Xanadu Dragonslayer Densetsu was conceived as a prequel to the PC-88 and PC-98 game of the same name developed by Nihon Falcom in 1985. This OVA therefore offers a broader look at the characters, giving them names and a backstory. The anime is perfectly enjoyable even without having played Xanadu, although its overall quality is somewhat uneven. Produced in 1988 by Toei and directed by Atsutoshi Umezawa, it stands as an early example of isekai at a time when the genre was not yet particularly popular. The protagonist, Fieg, is transported to a fantasy world filled with magic, dragons, and monsters during a war in Russianterritory. The narrative is at times mixed, perhaps a bit too much so, resulting in a direction that feels somewhat all over the place. Brutal fighting scenes alternate with classic comedic skits, from which even the enemies are not exempt, thereby diminishing their sense of menace. This is something also seen in the Dragon Half OVAs, which would be produced only five years later but adopt a very similar narrative approach.

Despite this, Xanadu manages to tell a generally cohesive story within its roughly 50-minute runtime. Its main flaw is that the characters move through different settings in a very short span of time, a negative aspect that speeds up the pacing due to time constraints. It is not a masterpiece, and the animation also shows noticeable highs and lows, with greater care devoted only to key moments. All things considered, it is an acceptable product for fans of fantasy and classic sword-and-sorcery tales, from which more popular works such as Slayers would later draw significant inspiration.

Story: 1/2
Direction: 1/2
Animation: 0.5/2
Characters: 0.5/2
Music: 1/2
Bonus points: 1.5/2

Final score: 5.5/10