Legend of Lemnear

This one's pretty dense for an 80s/90s OVA, a lot happens in it's short run-time. Completely worth your time if you're into high action fantasy with fan service, you won't be disappointed, this is one of the better ones and I've seen loads of those from the era in all levels of obscurity. The action is good, the fan service is excellent, the fantasy elements are compelling, and to top it off this has great animation. Something that stood out to me other than the sheer amount of breasts in this OVA was the boss fight. I'd put the boss right near the top of thelist of the most awesome villains I've seen in anime, very satisfying. I was rooting for him because he's straight up cool, both from a high fantasy perspective and because he's metal as hell. This is one of those OVAs where you can just tell you're going to love or hate it from looking at the artwork on the cover, there isn't much middle ground. If swords, magic, and breasts are enough for you, well this is all of that and more.

For most of us in the western world the Legend of Lemnear first appeared as yet another 1990s pulp produced OVA however it was actually from the mid-1980s with the delay simply being the product of waiting for a decent localisation to reach our shores in the days before fan-subbing and the internet made almost all releases available in a matter of days after they were released in their native language. The Legend of Lemnear certainly holds its own appeal despite the era it comes from being associated with large numbers of dubious quality OVAs arriving due to it having a rather dark tone anda strong female protagonist who has ties to another female character featured in the far better known animation Heavy Metal. That is not to say however that this is a classic that has flown under the radar for most. The story starts off appearing to be a fairly basic revenge story with a warrior seeking out the people who were responsible for the murder of her family in a high fantasy setting with plenty of swords and magic on display from the get go with the opening scenes definitely paying more than a passing resemblance to the opening episode of Berserk. From there the story develops into a matter of prophesies and a set heroes of legend in a rather clichéd manner which has been done before and better. What set this apart from the myriad of other OVAs of this period are its slightly darker undertones than most OVAs of this era; an early antagonist being a slave trader for example, its avoidance of over the top violence which was such a staple of this era and the aforementioned female protagonist. However sadly what could have been a very refreshingly different OVA falls rather rapidly into many of the tropes which gave this era of OVA such a bad reputation. Despite its relatively short running time at just under 45 minutes there is a decent slab of fairly pointless nudity crowbarred in and even an attempted rape which serves no real point in the story beyond establishing that these people are the bad guys in the crudest manner possible. It also suffers a complete lack of character development and all but the simplest plot exposition but due to its relatively short running time the paper thin plot does not feel like it out stay its welcome or is particularly harmed by its lack of meaningful development. The artwork has not aged well compared to things such as Black Lion which I reviewed recently but it is not terrible and looks far more like a western cartoon from this era than an OVA which may be a plus for those who are put off by the stereotypical view of this period of anime release. It does make the world feel rather gritty and oppressed which is the ultimate aesthetic that is attempting to be conveyed and it has to be said that the character detail is quite solid throughout. The soundtrack is actually pretty good considering the time period Lemnear comes from with a decent if a little tacky synth, electric guitar and drum machine beat running through out keeping the action moving without ever feeling intrusive. I wouldn’t say that either the art or the soundtrack are particular selling points but they are of a standard which doesn’t either impede on the viewing experience or make the OVA feel like the straight to video release it actually is. Sadly the same cannot be said of the English dub which is, as to be expected of this era, utterly terrible. Thankfully you can get it in a subbed version these days which definitely would be the recommend way to watch the Legend of Lemnear unless you want the true 90s OVA experience for some reason. In summary the Legend of Lemnear isn’t a quite lost gem from the 1990s / 1980s but with its short running time the throwaway plot can be overlooked and someone wanting a definitely watchable high fantasy adventure which rather pleasingly doesn’t suffer from terrible animation or sound quality should consider getting hold of a copy. However for those out there who are not prepared to forgive an OVA such as this for its 1980s quirks then avoid it like the plague as you’ll just find yourself getting ever more irritated with the whole thing.

One’s liminal ears at the precipice of lemony tears, soured by the duress and distress of all that you hear could only match a crumb of the heartache from the mythopoetic soul that resides in Lemnear. Should sword and sorcery offer a companion piece from a land in the East, this would be most welcome a feast in the midst of past contemporaries deceased. And that it does in its dealings with life and death, truly its effervescence springs forward past its grave leaving none bereft. In the bosom of Indo-European tradition, our heroine embarks a journey through perdition to rescue her sacred kin, andin solace by the end, leaving none chagrin. For in the heart of darkness to overcome spirits resided far too long in the shade, one must be their own light thus that their own will shan’t be betrayed. Yet this light is carried not merely throughout her mortal coil, but into my own earthly toil. As an accompanying presence befitting of her effervescence, this glimmer shines through most soft and tender, in ways which could only beckon sweet surrender. Such concession calls forth faith in an ancient quest which in guise appears only to lie in her breast, but a lamb’s wool doth not make a mere sheath for its delicate form; it nurtures distant life to keep them snug and warm. Many can share her primordial animosity against the tyranny of grievous monstrosity, and in burdening the warrior residing in all, we can see our own inner sanctuary as more than a place housing a thrall.

This is a Satoshi Urushihara joint, which means you only have to know one thing about this: Le boobies. I mean, they do try to wrap a story around the whole fan-service-y bits, but in the end its all just window dressing. In this case, Lemnear is a scantily-clad sword-wielding silver-haired beauty who is out for revenge, and ends up being at the heart of a prophecy. However, that's all just an excuse to get to what Urushihara does best: Drawing nubile young girls in various states of undress. No, it's not a pornoflick, but rather that teasing risque anime that gives fifteen year olds in the eighties all the titillating giggles. And in this day and age, that's not nearly enough to hold up as worth viewing.