lastblossom reviewed Record of Lodoss War by Ryo Mizuno
Accessible for newcomers and longtime fans of the franchise. An intriguing intro to another adventure in Lodoss featuring a (mostly) new cast.
The original Record of Lodoss War franchise is considered a classic amongst anime fans (the artist of this manga even notes what a huge influence the series was on them). So how does this continuation hold up all these years later? Honestly? Pretty well. Fans of the original will likely be holding their breath to see Deedlit again, but the new characters all look very promising, and the storyline is an interesting one. We've got our usual tabletop-inspired party going on a quest, but the political twists and turns are what hooked me. The incredibly risky play that the siblings are making has me on the edge of my seat. The original story is covered in brief summaries for newcomers to follow along. It all moves pretty quickly, so newcomers have a bit of catching up, but shouldn't be lost overall. Art is attractive, with nicely balanced inks and tones, …
The original Record of Lodoss War franchise is considered a classic amongst anime fans (the artist of this manga even notes what a huge influence the series was on them). So how does this continuation hold up all these years later? Honestly? Pretty well. Fans of the original will likely be holding their breath to see Deedlit again, but the new characters all look very promising, and the storyline is an interesting one. We've got our usual tabletop-inspired party going on a quest, but the political twists and turns are what hooked me. The incredibly risky play that the siblings are making has me on the edge of my seat. The original story is covered in brief summaries for newcomers to follow along. It all moves pretty quickly, so newcomers have a bit of catching up, but shouldn't be lost overall. Art is attractive, with nicely balanced inks and tones, and some really lovely use of lighting with Deedlit's scenes. This book is clearly for longtime fans, but newcomers looking for a fantasy adventure with some political intrigue will have a good time here too.
Thanks to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.