Shadow Skill, Vol. 1 - Fight for the Ones You Love
In addition to the 1998 broadcast seriesShadow Skill, there have been three OVAs based on Megumu Okada's popular manga about champion fighter Elle Ragu. Elle, a.k.a. Shadow Skill, has so completely mastered difficult fighting techniques, she's attained the the rank of Sevalle--the 59th to hold that title in 2,000 years. With her adopted kid brother Gau Ban and her chiding companion Faurink Maya, Elle wanders through the realm of Kuruda fighting in tournaments and killing demon beasts. When she's not fighting, she can usually be found in a tavern racking up a substantial tab.Shadow Skillmixes offbeat humor with feats of derring-do, but the flat timing keeps much of the comedy and combat from playing as effectively as it should. The net effect is like watching Lina Inverse fromSlayersportraying Goku in aTakarazukaproduction of a minorDragon Ball Zadventure. (Rated TV PGV, suitable for ages 12 and older: violence, alcohol use)--Charles Solomon