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Copyright © 1995 ORCA/SEGA/SANCTUARY/Manga Entertainment
English version Copyright © 1998 by Manga Entertainment
English Dub $19.95
440 055 575 3
Approx. 45 minutes
Available: 3/31/98 |
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by Charles McCarter
The box proudly proclaims that the character designs are by Shirow
Masaumune. This is enough to get the attention of most anime fans, and no
doubt is the reason Manga is pushing this aspect of the show.
LANDLOCK is the often confusing story of Luda, who is the son of Mog, a
Wind Master. Luda, too, has been trained in this arcane craft, and he
quickly finds himself caught up in events he does not understand. On the
day of his confirmation ceremony, his village is attacked and burned. His
father is killed, and he must face a maniacal woman with murder in her
different-colored eyes.
The land of LANDLOCK holds an interesting mix of magic and technology.
While technology for warships and combat suits is abundant, the world still
maintains a prevailing natural and rustic look. It is much like the world of
WINDARIA, where mysticism, a simple agrarian lifestyle, and technology
exist simultaneously in one world. This is an interesting aspect to the
series.
Unfortunately, however, the world itself is not really the focus of the
story. Instead, Luda, with his one red eye, holds the key to the mastery of
the Wind, which is very important to everyone for some reason never really
explained. Luda himself is a rather unappealing character. He whines so
much that he makes EVANGLION's Shinji seem confident. Considering some of
the events that happen around him, this is partially understandable, but
how can one be expected to save the world without a backbone?
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The biggest problem with the story, however, is that it seems to have been
dissected and not reassembled properly. Chunks of exposition that seem to
have no relevance to the immediate story-line are presented to the viewer;
the viewer must then figure out what to do with them. For instance, what is
the significance of the "blue glow"? And how about that giant statue that
seems to be in just about every temple in the land? Such incidents could be
considered foreshadowing, but the viewer often isn't presented with enough
information to even hazard a guess at times.
The animation is good, but not breathtaking. The character designs are not
actually done by Shirow, but are "based upon" his art. Either way, the
character designs are the most appealing part of this show, as Shirow's
characters have a unique sophistication that is matched by few other
character designers. The tech, too, looks as if it may have been based upon
or influenced by Shirow's work, as the combat suits look appropriately
insectoid and the other technology has an organic flair to it that is
typical of his work.
The voice acting seems to be standard for English dubbing these days. To
Manga Entertainment's credit, I did not recognize any of the voices from
any other recent dubs I have seen. But many of the more emotional scenes
are rendered flat by the acting. Screaming seems to be a talent that will
never be mastered in the English dub, which is too bad because better voice
acting could have probably enlivened some of the scenes in this first episode.
I will have to wait and see the second (and final) volume of LANDLOCK
before I can pass judgment on whether I think the series is worthwhile or
not. Right now, I am not convinced that it is anything special. However,
if magic and adventure are what you enjoy, you may want to give LANDLOCK a
cautious viewing.
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