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Tears to Tiara – Part 2 (Episodes 14 – 26)
I know quoting from the box cover is
anathema to a DVD reviewer, but Siren’s one-sentence summary of the
Tears to Tiara franchise is amongst the pithiest
encapsulations we’ve ever encountered:
‘Set in a world based on British, Celtic
and Roman mythology during the Dark Ages, Tears to Tiara
tells the story of Riannon, a young Gael priestess kidnapped by an evil
priest for the Divine Empire and chosen as a sacrifice to the demon lord
Arawn, whose resurrection will grant the Empire terrifying powers and
bring about the apocalypse.’
Boasting a dizzying cornucopia of
swordplay, sandals, sorcery, humanoid elves, elfish humans and, of
course, an omnipotent demon lord (who it turns out isn’t such a
bad guy after all), the series is a pleasant and enjoyable high fantasy
frolic. The storyline is pleasingly intricate, if at times the
characters and their quests border on the generic, and the lavish
costumes and resplendent backgrounds compliment the highly visual
storytelling.
Based on the popular PS3 role-playing game,
the second half of the Tears to Tiara series doesn’t
exactly set the anime world on fire, but neither does it disappoint.
The story is brought to a close in satisfying fashion, ands many of the
relationships and narrative arcs set up previous episodes are brought
full circle in expert fashion. Not the high-water mark of the Siren
canon, but still a strong, good-looking series that delivers the goods
to fantasy fans.
Audio & Video
This 3-disc set doesn’t disappoint in the
visual department. The 16:9 widescreen transfer is sharp, the animation
lush and character designs varied... at least as much as the genre will
allow. English and Japanese 2.0 audio options are on offer, with
error-free English subs. The two-channel soundtrack doesn’t exactly
give the speakers a workout, not does it highlight what is a richly
varied and really quite effective score.
Extras
A textless closing and a smattering of
trailers. No real bonus incentives as such, though the Yanks didn’t
even get English audio and the Region 1 version is presented in
1.33:1, which is most assuredly not the original aspect ratio.
This local release is easily the best of the available editions. |
