Copyright © 1995 Mizuno Ryo & Group SNE / Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd * Marubeni Corporation * Victor Entertainment, Inc * Television Tokyo Channel 12, Ltd
Released by A.D.V. Films
dubbed in English
VHSLC001D
85 minutes
$24.95
Available Now

Authored by Mizuno Ryo, LEGEND OF CRYSTANIA borrows heavily from the successful RECORD OF LODOSS WAR. A couple of characters from LODOSS, as well as formulaic plot elements are infused into this "post-LODOSS" story in an attempt to continue what the previous series had started. But, although it is entertaining, it never quite gets there.
Pirotesse and Ashram have fled the island of Lodoss (and you thought they were dead!) and run aground on Crystania. In exchange for the survival of those under his command, Ashram offers his body to the soul of the evil god Barbas. You would think after his dealings with Karla that disembodied souls are not people you want to have business transactions with. But oh well.
Meanwhile, a coup occurs in the kingdom of DaNarn. Here is where we meet this story's counterpart to Parn. A young idealistic son of the king, Redon is not allowed to practice swordfighting or even have a real sword. When he and several others are driven out of DaNarn and flee into Crystania, however, he learns very quickly.
The third group in this story are the inhabitants of Crystania who belong to the "Fang of the Animal." These groups of people each serve different animal gods and are given different morphing abilities according to the animal god they serve. Of course, since Barbas has taken a human body, he is the most powerful god and is threatening to destroy everything and everyone. The other animal tribes have banded together against him.
Fate, and a few plot devices, throw some of these animal people together with Redon's group and Pirotesse, who for some reason is going by the name of Sheru. Redon, seeking revenge for those who killed his father, is seeking a great force, which turns out to be Barbas. So these disparate groups of people all decide to attack the source of everyone's problem—Barbas. The only problem is that it isn't as easy as it sounds.
The story itself is intriguing, although it does move at a rather slow pace. And the idea of the "Fang of the Animal," although not entirely original, is presented in a very clever way and serves a greater purpose to the story than allowing people to morph into beast forms to fight.
But there are a couple of obvious weak points in this OVA. The first is the animation itself, or rather the art. The art seems to be very simple and basic, using only the minimum lines required. As a result, this often gives the characters' faces a somewhat "cartoony" feel, since the faces are all simple. And anyone who has seen LODOSS will immediately notice how the hair on these characters seems to be one blob of a particular color and that's it. No shading, no highlights, no individual hairs.
My biggest problem with this whole story, though, is some of the subplots that are just hanging at the end. Atarishia is a visiting Priestess of Rada who is in DaNarn when the war breaks out, so she joins Redon and his friends as they trek through Crystania. Everyone is always talking about how very powerful she is, but she only ever casts a couple of low-level spells. Indeed, these four monk-like figures try several times to kidnap her because her presence represents an "upset in the power balance" in Crystania. But she never does anything. Even when the evil priest is going to kill her, she just stands there.
CRYSTANIA isn't bad, it's just average. And many fans who loved the LODOSS OVA series may find themselves a little disappointed by this follow-up, especially since it is being billed as part of the LODOSS universe. Still, for a decent, if somewhat slow, sword and sorcery adventure, some may find that LEGEND OF CRYSTANIA conjures up all the right elements.