Sorcerous Stabber Orphen

—by Ivevei Upatkoon

SLAYERS may have ended its run on TV, but a new sword and sorcery series has begun this fall to take its place. Or does it really? Despite initial impressions, SORCEROUS STABBER ORPHEN turns out to be an anime of quite a different color.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about ORPHEN was the marketing drive behind it. Most non-Japanese fans, yours truly included, have probably heard little about it, but ORPHEN is a popular series of fantasy novels. The launch of the anime on TV was accompanied by artbooks galore, not to mention constant coverage in all the major anime magazines. Is it all just hype?
Certainly a lot of money has been put into the production. The designs are crisp and detailed, the animation is too. Whereas most TV series tend to use simplified character designs to save money, ORPHEN has eschewed the cheap look and gone for lines and plenty of shading. The opening animation is, to put it succinctly, pretty darn cool. Done to the highly popular pop group SharanQ's latest single "Ai Just On My Love," it still manages to feel fresh despite rehashing the tried and tested formula of "show hero from far, show hero close-up doing something cool, show sub-characters, show baddies, show hero battling monster, finish with shot of hero and mysterious character". Add the ending theme sung by that product of sheer marketing power, Tanpopo, and you have a pretty impressive tie-in.
On the minus side, just like any other TV anime, the art quality and direction fluctuates. In this case, it fluctuates a lot. It is a great pity that a couple of the episodes, which dealt with some, ahem, tender romantic moments, were fumbled by direction that was bad enough to draw a groan from this viewer.
The story unfolds slowly over the course of the first several episodes. The main character is a sorcerer named Orphen. He bears the pendant that attests to his training in an elite magic school, but judging from his clothes and his attitude, it seems that he has had quite enough of the scholarly life. He is in a small town serving as a tutor to a young boy but his interests lie with a mansion on the outskirts, specifically on the impressive sword that hangs over the mantelpiece. Unfortunately he gets mistaken for a peeping-tom by the lady of the house, a rather spunky but clueless ditz by the name of Cleo. Before he can explain himself, a massive dragon-like monster, the dreaded Bloody August, appears out of nowhere. But Orphen doesn't fight it; instead, he calls it "Azari" and promises to save it.
Suffice to say, he isn't successful. Interference from his old magic-wielding comrades prevents him from sealing away Bloody August, and as it retreats back into the sky, Orphen vows to carry out his mission to return Azari back to her former self.
Exactly what is Bloody August, and who is Azari, and why do Orphen's former friends insist that her destruction is the only solution? The anime raises these questions at the beginning of the series, but when Cleo and Orphen's student tag along for no reason, one gets the sinking feeling that it's just another one of those shows. Some action, some gag humor in the form of two little kids who are the brunt of all misfortune. It's pleasant enough to watch to kill time but nothing special.
To be honest, I was about to give up on this show since it seemed to be following an episodic formula with no real aim, but the most recent episode I saw actually had plot development. Now, either I'm getting more cynical in my old age, or anime lately just doesn't cut it anymore, but you can't imagine how happy I was watching that episode. We find out a little more about Orphen's past and his relationship with Azari, and we are shown a glimpse of the tragedy that befell the two of them.
Orphen is actually a character you can sympathize with, once you learn a little more. He is a powerful sorcerer, but unlike some other ones we've seen lately, he's not the strongest, nor is he overly arrogant and cocky. Perhaps it is the angst that makes him attractive. In that case, this TV series will garner a following of female fans outside of Japan, provided, of course, it keeps up with the story. Overall, it's too soon to say if ORPHEN will be good, but it's certainly not that bad at all, and worth a watch. I found the characters to be a nice change in that they were interesting but not extreme. Some people might take it to be just boring, however. If you're looking for SLAYERS, look elsewhere.