Record of Lodoss War: The Gray Witch 01 (Manga Review)
I will never forget watching it Record of Lodoss War OVA series. While I found ex-soldier Parn a bit weak, I loved the elf Deedlit. However, the OVA series had some modifications, so I bought some manga adaptations of the original novels. When I first moved, I found a copy of the manga Record of Lodoss War: The Gray Witch Adapted from the now defunct Manga CPM (Central Park Media). So I decided to read them and give them a review.
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Brief story
A high elf named Deedlit helps a blind bard escape an attacking army of goblins. Elsewhere, human soldier Parn tries to warn his home village of an impending goblin attack. They ignore him, so Parn and his cleric friend Etoh confront the goblins. They defeat them after the dwarf Ghim arrives and lends a hand. However, Parn was seriously injured so they took him to see the wizard Slayn for treatment.
Meanwhile, the Gray Witch Karla aids Emperor Beld of Marmo in his invasion of Kanon. Meanwhile, Parn has been recovered as well as Ghim, Etoh and Slayn to Alan's capital Alania. Parn sees thugs attacking a young woman and intervenes, not realizing she is a high elf who is not in danger. Deedlit is initially troubled by Parn's actions, but quickly realizes that he means well. During dinner, Parn opens up about herself and piques Deedlit's interest.
The next day, at breakfast, Slayn tells the group about the destruction of his old mage school by another mage named Wagnard (Vagnado), who worked for the kingdom of Marmo. A thief named Woodchuck provides information about a small force of Marmo in a nearby abandoned manor. Parn's group agrees to let Woodchuck join in to retrieve the stolen treasure.
After defeating the dark elves, goblins, and other troops, the group reclaimed the treasure and received their reward. Pin captures Karla's portrait. The group learns that Marmo destroyed Kanon. Parn did not understand why war had not been declared immediately. They decide to go to Valis, but the fastest way is through the enchanting Forest of Never Return. Thanks to Deedlit, they made it through.
The Good: Deedlit
Good thing about Record of Lodoss War: The Gray Witch 01 are interesting characters. It goes without saying that Deedlit had the biggest impact. This is supported by Ochi-san's art style, which makes Deedlit very expressive. This makes her a more prominent character than other characters in the manga.
Also, I feel as if Ochi-san has arranged things to focus more on Deedlit. I haven't read the original novel yet so I don't know how it's done. But in the manga, most of the story seems to be Deedlit-centric. There is her obvious concern for Parn. Then there's her teasing with Shorty Pin. However, when it comes to action, she's pretty much at the center of it all.
The exception was right when Parn first started. And the remaining exception is Slayn who is inspecting the destruction of the mage school. Other than that, as a big Deedlit fan, I agree with her central role in everything.
The OK: The Story
I wish I could Tell the story Record of Lodoss War: The Gray Witch 01 is good. Sadly, it's just okay. I think for me, the pacing wasn't the best. As I said before, I haven't read the source novel. So maybe this problem exists there too. However, the manga adaptation almost feels like it relies on a previous reading of the source novel. As such, things progress at a fairly rapid pace. It's not detrimental, but I've noticed it.
That aside, the basic premise of the story seems interesting enough. You have some powerful witch (Gray Witch Karla) supporting some invading army for some reason. She's so OP, one would think she could take on all the armies in Lodoss on her own. We understand that she is somehow tied to Ghim's personal mission.
After re-reading the booklet, I realized some things happened because the plot needed them to happen. One violation of this is for Woodchuck to join the party by assigning a side quest for the party to do. It's not too terrible, but it would be handy to draw a thief into the group.
Then there's The Forest of Never Returning (as localized in the manga–apparently, the fandom uses The Forest of Never Returning). It is the land of fairies (and apparently goblins too). But the only danger is getting lost. So in the end, it seems like there's nothing to worry about. I seem to recall the OVA series talking a lot about the forest, but I could be wrong.
Final thoughts and conclusions
I'm frustrated that I still have time, so let me end my review of this manga adaptation with some final thoughts.
Apparently, CPM Press (and Central Park Media) ceased to exist a long time ago. The manga version I published in 2004. Unfortunately, it got flipped, which is bad. Sadly, no one has licensed this comic yet. I've mentioned this throughout the review, but this manga adaptation is pretty bad by name. I'm not too bothered about it though because it's a different time. As for the rest of the text, without the use of Japanese, I can't say how many liberties were taken, other than the removal of Japanese honorifics.
Final, Record of Lodoss War: The Gray Witch 01 is a story that I really wanted to like, but I found myself unengaged by it. Maybe that's why I have it and the other two volumes sealed for nearly 10 years. ???? But I don't regret buying it, especially for Deedlit.
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