The original Record of Lodoss War is a classic fantasy epic that follows several groups of adventurers as they try to save their war-torn land from everything, including evil emperors. evil and dark gods. The Crown of the Covenant, on the other hand, focuses its story on a single family: the royal family of Marmo. From the beginning, we have a personal connection to these characters as they are direct descendants of Record of Lodoss War protagonists Spark and Little Neese and as they spread across the island, we It is possible to see how this new war is affecting the various nations of Lodoss—politically, religiously, psychologically, and economically.
Rather than being a story of good and evil, this is a story where the complexity of life and history is taken into account. Lodoss is a divided land with a magically enforced peace. Although there is no war, that does not mean that nations have worked together for greater prosperity for all. Instead, with the threat of war gone, the different kingdoms could bypass diplomacy — taking advantage of each other whenever possible without worrying about any military consequences.
Although there was no doubt that Flaim was most affected by the peace being made, this was just a convenient excuse for King Diaz. He believes Lodoss would be better off as a nation under his rule — and truth be told, he might be right. However, his real motive is simply that of a young man lusting for power and being destroyed by his ego. War, propaganda, and revisionist history—he will use any means to achieve what he seeks. The trick, however, was that he underestimated the common man—that it was the people, not the rulers of Lodoss, who would decide whether he would become ruler of all lands. This brings us to the main character, Lyle.
Thematically, The Crown of the Covenant is about the power that legend has in the hearts of humanity. Lyle knew this all too well. He has dreamed about the adventures of Parn and the others for many years and is determined to become a man of integrity like Parn. He believes that Deedlit’s reappearance is what will unite the island—not Diaz’s fight.
However, after meeting Deedlit, he realized that she alone cannot inspire people. The legend is not about the “Eternal Maiden”, it is about the Knight of Lodoss AND the Eternal Maiden. Deedlit may still be around but the only way for the legend to start anew is for someone to replace Parn and become the Lodoss Knight for a new era. And while Lyle is poised to take on the role, he sees the power of the legend he’s currently building as it really is: If he can become the Knight of Lodoss then any Anyone can — or more accurately, everyone can. And that is the powerful message of this story. Moving forward to do what’s right may be all it takes to get others to do the same.
When I think about these three volumes, I try to come up with anything even slightly negative to say about them in the story or presentation. While the artwork isn’t the most detailed, it’s well done and consistent. Better yet is the framing of the panels and how they use visual storytelling to bring out the most emotional rhythms of the story. Meanwhile, the story itself is filled with reminiscences of previous Record of Lodoss War events but plots a path of its own. If I have one complaint it is simply that the opening act of this story is all there is to it. The rest is currently only in Ryo Mizuno’s mind. Hopefully one day that will change.
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