Dingbats and dragons.
What They Say:
From Studio DEEN (Fate/stay night) comes a remake celebrating the 25th anniversary of the series! Orphen is a powerful sorcerer who is notoriously lazy. Everything changes when he finds a way to save his sis, who was turned into a dragon during their days at magic academy. Betrayed by friends who refused to help, Orphen will stop at nothing to track her down, even if he has to go it alone.
Episode #1: “A Vestige of the Past”
Orphen is searching for his friend Azalie after she had disappeared five years ago. He’s currently trying to pay off his debt at the inn he’s staying at when two dwarves named Volkan and Dortin tell him they have a sweet plan to get him out of debt.
The Review
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
In the past few years, we’ve seen a bunch of older light novel series readapted into new anime series for the anniversary of their releases. Following in the footsteps of Kino’s Journey and Boogiepop comes an unexpected choice for a new adaptation, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen.
Originally created as a light novel series by Yoshinobu Akita it was published as 20 volumes from 1994 to 2003, serialized in Monthly Dragon Magazine. Dragon was the prime spot for all 90’s fantasy, and Orphen is a relatively straightforward 90’s fantasy. (Just look at Orphen with his spiky hair and headband.) An anime soon followed, as well as a Playstation 2 launch window game which predated the anime release in the States. It was, judging from the sales numbers of the novels, well received and quite liked.
The anime was released in English on DVD by ADV back in 2001. It became a staple on FYE and blockbuster shelves. (As did copies of the PS2 game, which always seemed to be kicking around in large used quantities.) It was one of those series that I think most anime fans had heard of, at least in passing. I have never seen the original adaptation nor have I read the more recent English release of the light novels.
Handling this new adaptation is Studio Deen, with director Takayuki Hamana (Prince of Tennis) at the helm. J.C. Staff adapted the original anime, making this a change of studio from the original production. Not exactly a surprise.
The opening and ending themes are pretty bad as far as song choice and animation. Mostly because they are ultimately instantly forgettable. The ending animation even features something I’ve seen done in so many ending animations it’s almost a trope. Luckily the animation inside the series itself is a little bit more inspired and honestly, of a higher quality than I was expecting. Especially when it comes to the actual sorcery and the scenery.
Most of the character designs haven’t had much of an update from their source material. Eyes have gotten small, hair is a little less pointy. They still come across as being very 90’s centered, but at least there are no enormous shoulder pads and armor. In fact, the costumes of the cast and extras are surprisingly subdued and modest.
The story is fairly straightforward in this first episode. We begin the past where a young sorcerer named Krylancelo (oh yes, the names in this series are really dumb) witnesses his friend transform horrifically into a pudgy greed dragon. As the newly transformed dragon flees the other sorcerers that try to take it out the young man counteracts their attack, trying to save his friend.
We skip ahead five years to see that same young man now older and calling himself Orphen. He’s working as a money lender and has a reputation for being a magic school wash-out. Two dwarven con-artists (although it’s never stated directly that’s what they are) owe him a good chunk of change, and they sucker Orphen into a marriage scheme to get a large sum of money. Hijinks ensue until coincidence lands Orphen and companions at the location of the sword which caused his friend Azalie to transform into a dragon.
There are some things to like in this show, mainly the fact that even this early on you can get a good idea of the lead character’s personalities. There’s a nice lighthearted atmosphere in the goofy B-plot, and plenty of bickering, which comes across as old-fashioned. Where this starts to fall apart is the overall storytelling. I think I would have saved the flashback for after the dragon attack on the Everlasting household, after establishing Orphen as a rogue sorcerer. The fact that he pulls off the exact same move against his former colleagues with little pushback is laughable. Some of the exposition is also clumsy and unnecessary this early on, but at least it’s not a massive exposition drop.
In Summary:
Going into Sorcerous Stabber Orphen I had admittedly low expectations and no nostalgia to fall back on. The recent remakes of other older series (sans Dororo) haven’t exactly been the second coming. Orphen’s character designs and overall tone definitely show it’s age. The checkboxes on 90’s Japanese fantasy are all ticked on this story. There’s a clumsiness to the way the story is being told which is, unfortunately, dragging the overall presentation down. However, there’s a general lack of meanness in its bad-boy character, despite the serious nature of the conflict at the heart of the story. The future love interest isn’t just an eye-candy plot device, the sidekicks are wonderfully annoying scoundrels. The animation is solid and more lively than I was expecting, and the backgrounds are lush and have a nice storybook quality. I’m interested in seeing where this adaptation goes.
Episode Grade: B –
Streamed by: Funimation