Record of Lodoss War

Record of Lodoss War (ロードス島戦記, Rōdosu-tō Senki, lit., "Lodoss Island War Chronicle") is a franchise of fantasy novels by Ryo Mizuno based around the work he originally created for a world called Forcelia for role-playing games (RPGs). 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, being based around a party of several characters of distinct types undertaking 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. 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:

• RPG Replay Record of Lodoss War I (ＲＰＧリプレイ ロードス島戦記Ⅰ, Aru PÄ« JÄ« Ripurei Rōdosutō Senki Wan)â€"Parn's party, retake played according to the Record of Lodoss War Companion rules and incorporating elements from the novelization
• RPG Replay Record of Lodoss War II (ＲＰＧリプレイ ロードス島戦記Ⅱ, Aru PÄ« JÄ« Ripurei Rōdosutō Senki TÅ«)â€"Orson's party, retake played according to the Record of Lodoss War Companion rules and incorporating elements from the novelization
• RPG Replay Record of Lodoss War III (ＲＰＧリプレイ ロードス島戦記Ⅲ, Aru PÄ« JÄ« Ripurei Rōdosutō Senki SurÄ«)â€"Spark's party, played according to the Record of Lodoss War Companion rules

The last volume of Mizuno's novelization was published by Kadokawa Shoten in 1993, and followed by two collections of short stories in 1995:

• Record of Lodoss War 0: The Lady of Pharis
• Record of Lodoss War 1: The Grey Witch (ロードス島戦記 灰色のé­"女, Rōdosutō Senki Haiiro no Majo)
• Record of Lodoss War 2: Blazing Devil (ロードス島戦記2 炎のé­"神, Rōdosutō Senki Ni: Honō no Majin)
• Record of Lodoss War 3: The Demon Dragon of Fire Dragon Mountain (Part 1) (ロードス島戦記3 火竜山のé­"ç«œ(上), Rōdosutō Senki San: KaryÅ«-zan no MaryÅ« (Jō))
• Record of Lodoss War 4: The Demon Dragon of Fire Dragon Mountain (Part 2) (ロードス島戦記4 火竜山のé­"ç«œ(下), Rōdosutō Senki Yon: KaryÅ«-zan no MaryÅ« (Ge))
• Record of Lodoss War 5: The Kings' Holy War (ロードス島戦記5 王たちの聖戦, Rōdosutō Senki Go: ÅŒtachi no Seisen)
• Record of Lodoss War 6: The Holy Knights of Lodoss (Part 1) (ロードス島戦記6 ロードスの聖騎士(上), Rōdosutō Senki Roku: Rōdosu no Seikishi (Jō))
• Record of Lodoss War 7: The Holy Knights of Lodoss (Part 2) (ロードス島戦記7 ロードスの聖騎士(下), Rōdosutō Senki Shichi: Rōdosu no Seikishi (Ge))
• High Elf Forest: Deedlit Story (ハイエルフの森 ディードリット物語, Hai Erufu no Mori DÄ«doritto Monogatari)
• The Black Knight (é»'衣の騎士, Kokui no Kishi)

The first volume forms the basis for the first eight episodes of the Record of Lodoss War OVA series, as well as the Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch manga series. The second was also adapted in manga form, and as a four-CD radio 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 seven. The first collection of short stories was adapted into the Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit's Tale manga series.

Mizuno later went on to pen two new series of novels: a prequel titled Legend of Lodoss (ロードス島伝説, Rōdosu-tō Densetsu) (1994 to 2002) and a sequel titled Record of Lodoss War Next Generation (新ロードス島戦記, Shin Rōdosu-tō Senki) (1998 to 2006), the first of which forms the basis for the Record of Lodoss War: The Lady of Pharis manga series.

Characters

The manga (and its anime derivative) Record of Lodoss War centers around 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.

The manga and its anime derivative Chronicles of the Heroic Knight continues the adventures of Parn for the first eight episodes, but then centers around 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.

The third series, Legend of Crystania, places the former villain Ashram into the seat of a would-be hero who is placed under a spell by a "god beast" of Crystania. The series then centers around Pirotess, his dark elven lover, as she tries to find a way to free him from the clutches of the spell and to restore him back to his living self.

Timeline

The following is a timeline of the events as they take place in the original events surrounding Record of Lodoss War, and is derived from the replays and manga. All events are measured on the "NRC" (New Royal Calendar) as used on the continent of Alecrast.

Other media

Home video releases

The original OVA series and the TV series had both been released in North America through Central Park Media on VHS and on DVD. The OVA and TV series were slated for a Blu-ray release through Media Blasters, but they have now dropped all plans to re-release the series.

Lodoss Online

The Japanese online game company GameOn announced that it acquired the global license to make an online game for computers and mobile phones based on the Record of Lodoss War fantasy franchise from Kadokawa Production and Slowcurve. Ryo Mizuno, the novelist and co-creator of the franchise, will serve as a supervisor on the development of the online game. GameOn plans to release the game outside of Japan. GameOn also said that the new game will not be browser-based.

Anime

• 1990 Record of Lodoss War (ロードス島戦記, Rōdosu-tō Senki) 13 episode OVA
• 1998 Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (ロードス島戦記 英雄騎士伝, Rōdosu-tō Senki: EiyÅ« Kishiden) 27 episode TV series
• 1998 Welcome to Lodoss Island! (ようã"そロードス島へ!, Yōkoso Rōdosu-tō e!) 3-part parodic movie

Manga

• The Grey Witch (灰色のé­"女, Haiiro no Majo) 3 volumes, art by Yoshihiko Ochi
• The Demon of Flame (炎のé­"神, Honō no Majin) 2 volumes, art by Ayumi Saito
• The Lady of Pharis (ファリスの聖女, Farisu no Seijo) 2 volumes, art by Akihiro Yamada
• Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (英雄騎士伝, EiyÅ« Kishi-den) 6 volumes, art by Masato Natsumoto
• Welcome to Lodoss Island (ようã"そロードス島へ!, Yōkoso Rōdosu-tō e!) 3 volumes, four panel manga, art by Hyakuyashiki Rei
• Deedlit's Tale (ディードリット物語, DÄ«doritto Monogatari) 2 volumes, art by Setsuko Yoneyama
• Legend of Crystania (レジェンド・オブ・クリスタニア　はじまりのå†'険者たち) 3 volumes, art by Akira Himekawa
• The Grey Witch (灰色のé­"女, Haiiro no Majo) 2 volumes, art by Tomomasa Takuma

Related anime

• Legend of Crystania (はじまりのå†'険者たち レジェンド・オブ・クリスタニア, Hajimari no Bōkensha-tachi: Legend of Crystania), a film and 3-episode OVA focusing on the adventures of Ashram and Pirotess in the continent of Crystania, which they migrate to after the Lodoss series.
• Rune Soldier, a more comedic series from the same creator that is set in the same world as Record of Lodoss War.

Soundtracks & music

• Record of Lodoss War: Original Soundtrack 1 (VICL-00051)
• Record of Lodoss War: Original Soundtrack 2 (VICL-00114)
• Record of Lodoss War: Original Soundtrack 3 (VICL-00267)
• Record of Lodoss War: Minstrels' Memory of Lodoss (VICL-8090)
• Record of Lodoss War: Arrange Sound (VDR-28071)
• Symphonic House from Record of Lodoss War II Arrange Sound (VICL-8060)
• Record of Lodoss War TV: Maaya Sakamoto - Kiseki No Umi single (VIDL-30202)
• Record of Lodoss War TV: Original Soundtrack 1 (VICL-60243)
• Record of Lodoss War TV: Original Soundtrack 2 (VICL-60244)
• Record of Lodoss War TV: Original Soundtrack 3 (VICL-60246)

Video games

• Record of Lodoss War (PC 98, MSX) 1988
• Record of Lodoss War - Fuku Zinduke (X68000) 1991
• Record of Lodoss War - Haiiro No Majio (X68000/PC Engine) 1991/1992
• Record of Lodoss War 2 - Siki No Maryu (X68000/PC Engine) 1992/1994
• Record of Lodoss War (Sega Mega-CD) 1994
• Record of Lodoss War (SNES) 1995
• Record of Lodoss War: Eiyuu Kishiden (Game Boy Color) 1998, published by Tomy
• Record of Lodoss War: Advent of Cardice (Dreamcast) 2000, which was also released in English.
• Record of Lodoss War: Successor of the Legend (browser-based TCG) 2012
• Unnamed MMORPG (PC) in development

References

Further reading

• Divers, Allen (2 July 2003). "A New Beginning - TT". Anime News Network. 

External links

• Official Kadokawa novel site (Japanese)
• Record of Lodoss War (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Roodosu tou Senki - Akinori Nagaoka, 1990 (Italian)