Arc the Lad Vol. 3 |
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I'll admit, I didn't give Arc the
Lad very much of a chance when I first saw it. Possibly because I was caught up in the stink named Orphen, another generic fantasy show that I originally panned. I was sick of fantasy and I originally panned this series, mainly because it was too generic and also too derivative. So, for the past couple of months, I've ignored Arc to review bigger and better things. However, those bigger and better things have been pretty scarce these days, so I decided to give Arc a spin one boring afternoon. This disc was a surprise for me, and while it's nothing revolutionary as far as anime goes, I have a much better appreciation of the series. The disc starts off on the same island that Elk and Company crashed on in the previous episode. Elk needs supplies to fix his ship, and the only supplies available are in a very dangerous part of the island, inhabited by very dangerous monsters. Elk, Lieza traverse to the area and discover an ancient robot, and learn a little more about the world that they live in and the spirits that control it. After this, they get the supplies they need and return home, only to find that their home has changed greatly. This time it's Elk with the price on his head, much like Pandit in the first few episodes. Also much like Pandit, Elk is basically bait so that Leiza can lured out and recaptured. Leiza decides that she is too much of a problem for Elk, and decides to go back to her home. At first Elk objects, but then lets her, as returning home is the one thing that will make her happy. A tearful goodbye at the train station is interrupted when Elk spots enemy soldiers headed at them in both directions. He leaps on the train, and they both ride to safety. Their safety is soon interrupted when soldiers begin to search the train for a certain suspicious character. They are saved danger from a member of a religious order, who they meet up with later. Elk and Leiza end up in town, but find it destroyed, and Elk finds someone from his past who means to kill him. Gene, one of Elk's friends from White House, wants revenge for when Elk left Meryl behind during his escape from White House. Gene turns out to be a Chimera, which makes some of the objectives of White House all the more clear. Elk learns that Meryl may still be alive, but she has changed in many ways. Elk and Leiza then journey in search of White House. Unfortunately, their travel leads them across a vast desert, and they don't last long in the blazing desert sun. They are then picked up by the same holy order that saved them on the train, although there are a few things suspicious about them. Their job seems to be healing the injured, but when Leiza tries to use her healing magic on some of the sick, she is scolded. After the truth is revealed about the group, Elk is saved by the Silver Noah, and Arc. Elk must then face himself and let his hate for Arc subside, as they both have the same goal, the destruction of White House. I'm sorry I didn't give the series much of a chance, but to be fair, it did have a weak beginning. The first episodes were kind of exciting, but the end of the first disc and the entire second disc was spent languishing in town. It wasn't all too interesting for me. But now, the story has picked up a little and I found myself watching the whole disc at once, a disc I was trying to avoid for quite some time. The characters are getting a little more interesting, and even though the series is more plot than character based, none of these episodes were as dull as a few of the stinkers on the last disc. Things are progressing quickly, and this is something I was relieved about. The whole plot does move like a console role-playing game, which isn't surprising because that's what Arc is based on. There are a few bad points about Arc, however. It tries to be ambitious, it tries to be epic, but sometimes the animation can't live up to the effort. Perhaps if the animation had a higher budget, it would come out looking like something as beautiful as Escaflowne. Character designs are solid, but not overly detailed. Also of note is that the episodes seem very, very, short, with the ending credits starting about twenty minutes in. With the opening song, this equals about eighteen minutes per show. Something I have noticed about Arc, thanks to a little reading I did on the series from other people who have seen it, is that the show itself is very serious. There are no moments of comedy, no anime staples like sweat drops, super-deformed characters, or other exaggerated effects. The show takes itself very seriously, but not in the pretentious way Orphen does. I like the fact that the writers did not feel that they had to add comedy to a story that really didn't need it. Also, for a show called "Arc the Lad," you'd think the title character would show up more than once a disc. Well, maybe he'll play more into the show in the future. Arc the Lad looks and sounds as good as the previous disc, which is a good thing. Colors are crisp, and although the encoding isn't perfect, the show is very new so nothing is dull or washed out. The music once again sounds great, and I have to say that this is one of the most under looked soundtracks out there. I don't hear anyone talk about it, which is a shame because it features some very nice orchestral pieces. The presentation on this disc is exactly the same as the last two, and although there are no extras, the menus are clean and I love the cover designs. Arc the Lad is really picking up. Perhaps it's a show that's better watched in large chunks, as I didn't tire of watching five episodes in a row. And since the next three discs feature five episodes each, hopefully my theory will be true. Arc the Lad is often under looked, but fantasy fans and RPG players should get a kick out of it from this disc on. - Bob Mackey |
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