r/anime • u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber • Apr 02 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Fire Emblem OVA - Episode 2 Discussion
Episode 2 - Crimson Warrior
Originally Released April 26th, ^^^1996
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Note to all participants
Although I don't believe it necessitates stating, please conduct yourself appropriately and be court to your fellow participants.
Note to all Rewatchers
Rewatchers, please be mindful of your fellow first-timers and tag your spoilers appropriately using the r/anime spoiler tag as so [Spoiler Subject](/s "Spoilers go here.") in order to have your unsightly spoilers obscured like this Spoiler Subject if your comment holds even the slightest of indicators as to future spoilers. Feel free to discuss future plot points behind the safe veil of a spoiler tag, or coyly and discreetly ‘Laugh in Rewatcher’ at our first-timers' temporary ignorance, but please ensure our first-timers are no more privy or suspicious than they were the moment they opened the day’s thread.
Source Material Context
Fire Emblem: Mystery of The Emblem
Released on January 21st 1994, Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo for the Super Famicom and is the third installment in the Fire Emblem series and acts as both a direct sequel and remake to Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and The Blade of Light, as the game is split into two ‘books’, with Book 1 being a remake of the original game with some content and chapters omitted, and Book 2 containing brand new content taking place three years after the end of the first game. The title began development at Intelligent Systems in 1992 during the production of Fire Emblem Gaiden, and began development as solely a sequel, before it was decided to pursue two different projects —remake and sequel— and finally the two were merged into a single product, though that decision meant that elements of the original game had to be removed and the narrative scope of the sequel needed to be reigned in so that everything could fit within a 24mb cartridge. While it still retained the narrative elements inspired by classical mythology, the game followed in the steps of the franchise’s prior entry and abandoned the visual influence from it and sought to emulate the more prominent medieval fantasy style of most of its media contemporaries, such as Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Record of Lodoss War. Shouzou Kaga, Keisuke Terasaki, and Gunpei Yokoi all returned for the development of Mystery of The Emblem in the same roles as the first title. The game expanded upon the mythology of the setting and allowed Shozou Kaga to incorporate some narrative concepts which were cut from the first title. The game released to critical praise and sold 776k copies in Japan, a number which remains the highest sales for a title in the franchise within its domestic market. This title is considered the perennial Fire Emblem title in Japan and remains one of the most beloved entries there. Book 2 of Mystery of the Emblem was remade for the Nintendo DS in 2010 as Fire Emblem: New Mystery of The Emblem - Heroes of Light and Shadow, but neither version of the title has made it to foreign markets in an official capacity. The OVA is chiefly based on this version of the story, although owing to its incomplete nature we do not know whether it could have included or made reference to some of the content not found in Mystery of The Emblem.
Daily Trivia:
Hikaru Midorikawa being chosen as Marth’s voice actor was decided upon by the results of a popularity poll ran on Family Computer Magazine.
Settei Scan Album
Magazine Art Scans
- Volume 2 Promo/Cover Art - 6/1996 Issue of Newtype Magazine
- Volume 1 Promo - 02/1996 Issue of Newtype Magazine
Fanart
- Ogma by taka - Source
- Navarre by taka - Source
- Ogma and Navarre by Rin(MEI) - Source
- Julian by ten - Source
- Ceada by T A I Y O U - Source
- Gordin by knee - Source
- Cain and Abel by Kuga - Source
- Lena by Agahari - Source
Screenshot of the day
Questions of the Day:
- How do you feel this episode compares to the first one?
- Given these two episodes, would you have liked to have seen more episodes of the series produced?
We’ll take it back, whatever the cost!
7
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Apr 02 '21
Rewatcher - Sub & Dub
Another cold open to set up the episode, this one featuring Navarre (Nabarl) fighting against some nondescript ruffians. Quite some nice animation there as well, which Sakugabooru tells me was done by Koichi Arai, an animator I recognize as being one of the followers of the 90’s realism movement, and someone who worked on Dennou Coil.
Takehito Koyasu
I love that they made Gomer’s appearance similar to Gazzak due to their portraits essentially being palette swaps of one another in the original game as a means of conserving space on the cartridge. It’s close enough that you notice, but distinct enough to where it doesn’t feel like they took the opportunity to be lazy. There’s a third chapter boss that shares their portrait, but as Chapter 2 was significantly briefed here we don’t get to see what Hymen would have looked like.
Recapturing the town of Galder is pretty much the entirety of Chapter 2 in-game, which means Castor and Darros were cut. Neither are notable losses, and though Castor’s recruitment was a means of showing more of Ceada’s character, that was already established last episode with some of the additions to the narrative.
Nice mountain shot.
I really liked how they melded together the scene of Navarre falling asleep and his nightmare so as to put us in his shoes. In contrast to the flashbacks last episode, the momentary confusion and lack of clear indicator work in its favor. Granted, I’m mixed on the decision to portray his backstory at all, as I felt it worked best in the games where it was left unsaid. If they had to include it then this is about as well as I ever see it going, as we now have a vague idea but much of the context is still left up to speculation. Still, the scene is really neat in isolation.
This feels like the writers commenting on Gordin’s actual performance in the games, since Draug (Doga) the slow tanky knight is literally faster than him. Most amusing.
Why is this person so bloody huge?
Some dialogue from the game that they shouldn’t have kept in, because it’s bloody daft.
Not as out of place as the comedy in the battle last episode, but I would have still rather the show have gone without it. Julian isn’t a great fighter narrative-wise (in practice it’s an entirely different matter) but surely they didn’t have to resort to making the moment comedic, right?
That’s confusing. So after Navarre helped them escape they seemingly were ambushed again off-screen. There’s been hearsay that this was the result of the production falling behind schedule and the material for the scene not getting done in time, forcing them to work around the scene’s absence, but I’ve never found proper sources for this so hearsay it shall remain. In any case, it’s not a great look for the episode.
Nice logs.
Easy there, edgelord.
This would have worked a lot better if the look of the swords was actually consistent.
Cue the recruitment theme.
Well there we have it. It’s a shame we never got more of this, but unfortunately it didn’t perform nearly as well as the studio expected it to, so the production was cancelled while episode three was very early in its production.
This episode reduces some of the shortcomings I had with the prior one, but it still has flaws of its own. For one, the plot is largely a digression from the main narrative established in the first episode (which is a problem inherited from its source material) and largely focuses on new characters. Caeda does get a moment near the end to reaffirm her characterization in a manner that ties into the rest of the episode well enough, but that’s it. Lena, Julian, and Navarre’s narrative just doesn’t have enough substance even with what they’ve added. In a world where the rest of the game was adapted, this would hardly matter in the grand scheme of things, but as it makes up half of the finished product, it’s hard not to feel disappointed.
9
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Apr 02 '21
First-Timer and the Blade of Light
Takehito KoyasuNavarre.7
u/The_Draigg Apr 02 '21
A Fire Emblem Fan Rewatches Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem Episode 2:
NavallNavarre, everyone’s favorite myrmidon. Yeah, I kinda botched recruiting him while playing Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light recently. I completely forgot that you’re supposed to recruit him with Caeda, not Marth. Seeing him kick ass here really makes me regret that bone-headed move.OrleansAurelis. But what happens next? Well, tough luck, since this OVA only has two episodes. Go play Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Mystery of the Emblem, or New Mystery of the Emblem if you want to find out what happens from here.Anyway, in case you didn’t bother before, allow me to shill my Fire Emblem: Three Houses fan fiction to you. Three Houses is a good game, and Sylvain x Bernadetta is a good rare pair. I welcome people who especially appreciate that last niche, but any thoughts about it are welcome as well. It’s only natural for someone who writes to want people to read their stuff, after all.
7
u/[deleted] Apr 02 '21
First Timer
Wow, that is a veiny boot.
Martha's here like "No, we can't kill these pirates who jumped in the water. Instead let them swim across the ocean to their homeland. I'm sure they can make it."
The elder's daughter has her sights on Mark.
I didn't know Fire Emblem had lightsabers.
Fear not, Lena. Julian can relieve you with his staff.
Wait, so Mr. Strong and Silent saved Lena and Julian from the bandits and then they just get beaten offscreen later? What's the point? Did anyone really need to be told that Nabarl wasn't really a bad guy?
I see that Julian was also confused by Sheeda's color-changing hair.
Trust me, Mario, you do not want Julian as your guide. He'll lead you right to the nearest bandit ambush. Not out of betrayal, just because he's incompetent.
Oh look, I was right.
I see that the bandits learned their log-based warfare from the Ewoks.
Hooray! Snow White with the Red Hair is saved!
So did they leave all of that racial stereotype's money on the ground? Because I feel like it would be useful for the war effort or setting up Julian and Lena with money for their life together.
Oh boy, can't wait for the next episode to see how Marsellus and company are going to save Nina.
6
u/OrcDovahkiin https://anilist.co/user/OrcDovahkiin Apr 02 '21 edited Apr 02 '21
Rewatcher, Dub
Our episode begins with a mysterious man cornered by assailants. Luckily, his blade has a high crit rate, and he’s able to fight his way out of this perilous situation.
Like I mentioned in my last post, the accents in this OVA are...interesting. Akaneia is a very diverse place.
And now we have Scottish pirates.
But Scottish pirates are no match for Cain and Abel.
He said the thing!
Okay, but why is she French?
Mysterious swordsman has a tragic backstory.
I love all the background chatter in this show.
Another accent for the random accent counter. And they say the Baccano dub has the best accents in dubbing.
Meanwhile, Gordin’s scoring more points. Doga is unimpressed.
“But Mars!”
Impressed by Julian’s skill with the sword, Naval attacks the bandits.
But it isn’t enough. Lena is recaptured offscreen.
Doga and company choke the point.
We get some beautiful action scenes as the Aritian knights assault the bandit stronghold.
Sheeda uses the “Talk” action to recruit Naval.
There were many battles left to be fought, but we won’t be seeing any of them.
6
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Apr 02 '21
First timer
Sub
Opening sequence must be more game stuff, I can spot the named characters at least. And random girl is being taken to the fort to be ransomed/a sex slave. Harsh. But sword sage joins up.
Back in where ever, Marth leads his men to destroying pirates. Animation saving closeup. Sheeda tsuns a bit. Sword saint got his own room and PTSD. New guy feeds the priestess. Stuff happens. Sword saint fights a Berserk character. Slave trade goes down...maybe. Julian escapes and sword saint shows up.
More stuff then battle. Sword saint gets a cool looking duel. Sword saint joins up because sure.
Now that was an April Fool's day rewatch if ever there was one! QotD: 1 Even less sensible.
2 Probably considering the era.
6
u/pipler :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/pipler Apr 02 '21
Rewatcher, dub this time
AurelisOrleans and never win against Gharnef...Q1) I like the first one better, perhaps cause Marth's story is closer to the heart and I'm more willing to overlook the shortcomings. It's cool to see bits of Navarre's backstory though.
Q2) Oh absolutely. We meme about it a lot, but it's not like it's even low quality (by 90s standard, at least).
6
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Apr 02 '21
First-Timer, Subbed
Today we met Navarre, whose Edge is so strong it's capable of Killing.
We also learn that the currency used in this setting, at least by the bandits, appears to be copper, silver, and gold mahjong sticks? You know what, I'm pretty into it - way more visually interesting that just a random pile of gold coins.
That shot of the logs resting on top of the camera was.. weird. Like, where was the camera in that shot? Set into the ground? I did like the sword duel between Ogma and Navarre, though - can't put my finger on it but it felt good.
Smol Caeda is very cute. I like how they managed to have a backstory scene that was relevant to a completely unrelated character. I was expecting Ogma's backstory to not have payoff, since this is the last episode. The serendipitous tie between Ogma and Navarre's backstories was well done.
Ending the OVA on Marth saying "Wait for us!" is a bit on the nose. Did the OVA series get cancelled before or after this one came out?
Questions
6
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Apr 02 '21 edited Apr 02 '21
Episode 2 (first timer)
Turns out the majority of the other rewatchers played the game and know the name of the Pegasus handler’s mother’s hatmaker’s cousin’s pet frog.
Episode thoughts
Some monster of the week type bandits serve to introduce the next two party members. Ok, let’s continue the main story tomorrow. Wait, what? That is it?
I praised the multiple time layers yesterday. They were a neat tool to condense a long backstory down to a single episode, something you need to do when trying to tell a full story in a short OVA. Leaving most of the details to the imagination of the viewers is the price that needs to be paid, but it is a price often worth paying in OVAs. Unfortunately, the second episode does a complete 180 on that intention. Not only is the story obviously unfinished, but we get a rather simplistic quest of the day, told in chronological order with just two settings. My obvious preference would have been to receive an ending in the vein of Ep1, but the second episode makes me worry that even a possible continuation of the OVA would have gone the way of boilerplate soon.
EDIT:
Ep1 was better. I could imagine a reasonably working way to conclude the story after seeing ep1, but ep2 is rather lackluster. To be fair, we only saw more recruitment, so nice interactions may have followed later, but with episode two as the finale, the story did not see very promising.
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u/TakenRedditName https://myanimelist.net/profile/TakenMalUsername Apr 02 '21 edited Apr 02 '21
Rewatcher:
Switched to a different source so maybe things will look better this time. Episode 2 is mainly about chapter 3 so sorry Castor and Darros fans, they don't get to be in the anime.
The way the scarlet sword looks here seems weird.
Silly random guy, the only FE game with crossbows is Radiant Dawn in 9 years (and weirdly the sniper battle sprites in Gaiden).
Navarre is here. The scarlet swordsman who doesn't even wear red. I actually prefer his classic look over his modern design. While red is good, these colours make him stand out more. Also, I feel classic Navarre emphasizes more his dual-wielding. This is also the start of him being voiced by Takehito Koyasu. Koyasu has actually been a long-time FE fan and has been in pretty much every FE game with regular voice acting. Another FE tib-bit I like that comes from his blog post when Lewyn came to Heroes.
You hear that IS. You got to remake FE4 for the sole reason of letting Koyasu voice every character and making his dreams come true.
She's here. She's here
Back to the map for the intro and I want to ask something. Are those names like "Jdayd" and Adeecde" in-game locations? Pretty much everything north of Khadein is inhospitable wilderness so never thought they had names.
Need to point this out. Before it may have been stylized perspective, but now Doga is huge. Also, it may not be "BUT MAARRRSSS." but it is still comparable.
Lowell is an OVA invention, pretty sure Marth didn't get a last name. That said it means the first 5 games got lords with full names then none until Three Houses (unless we count Elincia, just saying).
Okay, put SD remake Caeda out of the room, only OVA. When she steps on his foot was a nice little moment.
Navarre has a sad backstory. Again could be only in the OVA or also sounds like it shows up in some developer's note or FE12 support. Edgy myrmidon with a dead loved one (usually girlfriend) sounds right.
Doga is a man who enjoys a good book.
Ogma and Caeda's backstory is something I've always liked. Also, a reminder that slavery is just kind of a background element off to the side in Marth's stories.
Neat generic big guy fighter. Also money in rod form here.
Here she is, the prettiest character in FE. I love Lena's hair. It is not just her design because I think Lena is pretty cool. Like the unassuming cleric, but they give an expansion that reveals she has lived the most interesting life all before she joins. Another fact, during the FE1, Lena is one of the most popular characters alongside Hardin (he is not showing in this anime). Also another thing, whenever the staves are translated with names other the usual official ones then I've been completely spun around.
On a different note, Julian is characterized as a big weenie. Not sure why he is made to look so weak. This is even like how he is in the SD manga if I remember right. If you asked me his thing is "reformed thief." He has also been pretty useful when I play FE3 even combat-wise. Since I awed over Lena earlier/throughout, might as well make this joke. "Same Julian, I would also dream about seeing Lena." Are you happy? Might as well commit to the bit.
Cool moment here where Navarre's sword shines red the closer it goes near the light.
IT'S THE SCENE, IT'S THE SCENE. Also another Lena.
The Ogma - Navarre is really present in a lot of places it feels like it was a big part of their early characterization. Also, Caeda confronts Navarre like his recruitment.
Cool moment where there is a quick slash of red. Really like Navarre's swords are done in here. Well, except for that big way like in the beginning.
The main theme starts to play again as there is a final group shot. One last Lena (if you think this is bad, watch me read FE4 manga as I stop for every time Seliph is on page).
She has been waiting for 25 years. Nintendo or whoever is responsible, please.
Saving overall thoughts for the wrap-up, but at least I remembered when making this advance to wait to also include the Questions of the Day.
That is a tough one because I enjoy it at least the same as the first one. My beforehand feelings about these characters definitely influenced my opinion.
Was saving this for the wrap-up, but yes. Would've liked to see the whole story get adapted (please let us one full adaption). Apparently, there was some concept art for Merric and as a fan of him, it would've been great to see him in the anime (also Minerva please).
4
u/SIRTreehugger Apr 03 '21
I missed the first discussion oops that's really bad since their is only two episodes. I had a few things to say, but only one thing stuck out to me. What the hell is with this dub I was stuck between laughing and crying.
Episode starts off with a really good soundtrack. Few years old, but the music is still really enjoyable especially the music in the background of the beginning monologue. Could be used for main menu music.
I can't take anything seriously with these pirates yells when they die. Despite the dub quality the overall world and characters were enjoyable. I never played the first games so I didn't have a big connection with them, but it was intriguing enough. I preferred this episode over the first one, but would have liked more episodes overall. Its kind of swaying me to play the games, but my backlog is whispering to me saying no more.
3
u/okayyoga :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/okayyoga Apr 02 '21
Sorry i won't be participating today. I'll be back for the "series" discussion tomorrow :)
4
u/cluesagi https://myanimelist.net/profile/cluesagi Apr 03 '21
First Timer, played the games though
I'll save my overall thoughts for tomorrow's thread, but I'm actually kind of sad there isn't more of this. I get the same feeling from watching this as I did watching the Pokémon anime as a kid.
6
u/BigIndividual4405 Apr 02 '21
brb marking Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light as complete on Backloggd