Opening Song: Yume no Hate ("The Ends of a Dream") by Masami Suzuki
Credits Song: Priere by Masami Suzuki
Spoiler Warning: I am going to give a synopsis of each episode and my opinions at the very end.
Episode 1:
In an old mausoleum, Mars Uldole and his army of knights attempt to use two pendants taken from their hostages, Cress Albane (human warrior) and Mint Adenade (human mage), to resurrect the Evil King Dhaos. Mars is successful despite the attempts of Chester Burklight (human archer) and Trinicus D. Morrison
(mage half-elf) to halt the ritual. Mars is killed instantly by Dhaos,
and Morrison is seriously wounded. Using his last bit of strength,
Morrison creates a rift in time that he uses to send Cress and Mint 102
years into the past.
During what would become known as the Valhalla War, Cress assists foot soldiers against monsters working for Dhaos while Mint petitions the leaders of Midgard to allow her and two new companions, Arche Klein (half-elf mage) and Claus F. Lester (human mage), to travel to the future. However, the council is hesitant to relinquish two of its most powerful spellcasters.
Midgard's military captain Reisen (half-elf) unveils a new technology he has been developing called a 'Mana Cannon'. The first shot goes off without a hitch, but because the Cannon consumes vast amounts of mana (life energy), the second shot causes it to explode. Mint then receives a vision of the world tree Yggdrasill crying out for help and the ghostly image of Dhaos insisting the tree must be protected.
Episode 2:
Devastated by the damage he has wrought, Reisen thinks back to his first
encounter with Dhaos where he was warned of the danger his weapon
posed, and accused of trying to do nothing more than "prove his worth"
to a world that does not think highly of half-elves. Reisen offers to
get the group back to the future using another of his devices, but
without enough mana he cannot power it.
In the meantime, Cress, Mint, and Arche travel overseas to the Forest of
Spirits where the tree from Mint's vision grows. In the middle of a
great glade they find the tree Yggdrasill and summon the spirit Martel
from it. However, the tree tries to kill Mint by siphoning her mana.
Dhaos appears unexpectedly and transfers some of his mana to Yggdrasill,
saving both Mint and the tree.
Cress tries attacking Dhaos who,
before vanishing, proclaims humans to be nothing more than bloodthirsty
creatures. Later that night, and again back in Midgard, Cress frets
over what Dhaos said and questions if they are doing the right thing.
Claus reassures him and together the group travels forward in time to
confront Dhaos in the mausoleum.
Episode 3:
The battle with Dhaos is short lived as he escapes through a portal
even further into the future. The group gathers at Morrison's house to
discuss their next move and allow the gravely wounded Chester time to
rest. Without knowing what time period Dhaos has jumped to there isn't
much they can do. Fortunately, an elf named Lundgrom appears at their door claiming to be from 50 years in the future. He requests the aid of the "Heroes of Eternity" and claims to have found a way to stop Dhaos from time traveling.
The group travels to the village of elves, Heimdall, to form the pact with the spirit Origin. The village chief forces Arche to wait outside as half-elves are not allowed within the village because they "combine the worst aspects of both races". He is also reluctant to allow the group to form a pact with Origin as the chief believes Dhaos will only target humans. However, it isn't long before a rouge ninja, under Dhaos's command, attacks Heimdall. Another young ninja, Suzu Fujibayashi, manages to drive the rouge ninja off, giving Claus enough time to summon Origin.
Episode 4:
The group enters Dhaos's castle and battles their way through a series of monsters before ganging up on Dhaos. Before succumbing to his injuries, Dhaos explains that he is from another planet called Derris-Kharlan. He had wanted to gather a seed from Aselia's world tree to save his own dying world but failed. What became of the "Heroes of Eternity" afterward is unknown.
"If there is evil in this world, it lurks in the hearts of men." -Dhaos
Final Thoughts
I have not played the Phantasia video game, and despite the basic,
cliché storyline, I was completely lost for most of this series. Events
move so fast and characters are introduced so suddenly and without much
setup or explanation that it feels like I've missed an entire season.
Unnecessary characters like Suzu who add nothing of value, as far as the
animation is concerned, should have been left out completely. I just
don't know who these people are, what their relationships to each other
are, what their motivations are, how this world functions, or why I
should care. Apparently a good half to two-thirds of the narrative from
the game was dropped, and I cant understand why they bothered to make
this series if they weren't going to commit to a proper adaptation. If
you already like the video game it may act as a good plot refresher.
Otherwise it comes off as incoherent.
Have you seen Tales of Phantasia: The Animation or played the game it is based on? What were your thoughts? How do they compare?
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