Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46488 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-04-07
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Animated, Dubbed, PAL
• Original language: Japanese
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 94 minutes

Special Features
Digitally remastered
English Language version
Chapter Selection
Manga previews

Synopsis
After his father is murdered, young Luda vows to avenge his death and defend his peaceful homeland against the evil machinations of the evil despot Zanark. Luda teaches himself how to tap into the powers of the wind in order to exact his revenge and seeks out others willing to help him fight Zanark in order to save their planet. Contains the entire two-part series on one DVD.

From the Back Cover
From the creator of Ghost in the Shell, Masamune Shirow.

The land of Zer’lue is in turmoil, ravaged by the technological might of Chairman Sana’ku and his evil, militaristic Zul’earth force. In a rapidly unfolding story of treachery, deceit and betrayal, only one boy holds the power to defeat such overwhelming odds … a boy named Lue’der, who possesses a mysterious red eye and the ability to control the power of the wind itself.

With the fate of the world at stake, Lue’der must learn to unlock his legendary power and battle against the evil, which threatens to engulf his planet. But Sana’ku’s forces are closing in, led by Zul’earth’s unstoppable elite assassin. Sana’ku’s own daughter, Aga’lee, who only hours ago mercilessly dealt Lue’der’s father a hideous death on the end of her sword.

Customer Reviews

Red Eye Reduction.
This film seems let down by poor voice overs, and unfortunately there's no original soundtracks so you have no other option. The voices don't manage to convey the gravity of the situations the characters find themselves in. They are insincere and half-hearted.

The plot is a bit confused, it seems to assume the viewer has background knowledge of the story. At one point a character explains everything, but even this spoon-feeding felt convoluted.

The story isn't engaging enough to captivate, and the ending was pretty rushed so you are left feeling that you've watched something uneventful yet over-dramatised.

The special effects are pretty basic - and involve flashing blue and red lights (the screen then resembles those 3D movies that require you to wear the plastic lensed glasses). I can forgive primitive animation though, and many of the scenes are nicely detailed.

The special features basically consist of trailers - and most of these are more enjoyable than the main feature.

In a nutshell: If re-released with the original soundtrack and English subtitles - this could be a more enjoyable package. Although I think it's far from being great anime, it simply hasn't been given the treatment it deserves.

It IS cheap...
First thing to remember is this is part of the collection so you can't expect too much...

Right. The storyline. Ludar is son of a man who can control the wind and has inherited his power... is what I'd like to say... But the script is truly confusing, so much so that the storyline is extremley hard to explain and even harder to understand. The idea of controlling the elements is a good one I'll admit, and used many times in anime but I've never seen it used so poorly as it is here.
As for the character's, I'm pleased to say the female character's are not your typical anime girls who can't defend themselves. All the character's are generally interesting to watch, or they would be if the dubbing wasn't so terrible. I can honestly say that not ONE voice actor struck me as having any talent, and it's impossible to compare it to the Japanese as you aren't given the original audio on the disk.
The animation is pretty average, it's what I'd expect from the Manga Collection.

Now for the packaging. It's the typical unattractive black and red used on all Manga Collection films. But what REALLY gets me is the picture. The female main character has been cut off the picture (she was originally in the centre) and Ludar has been given one blue eye and one red eye. The whole POINT of the film focuses on his one red and one brown eye, yet the cover is coloured differently. It's silly but annoying!

However, I will say it's probably one of the best of the Manga Collection. Given I'm not a fan of cheap anime.

Infuriatingly close to making the manga A-list
Coming out at a budget price, Landlock comes infuriatingly close to making the A-list of quality manga films, but just falls shy due to messy scripting and a confusing plot. The story is fairly generic, involving a boy with a red eye who posseses latent powers unknown to him, his sister, and the enemy Chairman and his champion, who has a single blue eye. You just know there's some link between these people, but rather than build up the suspense and mystery surrounding the plot, the scriptwriters instead give away most of the background near the beginning, when it has predictably little impact. Even the additional "explanation" near the end makes little sense, and makes the final showdown feel anticlimactic. Still, there is plenty to like about this film - it is well animated, has some genuinely inventive ideas (such as the enemy base, which looks suspiciously like a floating mug stand), and some good action sequences. An entertaining film, and at this price probably worth seeing, but the enjoyment is tinged with disappointment knowing how much better this could have been. Worth a look, but not essential.