To begin with, I defintely liked the story with the various plot intricacies, even if the animation seemed a little dated.

I instantly liked the title character, Prince Arslan of Pars, a young teenager who is in complete contrast to his ruthless father King Andragoras. Arslan is very idealistic and wise beyond his years, such that those commanded to obey and protect him ultimately continue to do so not simply because of feudal or tribal allegiance, but because they grow to genuinely admire his character. To put it simply, despite his youthful naivete, he earns their true loyalty with courage and rightoues deeds, growing into a fine leader. Arslan even wins the respect of some of his enemies, at least those willing to see reason.

As the story begins, Arslan's father is defeated in battle by treachery and sorcery, and the brutal, religiously fanatic Lusitanians conquer his kingdom. Arslan becomes a refugee, but in a series of adventures, gathers a handful of friends who later grow into the tens of thousands of devoted followers.

Nonetheless, despite the many qualities of this story that make for a sweeping epic tale...the huge battles, gorgeous details in architecture and costumes, complex political intrigue, and interesting villains, watching it leaves one seriously wanting.

Although it's advertised as the complete series, after seeing episodes 1-4 and the Age of Heroes, it became blatantly obvious that the creators never finished their grand story. Even with the Age of Heroes sequel, we only saw the beginnings of the story arc, how Arslan reacted to the fall of his kingdom, how he gathered his allies, how he won his first battles, and his fate after his father made a miraculous escape from prison to reclaim leadership of the resistance. The story ends with Arlsan effectively being sent into exile by his father, although his most trusted comrades defy the king and join him on the dusty road.

The original series is, as of this review, some 15 years old, and unless the creators or whoever owns the current license suddenly decide to re-visit it, we'll never know exactly how the story turns.

Even if I can imagine some sort of happy ending for Arslan, it's just so disappointing to see a good story just stop abruptly, leaving so many unanswered questions. For example...

Will Arslan ever lose one of his trusted 5 companions to death? What will become of his nemsis Silvermask? Etc. Etc. Etc.

I'd still recommend this series IF it's on sale, as it's a great series to watch, but just be forewarned that you're not going to get with this set the proper middle and ending to complement a promising beginning.