Ellcia...
Way back in the misty dawn of time, I picked up the VHS version of Ellcia...
Ellcia is an epic sword-and-sorcery tale set mostly on the high sea that is reminiscent of the animated series Pirates of Dark Water -- only without the black ooze and the flying monkeys. Ellcia tells the story of a band of pirates who find themselves in a high seas battle to save the world from the forces of evil. The introduction is a bit wordy, but, once you get past that, everything is just fine. Ellcia has a decent story, is reasonably well paced, and has some nice effects. There is a modest amount of red ink, but, the series isn't particularly gory. I used to have all four parts on subtitled VHS. But, when an official DVD became available, I repurchased this title on DVD. There are some anime fans who found the series somewhat unoriginal and trite, but, I enjoyed the series quite a lot. I gave Ellcia a 4 out of 5.
Volume 1
In a far away place and time, the inhabitants of a land known as Megaronia discovered the ruins of a civilization long dead. Using the technology of that ancient civilization, Nabosu, King of Megaronia, conquered all the lands. Many years have passed, and now the Sacred Book of the land of Eija, long thought to have been burned, has been rediscovered and with it the legends of a mysterious and all powerful ship. Now Princess Crystal of Megaronia has set forth on a quest to recover the ship and its ultimate weaponry. All that stands between her and total domination of the world is a small group of piratical misfits. Swords, sorcery and technology blend to form a mesmerizing tale of Good vs. Evil in Ellcia.
Volume 2
Ghost Ship
The first phase of the ancient Eijian prophecy has come to pass as Eira's comrades discover the legendary Ship of God, Ellcia! However, even though they are armed with the mightiest weapon to ever sail the seas, can this young band of pirates take on the awesome might of King Nabosu's armored fleet to rescue Eira, Mayeard, Funk and Doner from Crystal's malevolent clutches? It's swords and sorcery against the weapons of an ancient technology as the epic fantasy Ellcia continues!
Volume 3
Ironclads
Eira and her crew are now in control of the God's Ship, Ellcia, but what are they going to do with it? The decision is made when Eira discovers that she is Prince Elluri's younger sister. As the pirates travel to the Four Gods islands is search of the "keys" to the Ellcia's powers, Crystal regroups her forces for another attempt to gain control of the ship. Her plans are complicated, however, when Phelkis launches his own attempt to take over the world!
Volume 4
Ship of God
One girl, one ship, one hope for Mankind! This is it! The final chilling chapter as Eira and her pirates must face down the combined forces of Nobosu, Phelkis and Crystal! Will the arming of Ellcia, the Ship of God, be completed in time or will the Islands of God be wiped clean of life in the ultimate genocide? It's the hull-wrenching conclusion to the epic series Ellcia! Includes bonus Pencil Test footage!
Note: Although the printed DVD insert reports the running time as 100 minutes, its actual running time is consistent with the original VHS release -- approximately 200 minutes.
Ellcia is an epic sword-and-sorcery tale set mostly on the high sea that is reminiscent of the animated series Pirates of Dark Water -- only without the black ooze and the flying monkeys. Ellcia tells the story of a band of pirates who find themselves in a high seas battle to save the world from the forces of evil. The introduction is a bit wordy, but, once you get past that, everything is just fine. Ellcia has a decent story, is reasonably well paced, and has some nice effects. There is a modest amount of red ink, but, the series isn't particularly gory. I used to have all four parts on subtitled VHS. But, when an official DVD became available, I repurchased this title on DVD. There are some anime fans who found the series somewhat unoriginal and trite, but, I enjoyed the series quite a lot. I gave Ellcia a 4 out of 5.
