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ANIME REVIEWS

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



—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?



  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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