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The reader really has to pay attention to detail to get all the pieces of the puzzle.

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Record of Lodoss War

The Grey Witch (Vol. 1)

Review by: Jim Lancaster

Author: Ryo Mizuno

Artist: Yoshihiko Ochi

Company: CPM Manga

Length: 222 pgs.

Category: Fantasy

Rated: PG 13 (Violence)

EXTERNAL EXAM

Young Parn is a hero in search of a cause.

Having inherited the armor and sword of his father, Parn must constantly fight to live up to his father’s tarnished legacy. When Parn realizes that the forces of darkness are descending on the island of Lodoss, he sets off to defend his homeland. The combined power of the Emperor of Marmo and the Grey Witch seems to be unstoppable.

However, all may not be lost. Parn does pick up a few friends along the way to aid him in his quest. They are all brave fighters, but will their small group be enough to prevent the complete destruction of Lodoss?

DVD VISION TEST

ARTWORK: Yoshihiko Ochi’s artwork is perfect for this story. His character designs are all unique and distinct, and do a great job of showing off each character’s individuality. The artwork and backgrounds are very detailed, which helps create the illusion of this fantasy world. Most importantly of all, the action is easy to follow and all of the swordplay is very intense.

SOUND EFFECTS: The original Japanese sound effects have been removed and replaced with English translations. Care has been taken not to disrupt the flow of the artwork, so I have no problem with this approach.

EDITS: Other than the sound effects, there seem to be no obvious edits or changes made to Record of Lodoss War.

EXTRAS: The only extras in volume one are two brief creator biographies.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Ryo Mizuno has clearly set out to create a very vivid, believable and detailed fantasy world in Record of Lodoss War. In the tradition of fantasy sagas like the Lord of the Rings novels, Mizuno has obviously thought carefully about the details of his world. As bits and pieces of back-story are revealed, the history, politics, and legends of Lodoss slowly become clear. The level of narrative detail found here makes "Lodos Wars" the kind of story that will definitely benefit from repeated readings.

TRANSLATION: The translation seems very accurate, and very carefully done. Each character’s unique voice comes through clearly.

FAN SERVICE: There is not really any fan service to speak of in this series. Deedlit’s skirt is fairly short, but there are no panties to be seen here. Besides, she would probably take a sword to you if you even tried to peek.

THE 2 VIEW

Action, adventure, swords, goblins, dwarves and elves! The fantasy quest saga in which a group of unlikely heroes join up to defeat the overwhelming forces of evil is, admittedly, not the most original idea out there. Through books, comics, manga, movies, and video games, these stories have been told time and time again. For obvious reasons, this genre resurfaces again and again because people like a good fantasy quest. Even if the concept has been done before, and even if we have a pretty good idea where the plot is going, the fun comes in getting there and hanging out with some cool characters along the way.

In Record of Lodoss War, Mizuno and Ochi have created a vivid and exciting fantasy world populated by interesting characters. Parn and his friends are a likeable and diverse bunch. In the first volume, we learn just enough of their history and personality to really care what happens to them. It is also quite interesting to see how this unusual group manages to work together to get the job done, and it is fun watching their teamwork develop.

The epic scale of the story is another part of Lodoss’ appeal. The reader really has to pay attention to detail to get all the pieces of the puzzle. The first volume in the series takes its time setting the stage for the adventure to follow. We see only the edges of the growing cloud on Lodoss’ horizon. The motivation of Emperor Beld of Marmo is only hinted at in the first book, and we get only a brief glimpse of the Grey Witch’s overwhelming power.

Overall, this is an excellent fantasy adventure, and a worthy addition to the genre. If you enjoy Tolkein novels, or any of the many Japanese fantasy RPGs out there, you will find a lot to like in Record of Lodoss War. Unlikely heroes banding together to take on the forces of evil may have been done before, but they are rarely done this well.

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