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The Heroic Legend of Arslan
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Average Rating:  out of 47 Reviews
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Price: $79.95
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Sale: $39.57
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Manufacturer: Us Manga Corps Video
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UPC (Universal Product Code): 719987174726
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EAN (European Article Number): 9786305262152
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Number of Items: 2
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Description: Based on a series of fantasy novels by Yoshiki Tanaka, The Heroic Legend of Arslan is a rambling sword-and-sorcery epic set in a fictionalized version of ancient Persia. The various segments were released over years of troubled production, and shifts in the creative team resulted in uneven animation. When the kingdom of Palse is attacked by neighboring Lusitania, Arislan finds himself a fugitive, aided by a few loyal subjects. Is he the rightful heir to the throne or is he the son of a murderous usurper, as Silver Mask insists? The fate of the kingdom seesaws for nearly four hours, only to end on a cliffhanger. At the request of the Japanese producers, the names of the principle characters change during the saga--Arislan becomes Arslan; Pharangese, Farangis, etc., which confuses matters further. The vocal cast speaks in British accents that soon cloy, and the dialogue differs wildly from the subtitles, which are apparently closer to the original Japanese. When Pharangese, the priestess of Misra, discusses Narsus's strategy with the bandit Arfurido, she says, "Perhaps he needs to be free from distraction so he can concentrate on finding a new solution to the old problems." The subtitles read, "Perhaps he'll get swept up in the glory of conquest." Arslan boasts handsomely rendered backgrounds that freely mix Moghul, Babylonian, Romanesque, and Byzantine architecture. But the inconclusive ending will frustrate American viewers unfamiliar with the continuing saga in the novels. "Parental discretion advised": suitable for ages 14 and older; considerable violence. --Charles Solomon
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: The Heroic Legend of Arslan |
Date: 2008-02-19 |
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Details: As an unnaturally heavy mist descends on the battlefield, King Andragoras and his most valued officers confer among the bodies of dead and dying soldiers. When Daryoon, a young but highly skilled officer, voices his reluctance to send men into battle under these conditions, the king, unstable and enraged, banishes him. Now, Daryoon's new mission is to insure the safety of the King's only son, Prince Arislan. Daryoon and Prince Arislan set off on a quest of their own, but they can't succeed alone. They must convince both the Lord Narsus and his companion, the archer Elam, to join them in their quest to somehow help the soldiers win the war. Now a group of only six they must somehow overcome an enemy of 300,000 soldiers! These unlikely soldiers have fate on their side, so anything can happen! |
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Review Summary: Incomplete, but good up until the cutoff end |
Date: 2006-06-03 |
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Details: Arslan is a very beautiful, and interesting work. I have no knowledge of the manga, and I did not think following along was too difficult. It probably would have gotten 4, maybe even 5 stars, if it was a complete work. It has the same, "It would suck if it ends here" feeling found in Halo 2. Given it's age, I highly doubt it will be completed, which is a shame. |
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Review Summary: Elegant, if incomplete, work |
Date: 2005-07-26 |
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Details: Sitting through it can be agonizing, especially for anyone unfamiliar with the original novel series. This anime was not meant to replace the series, it was meant to compliment it. However, if you have a sense of humor, you can make it through and enjoy it. Viewers should be cautioned against the dub which is, unfortunately, over-acted to the point of irritation.
Arslan does not lack for talent. Norihiro Tsuru, who worked on "Mermaid Forest" and "Mermaid Scar", composes a lovely, Orientale-flaired orchestral score for the soundtrack that bumbles along jovially for the movie's many travelling moments. The ending themes are sweet, with a folksong or ballad type lilt to them. The (original) voice cast overall give good performances, but I would note especially the inclusion of the late Shiozawa Kaneto, famed for his aristocratic roles Iason in "Ai no Kusabi" and Larva in "Vampire Princess Miyu", as Narcissus/Narcasse. Any retro anime fan should find this anime to be worth collecting.
Sachiko Kamimura was responsible for most of the character designs. The anime has a clean, dream-like look to it, with many characters having a wind-swept look to them. Creative direction is taken, with swirling birds-eye-view shots and what-not. Beautiful landscapes and buildings - especially night desert scenes.
The acting is solid, the casting on target, the sound editing sufficient and the score charming. The animation is generally clean, and the designs have received rave reviews (Sachiko's artbooks for Arslan sell well and are hard to find). What went wrong?
Well, that's just it. Nothing else went on. The story is a concoction of succession politics and prophecy, filled in by the nearly-pastoral wanderings of an idealistic young prince and his band of exiled followers, whose jaded world outlook might just be tempted to embrace the world again for the sake of this one, shining little prince charming.
A great novel series, I'm sure, but for a movie the plot needs to be simplified, and it isn't. Instead, we get a fraction of a much longer tale which ambles at a slow, almost meditative pace for about four hours. That's a long chunk of time which could have been dedicated to explain backstory, establish relationships, develop characters and flesh out turns in the plot. A near excessive amount of time is spent admiring landscape, cities, and other elements of the setting. Since we're dealing with historical fiction, that makes some sense, but there's no energy to this method.
Even if Arslan lacks the vitality to stand on its own, I find the artwork enchanting. Indeed, the endless scenery clips which irritated me so much while I was searching for story were endeared to me when I watched them individually - but not in sequence. |
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Review Summary: Great for an incomplete piece of art |
Date: 2005-06-16 |
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Details: The only thing that I wish they would do is finish the series. It leaves off at a point that is nowhere close to ending, but the series showed a lot of promise. The character development isn't too rushed, and the plot seemed pretty good after watching both HLoA and Age of Heroes.
The king doesn't die. I watched the offical subtitled version, and they never talk about him dying. They say that he was captured and disappeared, but never died.
*spoiler*
In fact, they show Andragoras being tortured several times, and then he escapes with his wife by taking Giskarl captive. He breaks free of the chains by pouring soup, sweat, and blood on the same spot of the chains for something like 6 months, which rusted the chains, allowing him to break them. |
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Review Summary: Anime itself is incomplete unless you read original story |
Date: 2005-03-05 |
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Details: To fully understand the anime version, you gotta read original story. However, as far as I know, there is no English translation of the story; I read Japanese original, because I have Japanese proficiency. Original novel is one of my favorites, but anime isn't.
The anime version is very(and way too much) summarized version of original story(which hasn't been concluded yet; damn, it took 8 years for release of 10th volume from 9th volume), and the anime was ceased halfway of original story.
(Comment to reviewer below: Arslan's father King didn't die at the point. Fade-out doesn't always mean death of character.)
Anime itself is featured by beautiful arts and musics, but storyline is a bit perfunctory to appeal to those who haven't read original. |
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