Rusche is a young boy who's clueless about his real identity. Sealed within him is the dangerously powerful wizard -- Dark Schneider, and only a kiss from a virgin can set him free.
Rusche was raised by the great priest Geo and his daughter Yoko -- the same great priest who sealed Dark Schneider away years ago.
But now Geo's land is threatened by dark forces, and it seems there is no other choice left but break Dark Schneider's seal with a kiss from Yoko and hope that he'll help defend the land against the invaders...
It seems that lately, a lot of people make it a point to tell me just how good Bastard is. Add that to the fact that I love RPGs, I didn't need much convincing to sit down and watch this six-episode OAV series.
Bastard kicks off with the young boy Rusche, and his teenage companion / caretaker Yoko. A crisis calls for Dark Schneider's immediate release, and Yoko reluctantly complies.
But interestingly enough, the years Dark Schneider spent sealed inside Rusche seems to have had an effect, and Dark Schneider is no longer the dreaded being that he was years ago.
He has become more compassionate, for even as he is the ferocious Dark Schneider he is also the gentle Rusche -- who loves Yoko.
After Dark Schneider's release, a chain of events involving various enemies ensue. Yet Dark Schneider faces whatever comes his way with verve and humor... so things are never too serious.
Needless to say, Dark Schneider is what makes this whole series. He is the life of the party, so to speak. A complex character which you can't fully relate to, and yet can't help but root for.
Bastard will dazzle you with a lot of spectacular action sequences -- melee fighting, spell-casting, elemental-summoning... your standard RPG elements.
The art and animation are of good quality. The characters are drawn very distinctly, and the fight scenes are quite impressive. The English dubbing is okay. I didn't think it was anything exceptional, but it isn't bad either.
So how does Bastard compare to the anime-RPG "Record of Lodoss War"? Bastard is more "rough and tumble", erotic, and tongue-in-cheek -- poking fun as it goes along. Lodoss' approach is much more refined and traditional. Both are perfectly good titles, although I am partial to the overall style of Lodoss. I suspect most guys would prefer Bastard though.