Arc the Lad

Based on the first two instalments of the videogame series of the same name, Arc the Lad follows the adventures of Elk, a young bounty hunter gifted with the power of Flame. Despite his relative youth, Elk has already been through a lot- as a child he survived the destruction of his home village, only to be captured and taken to the mysterious White House.

Those events may be behind him now, but Elk is still consumed with the need for revenge against those who wronged him. But an encounter with the beastmaster Lieza soon triggers a series of events that teaches Elk that the true villains aren’t the people he thought they were, and that the events of his past were only part of a much greater evil.

Just like the videogames that spawned it (and indeed many others of the same genre), Arc the Lad presents a curious mix of traditional fantasy elements alongside more advanced concepts that wouldn’t be out of place in a more sci-fi orientated setting. Sadly, the two aspects do not combine together all that well, leading to a somewhat inconsistent level of quality throughout the series.

In particular, the fantasy elements feel all too generic and uninspired- the traditional good spirits vs. Lord of Darkness setting is one all too familiar to anyone with even a passing knowledge of classic RPGs. Fortunately, the story is saved from mediocrity with the inclusion of some darker threads- of particular note are the Chimeras, fearsome monsters created from human subjects. Watching people transform into Chimeras (willingly or otherwise), as well as eventually discovering how they were originally created, makes for some of the engaging moments in the series.

When it comes to characterisation, the series once again sticks close to traditional fantasy guidelines. Elk is the troubled hero who must learn to open his mind and overcome a troubled past; Lieza is the demure heroine whose special powers make her a target; Shu is the stoic mentor with a hidden past, and so the list goes on. The characters are just interesting enough to make you want to learn more about them, but apart from Elk’s “coming of age’ struggles, character development is practically nonexistent. In fact, the characters are more two-dimensional than they were in the games, where a measure of dry wit and some exploration into their back stories made them a far more likeable bunch.

The one place where it is much harder to fault Arc the Lad is in the quality of its animation. While not quite up to the level of more recent series, Arc the Lad maintains a consistent standard of animation throughout, thanks in no small part to Bee Train’s involvement in the production of the series.

In Summary

Despite some promising moments, Arc the Lad adheres too closely to generic fantasy concepts to ever be regarded as a true classic. Whilst the series does make for an interesting diversion that can be enjoyed regardless of whether or not you’ve ever played or even heard of the videogames, it just can’t quite measure up to the numerous other, better series out there.