Record of Lodoss War explained

Record of Lodoss War
Ja Kanji:ロードス島戦記
Ja Romaji:Rōdosu-tō Senki
Genre:Sword and sorcery[1]
Type:novel series
Record of Lodoss War RPG Replay
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Yutaka Izubuchi
Retsu Tateo (The Wandering Nobleman’s Endless Journey Home)
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Male
Magazine:Comptiq
Imprint:Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
First:September 1986
Last:September 1989
Volumes:3 + 2 extra
Volume List:
  1. Replays
Type:novel series
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Yutaka Izubuchi
Masato Natsumoto (The Black Knight second edition)
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Male
Imprint:Kadokawa Bunko (first edition, first volume only)
Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
First:April 10, 1988
Last:March 27, 1993
Volumes:7 + 2 side stories
Volume List:
  1. Novels
Record of Lodoss War
Record of Lodoss War - Fuku Zinduke
Record of Lodoss War - Haiiro No Majio
Record of Lodoss War 2 - Goshiki No Maryu
Record of Lodoss War
Record of Lodoss War
Record of Lodoss War: Eiyuu Kishiden

Record of Lodoss War: Successor of the Legend
Record of Lodoss War Online

Released:1988, 1991, 1991/1992, 1992/1994, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2012, 2016, 2021
Genre:RPG
Platforms:(PC 98) (1988)
(X68000) (1991, 1992)
(PC Engine) (1992, 1994)
(Mega-CD) (1994)
(SFC/SNES) (1995)
(Game Boy Color) (1998)
(Dreamcast) (2000)
(Web browser) (2012)
(PC) (2016, 2021)
Type:ova
Music:Mitsuo Hagita
Studio:Madhouse
First:June 30, 1990
Last:November 20, 1991
Runtime:25-30 minutes
Episodes:13
Episode List:List of Record of Lodoss War episodes#Record of Lodoss War (1990)
Type:manga
The Lady of Pharis
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Akihiro Yamada
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Shōnen
Magazine:Marukatsu PC Engine (1991-1993)
The Sneaker (1999-2001)'
Imprint:Dragon Comics (first edition, first volume only)
Newtype 100% Comics (second edition)
First:April 30, 1991
Last:April 28, 2001
Volumes:2
Type:manga
The Demon of Flame
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Ayumi Saito
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Shōnen
Imprint:Comp Comics (first edition)
Dragon Comics (second edition)
First:1993
Last:1994
Volumes:2
Type:novel series
Legend of Lodoss RPG Replay
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Retsu Tateo
Tatsumi Minegishi
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Male
Magazine:Comptiq
Imprint:Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
First:August 1993
Last:October 1996
Volumes:3
Volume List:
  1. Legend of Lodoss Replays
Type:novel series
Legend of Lodoss
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Akihiro Yamada
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Male
Imprint:Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Kadokawa Mini Bunko (Prince of the Sun, Princess of the Moon only)
First:August 8, 1994
Last:October 31, 2002
Volumes:5 + extra
Volume List:
  1. Legend of Lodoss
Type:manga
The Grey Witch
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Yoshihiko Ochi
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Shōnen
Imprint:Dragon Comics (first edition, first two volumes only)
Kadokawa Comics Ace (second edition)
First:1994
Last:1998
Volumes:3
Type:manga
Welcome to Lodoss Island!
Author:Rei Hyakuyashiki
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Shōnen
Imprint:Comics Ace Extra
Magazine:Monthly Shonen Ace
First:December 1995
Last:April 1999
Volumes:3
Type:manga
Chronicles of the Heroic Knight
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Masato Natsumoto
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Shōnen
Imprint:Kadokawa Comics Ace
Magazine:Monthly Shōnen Ace
First:1997
Last:2000
Volumes:6
Type:manga
Deedlit's Tale
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Setsuko Yoneyama
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Shōjo
Imprint:Asuka Comics DX
Magazine:Monthly Asuka Fantasy DX
Published:1998
Volumes:2
Type:tv series
Chronicles of the Heroic Knight
Director:Koichi Chigira
Producer:Kinya Watanabe
Music:where2
Studio:AIC
Network:TV Tokyo
First:April 1, 1998
Last:September 30, 1998
Episodes:27
Episode List:List of Record of Lodoss War episodes#Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (1998)
Type:film
Welcome to Lodoss Island!
Director:Koichi Chigira
Studio:AIC
Released:April 25, 1998
Runtime:35 minutes
Type:novel series
Next Generation
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Yutaka Izubuchi (first editions of the Prelude and the first novel)
Haruhiko Mikimoto
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Male
Magazine:The Sneaker
Imprint:Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Kadokawa Mini Bunko (Prelude only)
First:May 23, 1998
Last:November 30, 2006
Volumes:6 + prelude
Volume List:
  1. Record of Lodoss War Next Generation
Type:manga
The Grey Witch
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Tomomasa Takuma
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Shōnen
Magazine:Comptiq
Imprint:Kadokawa Comics Ace
First:December 10, 2013
Last:April 10, 2015
Volumes:3
Type:novel
The Crown of the Covenant
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Hidari
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Male
Imprint:Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Published:August 1, 2019
Type:manga
The Crown of the Covenant
Author:Ryo Mizuno
Illustrator:Atsushi Suzumi
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic:Shōnen
Magazine:Monthly Shōnen Ace
Imprint:Kadokawa Comics Ace
First:October 26, 2019
Last:April 26, 2021
Volumes:3
Other
Content:Record of Lodoss War: Is That Delicious?

is a franchise of fantasy novels by Ryo Mizuno based on the work he originally created for a world called Forcelia as a rules-free setting for role-playing games (RPGs).[2] There have since been multiple manga, anime and computer game adaptations, several of which have been translated into English. The plots generally follow the conventions and structure of the RPG systems including Dungeons & Dragons and Sword World RPG, in which several characters of distinct types undertake a specific quest.

Origins

Record of Lodoss War was created in 1986 by Group SNE as a Dungeons & Dragons "replay" serialized in the Japanese magazine Comptiq from September 1986 to September 1989 issues, though they also used the setting with other systems such as Tunnels & Trolls and RuneQuest. Many shorter Lodoss scenarios and replays were published in the Comp RPG magazine (initially a supplement of Comptiq) that ran from 1991 to 1994. Replays are not novels, but transcripts of RPG sessions, meant to both hold the interest of readers and convey the events that took place. They have proven to be popular, even to those who do not play role-playing games but are fans of fiction (including fantasy fiction). Similar to light novels, many characters and parties in replays have become popular as characters of anime. An example of such a character is the female elf Deedlit in Record of Lodoss War, who was played by science fiction novelist Hiroshi Yamamoto during the RPG sessions.

The popularity of the Record of Lodoss War replays was such that the Dungeon Master Ryo Mizuno started to adapt the story into some of the earliest Japanese-language domestic high fantasy novels in 1988.

When the replay series went on to become a trilogy, Group SNE had to abandon the Dungeons & Dragons rules and create their own game, dubbed Record of Lodoss War Companion and released in 1989. All three parts of the replay series were eventually published as paperbacks by Kadokawa Shoten from 1989 to 1991, illustrated by Yutaka Izubuchi:

Two other Record of Lodoss War replay volumes have been published later:

Three prequel Legend of Lodoss replay volumes based on a draft by Ryo Mizuno, written by Hiroshi Takayama and Group SNE, with illustrations by Retsu Tateo and Tatsumi Minegishi were published. Before being published as light novels, the first two RPG replays were serialized in Comptiq under the title .

Mizuno's novelizations were published by Kadokawa Shoten between 1988 and 1993, and followed by two collections of short stories in 1995, High Elf Forest: Deedlit's Tale and The Black Knight, all with illustrations done by Izubuchi. The Black Knight was re-released in 1998, with illustrations by Masato Natsumoto. The first volume of the novelizations, The Grey Witch, was published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment in 2018.

The first volume forms the basis for the first eight episodes of the Record of Lodoss War original video animation (OVA) series, as well as both Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch manga series (by Yoshihiko Ochi and Tomomasa Takuma, respectively). The second was also adapted in manga form by Ayumi Saito, and as a four-CD audio drama. The final five episodes of the OVA series are loosely based on the story told across the third and fourth novels and, having caught up with the ongoing novelization at that point, feature an original ending. The Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight TV series is a more faithful adaptation of volumes three to four and six to seven, with the manga drawn by Masato Natsumoto also adapting from volumes six and seven. The first of two collections of short stories was adapted into the Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit's Tale manga series by Setsuko Yoneyama.

Mizuno later went on to pen other series of novels: an adaptation of prequel replays (1994 to 2002, 5 volumes and an extra volume, illustrated by Akihiro Yamada) and sequel novels (1993 to 1996, 4 volumes, illustrated by Satoshi Urushihara, part of Legend of Crystania setting) and (1998 to 2006, 6 volumes and a prelude volume, illustrated by Yutaka Izubuchi (first editions of the prelude and the first novel) and Haruhiko Mikimoto); Legend of Lodoss was also adapted into the Record of Lodoss War: The Lady of Pharis manga series by Akihiro Yamada and Legend of Crystania was adapted into a radio drama, a manga by Akira Himekawa, an anime film, and OVA series. In 2019, he began released a novel sequel .[3] The novel takes place 100 years after the events of the original series, with Deedlit as the lead protagonist. It is illustrated by Hidari and was adapted into a manga by Atsushi Suzumi.

Legend of Lodoss

Record of Lodoss War Next Generation

Plot

See also: List of Record of Lodoss War characters.

Record of Lodoss War recounts the adventures of a youth by the name of Parn, the son of a dishonored knight. Part of his motivation for adventuring is to find out what happened to his father and to restore his family's honor. Despite his inexperience, Parn is considered the leader, who is accompanied by his childhood best friend Etoh, his friend and sometimes advisor Slayn (and later by Slayn's lover Leylia), and his newfound mentor Ghim. They are accompanied by Parn's romantic interest, the high elf Deedlit, who comes from the Forest of No Return seeking an answer to her people's isolationism and an end to what she sees as a slow march to extinction; and a thief named Woodchuck. Throughout the series, Parn comes into contact with friends and foes alike. His allies include King Kashue, King Fahn, Shiris, and Orson; his enemies include Emperor Beld, Ashram, and the evil necromancer Wagnard. Volume two jumps forward by two years and sees Parn and Deedlit participate in a civil war in Flaim on the side of King Kashue. It was adapted into a manga and audio drama with the cast of the OVA.

Volumes three to seven, all but volume five adapted into the anime Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, continue the adventures of Parn for the first eight episodes, but then focus on Spark and his adventures to complete a quest tasked onto him to protect Neese, the daughter of Slayn and Leylia. He is accompanied by his own cast of friends in the form of Leaf, Garrack, Greevus, Aldo, and Ryna. The television series shares similarities with the plot of the OVA, such as Wagnard seeking to kidnap Neese in order to use her as a reagent for the resurrection of Naneel, a priestess and the Avatar of Kardis who was slain by Leylia's mother, the high priestess Neese a short time after the battle with the demonic god. Leylia was the reincarnation of Naneel, but when she lost her virginity she was no longer capable of being the doorway or reagent needed to unseal Naneel. Spark and his fiance Neese remain the protagonists of the Record of Lodoss War Next Generation series and become the rulers of Marmo after Ashram´s group vacates the island.

The Legend of Crystania setting places the former villain Ashram into the seat of a would-be hero who is placed under a spell by an "animal god" of Crystania. One of the prominent characters is Pirotess, his dark elven lover, as she tries to find a way to free him from the clutches of the spell and restore him to his living self.

Other media

Anime

See also: List of Record of Lodoss War episodes.

In North America, the original OVA series and the TV series had both been released through Central Park Media on VHS and on DVD. The OVA and TV series were slated for a Blu-ray release through Media Blasters,[4] but they had dropped all plans to re-release the series.[5] On April 14, 2017, Funimation announced their license to both the OVA series and the Chronicles of the Heroic Knight TV series for the United States. Subsequently, they released the OVA on both Blu-ray and DVD and the TV series on DVD in one set on July 18, 2017.[6]

Manga

Related media

Role-playing games

Soundtracks and music

Video games

Role-playing games:

Other video games:

Compilations:

Canceled or shut down games:

GameOn released an online game for PC, Record of Lodoss War Online in April 2017 and closed it on October 31, 2019. Ryo Mizuno, the novelist and co-creator of the franchise, served as a supervisor on the development of the game. The game was also released outside Japan.[15]

Audio drama

Books on tape

The first three are original stories.

Reception

The novel series has sold over 10 million copies in Japan.[16]

Australian magazine Hyper reviewed Chronicles of the Heroic Knight in 1999. They rated it 8.5 out of 10.[17]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sword & Sorcery Fantasy Anime (Top Best List) . Serdar . Legulalp . About.com Anime . . 2014-05-28 . 2014-08-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20171014124525/https://www.thoughtco.com/best-sword-and-sorcery-fantasy-anime-145822. 2017-10-14.
  2. Yasuda, Hitoshi. Afterword. . By Ryo Mizuno. Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko, 1988. 291.
  3. Web site: 1st New Record of Lodoss War Novel in 12 Years Rescheduled to August. Anime News Network. June 21, 2019. June 7, 2020.
  4. Web site: Confirmed: Media Blasters Rescues Record of Lodoss War from Central Park Media . Otakureview.net . 2010-02-20 . 2012-03-19.
  5. Web site: Media Blasters Drops Lodoss Wars Release Plans - News . Anime News Network . 2012-03-15 . 2012-03-19.
  6. Web site: Funimation Licenses Record of Lodoss War OVA, TV series. Anime News Network. April 14, 2017. April 14, 2017.
  7. Web site: Noble . Barnes & . Record of Lodoss War . 2023-09-02 . Barnes & Noble . en.
  8. Web site: Fujimi TRPG Online - Record of Lodoss War RPG. 2019-05-24.
  9. Record of Lodoss War. Electronic Gaming Monthly. 72. Sendai Publishing. July 1995. 88.
  10. https://www.romhacking.net/translations/2155/ Record of Lodoss War (SNES): English translation
  11. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-03-10/record-of-lodoss-war-deedlit-in-wonder-labyrinth-game-full-version-launches-on-march-27/.170459 Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth Game's Full Version Launches on March 27
  12. Web site: Rotten . Irionik . 2022-08-01 . Record of Lodoss War Chronicle Compilation Game Launches Now . 2023-12-02 . Rotten Usagi . en-US.
  13. https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2012/11/14/video-promo-animation-showcases-new-record-of-lodoss-war-successor-of-the-legend-game Record of Lodoss War: Successor of the Legend closed beta
  14. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/949690/view/1582376747584957158 Record of Lodoss War Online: game service termination notice
  15. Web site: Lodoss Online Game's Global Rights Licensed by GameOn - News . Anime News Network . 2012-03-15 . 2012-03-19.
  16. Web site: "Record of Lodoss War" to Get Stage Play Adaptation in January 2017.
  17. Anime . . 1 December 1999 . 75 (January 2000) . 14 .