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Not many people have heard of this title,
though when I picked it up, I was eager to watch. It seemed like
it would be at least ‘somewhat good.’ As I learned later, it was
a lot better then I had anticipated.
Chapter one spans the initial invasion and
fall of Pars, as well as the escape and exile of prince Arslan.
It all begins a short distance from an unnaturally misty
battlefield. The land of Palse has been invaded, and the
defenders are charging straight into an ambush. Daryoon, a
skilled Baron opposes the attack, and is banished for his
‘cowardice’ by the king, Andragoras. As the Parlsian army is cut
down by the ambush, he and Arslan escape. In the end, Arslan is
able to gather a small party of 6 skilled warriors to fight an
invading army of 300,000 led by Silvermask, a man who will do
anything to conquer Palse.
While watching you’ll notice some great art,
although the cell animation that was used is outdated. There was
some masterful work put into this. The art displayed the fast
paced, epic battles very well. Also, I can’t help but notice that
this had a sort of Lord of the Rings type feel. Another thing I
noticed, the first chapter was coloured using more pastel colours
then the rest of the series, as you’ll notice in the second
chapter that Arslan has blue hair, not blonde.
Speaking of which, the second chapter starts
digging into the meat of the story. Arslan, having finally
reached a safe haven has begun in the formation of a rebel army to
take back Parse. And to make things interesting, Lord Silvermask
claims to be the rightful king to the Palsian throne. To make
things worse, another country is rushing into Pals from the south,
taking advantage of the Palse’s weakened state. Luckily, Arslan
is able to develop an alliance with the new invaders, but at a
cost. Daryoon must fight an inhuman 12-foot tall beast. I noticed
that the dubbing was incredibly well done. A cast of British
accents was put to work bring these characters to life; you can
almost see the yellow smiles.
The third and fourth chapter concentrate on
Arslan, and his rebel army numbering over 100,000 troops. He is
nearly ready to strike when lord Silvermask pays a visit. Arslan
learns of Silvermask’s true identity, the true heir to the Palse
throne. Yet, discouraged, Arslan still yearns to fight back the
Luistanians. But, are 100,000 troops enough to defeat an army of
300,000 men who would die rather then surrender?
The extras aren’t the most impressive I’ve
seen, they merely include a small character summary, a trailer,
previews and a small segment explaining the transition to Age of
Heroes.
At the end of the DVD is the Age of Heroes,
it starts with a little history lesson pertaining to the King of
all Kings, Kai Hoslo and his sword, Ruknabard. Legends say that
the wielder of Ruknabard will poses the strength of the greatest
heroes. Obviously, there is a catch, the Snake King (Slithering
version of the Scorpion King) will be released if the sword is
recovered. Go figure.
Arslan is unleashing hell upon the
Luistanians with his new army, and is making great progress
towards the capital. But, is halted when Palse is once again
threatened from the south. Postponing his campaign, he travels
south to defend.
Now back to Ruknabard, we knew it was
important after all, that’s why Lord Silvermask is after it. He
believes he can shake the loyalty from Arslan’s people if he was
to present the great sword. Perhaps then he can take the throne.
But, that’s not all; King Andragoras escapes to discover his son
leading the fight to regain Palse. Thinking that Arslan is trying
to steal the throne from him, King Andragoras sends him on a
pointless quest to gather more troops.
Thus comes the most disappointing part.
That’s all, no more… zippo.. zulch, all gone. Like me, many of
you would be scourging the DVD case for a hidden third disc, but
resulting in nothing. The series ends with a painful cliff-hanger
that makes you hunger for more. With a story as original as this,
its hard to accept the fact that it ended during the best part.
Will we ever see if Silvermask wields Ruknabard, will Arslan ever
take back Palse, why did the southerners threaten to attack, and
what will the King say to Silvermask if they ever meet?
What else can I say, I loved every second of
this epic tale, and I can’t help but want more. Gimme, damn you,
gimmie! |
Version 2.0
