The Girl From Phantasia

by Richard Steele

The Girl From Phantasia is a good natured fantasy romp light on story, strong on humour and just a wee bit naughty. When high school student Akihiro finds an enchanted carpet he opens up a portal to a world of magic, mystery and adventure. The Girl From Phantasia is an entertaining and light hearted fantasy anime that shouldn't be passed over. The story of The Girl From Phantasia is the creation of Akane Nagano. His dreams of a fantastic world of magic have been brought to life by director Jun Kamiya and character designer Kazuya Kise. Together they have created a wonderful animated version of the manga which is being published in Comic Gamma.

High school student Akihiro couldn't be happier. He has just invited the beautiful Miyuki to come and visit him and she actually said yes! Delirious with thoughts of Miyuki, Akihiro fails to notice a carpet that has been abandoned on the pavement, that is he fails to notice it until he trips over it. Impressed by the fine quality of the carpet Akihiro takes it home to furnish his room in hopes of impressing Miyuki. However, no sooner does he unroll the carpet then he discovers that it is the magical gateway between our world and the world of Phantasia. Phantasia is a magical realm that is guarded from the greedy aims of humankind by a Knight Sentry named Malon. Malon has been waiting a long time for a compassionate human to aid her in defending Phantasia and thinks she has found one in Akihiro. But when Miyuki arrives and finds Akihiro and Malon together she gets the wrong impression. Things worsen when Roll appears. Roll, the grandson of a sorcerer banished from Phantasia, has come seeking vengeance against the people who exiled his ancestors. The action that follows is fast and furious as Roll tries to dispatch Phantasia's Knight Sentry Malon before he can attempt to destroy the carpet itself and seal the portal between Earth and Phantasia forever. Aided by Malon's friends Short and Monbran, Akihiro sets off to help Malon defeat Roll and protect Phantasia.

Characters of Phantasia:

Akihiro: Voice actor Shinnosuke Furumoto plays the roll of Akihiro, your typical high school student. Akihiro is really a rather average individual who seems to have trouble getting a date. When Phantasia begins he has just made a date with Miyuki, the most beautiful girl in school as proclaimed by Akihiro. However, when Akihiro meets Malon from Phantasia his more lecherous side leads him into a misunderstanding with Miyuki. Akihiro is a rather ambitious and brave individual who seems to handle all of the strangeness surrounding Phantasia rather well. Although he is far from perfect and does allow his headstrong nature to get him into situations which he would have wished to avoid.

Malon: Voice actress Mitsuki Yayoi provides the voice of the often immature Knight Sentry of Phantasia, Malon. Malon is young and impressionable, falling hard for Akihiro when she first meets him. Malon also refers to herself in the third person, "Malon happy!", which adds to the air of immaturity. However, Malon is a strong and capable Knight Sentry with a good command of her magical powers. When Malon first causes problems between Akihiro and Miyuki she thinks that her magic is to blame so she decides not to use it so that Akihiro will not be angry. This turns out to be a near disastrous decision when Roll appears seeking her life in retribution for his family's long years of exile.

Miyuki: Voice actress Mako Hoyodo plays the roll of Miyuki. Miyuki is a rather attractive young high school girl possessed of a strong character. She is an independent young woman who doesn't take well to being played for a fool which is what she thinks is going on when she walks in on Akihiro and Malon. Clearly the explanation of "this girl just came out of this carpet I found, I'm not two timing you really!" isn't going to cut it with Miyuki.

Roll: Voice actor Keiichi Naniwa plays the part of Roll, one of the most colourful characters in Phantasia. He is the foul mouthed grandson of an exiled sorcerer and bent on exterminating Phantasia's Knight Sentry. Roll is powerful, ruthless, and thankfully for Malon, not all that bright. But what he lacks in savvy he more than makes up for in raw power.

Short: Voice actress Kikuko Inoue plays the part of Malon's friend Short. It may be only coincidence but Short's name perfectly describes her temper. She is a hot headed young woman who gives Roll a run for his money when it comes to reckless behaviour. Prone to acting before thinking Short finds herself in trouble when she confronts Roll in an attempt to save Malon.

Monbran: Voice actress Junko Otsubo plays the roll of Short's cohort Monbran. The two of them are close friends of Malon and have come to Earth to look after Malon. Monbran is just as headstrong as her friend Short but not so hot under the collar. Like her friend short she possesses strong magic powers as do most of Phantasia's natives. However, both her and Short's power prove to be no match for Roll.

Subtitled by A.D. Vision, The Girl From Phantasia was released in 1993 by Akane Nagano/Takeshobo/Starchild. Running time is approximately 40 minutes. All rights under copyright reserved.