Arc the Lad

Alternate Titles: アークザラッド

Original Japanese Release Date: April 5th, 1999

Episode Length/Run-time: 26 Episodes

Summary:

Based after the Playstation RPG Arc the Lad Collections, this anime follows the story of Arc and Elf as they battle to take down the secret organization White House which is striving to research how to transform people into mutated killing machines known as Chimera.

Review:

I watched this anime back in the day because the Playstation game is quite good and one of my favorites.  It follows largely the exact same story as the game but isn’t nearly as good.  The story takes place in a semi-futuristic, somewhat cliche RPG  setting, filled with airships, magic, monsters and adventure.   The characters also ooze RPG as there is a beastmaster, a couple swordsmen, mages, airship pilots, ninjas etc…

The characters in the anime aren’t nearly as good as the game.  Pretty much only Elk gets a solid backstory, which is thankful because he  is at the crux of the story driven drama in the series.  He is the source of the dramatic climax in the middle of the series.  I remember seeing the scene I am referencing.  I was sleeping in my dorm room in college and just sat straight up in bed, awoken from sleep because the scene was so intense.  Good stuff.  It’s a shame though that the other characters don’t get much focus, especially Arc and Lieze, since they DO have backstory, it’s just not presented in this format.  Also, in the anime, Arc is so  ridiculously overpowered that he really takes the tension out of situations that could be otherwise treacherous.

The animation and art in the show is very average.  It’s watchable but for a show that is essentially full of fighting, I don’t really feel like the show has adequate animation.  The character designs were more agreeable than the animation.  They did a decent job, compared to the game.  One area that the show really lacks aesthetically is the music.  This anime has a terrible opening video to accompany the classic theme song from the game.  Sad day.

All in all, Arc the Lad is a watchable anime series.  Especially if you played the game or if you like RPG style settings.  If you enjoyed Tears to Tiara, or Record of Lodoss War, you might have a better chance of enjoying this series.  Just don’t let the anime reflect poorly on the game, it’s much better.

[starrater]