Which one is your favorite: Lodoss War or Escaflowne?

[LouiefromLodoss]

Sorry if it has been done before, but i tried looking for it and didn't find anything.

So, which one do you prefer?

I have to say LODOSS of course. I just love the whole serious and epic feel to it. So many charcters, you get to feel the journey, the final battles are so inmense.... And even though more people would say they prefer the OVAS I have to say that I prefer the TV series. Why? Because there's more Lodoss to love! /images/graemlins/happy.gif Much more characters, more freedom with the pace (now you get to have episodes where they just concentrate on the relatioship of the characters), the battles feel more intense, you get to travel with Parn and Spark party; and there's the Welcome to Lodss Island series. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif


Escaflowne is really good as well. They share so many things in common in terms of the complex story, great amount of characters but there are few things that just doesn't make it for me:

the journey feel: the characters don't need to go exactly to one point, and even when they travel you don't have a sensation you've been traveling.

there are so many episodes where it happened the same thing: X character got captured, let's rescue him. X character got injured, everyone suffer for him and pray for him to be ok.

and it didn't feel as serious as Lodoss. A thing I appreciate because this way it is easier to get into it.

I like them both but clearly Lodoss is the one for me.

[DanielJr]

I think both are good and offer a great cast of characters. However, I'm partial to Escaflowne's world and presentation, it also has a more prominent romance subplot. I usually enjoy romances and they often make me decide what's a favorite and what's not.

[Captain Impulse]

I'll go the other way and vote for Lodoss War (OVA). Probably because I'm a sucker for series with great plots and an RPG feel, but the characters are all well-defined and some show serious growth throughout the series (Parn, Deedlit and Ashram in particular). They also weren't afraid to screw with their cast a bit (<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>including killing characters [Ghim and Ashram, although the latter was resurrected], possess them [Woodchuck, whose never the same after Karla's death], or completely change their persona [Leylia after being freed from Karla's control]</span>.

The TV series did some interesting things too, but didn't have the impact of the OVA's in my opinion. Still a great series though. The chibi-Lodoss segments at the end were to die for (especially in the English version).

[jecca-neko]

I've yet to see Lodoss (I know, shame on me especially since I've been into anime a long, long time) and I don't like Escaflowne much.

I vote for neither. /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif

[Suwako Moriya]

It's been a long time since I saw both, but the easy choice for me is "Record of Lodoss War". Partially because I didn't care much for Vision of Escaflowne at all. Either way I don't have that much interest in either series.

On a side note, it's nice that you're trying to have an avatar, but free sites like Angelfire hate hotlinking. At least unless you're paying for the service.

[Nani]

Hmm, tough choice. I enjoyed both, but neither of them are original at all. Lodoss copies dungeons and dragons and has more cliches than you can shake a stick at. (One of the reasons why the creator did Rune Soldier next.) Escaflowne is standard magical girl in a strange land territory.

Both, however, are executed very well and are very entertaining. I'd give the lead to Escaflowne simply on better technical merit, since in originality, execution, and entertainment they're about the same. Escaflowne, however, looks better and has better animation.

Inevitably, however, I'd just pick 12 Kingdoms over them both and call it a day. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[sher59]

Man, thats a toughie. (thinks) I'd have to say Escaflowne by a thin margin only because it has more romance and I'm a sucker for stuff like that.

[Captain Impulse]

[ QUOTE ]
sher59 said:
Man, thats a toughie. (thinks) I'd have to say Escaflowne by a thin margin only because it has more romance and I'm a sucker for stuff like that.

[/ QUOTE ]

I dunno...I though some of the late-OVA episodes had some nice moments between Parn and Deedlit, even if he was still dense as a rock.

[LouiefromLodoss]

Plus, the reason (in my opinion) why they couldn't do a romance was because of the limited episodes of the OVAS.

If you refer to the TV series there's a lot of romance between Parn and Deedlit, Spark and Neese... and even some of the secondary characters.

[Arcturus]

In my opinion, you can't really go wrong with either.

That said, I prefer Lodoss because Ashram is one of the greatest anime villains ever.

[something]

I like them for different reasons, but I like Escaflowne significantly more. I didn't find the TV series of Lodoss as bad as others made it out to be, but I didn't think it was too great either (glad it only cost me about $30). The OVAs were great though, and Deedlit kicks ass.

But Escaflowne is one of the better shows I've seen, period. It's a really well paced and cohesive story, and more interesting than Lodoss, I feel.

[Nosredna]

Lodoss has Deedlit, one of my favorite characters ever. So I have to go with Record of Lodoss War OVA, which I prefer to the TV series as well.

[indigo0086]

Lodoss TV had the Lodoss Island which is probably the only truly funny Chibi gag I've ever seen.

I liked both.

[Westlo]

Lodoss (OVA) is good but Escaflowne is great.

[Ty]

I'm an Escaflowne man myself. It still stands as an all-time favorite. It also is one of my favorite limited edition box sets of all time what with that huge black Escaflowne model that you got with it. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

Loddoss is classic fantasy, but Escaflowne is one of the most creative uses of steampunk in all of anime and I love it for that.

[aleczman]

d00d, u forgot teh p0ll

/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Seriously now, both of them are favorites of mine but if I had to pick one to watch first, I'd go with the Lodoss OVA. If we're talking about Lodoss TV, I'd watch Escaflowne first.

[Roujin0308]

I agree with Westlo (http://forums.animeondvd.com/showprofile.php?Cat=&amp;User=1490&amp;Number=1291414&amp;Boar d=generalanimeforum&amp;what=showflat&amp;page=0&amp;view=coll apsed&amp;sb=5&amp;o=&amp;fpart=1&amp;vc=1), Lodoss (OAV) is good but Escaflowne (tv) is great. I've only seen the first 1 or 2 episodes of Lodoss (tv) and nothing I've heard about the series makes me want to go further with it. Never bothered with the Escaflowne movie either.

[akcoll99]

Escaflowne is nice and has its moments, but I have to go with Lodoss (both OVA &amp; TV) all the way. One of my first serious anime loves and still one I revisit pretty frequently. Deedlit and Ashram are two of my all-time favorite anime characters, and I don't find Parn or Spark annoying in the least, though I know some people don't care for either character. From the tragic yet romantic death scene with <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'> Ashram &amp; Pirotess in the OVA </span> to watching Parn &amp; Deedlit's budding romance to the story of Spark &amp; Neese's coming of age, there are so many classic stories and moments in the Lodoss anime. The manga's pretty good too, and I wish that someday we could get some of the novels translated in English... /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[ulkesh]

Escaflowne's my favourite series, so that wins. Romance, Kanno music, great battles. Ok the ending is annoying but love the rest.

Deedlit is a very big plus for Lodoss (love some moments in the first ep), but my other strong memories of the series are getting confused with the time jump (maybe helped by it being about the 3rd anime I watched subbed) and the lame "animation" of the Dragons in the latter episodes.

Though a 13 ep eseries vs a 26 ep series skews things anyway /images/graemlins/happy.gif

Still need to pick up Heroic Knight now its cheap.

[LouiefromLodoss]

[ QUOTE ]
I've only seen the first 1 or 2 episodes of Lodoss (tv) and nothing I've heard about the series makes me want to go further with it. Never bothered with the Escaflowne movie either.

[/ QUOTE ]

Then you NEED to watch the TV. Remember that the TV is the true version of the story.

Plus, if you feel like it... you can just watch the first disc of the OVA and efter that start the TV series.

Trust me, do yourself a favor and watch the series at least once.

[Njr Scrawl]

Escaflowne TV.

[gnikdrazil]

It's a hard choice. Escaflowne has the awesome action scenes, greate music, giant mechas, and one of my favorite plot, devices man vs. destiny. Record of Lodoss Wars (OAV) has the beautiful character designs (love the dragons even if they hardly move), traditional RPG plot done right, superior voice acting, and one manipulative grey witch. Escaflowne's plot breaksdown in the middle with the shortening of the series to 26 episodes and an ending I never really liked. Record of Lodoss War has a paint by numbers plot, but feels like things are getting done with only 13 episodes to work with plus a good ending. In the end, I have to go with Escaflowne. I still love the soundtrack to some of the great parts in the series like Escaflowne transforming for the first time or Van owning the dragonslayers with a few swift moves.

[DeadlyMessiah]

No contest, Escaflowne. RoLW is okay, it was good, but it went downhill around ep 9 and the ending was garbage. Escaflowne on the other hand is one of my top favorite anime series of all time, and LW could never touch it in the music department, thus, there is no way it could touch the series.

[LouiefromLodoss]

Well, now that I'm rewatching Escaflowne there are certain situations I'm finding irritating:

Hitomi ALWAYS fading out, feeling sorry for everything.... We just need to see her almost about to collapse and the characters next to her: HITOMI!!!! And holding her. This was ok the first 3 times.... but by the time 100th you'd think the other characters wouldn't care.

Plus, maybe it is just me but there are several episodes where nothing important is happening (moving the story)... in the case of Lodoss TV this wasn't the case.

[Sensuifu]

[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
I'm an Escaflowne man myself. It still stands as an all-time favorite. It also is one of my favorite limited edition box sets of all time what with that huge black Escaflowne model that you got with it. /images/graemlins/happy.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

This is the release with all the volumes right?

[Captain Impulse]

[ QUOTE ]
Sensuifu said:
[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
I'm an Escaflowne man myself. It still stands as an all-time favorite. It also is one of my favorite limited edition box sets of all time what with that huge black Escaflowne model that you got with it. /images/graemlins/happy.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

This is the release with all the volumes right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, it was a double-box release. Each box was slightly taller than your standard DVD case, with a hinged top. One box held all 8 discs, and the other held the black Escaflowne model.

[Sensuifu]

[ QUOTE ]
Captain Impulse said:
[ QUOTE ]
Sensuifu said:
[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
I'm an Escaflowne man myself. It still stands as an all-time favorite. It also is one of my favorite limited edition box sets of all time what with that huge black Escaflowne model that you got with it. /images/graemlins/happy.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

This is the release with all the volumes right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, it was a double-box release. Each box was slightly taller than your standard DVD case, with a hinged top. One box held all 8 discs, and the other held the black Escaflowne model.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wasn't too sure since I already got the box separately from the individual releases. Too bad it was only included with the complete set.

[Captain Impulse]

[ QUOTE ]
Sensuifu said:
I wasn't too sure since I already got the box separately from the individual releases. Too bad it was only included with the complete set.

[/ QUOTE ]

To be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with the figure. Basically no points of articulation and a flimsy sword, which the darn figure can barely hold. It looks nice from a distance but doesn't stand up to scrutity. Still, I'm not going to complain too much, as Bandai didn't have to go the extra mile.

[2old2care]

Escaflowne and Lodoss (OVA) are two of my favorites as well. I'd give the nod to Hitomi's crew for much the same reasons as others have said, however I LOVE the epic sweep at the start of Lodoss. I'll watch that again &amp; again, thanks to AZN TV. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Ty]

[ QUOTE ]
Sensuifu said:
[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
I'm an Escaflowne man myself. It still stands as an all-time favorite. It also is one of my favorite limited edition box sets of all time what with that huge black Escaflowne model that you got with it. /images/graemlins/happy.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

This is the release with all the volumes right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, the same 8 discs as the original singles. This was the first box set release from back when Bandai gave us those nice M-lock cases. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[Ty]

[ QUOTE ]
Captain Impulse said:
[ QUOTE ]
Sensuifu said:
I wasn't too sure since I already got the box separately from the individual releases. Too bad it was only included with the complete set.

[/ QUOTE ]

To be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with the figure. Basically no points of articulation and a flimsy sword, which the darn figure can barely hold. It looks nice from a distance but doesn't stand up to scrutity. Still, I'm not going to complain too much, as Bandai didn't have to go the extra mile.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're hard to please man. Then again, I'm not a figure person so I'm really easy to please. I just love how big it is really. /images/graemlins/happy.gif What's the point of having a figure of something huge if the figure itself isn't big I ask? /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif Plus I thought it was well made with good painting and plastic quality. I've had other models literally melt and fall over when the room got hot.

[Vicserr]

[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
[ QUOTE ]
Captain Impulse said:
[ QUOTE ]
Sensuifu said:
I wasn't too sure since I already got the box separately from the individual releases. Too bad it was only included with the complete set.

[/ QUOTE ]

To be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with the figure. Basically no points of articulation and a flimsy sword, which the darn figure can barely hold. It looks nice from a distance but doesn't stand up to scrutity. Still, I'm not going to complain too much, as Bandai didn't have to go the extra mile.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're hard to please man. Then again, I'm not a figure person so I'm really easy to please. I just love how big it is really. /images/graemlins/happy.gif What's the point of having a figure of something huge if the figure itself isn't big I ask? /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif Plus I thought it was well made with good painting and plastic quality. I've had other models literally melt and fall over when the room got hot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I'm still looking where I put my Escaflowne Figure (The one that Transforms to Dragon Mode that came out a few years ago...) /images/graemlins/stunned1.gif/images/graemlins/stunned1.gif/images/graemlins/stunned1.gif/images/graemlins/stunned1.gif/images/graemlins/stunned1.gif

[Captain Impulse]

[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
[ QUOTE ]
Captain Impulse said:
[ QUOTE ]
Sensuifu said:
I wasn't too sure since I already got the box separately from the individual releases. Too bad it was only included with the complete set.

[/ QUOTE ]

To be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with the figure. Basically no points of articulation and a flimsy sword, which the darn figure can barely hold. It looks nice from a distance but doesn't stand up to scrutity. Still, I'm not going to complain too much, as Bandai didn't have to go the extra mile.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're hard to please man. Then again, I'm not a figure person so I'm really easy to please. I just love how big it is really. /images/graemlins/happy.gif What's the point of having a figure of something huge if the figure itself isn't big I ask? /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif Plus I thought it was well made with good painting and plastic quality. I've had other models literally melt and fall over when the room got hot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, I never said it didn't look cool. I'm not really a figure guy either. I just think if a figure is going to have moving parts, you should be able to put it in cooler poses than "standing haphazardly with arm straight out, holding sword", or the "frankenstein" pose (both arms straight out). I would have preferred it being a solid piece but crafted in a cool pose, but whatever. Like I said, I'm glad that Bandai went the extra mile.

[Ty]

[ QUOTE ]
Captain Impulse said:
[ QUOTE ]
Xcalibur said:
[ QUOTE ]
Captain Impulse said:
[ QUOTE ]
Sensuifu said:
I wasn't too sure since I already got the box separately from the individual releases. Too bad it was only included with the complete set.

[/ QUOTE ]

To be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with the figure. Basically no points of articulation and a flimsy sword, which the darn figure can barely hold. It looks nice from a distance but doesn't stand up to scrutity. Still, I'm not going to complain too much, as Bandai didn't have to go the extra mile.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're hard to please man. Then again, I'm not a figure person so I'm really easy to please. I just love how big it is really. /images/graemlins/happy.gif What's the point of having a figure of something huge if the figure itself isn't big I ask? /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif Plus I thought it was well made with good painting and plastic quality. I've had other models literally melt and fall over when the room got hot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, I never said it didn't look cool. I'm not really a figure guy either. I just think if a figure is going to have moving parts, you should be able to put it in cooler poses than "standing haphazardly with arm straight out, holding sword", or the "frankenstein" pose (both arms straight out). I would have preferred it being a solid piece but crafted in a cool pose, but whatever. Like I said, I'm glad that Bandai went the extra mile.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol..... I actually never thought of it that way. It kinda does have a Frankenstein pose to it. I don't pose any of the figures I have so it didn't really occur to me I guess.

[JTurner]

This topic is admittingly quite old, but I have no problem sharing my thoughts:

Record of Lodoss War, both the OVA and TV series get a lot of replay value from me, simply because it's one of my all-time favorite Anime titles. It was the series that really got me started on Anime, and to this day it holds a special place in my heart. (I'm not particularly fond of the Lodoss Island shorts though.) But there was a lot I liked about Escaflowne as well; the characterizations are complex, the artwork and music breathtaking, and the story, although slow-moving at times, is quite captivating.

I'm not sure if this is even worth mentioning on here or not, but I also happen to be fond of the dubs for both of these series. The Lodoss OVA dub is one that I've always enjoyed listening to; the TV dub is a bit weaker in comparison (inconsistent performances and casting in places) but it has its saving graces--Crispin Freeman (Spark), Angora Deb (Leaf), plus most of the principal voices, notably John Knox (Ashram), Al Muscari (Slayn), and Lisa Ortiz (Deedlit). The Escaflowne TV dub isn't without its problems--the script makes a couple of jarring mistakes, and some performances aren't as strong, but there are other voices that I really liked--Kirby Morrow (Van), Brian Drummond (Allen), and especially Jocelyn Loewyn (Merle).

-Jon T.

[StanS]

Lodoss War for me has it all the way. It is one of the shows that had me hooked on anime. I liked the drama, character development and interactions. The OVA series is just plain good film making.

[battle001]

Lodoss War

man i love that Deedlit and the dorky free knight parn

[Shsway]

Escaflowne sucked me in with its rich plotting and visuals. Lodoss, on the otherhand, bored me all the way through. Deedlit and Parn are two of the most uninteresting characters that I've ever seen, and the secondaries don't fare much better (but then, fantasy anime hardly ever seems to hit the right notes with me).

Well, and the way that the series came about/got created would never have made for something unique or personally interesting to me.

[Keiti]

Escaflowne owns my soul. Lodoss was fine, but nothing tops Esca for me. Nothing.

[battle001]

one of the reasons i liked lodoss is because parn is such a free character, in the ova there was some stuff dealing fwith his father, but in the tv series he does not have any baggage, unlike most characters today. Deedlit is a good character because she is a mystery, why is she helping parn in the first place, she is very high on the elf chain, so why is she living with humans.

it also helps to know what you watched first.
i watched lodoss again &lt;3rd time since i had the whole series&gt; about two months ago, and just finished watching escaflowne for the first time, and the shows are not that comparable.

[Ty]

[ QUOTE ]
Shsway said:
Escaflowne sucked me in with its rich plotting and visuals. Lodoss, on the otherhand, bored me all the way through. Deedlit and Parn are two of the most uninteresting characters that I've ever seen, and the secondaries don't fare much better (but then, fantasy anime hardly ever seems to hit the right notes with me).

Well, and the way that the series came about/got created would never have made for something unique or personally interesting to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

That sums it up almost perfectly. I think even the people who worked on Lodoss know that it catered mostly to hardcore fantasy nerds. /images/graemlins/happy.gif "It had dragons and swords, what more could we possibly add?" /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[O-chan]

I admit that while I acknowlege Lodoss Wars contribution to the whole RPG/Fantasy anime genre. Escaflowne pretty much owns my sole and heart. There was just something very engaging for the series while Lodoss was a little bit more of a trial to sit through. (Keep in mind, this is JUST my viewpoint of the series).

O-chan

[Cheeks33]

I like Escaflowne better. The story, characters, and music were just amazing.