Anime Review: Heroic legend of Arslan

Review Heroic legend of Arslan Written by Warpshadow Rating very good

There are some anime shows that you just wish were longer. In my case one of these stories is Heroic Legend of Arslan. Even though I wish there was more what is there is still plenty good.

The kingdom of Palse is under attack from the kingdom of Lusitania. Due to the Palsian king's poor judgment the army is routed. This leaves the crown prince Arslan stranded with a battle between him and his home. So Arslan is forced to seek refuge while Palse is invaded by religious fanatics. It is up to Arslan to cobble together an army capable of taking backing his homeland and face the dreaded silver mask who has a vendetta against Arslan and his family.

Heroic Legend of Arslan is a very intelligent fantasy epic. A good deal of the show is devoted to talking heads spouting philosophy and the overall plot is quite complex so that may turn some people off. It has the feeling of a period piece with the various noble's banter even though it is set in a fictional country. The other big problem with it is that there simply isn't enough, the story ends in what feels like the middle. Guessing from the nature of the plot (think romance of the three kingdoms, only not chinese) this Oav was inspired by a series of novels by Yoshiki Tanaka. Since neither they nor the manga version are available in English you will just have to watch what you can with this Oav.