Review of "Rabirinth of Flame": Exploring the depth of the story and characters

Labyrinth of Flame - Honoono Labyrinth - Reviews and Recommendations

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

September 25, 2000

■Release and sales

Distributor: Bandai Visual

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 2

■Original Story

Studio Fantasia

■ Director

Katsuhiko Nishijima

■ Production

Studio Fantasia

■Works

©2000 Studio Fantasia/Bandai Visual/Nippon Columbia

■ Story

In the 19th century, the family of Aoi Shigemasa, who acted as a Russian intelligence agency, was given a secret closed city by Russia. Now in the present day, the last descendant of the family, Princess Natsu, invites a Russian sword fighting enthusiast named Galan to her hometown. There, he is attacked by a mysterious group of beautiful assassins, and there is crazy trouble surrounding the succession of the Aoi family!

■Explanation

A dizzying world of "swords," "sexiness," and "action" set in the mysterious, secret, closed city of "Labyrinth"!

■Cast

・Galan/Kouichi Tonokin・Natsu/Yuki Masuda・Kasumi/Yukari Tamura・Kagami Dateno Susumu/Susumu Chiba・Kokorohana/Yuko Sasaki・Nastassja Nijinsky/Ruri Asano・Carrie/Mami Kanetsuki・Shigemitsu/Shozo Iizuka

■ Main staff

・Director, storyboard / Katsuhiko Nishijima・Director of production / Tetsuya Watanabe・Screenplay / Kenichi Kanamaki・Character design, animation director / Noriyasu Yamauchi・Character design cooperation / Yoko Kikuchi・Mechanic design / Hidefumi Kimura・Action coordinator / Ryo Tanaka・Art director / Kazuo Ogura・Director of photography / Yoshifumi Sano・Sound director / Yoshikazu Iwanami・Music / Koichi Fujino・Original work, animation production / Studio Fantasia・Production / Bandai Visual

■ Main Characters

Garan
23 years old. A strange, passionate Russian who is a sword fighting movie nerd and has a unique obsession with Bushido. He seems to have quite a detailed knowledge of Japanese culture (especially swords).
·summer
19 years old. A descendant of the Aoi clan, she is a free-spirited and selfish princess. In order to avoid being forced to marry her fiance, she plots to use Garan to cause trouble, but...
・Kasumi
18 years old. Natsuhime's bodyguard and caretaker. A straightforward girl who tries to protect the princess with astonishing desperation. She is a kunoichi, but strangely has a frail constitution.
・Kagami Datenoshin
25 years old. Natsuhime's childhood friend and fiancé, a handsome young man, is being manipulated by Shigemitsu.
・ Heart flower
32 years old. Shigemitsu's younger sister and the master of the Aoiryu school. She will be teaching martial arts to Garan. She is the only person Shigemitsu cannot stand up to, and to Natsuhime, she is like a mother or an older sister.
・Nastassja Nijinsky
25 years old. A master thief on an international wanted list. In order to steal the treasure, he infiltrates the Labyrinth with the puppeteer Elora. He curryes favor with Shigemitsu and waits for his chance.
·carry
25 years old. He came to Labyrinth as a freelance writer. He later calls himself Interpol, but... The camera he always carries with him has a gun attached to it.
・Elora Sparrowhawk
24 years old. A puppeteer who infiltrated with Nastasya. He controls two puppets at the same time to confuse the enemy. His destructive power is strong, and he has a dangerous personality.
Shigemitsu is the 7th feudal lord of Labyrinth 4. He's an incredibly perverted old man, but contrary to his appearance, he is also a good father who is concerned about Natsu and runs politics for the townspeople.

■Subtitle

・Episode 1: Topknot Lovely Rins? Lovely Rins? (2000/09/25)
Episode 2: Treasure Lovely Rins? Lovely Rins? (2000/12/21)

Evaluation

"Rabirinth of Flame" is an original video animation (OVA) released in 2000, produced by Studio Fantasia and published by Bandai Visual. Although it is a short series of only two episodes, it is packed with the charm of its unique worldview and characters. As this is an original anime and does not have an original work, the story and character settings were all created by the anime production team.

The story begins with the historical background that in the 19th century, Aoi Shigemasa's family, who acted as a Russian intelligence agency, were given the secret closed city "Labyrinth" by Russia. The story then unfolds in modern times when Princess Natsu, a descendant of the Aoi family, invites a Russian sword fighting enthusiast named Galan to her hometown. When Galan arrives in Labyrinth, he is attacked by a mysterious group of beautiful assassins and troubles arise one after another regarding the succession of the Aoi family, and the story picks up speed.

The appeal of this work lies above all in its unique worldview and the individuality of its characters. The secret closed city "Labyrinth" is a mysterious space that seems to fuse the cultures of 19th century Russia and Japan, and the world of "swords," "sexiness," and "action" that unfolds there has the power to draw viewers in. In addition, each of the characters, including Galan and Natsu, has a strong personality, and their interactions and actions are important elements that add excitement to the story.

Garan is particularly interesting as a sword fighting movie fanatic, and his character, who has extensive knowledge of Japanese culture (especially swords), adds humor and tension to the story. Natsu is a free-spirited and selfish princess, and her actions of trying to use Garan to cause trouble have a major impact on the development of the story. Furthermore, each character, such as Natsu's bodyguard Kasumi, Natsu's fiance Kagami Datenoshin, and Shigemitsu's sister Kokorohana, play their own roles and add excitement to the story.

Also, Nastassja Nijinsky and Elora Suppataka, a master thief and puppeteer on the international wanted list, appear and infiltrate the labyrinth to steal the treasure. Their actions add new tension and thrills to the story, making it a way to keep viewers from getting bored.

Visually, the storyboards and direction by director Nishijima Katsuhiko improve the tempo of the story and enhance its visual appeal. Character designer and animation director Yamauchi Noriyasu's designs bring out the individuality of the characters to the fullest, making for a visually enjoyable experience. Additionally, the work of mechanic designer Kimura Hidefumi and action coordinator Tanaka Ryo is superb, making the battle and action scenes very worth watching.

In terms of music, Koichi Fujino's music enhances the atmosphere of the story and plays a role in evoking the emotions of the viewer. The music, especially in battle scenes and other tense scenes, has the power to grab the viewer's heart.

Overall, "Rabirinth of Flame" is a work that can be highly praised for its unique worldview, the charm of its characters, and the quality of its visuals and music. Although it is a short series of only two episodes, it is packed with entertainment value and has the power to entertain viewers. It is a work that is especially recommended for those who like sword fighting and action.

Recommendation

"Rabirinth of Flame" is a work that I would especially recommend to those who like sword fighting and action. Although it is a short series of only two episodes, it is packed with entertainment value and has the power to entertain viewers. In addition, the unique world view and the personalities of the characters are also attractive, so it is recommended for those who want to enjoy those elements.

Furthermore, since this is an original anime and does not have an original work, the story and character settings were all created by the anime production team, so it can be said that this is a work that can be recommended to those who enjoy the quality and creative elements of anime production.

The quality of the visuals and music is also high, and the battle and action scenes are particularly impressive, so it is recommended for those who value those elements. Overall, "Rabirinth of Flame" is a work that can be recommended to those who like sword fighting and action, those who want to enjoy the unique world view and individuality of the characters, and those who value the quality and creative elements of anime production.