Returning to ruin my teenagehood nearly two decades later.
Confession: I have a deep, deep love for the original Orphen anime. Not because the show itself is particularly good – and make no mistake, it isn’t (unless of course you’re comparing to the truly awful trash heap that was the second season) – but because it was one of the first anime I ever watched all the way through, back when dubbed shows was still airing on the Adult Swim programming block in the early 2000s. Hell, I even bought that thing on DVD and re-watched it multiple times, and the memories haven’t dimmed all that much with age. Basically, I’m saying that if anyone was to give Hagure Tabi a pass purely for nostalgia’s sake, it would be me.
… And I just can’t do it. Look, this newer incantation of Orphen – a remake of the original rather than a sequel, if anyone’s interested – is far from the worst thing in this season’s anime line-up. In fact, I’ve already watched at least a couple of new titles that fall well below it in terms of content. But the fact of the matter is, Hagure Tabi is just plain dull. It also feels retro in all the worst ways possible, from the obviously shoddy background artwork to the very cheap-sounding music choices. Moreover, while I assume that this version of Orphen sticks far closer to source material, judging by the added characters and extra filler-style material (the latter mostly of the goofy hijinks-style variety), these things don’t just add nothing to the story but discernably detract from it. Ten minutes in and the opening episode already feels pointlessly bloated, poorly paced, and frankly far more boring than any action/adventure fantasy piece has a right to be. At least 1998-Orphen had a heart, if not a budget. Sadly, 2020-Orphen has neither.
Rating: 5/10
OTAKU LOUNGE 
I tried this because the original Orphen has been on my watch list forever but I didn’t even make it to the end of the episode. Definitely going to skip this one.
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Honestly, I’d just go back and watch the original Orphen sometime instead – despite not aging at all well in the production values department, it at least has (to my mind at least) a compelling story.
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Hopefully I eventually get around to it. It has been on my watch list for a long time.
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I made it through the first episode… and that is where this adventure ends. It really didn’t do anything to pique my interest.
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Fair. Though I’m sad to say it, I doubt I’ll be watching further either. It’s a disappointment.
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As I just started reading the LN (been fun so far!) and was very much forward to watching this…I’m now worried lol
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I’ve never read any of the LNs so I can’t comment on how faithful the show is to the source material. By all means though, give the anime a shot if you think you might like it – we all have different tastes, and there’s nothing bad about that. And hey, even if you don’t like the show, as I said, it’s far from the worst thing airing this season. You might be bored, but it’s not offensively terrible.
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I probably should have also added that I watched the original Orphen way back when it used to be on Anime Network on Demand. So if this new version turns out to be a slog I can always go back to reading the LNs and watch the original Orphen so no worries haha
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Fair assessment I would say. They’re going full-blown nostalgia, too. I haven’t seen the original, but the style just feels so retro. That sort of thing is somewhat comfortable, but it’s not in itself a draw, so I’m ending up with a show that makes me wonder what I should get out of this, and why I shouldn’t just watch the original – other than convenience or availability.
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Exactly. I know this remake is in celebration of the franchise’s 25-year anniversary, but if they’re not going to do that justice, I don’t really see the point.
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