Copyright © 1992 Hagiwara Kazushi / Shueisha
Released by Pioneer Entertainment
Volume 1
Subtitled in English
PIVA-7025S
60 minutes
$24.95

When Pioneer announced they had licensed BASTARD!! earlier this year, some people were more than a little surprised. After all, Pioneer has maintained a reputation of releasing pretty tame anime by comparison to some of the other companies, and BASTARD!! seemed a little too racy for the company's image.
It has been fifteen years since the evil, nearly omnipotent warlock Dark Schneider was sealed away by the good priests of the land. During his reign of terror, Dark Schneider tried to conquer the world for no other reason than because he could. However, although he was stopped, his old comrades the Four Lords of Havoc have decided to pick up where he left off. If they are to survive, High Priest Geo realizes that his own daughter must perform the spell to set Dark Schneider free.
Dark Schneider has been sealed in the body of Rushe, a small boy who is a friend of Yoko. Releasing him turns out to be a mixed blessing. Sure, Dark Schneider will fight to defend himself, but he's only in it for himself. And to top it all off, he's something of a lecher and has taken a liking to the innocent Yoko. And he wants to kill Yoko's father Geo for imprisoning him in the first place.
Fans of BASTARD!! will notice one thing right away. Names, places, and spells in BASTARD!! are all comprised of names of American heavy metal rock bands. However, due to potential rights issues, Pioneer has chosen to use alternative names instead. Thus, the Kingdom of Metallicana becomes Meta-Rikana, the god Anthrax becomes Anthra-Sax, and so on. Many fans may be disappointed by this change, but in light of the potential legal problems, the change is at least understandable and not arbitrary.
The animation for this OVA series is very high quality, and the use of magic is particularly well executed. And BASTARD!! doesn't skimp on the magic, either. After all, in a battle of wizards, magic is the weapon of choice. The battle with the Efreet in the second episode on this volume is a good example of this.
The main plot is obviously Dark Schneider versus the Four Lords of Havoc, but the subplot is the potential romance between Dark Schneider and Yoko. This is complicated by the fact that Yoko despises Dark Schneider but really cares for Rushe, whose body he is inhabiting. It's an interesting and entertaining subplot.
Some of the themes in this anime are more adult than most other Pioneer titles. There are a number of panty jokes, and of course, Dark Schneider keeps making lewd comments and leering at Yoko. Nothing really perverted here, but still, viewers who are expecting another innocuous tape like TENCHI TV should be forewarned.
BASTARD!! is a sword and sorcery story with a different point of view. There is no great quest, no wandering party and so far, no dwarves, elves, or thieves. There is, however, a lot of action and some good animation. Fans who are looking for something with a faster pace than LEGEND OF CRYSTANIA will most likely find BASTARD!! to their liking.