MISC. MANGA, *Welcome To Lodoss Island

For those who have seen the Record Of Lodoss War TV series, you might remember the little bonus bits at the end of each episode of Welcome To Lodoss Island where the cast was redone in superdeformed mode, also known as chibi form. In this manga though, the whole original tale of Lodoss War is redone in a comical parody by the series creator, Ryo Mizuno.

In the first volume, the first half of the OVA series is redone telling how the inept knight wannabe Parn and his friends seek to bring down the chaotic plans of the troublemaking witch Karla. She has taken over the body of a gorgeous priestess, and the dwarf Ghim and his sorcerer friend Slayn wish to free her from the deceased witch’s control. Running into the farcical King Kashew, Parn teams up with him in an effort to rescue the fair Princess Fiana, who falls head over heels for Parn’s stout priest friend Etoh. In the end, a major battle goes on between Lodoss and their neighboring island of Marmo. But Karla’s plans to involve both kingdoms fails, and Ghim’s friend is freed from her. The second volume takes place two yeara later where Parn and Deedlit head off to King Kashew’s kingdom, only to find it involved in a civil war with a neighboring tribe who are using a powerful efreet to try and take over the desert. Deedlit makes a pact with a powerful djinn to stop them. There are some serious bits of people dying in this chapter, but still done in a spoofish manner.

Welcome To Lodoss Island is hysterical, but mostly intended for the enjoyment of those who have already sampled one of the previous Lodoss anime or manga titles. Artist Rei Hyakuyashiki does great work at making our favorite fantasy heroes look stupid and clutzy. Definately look it up!