Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Part 4 Episodes 13-16

Spark’s search for the Soul Crystal Ball has found him gaining a new party member.  Little Neese is the granddaughter of one of the legendary Six Heroes from long ago and she very well may be the ultimate key to unlocking Wagnard’s dark plan to resurrect Kardiss, Goddess of Destruction.  Meanwhile, Parn and Deedlit continue their own journey to gather allies for the coming battle with the Marmo.  Little do they know, an old enemy watches over them, eager for revenge. 

I cant believe im having flashbacks to Silent Mobius.  Opening with a statement like that, am I really not enjoying Chronicles of the Heroic Knight that much?  I wont say its that bad yet but im finding it very hard to find enjoyment with this show right now.  The new cast isn’t making an impression, the plot is getting way to convoluted and trying to go beyond the original OVAs 13 episode run is hurting things as Chronicles pads things out for time.

So to break things down properly: Marmo Wizard Wagnard pretty much has the Soul Crystal Ball thanks to the Dark Elves playing decoy.  Now he needs the Staff of Life and Neese to resurrect Kadriss.  Why Neese?  Because she has the blood necessary for the ritual, just run with it.  So now Spark has to protect Neese while tracking down the Staff to keep it safe but also wants to go after the courier who might have the Soul Crystal Ball (which im sure Wagnard has by now) so that they can catch a boat to its next destination…Kanon, which is a Marmo controlled city where Parn and Deedlit happen to be in at the moment.  Whatever happened to simply, let’s go to Marmo with an army and defeat Wagnard head on, which is pretty much what happened at the end of the OVA.  No, this extra quest feels like a way to pad out a 27 episode run when there isn’t enough interesting stuff happening to justify things going for that long.

Then there’s Spark.  Again, the powers that are Kashue continue to screw with him as he discovers the message he was carrying for King Etoh contained orders to return home if he couldn’t get the Soul Crystal Ball back.  It’s easy to see this as Kashue realizing he wasn’t very smart assigning this mission to Spark and his B-Team…but then Kashue gave Spark this mission as a “Punishment” so im guessing this “come home if you screw up” message is just unnecessary added incentive to keep Spark pushing forward.  His team seems anxious to go on with their confusing little mission to save the world so…why not.  Then there’s Neese, who is in way over her head thinking she can go to Marmo alone to confront Wagnard and prevent Kardiss’ resurrection.  If the eventual plan is to pair up her with Spark, then 1. That’s already wrong given Spark is way older than 13 year old Neese, and 2. They do belong together in the sense that they both aspire to goals way higher than they are capable of…but aren’t very smart at trying to accomplish said goals.  Even by the midpoint of the OVA, for all of Parn’s whining, I had grown to like him, Deedlit, Slayn, Etoh, Ghim and Woodchuck and knew they could eventually succeed in their mission.  Sparks crew…not so much.

We did check back in with Parn, who’s busy trying to liberate Marmo controlled territory with Deedlit and Maar (the tiny Elven Bard from the early part of the series).  Looking past the convoluted politics and acts of rebellion, the biggest take away from this detour was the return of Ashram…which surprises no one but it’s still good to see a more competent bad guy back again.  You might also recognize his sexy Dark Elf companion, Pirotess, is with him as well and she’s always a welcome presence.  Ten years in exile seems to have done Ashram wonders as he seems over his despair at losing to Kashue and has his own plans to rule all of Lodoss.  And there’s no better way to demonstrate that resolve than to kick Parn’s ass in a sword duel.  It’s not quite as good as Ashram vs. Kashue, but it’s still a much better action sequence than most of this series has provided.  Admittedly though, Team Spark vs. the Dark Elf Thieves did have a highlight or two as well.

As with every other review, I cant end things without talking a bit about Welcome to Lodoss Island.  I know I said that these short skits could overstay their welcome if they were 30 minute long episodes…but I think I’d take that risk at this point.  It was hilarious seeing Parn and Deedlit spar for screentime against Spark and Neese and Ashram made his WTLI debut too, determined to get Neese’s cookies so he can perfect his own…God these skits are the best.  I feel like theyre trying to cheer me up and let me know that I really do want to watch a story that’s more straightforward and fun.  It almost makes me think that I should grade Welcome to Lodoss Island separately at the end of these reviews…cause right now theyre the true saving grace of Chronicles of the Heroic Knight so far.

Ugh, so Spark’s looking for a boat to Kanon.  Parn’s crying over a loss to Ashram.  And Neese is determined to save the world even if she has to do so herself.  I want to like this show, I really do…but it’s hard sometimes, very hard.  Let’s hope things get better next week for Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight…be seeing you.