Video Backlog: "Guin Saga"

Publisher: Sentai Filmworks (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles
Length: 26 Episodes x 24 minutes
Production Date: 2009
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

Admittedly I knew nothing at all about this show before viewing it. It’s based upon the longest running novel series by one single author in history; the 130 volume “Guin Saga” heroic fantasy novels written by Kaoru Kurimoto. The series ran from 1979 to 2009 when Kurimoto died of cancer. It’s odd that Japan has such a large and vibrant fantasy novel industry. I think the problem for a lot of western anime fans though is that “Record of Lodoss War” is more often than not the benchmark that all other Japanese fantasy is compared against. I’m not sure if this is entirely fair. So how does this one compare?

I think the show starts out really, really strongly with the kingdom of Parros being invaded and captured by Mongaul army. The young twins, prince and princess Rinda and Remus, are transported instantly to the forest of Roodwood by some sort of machine that Parros owns. There they meet the leopard headed Guin whom protects them from Mongaul soldiers and the many dangers of the forest. They are later captured and meet fellow prisoners Istavan, a mercenary, and Suni, a young member of the primate-like creatures called Sem. After the fort is attacked by a Sem tribe which isn’t Suni’s, the group take advantage of the chaos and escape.

I think things get bogged down when the world is expanded beyond the five core characters. Certainly I did find a lot of it quite intriguing. In particular the character Lady Amnelis, a female general in the Mongaul who bites off more than she can chew and is not welcomed at all by some men who think the army is no place for a woman. However I think there is way, way too many characters to keep track of. I also lost track of the political machinations and who was backstabbing who and why they were doing it. It all became a bit of a mess to me. The best character here is most definitely Guin. While he has lost his memory, he’s a born leader and is relay quite cool and unflappable. The series works best when we are following his story. The twins were also quite interesting, in particular Remus and his spectacular personality change.

The big problem with the series is that it obviously only a fraction of the story. The initial mystery of what the device is which transports the twins in the opening episode is never explained. Nor is Guin’s full backstory or what is up with his leopard’s head which many people think is a mask. Nor is Remus’ change in personality fully explained. Reading up on the novels, I think a bit of the subtext has been left out, which is a tad annoying. Quite a number of large battle sequences use CG characters to represent the hundreds of soldiers on the battle field. This mostly works, but some sequences look a bit dodgy. Like there was a glitch in the computer program. I initially thought it was my discs or player, but it only happens during these scenes (admittedly this only happens a few times, mostly towards the end). Certainly the best part of this show is the first half. The battles are pretty good and some of the political stuff was very good (when I could keep track of it). The lack of an ending (the show leaves EVERYTHING up in the air) was quite a disappointment. Still there was quite a lot here to keep me interested and entertained. 6.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 26 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).