Legend Of Crystania

—by Peter Kenzaburo Cahill

You know what they say about sequels, don't you? Well, as with many other clich駸, there's a reason this one persists. So many sequels fail to live up to their inspirations and, sadly, the LEGEND OF CRYSTANIA videos are no exceptions. But, to be fair, RECORD OF LODOSS WAR was an unusually good work of anime.
If you decide to see this video, I strongly recommend watching the motion picture that comes before it or you'll miss out on most of the plot. THE LEGEND OF CRYSTANIA movie <../3.6/22-anime_crystania.html> was set in the aftermath of the LODOSS conflict, as the dark elf Pirotesse and her beloved Ashram sail from Lodoss in search of a new land to conquer. Cave of the Sealed is the first volume in the Ring of Chaos Trilogy that follows the CRYSTANIA motion picture. (Volume 2 is scheduled for release in late April.) This series continues the plot, yet most of the old LODOSS cast are long gone and on another continent.
CRYSTANIA and its "parents" share similar story dynamics, with various characters alternately converging and splitting up on quests that link together to form a complex situation that few of them saw coming. The CRYSTANIA screenplay is based on a novel by Mizuno Ryo, who co-wrote the original LODOSS story. However, for the most part, the similarities end there, and therein lie the seeds for the discontent that so many LODOSS fans have expressed. This show may be set in the LODOSS world, but it sure isn't the same thing. The animation, music and overall feel of the work are very different from its predecessor.
The most obvious difference is the animation. While not bad, it pales in comparison to the "old show." Since the two shows didn't use the same character designers or producers, this is not surprising. It may upset the more rabid fans, but it's nothing new to the industry. However, the quality of animation in the new series is rather lackluster. I don't usually like saying one show's animation is "better" than another one's without a lot of qualifying, but this is a direct sequel and not an alternate plot (like TENCHI or EL-HAZARD), and the difference is startling. In fact, the character designs seemed a bit uneven to me. Some characters will remind viewers of ELLCIA, especially the elves with their pointed ears and strikingly colored irises. But most of these characters are less interesting and manage to convey very little personality—they're not as expressive as most anime. There's little warmth or soul in these figures, and the way they fail to blend in at all with the subdued backgrounds only serves to make them look that much harsher. Of course I expect many will disagree with me, especially since this cleaner, if simpler, style seems to be popular and is showing up a lot more these days.
The story and music can both be assessed together here, for they share the same problem. Neither the story nor the music is as grand as they were in LODOSS, which was loved in no small part for its sweeping melodrama and its wonderfully orchestrated score. There isn't as much action or magic in this show, and its music fails to stir the soul. The big word missing here is "compelling." CRYSTANIA just isn't.
As I said before, to be honest, this is all a bit unfair. On its own, without the parental baggage of a juggernaut like LODOSS, CRYSTANIA and the Chaos Trilogy are fair works of anime. But the whole idea and selling point was that this would resurrect the grandeur of a wildly popular franchise (or at least a couple of its characters). And at that CRYSTANIA sadly fails. While it's not a JAWS 4, it's also not a GODFATHER PART II. Many of you will still enjoy it, just as long as you don't expect a direct continuation of the old show.

Released in North America by A.D.V. Films
VHS, 60 minutes
English Subtitled VHSLC/002S $29.95
English Dubbed VHSLC/002D $19.98
Available now in the USA
Where to buy