Armed with Merrill's cunning, Genie's strength, and Melissa's prayers, this all-female band has no trouble raiding ancient ruins, unless a magic seals blocks the way. They set out to hire a magician, but all the magicians... more » they meet prefer ereading to raiding-except Louie, a brash novice who seems to do better with his fists than his spells!« less
"Ok, people this is my humble opinion about the specific anime. So you may ask why this guy gave the show 5 stars...
To begin with and to get out of the way the most obvious matter, I bought the shows when they came out separately and had to pay much-much more than the amount that people will have to pay for the complete collection.
To the story, it is mainly about three women - one a mercenary, one a priest and sort of white magician and one is a thief - and of course the main character Louie and his female friend. The previous mentioned women are adventurers but in order to succeed they need a powerful magician by their side. Well, imagine who this one will be, exactly no other than Louie. Well, the problem with this magician is that a) instead of studying magic he prefers to drink beer, b) instead of using magic he prefers his fists and kicks -especially when they encounter monsters for the first time I was laughing so much that I had started to cry, c) When he opens his mouth he is full of s..., what will make the viewer crack laughing with what comes out of his mouth...
However, as clumsy as he may appear at the beginning - the main reason why the three other women will "hate" him (during the first episodes, something that changes later on); but are forced to stick with him for the above mentioned reason - proofs itself to be as if the creator of the shows wanted to mislead us. Why am I saying this: Because there will be occasions (especially in the first episodes) when Louie says from time to time something so mature, and his magic from time-to-time proofs to be seriously strong, that the viewer will ask himself/herself, is there something more behind his, in many times, ridiculous and funny behaviour? The answer is yes, as it happened with Vash of Trigun... And as the story evolves Louie becomes better and better all the time, in many aspects and ends up to ... the world...
(And are not fouled because, the story is not only about adventures but it deals with other aspects that become more clear later on, the adventures are basically something like the starting point of the story...)
To conclude, the story is funny, in other worlds people will crack laughing with what is Louie able to do or not to do, very enjoyable, has action, romance, and the storyline is not so bad (of course, please do not compare it with the philosophical meanings of Evangelion but for its genre as it is...)
Is it worth buying it? Yes, I can honestly recommend this show... Enjoy it...
"
A great addition to anyones anime collection
Balktoroth | New York | 12/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was walking around the anime section of a nearby electronics store and this box set caught my eye. I looked it over a bit, and noticed the character design as well as the storyline was created by 'Ryo Mizuno'. Ryo Mizuno is also the creator of Record of Lodoss War and Legend of Crystania, which are both great animes 'especially Record of Lodoss War'.
I, of course, already started to have high expectations for Rune Soldier. It is awesome, it's pretty funny, and less serious than it's counterparts. The characters all have unique attitudes of their own, and while the story progression can be a little pointless, *find runes to find treasure* the ending is actually surprising, and makes this Anime an extremely wise purchase. I would recommend Rune Soldier to any Otaku."
A fun series at a great price!
Cedric | Palo Alto, CA | 07/09/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"At 24 episodes -- plus the box -- for just over $30, this is one of the best anime buys I've found. The series itself is joyfully mindless comedy, taking place in a Dungeons and Dragons-like world. It takes the harem formula and stand it on its head -- the three girls the main character joins would rather push him off a cliff. And the main character wants to prove himself -- except he's a tavern brawler trapped in a sorceror's profession. The series won't be recorded in the annals of otakudom as anything groundbreaking, but the series is certainly fun."
"Adventure is not a game!"
iansomniak | USA, Planet Earth | 12/09/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"When you feast your eyes on the gorgeously illustrated box that holds Rune Soldier's six slim cases (also gorgeously illustrated), you might assume that this series is an action-packed anime adventure masterpiece in the tradition of Record of Lodoss War. Unfortunately, Rune Soldier is light on action, and heavy on mean-spirited comedy. The target of most of the comedic cruelty is a brave but bumbling blue-haired magician named Louie. After the whiny purple-eyed priestess, Melissa, receives a revelation from Mylee (the god of battle), she dutifully but reluctantly accepts Louie as her "valiant champion"--even though she hates his guts--and the struggling Magic Guild student is allowed to join Melissa's heretofore all-girl adventuring party. The treasure-hunting team also includes the cold and combative warrior woman, Genie, and the greedy and irascible thief, Merrill--whose favorite pastime is bathing in giant jars of gold coins. While accompanying the ever-ungrateful vixens on their journeys, Louie must tolerate Melissa's incessant muttering and complaining and endure unending physical and verbal abuse from her nasty friends. The beautiful but belligerent battle babes relentlessly clobber the inept wand-wielder on the head, threaten him with knives and swords, and insult him with unkind epithets like "moron," "nutcase," and "stupid idiot." Sure, Louie's impetuous, and he can't tell a paralyzing magical item from an explosive one, but he's also courageous and good with his fists...plus he's got that cool blue hair, just like Max Sterling! I honestly don't understand why Louie puts up with these disagreeable dames and completely ignores his redheaded classmate, Ila--the only likable female character in the series, except maybe for that pointy-eared elf girl.
The best thing about the show is its bright and vibrant animation and clever character designs. The colors are bold and vivid and every character has a unique look. The opening song is great too, but I find the closing song kind of annoying. This series is not really one continuous story like many animes; each episode stands on its own, and some of them--like the "Darling Jar" episode--are very amusing. I wasn't too thrilled with the first disc, but the shows improve as the series progresses. The final disc is by far the best, as things get a bit more serious and dramatic. However, the ending is sort of a letdown because many plot points are left unresolved. Since this collection is so affordably priced, it's worth considering, but there are many other shows available that are way better than Rune Soldier."
Unexpected Enjoyment
Alexander Lucard | Arlington, VA | 08/21/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I haven't bought anime in years, but this came up in my gold box and it sounded cute and like a cross between Slayers and Tenchi (my two favorite animes) so I picked it up.
Man, am I ever glad I did. I was laughing out loud as some of the hijinx in this cartoon and it's rare I ever laugh at loud at anything.
Excellent voice acting, and the animation is very much in the vein of "Record of Lodoss War." A lot of the episodes are two parters, and there is just the right mix of drama and insane comedy. It was so enjoyable I ende dup tracking down the first 4 volumes of the manga.
Complete impulse purchase and I'm very glad I did. For the cost, you can't go wrong, especially when most anime DVD's are $20+ per DISC in this day and age"