Characters

 

Being four episodes long, there's not too many characters and any major developments in their personality are shunted what with the half hour running time and how the last episode tosses everyone else aside in favour of Lyle getting his story sorted out. Still, here they are!

... yeah, I can't write good when I'm frothing with rage at myself at how I left "[foreword]" here for several months. Oy vey.

 

She may look like just another sword wielding warrior, but Ihrie (Jessica Calvello) is also an immensely powerful magic user, capable of wounding even the strongest of magical foes. The downside is that she has a curse that transmogrifies her into a mouse upon use of any magic, requiring ingestion of spicy pills. As usual with odd couple relations, she's frequently frustrated by Fam's pacifistic and naive nature, but she almost needs her assistance and magic powers to get anywhere. She manages to get through the four episodes without any romance dragging her down, probably in part of everyone believing her to be a male, despite her barely diminutive bust.

Wiccan, tail-girl and friend to all living things, Fam (Tamara Lo) acts as the naive foil to Ihrie's mildly world-weary cynicism, and thus gets the duo into all kinds of trouble and mischief, and even when she leaves due to the constant scolding, she finds she needs someone to be with. She holds a close relationship to the spirits, the beings that allow magic to be used, and because of this is reluctant to use destructive magic for fear of losing communication with them. During her time away from Ihrie, she forms a bond with Prince Lyle and ends up quite devoted to the young man, risking her life and doing crazy things for his safety, though when they have to depart Fam is still content to be back alone with Ihrie.

It's never explained what's up with the pointy ears and tail, though. Can't imagine anyone complaining, though.

Rasha (Kelly Manison) believes herself to be sophisticated, noble, and perfectly suited for a life of luxury and royalty. In reality, she's a scheming, violent minx who spends a large amount of her time battering her partner Migel for her foolishness, and screaming at anyone who prevents her from reaching her goals. For the most part, the target of that hatred is Fam, the two of them sharing crazy lust for Prince Lyle, but ultimately neither of them get into his pants, so har har. She excels at destructive magic and using powerful throwing knives, but more often than not needs saving from certain death, whether due to putting Lyle's safety ahead of her own or just being frightened by a mouse.

And to aid Rasha is her companion and butt-monkey, Migel (Brett Weaver). A lanky warrior who claims he and his sword have bested a thousand mountain riders at once, he may not have any magical capabilities, but his impressive gusto for facing impossible odds more than makes up for it, though it's not like anyone ever commends him for it. Rasha being so self-absorbed, he's not exactly treated the best by the mistress, and being such a smug git, it's quite understandable why no one else likes him much either. Poor Migel.

Galuff (Guil Lunde) is an untrustworthy merchant who excels in swindling gullible ruin explorers into disarming traps, traversing mazes and solving puzzles for the sole purpose of him getting the treasure for himself. That is until he has two run-ins with Ihrie, where he has the sense to reform those ways and just go to selectively help others in between looking out for gold. He's pretty knowledgeable on the world's history, which I suppose one would have to be to know about where glorious riches lie.

And supposedly helping Galuff is his dog, Gill (Brett Weaver), who does little more than tag along, look simultaneously cute and evil, and comment on his master's sissy nature at times, approving of all misfortune that befalls upon him. He's quite explicitly based off Muttley of Wacky Races; or as the Japanese know him, Ken-Ken. It's true! Dick Dastardly was renamed Black Devil, and the show itself is known as Childishness Machine Vehemently Race over there. Crazy stuff! The dub credits name him "Gil," but the subtitles use the two-L version, so I just go with the version I see more often.

Lyle Robert Lyon (Jason Douglas), prince of Rehbart, was a relatively okay prince. Then his pop sent him outside of the kingdom on a quest, and Rugudorull destroyed it with the forbidden magic in his absence, killing all whom he loved. So he's a bit miffed about that. He's a pretty nice guy; polite, well-mannered, and unlike many who merely see Fam as a clumsy pest, he sees her for the innocence and kind hearted being she really is, though he does try and hide the absolute loathing he feels towards  He gets to rebuild Rehbart and become king, so things turn out pretty well for him.

Former priest in the land of Rehbart, Rugudorull (Tristan MacAvery) witnessed the kingdom's decay during Lyle's absence, the misfortune stricken upon the people, so to take matters into his own hands, he used the forbidden magic to try and sort it out. He ended up getting consumed by a demon, destroying the whole place and going a bit gaga. Whoops! He sets about scrapping with Lyle and hunting down the Ultimate Power himself, but it's eventually revealed he actually had a bit of good in him, despite the mass genocide.

Although there are three treasures to conjuring the Ultimate Power The Mirror of Truth, the Proof of Royalty and the Sword of Sargus (Phil Ross), the last one is the only treasure that is sentient, in the sense that his spirit lies within. Once the king of Salehim, he wanted all the magic of the city for his own needs, but the other users of the power didn't approve of this and began rebelling, resulting in the magic that powered the city going out of control and destroying everything. Thus, he only grants the usage of his sword to those with noble intentions, allowing Fam to remove it from the stone it was embedded in, and for Lyle to wield during his fight with Rugudorull, granting him the power to overcome his struggles.

I was really hoping to get a gag in about "he's also voiced by a Constructicon!" but I was thinking of Neil Ross. Who's entirely different.

Meria (Kira) was Lyle's lady-love back during his days in Rehbart, the two of them meeting during a festival, and after the typical "landing on top of each other, realising the awkwardness of this and then laughing" anime moments, they got some hot feelings going for each other. Then Lyle left and Rugudorull obliterated the city and everyone within, so she was iced. Her death naturally causes a fair bit of distress for poor Lyle, but he eventually discovers that to move onward to becoming a king, he must move past his regrets and focus on what he can solve, without breaking the laws of time.

The only time she's heard is when Fam's spirits recreate her image, so it's hard to tell if it's even her voice or not; and aside from a still frame in one of the episode previews, Meria is only seen in saturated flashback or blue spirit form. Apparently, her true hair colour is orange.

And finally, there's the Tavern Owner (Ed Vela in episode 1, Bryan Bounds in episode 2), who is... well, an owner of a tavern. He can be a bit of a jerk and suspicious of clearly-suspicious merchants, but he's quick to protect his employees and gets the fisticuffs going to anyone who threatens him. And he sports a rad moustache. Even if he didn't appear in two episodes, I'd still list him just because he's awesome.