Alan and Marie are a young peasant couple who are very much in love. They
don't have much in terms of material things, but they are happily married to
each other. On the flip side, Veronica is the princess of Lunaria, while
Roland is the prince of the Shadowlands. Veronica and Roland are also very
much in love, but what they have is forbidden because their kingdoms are at
war.
One day, a strange man tells Alan that he can do something to stop the war.
Alan decides to set out on a journey despite Marie's feeling of foreboding.
What Alan doesn't know is that his journey would subsequently decide the
future.
The stories of these four people are intertwined in a world where
deception, greed, and jealousy reign... a world called Windaria.
Review: Once Upon A Time
I had no idea what to expect when I bought a copy of the Windaria VHS tape
several years ago. It was on sale at Sam Goody in New Orleans and I was quite
anime-deprived back then since there weren't exactly barrages of DVD releases
back in the mid-1990's. Snapping it up was the only thing to do. Surprise of
surprises, it's actually going to see a DVD release this month
(under the title "Once Upon a Time"), which prompted me to revive the
tape from my dusty old shelf.
Windaria, or rather, Once Upon a Time anime, is what I'd like to call a faux fairy
tale. It's got everything a fairy tale usually has, a beautiful princess, a
handsome prince, sprawling castles, haunted forests, etc. However, the story
is not what children's dreams are made of.
Roland and Veronica's romance is a formulaic Romeo and Juliet situation,
something which I found to be very clichéd. It ended abruptly to boot, with
next to no effort exerted in trying to make it work. Then there's Alan, the
unlikely hero. Most of the events herein are triggered by his actions.
What starts out as a journey to stop the war becomes a falling-from-grace
experience for him. Poor Marie is the victim of circumstances, eternally
waiting and waiting for Alan to return from his journey. It's all very bleak
and depressing, and even after all is said and done supposedly for the greater
good, I just could not find anything to be happy about.
The art and animation are pretty good, especially when you consider the fact
that this anime dates back to 1987. Since Windaria is set in a time of war,
there is a variety of fighting scenes. The English dubbing is passable as
well.
In the end, Windaria (Once Upon A Time) is one blown-up sad story about some very
unfortunate people. It has its moments, but it simply revolves on tragedy at
every turn.
Miscellanies: Once Upon A Time
Windaria (Once Upon A Time) is one of the first anime video tapes I ever bought.
Once Upon A Time (Windaria) | |
| Genre | Action, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 1 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Jul 19, 1986 |
| Producers | Gallop, Harmony Gold, Streamline Pictures |
| Studio | Kaname Productions, Idol |
| Rating | R+ |
| Themes | - |
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