Ruccus
09-15-05, 12:14 PM
I was in Futureshop (Canada's version of Best Buy) on Tuesday trying to get a copy of Cowboy Bebop Remix Volume 1, but unfortunately it looks like we won't get it up here until next week (found it was the same with the GitS:SAC disks - they arrive up here a week after the stated release date), when I noticed a thinpack complete collection for Rune Soldier. Six disks, 24 episodes (that's 600 minutes of anime), for under $40.
I hummed and hawed a bit because I don't like buying anime without first checking it out thoroughly, but I remembered the trailer for Rune Soldier on one of my other disks and enjoyed it (it had a catchy theme song), and I thought '24 episodes for under $40? That's a damned good deal for anime'. I bought it and I'm glad I did, because it's a light-hearted, funny show that's well worth the price.
The setup is that three female adventurers (an amazon warrior, a thief, and a priestess) are in need of a magician to open a sealed tomb, so they go to try and find a female magician to join their party. Unfortunately all the other magicians in the city are more interested in reading books than adventuring, and Louie the magician is the only one who will go on the adventure with them. The problem is that because Louie wants to adventure rather than study and read, he's a really bad magician. He tries to do the right thing, but he just doesn't think before he actually takes action (like mixing up a paralyzing crystal and an exploding crystal, or trying to cast a sleep spell on zombies), so the results are usually less than stellar.
While the group could have easily dumped him, things get more complicated when the priestess is told by her god that Louie is her valiant champion and that she must follow him and help him on his adventures. She is terrified by the thought of Louie as her champion (she imagined a valiant knight in shining armour, not a magician who enjoys running headfirst into battle with fists flailing) but she obeys her god and follows Louie, all the while praying 'This is against my will, this is against my will, this is totally against my will!' The fact that she follows him even though she knows he's going to get them into trouble (Louie just can't help it) is another funny aspect. When he shows flashes of true heroism, they're usually tempered by either how he performed his heroics, or that he was the one responsible for creating the situation in the first place. But with Melissa tied to Louie by the order of her god (totally against her will, of course), the rest have little choice but to accept Louie as the fourth member of their group.
The english voice cast is excellent, and in an anime like this where jokes are thrown around and a stale performance can ruin the whole thing, it's nice to see that everyone brought their A game. If you want a fantasy adventure series with good characters, a good sense of humour, and the ocassional touch of seriousness, Rune Soldier would be an excellent choice.
I hummed and hawed a bit because I don't like buying anime without first checking it out thoroughly, but I remembered the trailer for Rune Soldier on one of my other disks and enjoyed it (it had a catchy theme song), and I thought '24 episodes for under $40? That's a damned good deal for anime'. I bought it and I'm glad I did, because it's a light-hearted, funny show that's well worth the price.
The setup is that three female adventurers (an amazon warrior, a thief, and a priestess) are in need of a magician to open a sealed tomb, so they go to try and find a female magician to join their party. Unfortunately all the other magicians in the city are more interested in reading books than adventuring, and Louie the magician is the only one who will go on the adventure with them. The problem is that because Louie wants to adventure rather than study and read, he's a really bad magician. He tries to do the right thing, but he just doesn't think before he actually takes action (like mixing up a paralyzing crystal and an exploding crystal, or trying to cast a sleep spell on zombies), so the results are usually less than stellar.
While the group could have easily dumped him, things get more complicated when the priestess is told by her god that Louie is her valiant champion and that she must follow him and help him on his adventures. She is terrified by the thought of Louie as her champion (she imagined a valiant knight in shining armour, not a magician who enjoys running headfirst into battle with fists flailing) but she obeys her god and follows Louie, all the while praying 'This is against my will, this is against my will, this is totally against my will!' The fact that she follows him even though she knows he's going to get them into trouble (Louie just can't help it) is another funny aspect. When he shows flashes of true heroism, they're usually tempered by either how he performed his heroics, or that he was the one responsible for creating the situation in the first place. But with Melissa tied to Louie by the order of her god (totally against her will, of course), the rest have little choice but to accept Louie as the fourth member of their group.
The english voice cast is excellent, and in an anime like this where jokes are thrown around and a stale performance can ruin the whole thing, it's nice to see that everyone brought their A game. If you want a fantasy adventure series with good characters, a good sense of humour, and the ocassional touch of seriousness, Rune Soldier would be an excellent choice.