVA series. For fans of Lodoss and the fantasy genre, Chronicles of the Heroic Knights series is easily worth watching. My couple of very minor gripes: I really couldn't care less about the cutesy, super-deformed comedic sequences at the end of each episodes. I didn't find them to be funny most of the time, and they took me out of enjoying the main storyline. But then again, I guess some people enjoyed it, and the advantage of DVD is that I can easily skip them. Which brings me to my second gripe: the chapter divides are done quite poorly. Instead of the opening sequence, the first and second halves of the story, the ending theme, the preview, etc each getting their own chapters like usual, one episode is divided by only two chapters. The first contains the opening theme and the whole episode. Then the second clumps the above-mentioned comedic sequence, the ending theme, the preview, and the American credit roll together. It's still functional, but it's not very convenient. I have no idea why the Central Park Media chose to do it this way. But, like I said, these are all very minor gripes. I just thought I'd mention it. :) In any case, to many anime fans who came to revere the Lodoss name, this series will not disappoint. People have, and will continue to argue whether the original OVA or this TV series is better. I'll take both. Highly recommended. (^_^)b
Rating: 
Summary: Back to Lodoss Island...
Review: Dear Anime-Fans, I got my hands on the new RoLW Box last weekend and got sucked right into the action. In comparison I see the following differences to the first DVD box: better anime quality (drawings, colors), better soundtrack but the new group of heroes lacks a bit in character development. The story is good but I have to say that I would have liked it to see more of Parn, Deedlit and the frist group of heroes overall. The end fight on the first box is much more breathtaking than the new one. To put it in one sentence - a new masterpiece in fantasy anime and a must-see for all RoLW-fans. I can hardly wait until some new episodes come out - let's hope the guys from the RoLW team get theirself together for more action hopefully not too far in the future :-) Greetings from Germany... Matt
Rating:
Summary: What you would expect from Lodoss War!
Review: First off if you have seen the original 13 part series be warned this is not really a sequel. It is a sequel in the time frame and reflects history from the original but the characters are sometimes independant of that original series. For example in the very first episode Parn and Deedlit have never met Orson the berserker before when in the original they fought against and together for a couple episodes. Another is Shooting Star the fire dragon is still alive and is still guarding the Scepter of Domination. Once you realize that they are independant of each other you will get into it more. The original story still took place just without many of the original situations. Anyway enough of that. The series is a great series. THe animation is solid though not as convincing as the original series. It bogs at time when they fill time with the group standing around laying out whats going on in a conversation although it sounds forced. There really isn't any other way to get the story across though. The voice acting is the same as the original which is very nice since that was one of the strong parts of that series. The characters have aged and matured a bit and we get to meet quite a few new faces. With 27 episodes there is a lot of Anime to please. One thing I think a few of the other reviewers have kind of missed the point on is the focus on Spark. The original Manga was about Parn and his battles with Karla. however in "Chronicles" the original author (of the manga) put Spark in to take Parn's place. So the series is true to it's literature roots. So looking down on the series for not focusing on the star characters from the original isn't really valid since the new characters are where the focus should be. So when you watch the series and realize that is the way it should be it is very enjoyable. It is not as good as the original series but still one of the best fantasy Anime's out there.
Rating:
Summary: What you would expect from Lodoss War!
Review: First off if you have seen the original 13 part series be warned this is not really a sequel. It is a sequel in the time frame and reflects history from the original but the characters are sometimes independant of that original series. For example in the very first episode Parn and Deedlit have never met Orson the berserker before when in the original they fought against and together for a couple episodes. Another is Shooting Star the fire dragon is still alive and is still guarding the Scepter of Domination. Once you realize that they are independant of each other you will get into it more. The original story still took place just without many of the original situations. Anyway enough of that. The series is a great series. THe animation is solid though not as convincing as the original series. It bogs at time when they fill time with the group standing around laying out whats going on in a conversation although it sounds forced. There really isn't any other way to get the story across though. The voice acting is the same as the original which is very nice since that was one of the strong parts of that series. The characters have aged and matured a bit and we get to meet quite a few new faces. With 27 episodes there is a lot of Anime to please. One thing I think a few of the other reviewers have kind of missed the point on is the focus on Spark. The original Manga was about Parn and his battles with Karla. however in "Chronicles" the original author (of the manga) put Spark in to take Parn's place. So the series is true to it's literature roots. So looking down on the series for not focusing on the star characters from the original isn't really valid since the new characters are where the focus should be. So when you watch the series and realize that is the way it should be it is very enjoyable. It is not as good as the original series but still one of the best fantasy Anime's out there.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific follow up, but a sequel nonetheless.
Review: First off, the original OAV was changed from the book form to include more story elements than was in that particular storyline. This series more closely adapts the following storylines from the books, so be prepared for a few changes or encounters that may not make complete sense compared to the original. For example, Parn and Deedlit meet Shiris and Orson for the FIRST time at the beginning of this series (as they did in the middle of the OAVs?!) Once past this, it is easy enough to get into the world of Lodoss. The TV episodes cover two more storylines. The first in a continuation of Parn and Deedlit and their fight against Marmo, the second is about Spark and Niece. The storyline with Parn is only one third of the series; Spark is in the other two thirds. At first I expected it to be more continuous, with Parn taking Spark on as a student, much like Ghimm did with Parn, only more in depth this time (Or like Obi-wan and Yoda did with Luke to those new to Lodoss). What did happen was a new story begins ten years after the first. Spark is set off on a quest of his own, while idolizing Parn (Like Parn and King Kashue from the OAVs). Spark, however, has help in the guise of a Merc group and soon everyone is fighting for the sake of Niece and Lodoss. While at first disappointed that Parn did not last to the halfway point, I quickly began to like the new story and the new characters. Don't worry, Parn and Deed makes a string of quest appearances for the rest of the series. Besides with Parn grown up there was not much more to develop his character than to show off how great a swordsman he was. Of course, they COULD have shown more of the relationship between Parn and Deedlit, but this is Magic Adventure not a cut-'em-up-action or romantic comedy It lost one star because rarely some of the writing seemed drawn out, but only for about half an episode at a time. This wasn't too much, as soon enough the story picked up again but still left me wishing a little more thought went into the effort. What I mean by Drawn Out is the story was at a pause with the characters not really doing anything productive. We are just waiting for the next thing to happen. I have no problem with "slow" parts to a story, but slow parts usually have some meaning to them within the story (character development for instance). The other problem I had was with the end of the first storyline. Parn and Ashram team up to fight the dragon Shooting Star; making for what should have been a wonderful romp of sword and sorcery. Instead, we see a rather simple and repetitive display of a drawn out brawl (see above). The animators really should have pulled out all the stops for the creativity of this battle. Ashram killed another dragon (or two) before and Parn fought Shooting Star earlier in the series as well. Either scene was better than the climatic fight at the story's end, especially Ashram's. I was spoiled. Nonetheless, I love this series, and while the first story ended weak, the second story and the series as a whole, ended fantastic. It more than made up for any other shortcomings. With Parn and Ashram in a final duel, Deedlit and Pirotess facing off (all too briefly, elves never get enough screen time) and Spark and Niece saving Lodoss. It has a happy ending, but without being sappy and it brings to the Lodoss Saga great closure. Of course, I wouldn't mind seeing another storyline aired soon! Maybe a romantic drama with Parn and Deedlit?
Rating:
Summary: WOW...hard to beleave but Better then the First set.
Review: Five years past, a band of six adventurers defeated the conquering armies of Marmo, the dark island, and saved the accused island, LODOSS. Since that day, the survivors have been honored as heroes, and their deeds have become legends. But the darkness never perished... Now, a mad wizard threatens to raise an ancient evil - the goddess of destruction. Old heroes must heed the call to defend their homeland and new heroes are forged as the battle for LODOSS begins anew. I saw this on the VHS tapes and all I can say is WOW. the First story drew me in and I loved it. this one is SO much more...almost Twice a long with even More adventures and better animation. if u enjoyed the First one this one will Blow you away. Greg
Rating: 
Summary: Not at all what I was expecting
Review: For fans of the original who want to continue watching more of the story from the Island of Lodoss, you might want to pass over these chronicles. In case you don't know, after Episode 8 in the first series, the directors of the original started to run out of time in which they could complete the story. As a result, many events were changed and characters deleted so they could finish the original with the characters that were already introduced. So, episodes 9-13 are a compressed version of the comics. From my understanding, the Chronicles are supposed to pick up the story after the War of Heros, 5 years after the death of one of the characters. After learning that, I was interested to see new characters and their interactions with Parn, Deedlit, and the others. I didn't get quite what I expected. First of all, the Chronicles and the original were made by two separate teams of directors. In the first DVD, the booklet describes that continuity errors resulted from this. I assume it's because the Chronicles directors were keeping the story closer to the comics and the Original directors were trying to get the story done quickly. This is exactly why I got this set, to see the full story of Parn and his friends. With that said, the first DVD and the first episode (episode 7) on the second DVD were excellent. It was a more complete story with better character development and a sensible plot. However, after the events of episode 7, there is a 10 year break in the story. To my dismay, I discovered that they changed the hero of the story. The story now revolves around Spark, a knight in training. Parn, Deedlit, and the others became minor characters who would appear occasionally throughout the story. Don't get me wrong, it's a good story but as I said before, it's not quite what I expected. For the first part of the Chronicles, I kept expecting to see Parn and the others in their own episodes with their own stories but that never happened. As a result, I never really liked all the characters in the Chronicles as well as I liked them in the Original. This my warning for anyone who's seen the Original 13 episodes. It's worth it to get this for the first 7 episodes in the set but the other 20 DO NOT have anything to do with the original characters except for minor roles. If you are interested in seeing how the actual story unfolds as it did in the comics, then the Chronicles are perfect. If you're interested in a story with good closure, keep to the Original. This reminds me of one thing I haven't said about the Chronicles. I don't know if it's because of the continuity errors or something else but you'll come away from this with a lot of questions about the story. I frequently found myself saying, "When in the hell did that happen?!?!" Those of you who have seen the Chronicles may know what I'm talking about. For those of you yet to see them, you'll find out. As I said, if you're looking for good closure, this isn't the one. Before I finish, I have to at least say this to appease my conscience. At the end of every episode there is a "Trailer". They are animated in what I consider to be a "children's style" of anime. I can not even find words to describe how terrible these trailers are but I will try. First of all, they have absolutely no bearing on the story at all, and neither do they show what will be on the next episode. At first I thought it was the director's way of introducing information that couldn't be fit anywhere else into the story. After watching the first disc and sitting through painfully unfunny puns and jokes, I realized they were completely worthless. Yet I persevered, and I watched every trailer, hoping that there would be some nugget of sanity or use for any of them. After seeing all 27, I must say I actually feel less intelligent than I was before I watched them. So please, if you buy this DVD, DO NOT watch those trailers. I would hate to see another human being subjected to that inanity. This was one time when I really wanted to find the directors and ask them "What in God's name were you thinking when you did that?"
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