WHAT IF a story as grand as ToP could be an anime!? WELL IT IS, GOT IT!? Now your turn, pretend you are excited and that this is news. Just...give me this one, okay?
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| Eheheh...haha.....ANYWAYS. |
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Tales of Phantasia: The Animation
Episodes: 4
Age Rating: Teen 13+ (mild violence)
Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
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| HERO TIME!!! Time hero. Same difference. |
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Who are these brave warriors who will combat this apparent evil, you ask?
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| I am concerned by the lack of blood on this sword. |
Likes: Mint, protecting others
Dislikes: When people are upset
Skills/Hobbies: Swords
Misc: His first sword is really...interesting.
Cless as I have chosen to call him is a bit of an..uninteresting character. On one hand he is your typical hero, stalwart, defend everyone, save the world, knight's armor, "warrior class" the whole 9 yards, but I dunno, the anime just kind of made him seem...weak. He relies very heavily on the assistance of his team, and you know, that is fine, but at the same time, I have a really hard time buying that he is the hero. Yeah, he can use a sword, and use it well, but compared to some of the other characters, I just wasn't impressed. On the upside, that does add realism to his character, except that they don't treat him as kind of weak, he is, well... the hero.
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| Don't stare at me please.. |
Likes: Peace, helping people, Cless
Dislikes: Seeing others in pain / distress
Skills/Hobbies: Healing
Misc: Doesn't get more good guy-ey than Mint!
If Cless is the warrior, then mint is certainly without question the gentle priest/cleric that stands forever at his side, ensuring that he never dies...at least not for realsies. Mint has been through a lot but still holds her head high, ever honing her healing abilities, because harming anything would be horrible in her eyes. She is about as sweet as a good guy can be, and above everything else, just wants everyone to get through this whole ordeal safe and sound (except Chester, it seems, since she never heals him for some reason). Nurse!
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| Oooooooh...Can we have some fun now!? |
Likes: Mischief, flying, a challenge, boys,
Dislikes: Discrimination, easy fights
Skills/Hobbies: Magician
Misc: She's a pervert. I am pretty sure of it.
Arche is a half elf, which is regarded in the anime as a human that can use magic. OH NO! In ToP this is for some reason an issue as they are not accepted too graciously by either humans, or elves. Arche must sadly deal with this discrimination throughout her life even though she has done the world so much good that she is considered a legendary hero. Despite this she is always in high spirits, mischievous, playful, and fun to be around. Arche is an incredible magician and can use a vast array of spells to lay waste to pretty much everything, including the ever amazing INDIGNATION!!! Oh, right, and she shows signs of attraction to all the male main characters. Don't worry Arche, you will find love someday!
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| Yo. |
Likes: Books, Summoning things, learning
Dislikes: Being lied to by a pretty face
Skills/Hobbies: Reading, teaching.
Misc: I suspect he might be clumsy.
Klarth is the sort of person who is wise beyond his years. Spending all of his time either studying or teaching has honed his mind to be far, far sharper than his age would indicate. Overall he is a very calm, very patient person, and wields unreal power in the form of summoning. Though powerful, his summons do however take a lot of time to prepare, so if he is left unprotected, he is basically useless. Luckily with a group like his, this isn't an issue, and he is well protected while he summons a very, very large amount of badassery to smite anyone who poses any kind of threat. He also sports that hat of his like a beast.
Aselia is a pretty big place, especially when you factor in time travel. So if you want to meet the rest of the incredible people there, you will need to take a trip!
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Plot - 6.5/10
Okay, right out of the gate, I get what this anime is trying to do. It can really only be one of two things. A little gift for the people that have already played the game, or a sort of....go play this game sort of deal. The plot is really, really good, don't get me wrong, but the anime leaves out a LOT of stuff that is in the game, and though I was lucky enough to have someone I could consult about the intricacies of the game, there were still a lot of questions left at the end. I mean a lot. The ending was pretty awesome, but felt rushed at the same time, and it just left me hating the fact that I never beat the game as a kid. I mean seriously. I wouldn't even recommend you watch this unless you have played the game to SOME extent before.
Sound - 7/10
Okay, for one thing, this anime will forever be known as the one that made me have to change my music section to "sound" The music was good. I enjoyed it quite a bit and from what I remember, it was pretty faithful to the game... However, it did not really make me feel anything, and I consider that a fail overall, no matter HOW pleasant it was to the ears. Still though, some of it WAS pretty awesome. The sound, ugh, I had issues with it. Three sounds in particular just hit my ears wrong. The bow draw fire twangy noise, the enemy stabbing noise, and for the holy love of hell, the sword unsheathing. I don't recommend any sheath that sounds like it is made out of cloth, not to anyone.
Voices (Dubbed) - 5.5/10
Okay, already have an issue here. Hearing mint talk just grated on my ears in such a way that I was tempted to end the episode early. Cless did a little better, but his voice was kind of...he didn't put enough into it. When he did, he came across as well, not a hero. I know I said he was weak, but you didn't need to drive that point home like that. He kinda does that on his own, he didn't need the help. Klarth, Arche, Dhaos, Mars, Chester were all voiced....okay. I didn't really hate their voices, and I think Klarth and Chester were actually pretty well done, but still. I also hated that the English dub straight up changed the personality of some of the characters as well. *cough* (Arche)
Voices (Subbed) - 8/10
Luckily, what in English made me cringe, had me on the edge of my seat in Japanese. Though not the BEST subbed voices I have ever heard, I have to admit that I found Mint and Arche's voices to be adorable, Cless to be suitable to the character, and Klarth to be sufficiently awesome. Put everything into the voices, and you can bring an entire world to life.
Art - 7/10
Well, the art was...The best example of hit and miss every, really. On one hand, the character designs and spell designs were top notch. I was impressed by the energy that went into all of the summons, the summoning circles, the spell circles, and the spells themselves, and the characters were brilliantly brought to life. The enemies in the anime were...well to be blunt, there just wasn't enough variety. The backdrop and the world also seemed a little lazily done, often opting for hazy shots, long periods of flashing spell lights, etc. the end result was a world that, even though you know in your heart it is pretty big, felt a little bit small and undefined.
Characters - 7/10
Well, the bottom line here is, I love the characters, I wanted to spend a LOT more time getting to know more about them, but well, time passed too quick, and you really didn't get a detailed look at anyone in any kind of profound way. This was a shame. Once again, they want you playing that game. At the same time, you just kind of know that depth is there, and that's why you WANT to play the game, to learn more, and know more about these characters that in such a short period you suddenly grow to love.
Overall - 7.1/10
Now, overall as you can see this anime got a pretty average rating, but don't get me wrong here, it was incredible... If you have already played the games. If you haven't you are probably going to hate it. The last thing people want is to end an anime going "Huh?" The sad truth is, you probably will if you don't know the story behind the games. I sort of hate that they went this route, but I get it at the same time. For those of you who have already played it though? This re-imagining of the story through the scope of an anime is a wonderful treat to add to an already incredible series. Go play the game, then come back and watch this one.
Mystek Cannon power: Too much, tone it down, guy.
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The anime:
Tales of Phantasia: The Animation
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| Awesome picture in lieu of clever joke. |
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Thanks to Gogotaku who would agree that you should never chant indignation at a police officer. Next time summon sylph, they could probably get you off the hook.
