Legend of Crystania: The Motion Picture

The name Ryo Mizuno is magic to fantasy anime fans, as creator of the terrific mini-series Record of Lodoss War. Here we have similar heroic fantasy plot elements here: evil rising across the land, a quest to find a magical item and a lost king, and a small band of adventurers who are mankind's last hope against the coming darkness etc. etc. But none of it gels or generates much real interest, and none of the characters stick out as being worth a viewer's time to get to know. Record of Lodoss War assembles many of the same familiar elements, but puts them together into a much more compelling piece of storytelling. Indeed, Crystania suffers by comparison to just about any other fantasy series of note. The animation lacks a unique look and the world building just doesn't seem special enough to grab your interest. When it was over, I found myself unable to recall many of the specific story details - not a good sign. Good fantasy storytelling makes you want to wallow in its minutiae. It makes you want to hear more of the story. Here I actually wanted less. Avoid.