Legend of Lemnear is a show that you are forgiven for having no idea it ever existed. I myself only found out about it because I by happenstance dropped the Lemnear character in a discord karuta game. However something about her design piqued my interests and I sought out the 40 minute OVA (subbed of course because the dubbed is absolutely atrocious). After having seen the OVA, I can say with good confidence it's a hidden gem. Story: 6/10 The basic premise is that an evil race of bad people™ sought to genocide a tribe of warriors and did just that, killing all but 2. These twowere Lemnear, the protagonist of the movie, and her brother who was kidnapped. Her quest is to avenge her people and rescue her brother. Using her wits, her fists, and some magic I won't go into because spoilers. However it's only a 40 minute OVA so it's not a time sync. This is actually both a complaint and a praise I have for the show: being only 40 minutes, it isn't able to give much buildup or story in the time it's given, but at the same time it gives a lot of story with the little time it does have.

The story isn't groundbreaking nor does it subvert too many expectations, but for the mold it's trying to fill and the story it's trying to tell, it hits all of the notes correctly and leaves you satisfied.

Art: 8/10
The show takes place in a mythical Babylonian times and it shows by how the people act and how everyone dresses. The artwork is actually really well done to that extent, as the environments accurately paint an image of something you'd expect to see in those times. The characters all dress appropriately and carry themselves in a manner fitting for what lives they are supposed to live. The show is an ecchi so it does go down the route of making women's boobs clearly visible through their shirt, but they do it in such a way that it feels more like a nod to the time rather than forced ecchi insertion... if that makes sense.

Also one thing that separates the show from other generic fantasy OVA's is how brutal the show is in it's violence. People brutally die and it shows. A turnoff to some, but for me it made the show unique and fresh from the sea of tame PG to PG-13 action animes I've seen.

The animation is traditional for the year it came out ('89), but the artstyle is fantastic and as I said the action scenes are really well done. For a low budget OVA, the movement is really fluid and it only adds to the experience.

Character: 7/10
What separates this show from most ecchi's is the fact the protagonist is an undisputed badass. Lemnear shows very early on in the show - through a very well choreographed fight scene I might add - that she is a powerful warrior and not to be taken lightly. Throughout the entire show she shows her abilities without being obnoxious and is a fun character to root for. What also makes her more fun is her utter indifference towards the ecchi world she lives in, as she couldn't care less about the fact everything is trying to lewd her as long as she can achieve her goals. It's a refreshing break from the typical archetype of an ecchi heroine spending more time blushing than actually doing anything.

Like I said, the show isn't trying to break any molds, but it fits the ones it's going for nicely. The other minor characters in the show are all archetypes as well but done well enough they are enjoyable to watch, and the villain is made hateable enough you want to see his downfall. Overall, it hits all it's notes.

Sound: 9/10
The music is fantastic. Seriously it's a beautiful mix of 80's hard rock and a touch of synthwave to create some really amazing tracks that I honestly will be scouting after I'm done typing this. The sound quality is typical of anime of the time and the sound effects are all adequate for what they are trying to do, I only leave the rating so high because again the music is that good.

Enjoyment/Overall: 7/10

In conclusion: Legend of Lemnear is a fun time for the 40 minutes it asks of you. It's nothing groundbreaking and it's not going to reach the top 10s anytime soon, but it's a good show with a lot more to offer than what would be expected of it. With good music, animation, likable characters, and phenomenal action scenes, Legend of Lemnear is a show that despite being buried by history more than deserves to be unearthed.