OBSCURE O.V.A.S, *Dragon Slayer

Based on the role-playing video game Dragon Slayer: The Legend Of Heroes, this 2-episode OVA series was released in English by Urban Vision as a single feature. The American release was picked up after the company got started and were starved for any anime content they could round up, but what really got any fans into it was the fact that the dub featured Matt Miller and Kate Vogt from Tenchi Muyo which was huge at the time. The actual RPG it was based on wasn't available out West yet, so most casual fans saw it as another fantasy anime, while others confused it for the 80's live-action movie Dragonslayer. Gundam writer Kenichi Matsuzaki was tasked with piecing together the script for this jumbled adaptation that you can tell was rushed to being less than an hour long for both episodes.

The kingdom of Faaren was taken over by the wicked warlock Ackram who commands his own army and a shapeshifting henchman named Zagi who can morph into a giant dragon with infinite tentacles that make you wonder if he wasn't originally designed by Lovecraft. Sirius is the son of the deposed king who escaped with his mentor that taught him magical sword techniques before he gets killed by Zagi. Sirius joins a rebellion and frees kingdoms under Acrkam's rule, but in order to put an end to this evil reign, Sirius must travel with the part-time sorceress Sonya to awaken an ancient dragon. Sonya has to bond with the dragon in order to use it for their assault on Ackrum's and his forces. The final battle becomes something out of Dragonball Z where all the freed people send Sirius their happy thoughts to catalyze his ultimate attack, which in most video games would be seen as a Limit Break. Ackrum somehow escapes off stage leaving Sirius to seek him out in a sequel that never got made.

Dragon Slayer is the definition of a one and done deal that after a single viewing you don't feel any real pull to watch it again. Urban Vision only came out with it on VHS, so it never got a digital release, possibly not even in Japan. It's a fair sample of early 90's anime, but there is a minuscule amount of consideration for anything so fickle.