Oddly enough, whenever I see something about Lodoss, I feel a lot of nostalgia despite discovering this series recently. Whenever I hear it's music I feel like I'm truly going into some magic land far far away. I think this is why I love this series so much despite knowing so little about it, because it makes me feel heavily immersed in it's world.
I couldn't agree more. It's likely because the OVA has that 80s/90s vibe. Everything from the opening, animation style, art style, and ending scream retro 80s and 90s. My interest has rekindled after watching the OVA and replaying Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. The visuals in the opening really immerse me and make me feel like I am traveling to a different world.
Fun fact: Deedlit was the one who popularized the 'Elf with long ears' trope. Before Lodoss, Elves in anime/manga only have pointy ears just like in Tolkien's universe (Link from Zelda, for example). But after Lodoss OVA came out, Deedlit's popularity exploded (almost every volume of Newtype had her featured in one of the pin-up pages for years) and that set the standard of what Elf should look like to average anime/manga fans -- including the long ears. This was confirmed during Lodoss's 30th anniversary live stream last year (or maybe in 2020, I can't really remember) -- the same live stream that announced Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth game.
That description from the 6 to 7 minute marks is exactly why I love The Record of Lodoss War. In fact I kinda wish there were more ‘generic fantasy’ cartoons/anime shows that doesn’t have that weird need to be a mmo video game or reincarnation trope.
As an european fan of Lodoss for 30+ years who got even less of the serie and history than you. I really love what you just have done with that Design Documentary! Thank you for your work!
Finally get more high quality SoberDwarf content and the lousy algorithm doesn't even inform me, despite being a subscriber for years. Here's my small contribution to help get people seeing this great video!
As a relatively new fan of the franchise it can't be nostalgia for me, but it's definitely the type of thing that triggers anemoia. The genre of art style, now so rare, that is steeped in thick papers and watercolor of traditional media and influenced by art nouveau (apart from Yuuki and Yamada I bunch in the likes of Ayami Kojima, Ayumi Kasai, Tomoe Kobayashi) and older fantasy illustration is what drew me to it and the bopping soundtracks and awesome matte paintings of the anime made me stay. Periodically Lodoss comes back to me and this time I ended up here. I learned a lot and I think I appreciate it even more now. Considering it was largely Yamada's art that drew me to Lodoss (from 12 kingdoms) it really boggles the mind I hadn't read his manga until now! The flow between panels sometimes was a bit confusing, but the art is just godly.
Man i just finished watching your Lodoss War Retrospective !! I can't believe how you succeeded on adding so much information about this obscure (for the Western audiences) franchise in a less than a hour video 😁 Your documentaries are one of a kind and show how much you love videogames (manga , anime etc.) 👏 If helping other people learn about this franchise was one of your goals with this video , let me assure you that your mission is accomplished 👏👏 The freestyle ending just killed me 😂😂
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (I love that game btw) was the kickstarter to make me look into Record of Lodoss War. Oh boy that was a decision I don't regret. Thank you for expanding my knowledge of this series through this video!! Also, I hope I have the chance of reading the Lady of Pharis one day
It's been a great video! But I'd like to point two things out about Wonder Labyrinth just for the sake of it: 1- The polarity system actually comes from one of the first games made by Krobon/Ladybug - Synchronity Prologue, a Shin Megami Tensei fangame where you switch out Jack Frost (ice-wind element) and Pyro Jack (flame element, and also floats like Deedlit in wind mode) 2- If you want a metroidvania with the same vibrant vibes as Wonder Labyrinth with more backtracking aspects, try Pharaoh Rebirth: the story itself is linear, but the levels are self contained stages with lots of secrets requiring upgrades from future stages. And yes, it was made by the same guys before they were named Team Ladybug
I remember, as a young tour guide, being introduced to Record of Lodoss War by an anime club I went to a handful of times. I loved it. It was cool to see a show with those strong D&D roots. It was icing on the cake when I learned it was based on an actual campaign. ;) I wish it got more attention in the States. I wonder if it would be different coming out today with D&D being more widely accepted. I haven’t played any of the games based on it. It is a shame Wonder Labyrinth was a bit of a “betrayal” to the source material. I’ve been on the lookout for a good deal on the Dreamcast game since I learned of its existence. Poor Dreamcast Parn! Haha. That was quite the model. :P The Super Famicom game looks like one I’d be interested in too. It’s nice to see one more closely following the original story. Thanks for the nostalgia trip, Sober. Great video! :) And even though the copyright claim system sucks, I appreciate the cover job for the video wrap up. Well done! ;)
I just found Lodoss. I'm writing a screenplay inspired partially by 'Demon Souls' art design, so I poked around and found some interviews with the creators of the Souls series. They mentioned Parn's armor was the basis for one of their character designs. I looked up the series on Amazon; the first episode was a pretty if vapid dungeon crawl, but I was STARVED for a cartoon that saluted its D&D roots.
Hey SoberDwarf! I see you’re getting close to 10k man! I hope you’ve been doing well for yourself and I enjoyed the vid. I’m amazed at how much your channel grew.
@@SoberDwarf I’m just glad that you’re finally getting the recognition that you deserve. You really do put a lot of heart and research into your videos.
The amount of detail, edits and knowledge poured into this video is amazing friend. Thank you for this. I really like the Switch game and needed to know all of this.
Great video. I researched this 5 years ago and always wanted to make a panel about Ryo Mizuno on my local anime con. I'm glad someone else researched this and posted it on TH-cam. Great video.
FINALLY I have time to watch this, always excited for the chance to sit down for one of your retrospectives :) 2:40 on "Replays" - published retellings of DND games- Genuinely never heard of that and that is just interestin' as hell. 3:00 on the RABID popularity of a singular DND game - HOLY FUCK THAT'S SICK. I love the virality and rapid evolution of one DM's story and the collaborative story telling of their players. 5:25 on late stage capitalism bit - Common mistake, back to your Minky Mowse mines, video over. 11:10 Deedlit going full murder hobo and calling dibs on the sword- that's hilarious~ 17:00 Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth - Ah, one of those more surface level fanservice games where it's not really trying to add much, just show some familiar faces and offer a pleasant time. Sounds decent enough, especially for a fan wanting to have fun with some villains and characters they enjoy, but not 'deep'. Also fun reference fodder with the betrayal counter :P 17:20 - Lmao, but yeah it's an action figure toy. Mash fan favorites together I suppose. 21:50 - "It tries to improve on the genre in its own ways" is a sentence that makes me lean forward in my seat without fail, innovate! Surprise me! And the IMMEDIATE follow of "It has a slightly adjustable camera" nearly dropped me from said seat, A+ holy hell lol 23:30 - @ "Disgae levels of damage" Well dang if that isn't an interesting direction for the game; The entire rune system is a neat take. 25:45 - I don't know why I find that so charming, but the opening FMV leaking the original titlecard really does bring me back. 27:26 - Peak voice acting, actually. 35:00 - Lol, seems 'quality'. 35:30 - Now THIS seems quality, love the hyped promotion of a personal fave of yours :P 41:22 - It's metal as Fahn you say? phenomenal time with this recurring bit 41:55 - A gift 42:23 - Wait this possession deal is sick as hell 50:00 - Such a good vibe. Reminds me of some of the primary strengths I feel in the first dragon quest titles. That series has other strengths going on, but the idea of a story just trying to be solid or finding a sense of home and nostalgia with the simplicity therein- That. DQ has other stuff going on, between breaking expectations, to being the source of a lot of the 'overplayed' tropes because they originated or popularized the ideas that others would run with, and also can be put in its place for that same simplicity- but that sense of stable, comfortable, easy to consume story-tellin'. my own thread tying what you've concluded on Lodoss with my experiences with DQ aside- positively phenomenal work, Soberdwarf. Always a grand time, always excited to hear not only the direct history within the topics you cover, but your own excitement or interests in what you find. Thank you for sharin', and I hope you have a good day :)
@@SoberDwarf I couldn't be happier to provide then, it's mutual as hell I can assure you of that! I get hyped as heck whenever I see a new video drop, and even moreso when I find the time to finally watch em lol Still lookin' for time to watch the older ones I only ever podcasted in the past, some faves back there I need to dig up for sure. All said, thank you for sharin' in all these. You've got a fun as hell style, you tackle some extremely interesting topics that I don't see too often (or at all), and it's just plain old a good time hearin' what you find to say- have a good one (again) :)
Wow, cool! I just beat the Dreamcast game. I'm not really into anime, I just gave it a shot in an emulator a couple years ago, and loved the gameplay. I got about halfway through it before I got a PS5 and moved onto that for awhile. But then recently I picked up a Dreamcast and a GDEMU so I decided to restart it. I sort of vaguely knew there was an anime that the game was based on, but had no idea of its roots in a D&D campaign from the 80's. That's some cool shit. Thanks for the video!
Thank you for making this amazing video. I loved the anime as a kid and I love the story and lore of the series. I wish there were more adaptations since a lot of the novels/story have yet to be adapted. I do hope you make more videos around Lodoss War itself.
It's Lodoss like "low-dose" and shouldn't rhyme with BOSS lol. Any subbed ep or commercial about Lodoss will show that. Other than that, this video is PHENOMENAL.
I really loved the record of lodoss war as a teen, never knew it was "a thing" in Japan. I will go check the manga, but could you please remind me the name one more time? Lol
Well, if there's one thing you certainly accomplished with this piece, is sell me on The Lady of Pharis. I'm going to read that shit right now, it sounds so fucking good. Jokes aside (not really joking, though), great analysis. I've always wanted to know what other games were out there for Lodoss. I often regret not having the possiblity of playing those games growing up. It was a formative series in the Fantasy genre for me, growing up. And the history behind how Lodoss got created, seeing the face of Deedlit's player... amazing.
You noted both the Ikarugatroidvania and the Record of Rotoscope Walk-cycle, now we don’t need to make our own video about Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth now. Good job. EDIT: HEARTED OVER A YEAR LATER, BAYBEE~~
Love all your videos!!! You really get screwed over by TH-cam algorithms. I didn't see that this video had dropped and I have notifications on for your channel :(
I've been subbed to your channel for a couple years and the dreaded TH-cam Algorithm never gives me your feed. As much as that sucks I now have a year and a half of backlog videos I can watch now. Thank you for the content
The first anime I ever saw was the movie Venus Wars on the SciFi channel, but the first full series I saw was the Record of Lodoss War OVA. It doesn't have the greatest animation, story, or characters, but it does have a large nostalgia factor. As a result it's one of the few anime I own a physical copy of, sitting alongside classics like Cowboy Bebop. Interesting about the games, though. The only one I was even passingly familiar with was Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, which doesn't particularly appeal to me - so I never bought/played it. Kind of a shame the franchise didn't see any better or more faithful game* adaptations in the west, but not a surprise, given how infrequently I come across others who've read/seen it.
I've loved Lodoss War for a long time, it's still one of my main go to's for scratching that core fantasy itch. And anyone who knows the great truth that all D&D campaigns start out as Lodoss and end up as Slayers gets my upvote!
I find that if you say every possible pronunciation of a word, then you will eventually get it right and you will also get comments telling you got it wrong, which with the algorithm, is a win-win.
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth was my first entry into Lodoss and I feel your criticisms are unnecessarily harsh, it’s clearly a game intended for fans to coincide with the anniversary. I personally found the story compelling despite knowing practically nothing about the characters prior, and a lot of what supposedly didn’t make sense was explained by the end - particularly the emergence of previously dead characters.
It IS pretty weird that Lodoss War games over in the west haven't done the original story Like Dragonball's been keeping that gas lit for almost 40 years
This was all great information. But with that said the thing I absolutely hate the most is there's no way to legally read the manga or novels here in the U.S. The franchise is so underrated because it's not available. And yet we're getting flooded with stories about some schmo who gets hit by a truck getting sent to another world and becoming some sort of super powered god.
Great video. I thought that Lodoss was an anime on witch games were based on. I am happy to learn it is the opposite. I love RPG ans Lodoss first OVA. I have to try out those games😃
The characters Deedlit meets in The Wonder Labyrinth aren't real (except Sheru/Pirotess who is stuck in the Labyrinth with you). That's why there are characters who are dead and unknown or shouldn't be there. It is explained :(
Over 2 months later, and I _still_ wouldn't have known this video existed had I not been personally told about it. Thanks TH-cam, for ruining the point of subscriptions, simultaneously adding the bell to supposedly fix the issue they caused, and now invalidating even the bell's purpose.
You had to fight hard in the early days to get anime. I was going crazy in 1992 buying magazines like Newtype at Tower Records. I even bought my first Japanese language lesson book there to try and translate them. I had been into D&D 1st and 2nd edition by then and Lodoss hit all the key points. It wasn't till about 1995 before it was sent state side in subtitles and dubbed. I still have my VHS tapes. It's a perfect love letter to classic western fantasy with an eastern spin. I love you Japan! I'm glad when you mention the played-up Parn and Deedlit romance in the anime since there was no such element in the original campaign. Yeah, she was after his magical sword, and that's not a Freudian symbol!
There were already "replays" in the States before 'Critical Role', my dude: that's what 'Dragonlance' was. In *84* ,and it was made into a campaign setting in 87 by TSR. You also forgot 'Ultima Underworld' and you forgot 'Breath of Fire' by Capcom in 93.
Record of Agarest War own all edition except the anniversary (need to correct that). I still enjoy Lodess wars Anime (sadly don't think EU have optical disc release) and can sadly understand the gaming side is dead, at less in the West.
I mainly got to to help me learn Japanese, not so much to play. But from what I'm able to translate, it seems like a really good system if you're looking for something that is very reminiscent to an early D&D system without a lot of extra mechanics.
Personally, the easiest entry point is probably watching the OVA and then maybe branching off from there towards the mangas and books. As far as I know, there hasn't been a rerelease of the OVA since the Blu-Ray edition which has been out of print and it's hard to say if it'll get a rerelease anytime soon. The best option, if available in your area, is probably to watch it via the funimation website (it's free as of writing this) though you may need a VPN based on your location. www.funimation.com/v/the-record-of-lodoss-war/prologue-to-the-legend From there though, it gets harder to find things, though you can check Archive.org for older books and manga.
The OVA by itself is out of print on blu-ray, but the combo pack of the OVA (on Blu) and Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (on DVD) is still in print. Chronicles rewrites the back half of the OVA and then continues the story after that.
Ya, the main reason it probably didn't take off in the US is because (as you said) those bastards at the Sci-fi Channel never aired beyond the first 3 episodes of the OVA. So you had to hope a local place rented the VHS tapes (which is how I saw the other 10 episodes, thank you Hastings, RIP) or drop a tidy sum on the complete collection of tapes to see the rest of the OVA. *SPOILERS for Wonder Labyrinth:* I'm confused why you are ragging so hard on the inclusion of certain characters in Wonder Labyrinth. Are you trying to misdirect and not spoil the ending or did you genuinely not understand what was happening? The true nature of the labyrinth explains any inconsistencies. Unless, maybe they revised the ending since you played it in early access? I completed the finished game on PS4 recently. The story during the game is mostly cryptic nonsense, but the ending is a nice epilogue for those who have watched the Lodoss properties that have been released in the West. The time of the Six Heroes and the Demon King was 30 years before Record of Lodoss War and Deedlit was basically an adult for all of that time. So I don't understand why you think it is so absurd that Deedlit would of heard of the tale of the sacrifice of Flaus in that 30 year interim. There is even a minstrel that sings the tale of the Six Heroes during one of the episodes of the OVA. Deedlit also had the time between Record of Lodoss War and Wonder Labyrinth to learn more about her.
great review but incorrect pronunciation of Lodoss and all of the characters - all the Lodoss series should be viewed with original JP audio and english subtitles; it is a night and day comparison
I apologize that my use of pop-culture language in tongue-in-cheek tone was upsetting to you. While I can not retroactively make an change to the script after it is published; for future reference, what would you like me to call being unable to utilize fair use due to media conglomerates lobbying for oppressive copyright laws and disregarding the creative rights of individuals so they can illegally monetize and steal from smaller content creators who have no means or methods to afford to represent themselves legally, because they can intentionally grind said creators into poverty by attrition due with the money they have also illegally taken from other small content creators?
Oddly enough, whenever I see something about Lodoss, I feel a lot of nostalgia despite discovering this series recently. Whenever I hear it's music I feel like I'm truly going into some magic land far far away. I think this is why I love this series so much despite knowing so little about it, because it makes me feel heavily immersed in it's world.
I couldn't agree more. It's likely because the OVA has that 80s/90s vibe. Everything from the opening, animation style, art style, and ending scream retro 80s and 90s. My interest has rekindled after watching the OVA and replaying Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. The visuals in the opening really immerse me and make me feel like I am traveling to a different world.
Fun fact: Deedlit was the one who popularized the 'Elf with long ears' trope. Before Lodoss, Elves in anime/manga only have pointy ears just like in Tolkien's universe (Link from Zelda, for example). But after Lodoss OVA came out, Deedlit's popularity exploded (almost every volume of Newtype had her featured in one of the pin-up pages for years) and that set the standard of what Elf should look like to average anime/manga fans -- including the long ears.
This was confirmed during Lodoss's 30th anniversary live stream last year (or maybe in 2020, I can't really remember) -- the same live stream that announced Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth game.
I don't care what anyone says--those "kobolds" in episode 3 are DEFINITELY gnolls (:
That description from the 6 to 7 minute marks is exactly why I love The Record of Lodoss War. In fact I kinda wish there were more ‘generic fantasy’ cartoons/anime shows that doesn’t have that weird need to be a mmo video game or reincarnation trope.
I'm playing ROLW:Deedlit in wonder labyrinth. And that motivated me to look into its history. And oh my what a history. Gonna check out the ovas
Same here just beat it
As an european fan of Lodoss for 30+ years who got even less of the serie and history than you. I really love what you just have done with that Design Documentary! Thank you for your work!
Finally get more high quality SoberDwarf content and the lousy algorithm doesn't even inform me, despite being a subscriber for years. Here's my small contribution to help get people seeing this great video!
When I was young, I found the entire box set of the anime at a yard sale and it sparked an obsession
As a relatively new fan of the franchise it can't be nostalgia for me, but it's definitely the type of thing that triggers anemoia. The genre of art style, now so rare, that is steeped in thick papers and watercolor of traditional media and influenced by art nouveau (apart from Yuuki and Yamada I bunch in the likes of Ayami Kojima, Ayumi Kasai, Tomoe Kobayashi) and older fantasy illustration is what drew me to it and the bopping soundtracks and awesome matte paintings of the anime made me stay. Periodically Lodoss comes back to me and this time I ended up here. I learned a lot and I think I appreciate it even more now.
Considering it was largely Yamada's art that drew me to Lodoss (from 12 kingdoms) it really boggles the mind I hadn't read his manga until now! The flow between panels sometimes was a bit confusing, but the art is just godly.
Man i just finished watching your Lodoss War Retrospective !! I can't believe how you succeeded on adding so much information about this obscure (for the Western audiences) franchise in a less than a hour video 😁 Your documentaries are one of a kind and show how much you love videogames (manga , anime etc.) 👏 If helping other people learn about this franchise was one of your goals with this video , let me assure you that your mission is accomplished 👏👏 The freestyle ending just killed me 😂😂
Thank you!
@@SoberDwarf 😍😍
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (I love that game btw) was the kickstarter to make me look into Record of Lodoss War.
Oh boy that was a decision I don't regret. Thank you for expanding my knowledge of this series through this video!!
Also, I hope I have the chance of reading the Lady of Pharis one day
SoberDwarf we missed you 😭 Recently i had a talk about this franchise with a friend and today i saw your video in my notifications , perfect timing 😁
I am blown away from the quality of this video! the editing is superb!
It's been a great video! But I'd like to point two things out about Wonder Labyrinth just for the sake of it:
1- The polarity system actually comes from one of the first games made by Krobon/Ladybug - Synchronity Prologue, a Shin Megami Tensei fangame where you switch out Jack Frost (ice-wind element) and Pyro Jack (flame element, and also floats like Deedlit in wind mode)
2- If you want a metroidvania with the same vibrant vibes as Wonder Labyrinth with more backtracking aspects, try Pharaoh Rebirth: the story itself is linear, but the levels are self contained stages with lots of secrets requiring upgrades from future stages. And yes, it was made by the same guys before they were named Team Ladybug
Wow, didn't know that bit about Pharaoh Rebirth!
I remember, as a young tour guide, being introduced to Record of Lodoss War by an anime club I went to a handful of times. I loved it. It was cool to see a show with those strong D&D roots. It was icing on the cake when I learned it was based on an actual campaign. ;) I wish it got more attention in the States. I wonder if it would be different coming out today with D&D being more widely accepted.
I haven’t played any of the games based on it. It is a shame Wonder Labyrinth was a bit of a “betrayal” to the source material. I’ve been on the lookout for a good deal on the Dreamcast game since I learned of its existence. Poor Dreamcast Parn! Haha. That was quite the model. :P The Super Famicom game looks like one I’d be interested in too. It’s nice to see one more closely following the original story.
Thanks for the nostalgia trip, Sober. Great video! :) And even though the copyright claim system sucks, I appreciate the cover job for the video wrap up. Well done! ;)
Very few opportunities allow me to showcase my lyrical improvisation, but through struggles comes bravery.
I just found Lodoss. I'm writing a screenplay inspired partially by 'Demon Souls' art design, so I poked around and found some interviews with the creators of the Souls series. They mentioned Parn's armor was the basis for one of their character designs. I looked up the series on Amazon; the first episode was a pretty if vapid dungeon crawl, but I was STARVED for a cartoon that saluted its D&D roots.
Well I know what I’m watching for the next hour lol. Always glad to see more content from you man it’s so underrated! Keep up the great work
Hey SoberDwarf! I see you’re getting close to 10k man!
I hope you’ve been doing well for yourself and I enjoyed the vid. I’m amazed at how much your channel grew.
If you were to have told me 6 years ago I would have 10k subs on TH-cam, I would have laughed nervously and have said "Thank you for the confidence."
@@SoberDwarf I’m just glad that you’re finally getting the recognition that you deserve. You really do put a lot of heart and research into your videos.
The amount of detail, edits and knowledge poured into this video is amazing friend. Thank you for this. I really like the Switch game and needed to know all of this.
Awesome video! Let's spread the Lodoss love
Great video. I researched this 5 years ago and always wanted to make a panel about Ryo Mizuno on my local anime con. I'm glad someone else researched this and posted it on TH-cam. Great video.
FINALLY I have time to watch this, always excited for the chance to sit down for one of your retrospectives :)
2:40 on "Replays" - published retellings of DND games- Genuinely never heard of that and that is just interestin' as hell.
3:00 on the RABID popularity of a singular DND game - HOLY FUCK THAT'S SICK. I love the virality and rapid evolution of one DM's story and the collaborative story telling of their players.
5:25 on late stage capitalism bit - Common mistake, back to your Minky Mowse mines, video over.
11:10 Deedlit going full murder hobo and calling dibs on the sword- that's hilarious~
17:00 Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth - Ah, one of those more surface level fanservice games where it's not really trying to add much, just show some familiar faces and offer a pleasant time.
Sounds decent enough, especially for a fan wanting to have fun with some villains and characters they enjoy, but not 'deep'. Also fun reference fodder with the betrayal counter :P
17:20 - Lmao, but yeah it's an action figure toy. Mash fan favorites together I suppose.
21:50 - "It tries to improve on the genre in its own ways" is a sentence that makes me lean forward in my seat without fail, innovate! Surprise me!
And the IMMEDIATE follow of "It has a slightly adjustable camera" nearly dropped me from said seat, A+ holy hell lol
23:30 - @ "Disgae levels of damage" Well dang if that isn't an interesting direction for the game; The entire rune system is a neat take.
25:45 - I don't know why I find that so charming, but the opening FMV leaking the original titlecard really does bring me back.
27:26 - Peak voice acting, actually.
35:00 - Lol, seems 'quality'.
35:30 - Now THIS seems quality, love the hyped promotion of a personal fave of yours :P
41:22 - It's metal as Fahn you say? phenomenal time with this recurring bit
41:55 - A gift
42:23 - Wait this possession deal is sick as hell
50:00 - Such a good vibe. Reminds me of some of the primary strengths I feel in the first dragon quest titles.
That series has other strengths going on, but the idea of a story just trying to be solid or finding a sense of home and nostalgia with the simplicity therein- That.
DQ has other stuff going on, between breaking expectations, to being the source of a lot of the 'overplayed' tropes because they originated or popularized the ideas that others would run with, and also can be put in its place for that same simplicity- but that sense of stable, comfortable, easy to consume story-tellin'.
my own thread tying what you've concluded on Lodoss with my experiences with DQ aside- positively phenomenal work, Soberdwarf.
Always a grand time, always excited to hear not only the direct history within the topics you cover, but your own excitement or interests in what you find.
Thank you for sharin', and I hope you have a good day :)
I have to admit your reviews on my videos is one of the best things about making these!
@@SoberDwarf I couldn't be happier to provide then, it's mutual as hell I can assure you of that!
I get hyped as heck whenever I see a new video drop, and even moreso when I find the time to finally watch em lol
Still lookin' for time to watch the older ones I only ever podcasted in the past, some faves back there I need to dig up for sure.
All said, thank you for sharin' in all these. You've got a fun as hell style, you tackle some extremely interesting topics that I don't see too often (or at all), and it's just plain old a good time hearin' what you find to say- have a good one (again) :)
Great video! I love The Record of Lodoss War world!
This was an excellent, quality video. You deserve more attention my guy.
thank you for, if anything, giving the fanbase the best iteration of Alesso e Fortuna the series has ever seen.
Wow, cool! I just beat the Dreamcast game. I'm not really into anime, I just gave it a shot in an emulator a couple years ago, and loved the gameplay. I got about halfway through it before I got a PS5 and moved onto that for awhile. But then recently I picked up a Dreamcast and a GDEMU so I decided to restart it. I sort of vaguely knew there was an anime that the game was based on, but had no idea of its roots in a D&D campaign from the 80's. That's some cool shit. Thanks for the video!
Sober dwarf: *mentions Dragonlance*
Your honor, I wish to have my comment stricken from the record.
Shouts in blue hair: “OBJECTION!”
Thank you for making this amazing video. I loved the anime as a kid and I love the story and lore of the series. I wish there were more adaptations since a lot of the novels/story have yet to be adapted.
I do hope you make more videos around Lodoss War itself.
Totally missed this! The betrayal counter made me crack up lol
It's Lodoss like "low-dose" and shouldn't rhyme with BOSS lol. Any subbed ep or commercial about Lodoss will show that. Other than that, this video is PHENOMENAL.
I really loved the record of lodoss war as a teen, never knew it was "a thing" in Japan. I will go check the manga, but could you please remind me the name one more time? Lol
Loved the Dreamcast game. The plate boots were so loud I had to turn my volume down when playing as to not disturb or wake the folks. 😂
I never knew thats how Record of Lodoss got started.
cool vid, thank you kind player for your roleplay !!
Not gonna lie, but I had NO idea where you were going with the FF/ DQ/ Ultima etc intro but 5 minutes later SO glad you did lol
Man I feel dirty after hearing that nerdgasm lol
Well, if there's one thing you certainly accomplished with this piece, is sell me on The Lady of Pharis. I'm going to read that shit right now, it sounds so fucking good.
Jokes aside (not really joking, though), great analysis. I've always wanted to know what other games were out there for Lodoss. I often regret not having the possiblity of playing those games growing up. It was a formative series in the Fantasy genre for me, growing up. And the history behind how Lodoss got created, seeing the face of Deedlit's player... amazing.
You noted both the Ikarugatroidvania and the Record of Rotoscope Walk-cycle, now we don’t need to make our own video about Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth now. Good job.
EDIT: HEARTED OVER A YEAR LATER, BAYBEE~~
Editing removes the heart?!
@@gametapefriendsonline Apparently does
Love all your videos!!! You really get screwed over by TH-cam algorithms. I didn't see that this video had dropped and I have notifications on for your channel :(
awesome awesome video
gonna check out lodoss war some day soon
I've been subbed to your channel for a couple years and the dreaded TH-cam Algorithm never gives me your feed. As much as that sucks I now have a year and a half of backlog videos I can watch now. Thank you for the content
Always worth the wait! 😎👍
That singing at the end... if I could like the video twice, I would.
The first anime I ever saw was the movie Venus Wars on the SciFi channel, but the first full series I saw was the Record of Lodoss War OVA. It doesn't have the greatest animation, story, or characters, but it does have a large nostalgia factor. As a result it's one of the few anime I own a physical copy of, sitting alongside classics like Cowboy Bebop.
Interesting about the games, though. The only one I was even passingly familiar with was Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, which doesn't particularly appeal to me - so I never bought/played it. Kind of a shame the franchise didn't see any better or more faithful game* adaptations in the west, but not a surprise, given how infrequently I come across others who've read/seen it.
3:49 In America and the UK sure. Outside, countries like Brazil, France and Italy caught the anime fever in the 70z
The publisher that published that last Lodoss war game approached me recently, wish me luck
I've loved Lodoss War for a long time, it's still one of my main go to's for scratching that core fantasy itch. And anyone who knows the great truth that all D&D campaigns start out as Lodoss and end up as Slayers gets my upvote!
Just came across your channel while searching for Lodoss content! Great work, excited to watch more. 💙
I like how you pronounce it both Lode-OSS and Lodus.
As if, subconsciously, you know you're incorrect. But you just can't decide on it.
I find that if you say every possible pronunciation of a word, then you will eventually get it right and you will also get comments telling you got it wrong, which with the algorithm, is a win-win.
@@SoberDwarf No doubt, its the same result in the end haha
Thank you youtube for straight up not telling about this video despite me being subscribed.
I actually liked your song 😆
Clicking like because of his song at the end....and I agree TH-cam is pure EVIL, i mean, dumb... 😓
Had to sub and leave a comment just for the singing alone lol.
I actually literally just finished the OVA and pre-ordered Deedlit Wonder-Labyrinth
Just in case anyone needs the info, "Legend of Crystania", is a spin off of Lodoss war.
Loved the singing!
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth was my first entry into Lodoss and I feel your criticisms are unnecessarily harsh, it’s clearly a game intended for fans to coincide with the anniversary. I personally found the story compelling despite knowing practically nothing about the characters prior, and a lot of what supposedly didn’t make sense was explained by the end - particularly the emergence of previously dead characters.
I have and love the Dreamcast game, my actual introduction to this franchise was actually the Knights of the Round Table AMV back in the mid 2000s 😅
I love the Dreamcast game also, I have 2 copies of it.
It IS pretty weird that Lodoss War games over in the west haven't done the original story
Like Dragonball's been keeping that gas lit for almost 40 years
Can't wait for the next video!
This was all great information. But with that said the thing I absolutely hate the most is there's no way to legally read the manga or novels here in the U.S. The franchise is so underrated because it's not available. And yet we're getting flooded with stories about some schmo who gets hit by a truck getting sent to another world and becoming some sort of super powered god.
The sega CD one is a very fun title, gameplay is similar to Shining Force and its pretty fun
Great video. I thought that Lodoss was an anime on witch games were based on. I am happy to learn it is the opposite. I love RPG ans Lodoss first OVA. I have to try out those games😃
Alright I played the shining force games and I thought, "Damn this is familiar" Good to know I wasn't losing my mind.
The characters Deedlit meets in The Wonder Labyrinth aren't real (except Sheru/Pirotess who is stuck in the Labyrinth with you). That's why there are characters who are dead and unknown or shouldn't be there. It is explained :(
34:38 yeaaaaah!
Hi im New to this channel. Your video is fun and infomative keep going. Cheers
I'd love a Lodoss War using the BG3 engine
So I'm getting the vibes that I should read this Mystic Ark spinoff manga?
If someone didn't tell you already, the picture you used for Hiroshi Yamamoto is not him
Thank you for that amazing video
Thank you for the amazing comment.
Imagine if you will a Record of Lodoss War "Warriors" game.
IE: a Dynasty Warriors style game with a Record of Lodoss War skin.
Thank you for your hard work!
Thank you for the comment! It's really appreciated!
I was really feeling where the Super Famicon battle theme was going, then it was nowhere.
Also, anyone have a strange urge to read Lady of Pharis?
Over 2 months later, and I _still_ wouldn't have known this video existed had I not been personally told about it. Thanks TH-cam, for ruining the point of subscriptions, simultaneously adding the bell to supposedly fix the issue they caused, and now invalidating even the bell's purpose.
You had to fight hard in the early days to get anime. I was going crazy in 1992 buying magazines like Newtype at Tower Records. I even bought my first Japanese language lesson book there to try and translate them. I had been into D&D 1st and 2nd edition by then and Lodoss hit all the key points. It wasn't till about 1995 before it was sent state side in subtitles and dubbed. I still have my VHS tapes. It's a perfect love letter to classic western fantasy with an eastern spin. I love you Japan!
I'm glad when you mention the played-up Parn and Deedlit romance in the anime since there was no such element in the original campaign. Yeah, she was after his magical sword, and that's not a Freudian symbol!
Fucking loved this series
Only picked up on it a couple years ago though I'd heard the opening a bit before that
There were already "replays" in the States before 'Critical Role', my dude: that's what 'Dragonlance' was. In *84* ,and it was made into a campaign setting in 87 by TSR.
You also forgot 'Ultima Underworld' and you forgot 'Breath of Fire' by Capcom in 93.
Record lodoss war save the fantasy. While rest going for the cyberpunk theme.
As a Goblin player, this series makes me kinda sad.
Record of Agarest War own all edition except the anniversary (need to correct that).
I still enjoy Lodess wars Anime (sadly don't think EU have optical disc release) and can sadly understand the gaming side is dead, at less in the West.
So what do you think of the Sword World tabletop game?
I mainly got to to help me learn Japanese, not so much to play. But from what I'm able to translate, it seems like a really good system if you're looking for something that is very reminiscent to an early D&D system without a lot of extra mechanics.
@@SoberDwarf Thanks for the reply. Have a nice day.
How can you get into the series? Where do you start? I’ve looked for years but stuff is hard to find in the US.
Personally, the easiest entry point is probably watching the OVA and then maybe branching off from there towards the mangas and books.
As far as I know, there hasn't been a rerelease of the OVA since the Blu-Ray edition which has been out of print and it's hard to say if it'll get a rerelease anytime soon. The best option, if available in your area, is probably to watch it via the funimation website (it's free as of writing this) though you may need a VPN based on your location.
www.funimation.com/v/the-record-of-lodoss-war/prologue-to-the-legend
From there though, it gets harder to find things, though you can check Archive.org for older books and manga.
The OVA by itself is out of print on blu-ray, but the combo pack of the OVA (on Blu) and Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (on DVD) is still in print. Chronicles rewrites the back half of the OVA and then continues the story after that.
where the heck can you buy the novels?
So... Is the Lady of Pharisa good read??
I heard someone say it's alright a few times I think.
Deedlist is 80% reused engine from tohou luna nights
24:19 runescape healthbars
When is the next video?
It's "Megami Tensei" but pass for the great research and editing
Ya, the main reason it probably didn't take off in the US is because (as you said) those bastards at the Sci-fi Channel never aired beyond the first 3 episodes of the OVA. So you had to hope a local place rented the VHS tapes (which is how I saw the other 10 episodes, thank you Hastings, RIP) or drop a tidy sum on the complete collection of tapes to see the rest of the OVA.
*SPOILERS for Wonder Labyrinth:* I'm confused why you are ragging so hard on the inclusion of certain characters in Wonder Labyrinth. Are you trying to misdirect and not spoil the ending or did you genuinely not understand what was happening? The true nature of the labyrinth explains any inconsistencies. Unless, maybe they revised the ending since you played it in early access? I completed the finished game on PS4 recently. The story during the game is mostly cryptic nonsense, but the ending is a nice epilogue for those who have watched the Lodoss properties that have been released in the West.
The time of the Six Heroes and the Demon King was 30 years before Record of Lodoss War and Deedlit was basically an adult for all of that time. So I don't understand why you think it is so absurd that Deedlit would of heard of the tale of the sacrifice of Flaus in that 30 year interim. There is even a minstrel that sings the tale of the Six Heroes during one of the episodes of the OVA. Deedlit also had the time between Record of Lodoss War and Wonder Labyrinth to learn more about her.
Keep making videos
You guys barely discovered this in Crunchyroll
This doesn't appear in the sub box.
TH-cam being youtube I guess.
Same here dude
Yeah, from what I gather TH-cam only sent it to about half the people who actually subbed. Some didn't even get the bell.
great review but incorrect pronunciation of Lodoss and all of the characters - all the Lodoss series should be viewed with original JP audio and english subtitles; it is a night and day comparison
You had me interested until you said "late stage capitalism."
I apologize that my use of pop-culture language in tongue-in-cheek tone was upsetting to you. While I can not retroactively make an change to the script after it is published; for future reference, what would you like me to call being unable to utilize fair use due to media conglomerates lobbying for oppressive copyright laws and disregarding the creative rights of individuals so they can illegally monetize and steal from smaller content creators who have no means or methods to afford to represent themselves legally, because they can intentionally grind said creators into poverty by attrition due with the money they have also illegally taken from other small content creators?
@@SoberDwarf you had us until you apologized, then you had us again.
seems like all these Lodoss games copied another game at the time, Ogre Battle, Diablo, Castlevania... this is weird lol
Lodoss War was a superior product compared to Rings of Power. I hope they leave this one alone
I love Lodoss, and have since I was 9. I was set to settle in for the next hour for your video, but you lost me with your commie bs.
"Commie BS" because I complained about Content ID? Okay dude, your loss.
A man