Ask John: What Are Some Good Recent High Fantasy Anime?

Question:
When I started anime collecting I was a huge fan on Record of Lodoss War and collected every bit of anime, even the spin off stuff and its sequel TV series. It seems the shoes it left have yet to be filled. What good sword and sorcery anime has been released in the last 5 years that’s worth collecting or comes close to the fantastic work done on Record of Lodoss War saga? Is there still hope that the Lodoss series will continue in anime ever again?

Answer:
Sword and sorcery anime are not especially uncommon, but they’re also not one of anime’s most popular and most represented genres. I haven’t thoroughly watched every entry from the past five years, but I have at least sampled episodes of every sword and sorcery anime since 2004. I’m not particularly a devoted fan of high fantasy, so my own interests may not coincide with those of anyone else. But I do think I can provide a summary of recent sword and sorcery anime and nominate some of the best contemporary examples.

It will be helpful to initially narrow the nominees. Series including Kyou Kara Maoh, Grenadier, Sisters of Wellber, Utawarerumono, Juushin Enbu, Fullmetal Alchemist, Blue Dragon, Makai Senki Disgaea, Legend of Duo, and Otogi Jushi Akazukin may technically constitute sword and sorcery anime, but these shows bear little resemblance to the Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons inspired atmosphere of Lodoss War. What remains are the titles which progressively come closer to the tone and style of serious high fantasy like Lodoss War and its sequel Legend of Crystania.

Izumo: Takeki Tsurugi no Senki and Shining Tears X Wind are entries in the “Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” milieu – stories about contemporary teens teleported to alternate sword & sorcery worlds. The especially uninspired Izumo TV series has already sunk into obscurity, despite being only four years old. Shining Tears has fared slightly better, but it’s not an especially better show.

Bouken Ou Beet, MÄR -Heaven-, Deltora Quest, and the Brave Story motion picture are shounen anime, specifically meaning that they are anime targeted at preadolescent boys. That’s not to say that they’re bad. I only make the distinction to explain that these titles aren’t as serious and weighty as Lodoss War, which skews toward a slightly older audience. Viewers looking for serious, gritty, and dramatic fantasy may find all four of these titles a bit too lightweight to be fully satisfying.

Master of Epic, Slayers Revolution, World Destruction, Arad Senki, Maple Story, Prism Ark, and Tower of Druaga are all sword and sorcery comedies. These shows typically do share many characteristics with Lodoss War, including swordplay, elves, orcs, mages and wizards, epic quests, and threats to the stability of the world. Except these shows – with the exception of Master of Epic, which is a very funny outright parody of fantasy role playing video games – imbue their fantasy stories with slapstick comedy. For example, if Lodoss War with a sense of humor sounds interesting, Tower of Druaga is precisely what you’re looking for.

The recently concluded Tales of the Abyss RPG adaptation approaches high fantasy with a contemporary perspective, merging traditional fantasy with sci-fi elements in the same way the Final Fantasy game franchise is known to do.

The current Tears to Tiara television series may not be consistently quite as dramatic as Lodoss War, and it’s certainly not as violent as Crystania, but it does seem to be one of the most serious and straightforward high fantasy anime Japan has turned out in recent years.

Seirei no Moribito takes a distinctly Asian perspective on traditional swords and sorcery, so fans of stereotypically Western Dragonlance and Lord of the Rings styled fantasy may find it difficult to warm to. However, viewers willing to immerse themselves in the show will be amply rewarded by its amazing characters, action, and story development.

Sorcery takes a cameo role in Claymore and Queen’s Blade, allowing sword play and monsters to take center stage. Claymore is thought of as the bishoujo Berserk for valid reason. Queen’s Blade often seems like just a context for gratuitous nudity and sexual innuendo, but there’s also enough legitimate fantasy element present to possibly interest fantasy fans. Neither of these series are Lodoss, but in different respects, both are worth at least sampling.

I’m not an ardent high fantasy fan, so the fact that I’ve recently become addicted to the currently airing Guin Saga television series means that the show is highly addicting, and may or may not be rewarding for devoted fantasy fans. I enjoy Guin Saga immensely because it’s an outstanding, engrossing fantasy epic. However, viewers more intimately familiar with high fantasy and its conventions may find the show too similar or too heavily beholden to other fantasy epics like Robert E. Howard’s Conan and Kull.

Finally, I’d like to append three additional recent titles that depict the sword and sorcery setting with an alternate approach. Ged Senki, Wolf & Spice, and Kemono no Souja Erin concentrate on the lives of ordinary people living within worlds characterized by magic, dragons, and sword swinging heroes. Studio Ghibli’s Ged Senki is often victimized by excessively harsh criticism just because it’s not a Hayao Miyazaki picture. The movie is not perfect, but it’s also not the unmitigated disaster that countless critics seemingly want it to be. Wolf & Spice is as much if not more a character relationship drama than a fantasy story. Viewers interested in immersing themselves into a medieval society will find Wolf & Spice ideal. Kemono no Souja Erin has been, so far, plagued by excessive flashbacks and recycled animation and a glacial pace. But it’s also an engrossing and fascinating look into the daily routines of a medieval fantasy world with more obvious fantasy trappings than Wolf & Spice.