Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch Vol. 1by Jen BomfordReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk.
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Credits Grade: 7 If you are a fan of Dungeons & Dragons and/or Dragonlance, this is the manga series for you. It will all feel very familiar to you — there are elves, dwarves, ogres, dark elves, and all the other standards of this style of fantasy. There is a damsel in distress and a corrupt Emperor seeking to take over the island of Lodoss. There is a party of companions, all fitting perfectly into the D&D formula: Parn, the hotheaded human warrior with something to prove; Deedlit, a strong if somewhat naive High Elf; Slayn, a very cool and wise sorceror; Etoh, an earnest young priest; Ghim, a grizzled old dwarf; and Woodchuck, a clever thief.Lodoss is the creation of Ryo Mizuno and has been spun into anime, novels, games, and more. It is easy to see why it is so loved by fantasy fans. While the political intrigue and history is all quite simple, it is detailed, and there is plenty of magic and swordplay. The humour is mild and harmless. Ochi's artwork is charming and highly-detailed; it has a somewhat old-fashioned look, relying more on inking than on screentones for shading. For all of that, it is not like this kind of story can really become dated. The character designs are round-nosed and cute, though there is a good variation between characters — young round-faced Parn is easily distinguished from tall, gaunt Slayn, for example. Volume 1 is, just as the title suggests, where the companions meet and agree to journey together. War is coming to Lodoss; there are dark things happening, dark creatures appearing, and Parn wants desperately to fight. Each of them has a reason to join in on the journey, and by the end of the volume they have already fought together and cleared their first obstacles. Unlike some fantasy series, the pace is reasonably swift here. For a nice easy read with plenty of action, might and magic, this is a great series. Every once in a while a break from anti-heroes and ambivalence is in order, and this is a wonderful way to get back to heroes and villains, good versus evil. And it is rare fun to see the type of adventures one role-plays unfold on the page of a good manga. Written: May 21, 2002
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