For many years, OLM Inc. has been recognized as the studio that brought to life the wonderful world of the Pokémon franchise. Its animation style, talented artists, and amazing voice actors have been a staple of the industry for decades. It was thanks to them that fans were able to follow Ash’s journey throughout the 25 seasons he played as Pokémon’s protagonist.
Yet, despite the popularity of their best show, the company has also tackled many other IPs, one of which used to be massively popular among ’90s kids. Deltora Quest is a series of fantasy books that tell the story of a brave group of warriors trying to save their homeland. OLM took it upon themselves to adapt this franchise into an anime, one that has lamentably been lost to time.
Pokémon’s Studio Brought an Amazing Kids’ Series to Life
Deltora Quest Was a Part of Millions of Childhoods
Written by the Australian author Emily Rodda, the Deltora Quest series of books is a beloved fantasy collection that follows the life of a party of adventurers. The protagonist, Lief, is the son of a former warrior who retired to become a blacksmith without completing his quest to recover the gems of the Belt of Deltora. Alongside his friends Barda and Jasmine, the boy sets out on a mission to fulfill his father’s duty, as only then will the reign of the evil Shadow Lord end.
The series has captivated millions of kids over the years thanks to its amazing worldbuilding, charming cast, and magical setting. Its success was such that it became one of the few non-manga books to be adapted into an anime. This animated version of Lief’s adventure was created by OLM Inc., famous for its work on the Pokémon anime franchise. The similarities between Deltora Quest and Ash’s quest to become the best trainer can be spotted almost immediately, as the characters in the former look quite like the strong trainers found in the Pokémon franchise.
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The show consisted of 65 episodes that told the story of the first eight books in the series, which corresponded to the journey Lief’s party undertook to collect the gems. Rodda allowed OLM to adapt her story, as the company was the only one that promised not to make major changes to the plot. This decision was, woefully, what caused the reception of the show to be less than stellar, even with audiences that grew up with the book series.
Why Was the Anime Badly Received?
Deltora Quest Suffers From Many Issues
One of the main reasons why the Deltora Quest book series was so beloved among children was because of its clever yet simple narrative. While the series at no point treated readers as unintelligent, it also stopped itself from being too complex to confuse them, seeing as most of them were quite young. While this formula worked perfectly for the book series, the anime adaptation suffered greatly from following its rules. For those who did not grow up with the story, Deltora Quest is a predictable and slow show that does not belong to the fantasy anime renaissance.
The quality of the animation, soundtrack, and voice acting was also lacking for the era, a fact that shocks fans due to it being created by Pokémon‘s studio.
Its characters, who were taken directly from the books, feel one-dimensional and are not interesting enough to justify the slow pacing of their adventure. The quality of the animation, soundtrack, and voice acting was also lacking for the era, a fact that shocks fans due to it being created by Pokémon‘s studio. Most fans who were not familiar with the story before the anime dropped the series almost immediately. Even those who grew up alongside Lief often find the show hard to watch.
Deltora Quest Is Not as Bad as Fans Think
The Show Can Be Quite Enjoyable
Although there is no denying that the Deltora Quest adaptation will never be among the best fantasy anime, the series is nowhere near as awful as many viewers have made it out to be. The series is not stellar by any means, but it can be entertaining for fans searching for a more casual show. Viewers who give this show a chance and decide to enjoy it without expecting it to be one of the best anime of all time will find themselves having an amazing time.
Pokémon
- Release Date
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1997 – 2023
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
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Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
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Rica Matsumoto
Satoshi (voice)
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Ikue Otani
Pikachu (voice)
