I will admit, I was starting to lose a bit of patience with Orphen, as "Super Natural Powers," while more entertaining in many ways than "Spell of the Dragon," seemed to have lost the big picture in exchange for just some more mystical fun in large doses. The episode "Azalie," which followed the somewhat disappointing "The Ruins of Baltanders," in many ways saved the show from going off topic, and not only revitalized the emotion of Orphen's conflict, but built it up to a whole new level. I loved this DVD, even though it was nasty and left me, for a year or so, on a "To Be Continued..." From here, I'll go in episode by episode...which isn't hard, as there's only 3 of them.

"The Ruins of Baltanders" does a great job as a setup for the next episode, and is mildly enjoyable, but I'm afraid, that's all that it is. Much goes on that's just silence and either spooky or mystical imagary goes on, while Orphen has flashbacks in semi-slow motion (narratively speaking). It's not like Empire Strikes Back, which was nothing more than a setup for Return of the Jedi, but is still the best in the entire series. "Ruins" is just a semi-lackluster entry that serves its purpose and does enough to keep from fully getting boring.

"Azalie" is, I'd have to say, the best episode I've seen on the first 4 DVD's of the show (that's as far as I've gotten). It's where Orphen finally tells his story, and wow, while only a better than average for the most part, the climax, when Orphen leaves, vowing to rescue Azalie (and threatening, as a child, everyone in the Tower of Fang to kill them if they interfere; saying it all charged up, ready to do so) is incredible. By far the best scene I've seen in the show, and one of the best I've seen in any TV series.

And "The Relic - Part I" is nothing but pure entertainment - it's both smart and arguably the funniest episode in the current lineup. Also, Orphen meets with his old freind Stephanie, whom Cleo gets insanely jealous over, since Orphen's giving her all the trust and attention, showing clearly a side within Cleo that we all knew existed (although you wouldn't know from playing the game).

All in all, this DVD is a great addition to the series, and the climactic middle chapter makes the episodal package worth the money. I certainly can't wait until I get the 5th DVD, and then the 6th, to see how it all ends (which I heard is a monumental ending)! Getting better by this point, Orphen! Keep it up!

When I finally got hold of this, it had been some time since I saw the first two volumes, but as soon as I started watching, I was reminded why I like this show so much.

The first scene in this volume sets the tone for the next two episodes, as Orphen has a nightmare hinting at his past. These two episodes reward us for our patience by revealing Orphen's past and furthering the main plot. It's very immersive, and it's very difficult to not like Orphen himself at this stage. There's a lot of angsting here.

The third episode here is the first part of a two-parter which starts out a little slow, but becomes interesting soon enough. Unfortunately, because we still only get 3 episodes per disc, we have to wait for volume 4 to see the second part (BOO!).

The comedy is still here thankfully, and I caught myself grinning widely quite a few times. Our three main characters - Orphen, Majic, and Cleao - work well as a group, as they could easily make me laugh, but they also were great at raising sympathy within me. Majic doesn't really do a whole lot in this volume, but I found Cleao to be absolutely hilarious at times. I found myself liking her a lot more than other similar "loud-mouthed angry young woman" characters that are found quite often throughout anime. She just wasn't as annoying, and if I were wearing a hat, I would take it off to her English voice actor - she managed to be enjoyable without being annoying or cliched.

This volume would have been perfect if the second half of the two-parter were included as well, but as it stands, it's very good. Highly recommended.

Well, I'm three DVDs into the series now, and very pleasantly surprised. The humor is top notch, with a good mix of pathos amd action as well--just as in the best animes. Not sure if the series will hold up this quality forever, but I've already pre-ordered the next DVD. (Beats the hooey out of Arc the Lad anyway... Wish there were more eps per DVD, and I've heard complaints about fidelity in translation, but the dubbing is professional and entertaining IMO, fidelity questions aside.)