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Tuesday, 01 November 2011 14:18 |
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Page 1 of 3
 The last proper fantasy show I saw, Legend of the Legendary Heroes, was legendary only in the amount of disappointment it heaped on me. Now along come Guin Saga, which has many years of light novel history behind it. That's got to be an improvement, right..?
Fleeing the Mongaul army that has destroyed the Kingdom of Parros, heirs to the throne Princess Rinda and Prince Remus attempt a desperate magical escape that fails, leaving them stranded inside the spirit-infested Roodwood. As the Mongauli close in, they are rescued by the most unlikely of saviors: Guin, a strange warrior with the head of a leopard. But the dangers they face are only beginning, for Rinda, Remus and their mysterious protector still have many battles left to fight, including the wraith-possessed Black Count, the master of the Mongauli who must drink human blood to keep his rotting flesh from literally falling off his body...
Okay, so the Black Count doesn't last more than an episode or two. From there, the twins move on to being chased by the Lady of Mongaul, Amnelis, heir to the throne of Parros' conquerors - and more besides. Back in Parros' capital, Crystal, the duplicitous Duke Aldo Norisse is unaware that the royal twins have survived, as is busy making his own plans to take revenge on the Mongauli and restore Parros to its former glory...
That's a very rough-and-ready synopsis, as there's a lot going on in the series - and, being based on a very long-running franchise, some plot threads are only touched upon in a "we'll maybe tie this up if we get a second season" way. Unfortunately, so far, there's no second season planned, so there are some hanging plot threads (not least of which is Guin's true identity and how he came to look the way he does) - but there's enough going on here that is resolved, and resolved in ways that largely make sense (two points that the aforementioned Legend of the Legendary Heroes failed on), that I can let it slide. The main thrust of the story - the twins' search for allies to help take back Parros, and Norisse's political maneuverings back in the capital, plays out very well and has a suitably epic feel to it - something that's been missing from fantasy shows for a while, and earns the show quite a few points.
Alongside the main story are a few side-arcs: the stories of Amnelis and her search for true love, of Istavan, a mercenary who travels with the twins for a while and who falls in love with Rinda in the process, before realising that he'll have to do something about his social status before he can rightly stand alongside her; of Remus and his transformation from scared child into a leader with more than a hint of darkness about him. This is where the show slips a little, as its characters are very hit-and-miss. On the good side: Guin himself is a top-class hero, never slipping up and never failing to honour the promises he makes to the twins. Rinda has far more backbone than a princess in her position would be expected to have, and for the first half of the season easily outshines her brother in that respect. Norisse is a top-class manipulator of people, and while presenting himself as a hero is clearly in it purely for himself. Between them, these three make the series easily worth watching.
But for every plus, there's a minus. Remus starts off as a spineless, snivelling brat - I was kinda hoping they'd do a Jyu-Oh-Sei on him and kill him off early - and while he does eventually become far more like a leader, the new "improved" Remus is still annoying to watch. Amnelis, allegedly one of Mongaul's best warriors, has all the tactical knowledge of a fieldmouse and on at least two occasions leads her men into situations where wholesale slaughter is the only likely outcome - both times against her advisers' pleadings. She's not much better in matters of love, either, displaying a naivety in her choice of a husband that's almost staggering. You end up just shaking your head in disbelief at her actions. Good to look at, but not much there behind the facade. Istavan can't seem to make up his mind whose side he's on, switching allegiances even more often than the wind changes, to the point where I just wanted to slap him until he made his mind up.
The end result, then, is rather disjointed. When it's good, it's really good - but there's a lot of "meh" and frustrating passages of story to get through as well. I'm also still at a loss as to why mascot character Suni was ever kept past the twins' encounter with the Sem early in the series, as she really serves no useful purpose at all past that. Overall, though, I'm starved enough of decent fantasy stories, and there's enough good stuff here, that it's worth watching. Just be aware of its flaws before you start.
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