While falling down the YouTube algorithm rabbit hole, a thumbnail for Arion popped up and instantly grabbed my attention. I knew absolutely nothing about it, but as a total sucker for those classic Swords and Sandals epics - especially the glorious Ray Harryhausen films I used to catch on the telly on rainy Sunday afternoons back in my youth—I had to check it out.
The result? A two-hour animated feature film from 1986 that throws you headfirst into a world of ancient Greek heroes, sweeping battles, and a dramatic clash between gods and mortals. The anime film is based on Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's manga and is an incredible, amalgamated retelling of Greek myths told with a vibrant '80s anime flair. So, how is it?
Well, the story kicks off with young Arion, son of Demeter, being forcibly taken to the Underworld by his uncle, Hades, against his will. Then, after a training montage of sorts, an older, now a capable young warrior, goes forth to remove the curse that has made his mother blind. What follows is a dizzying web of political intrigue and divine machinations as he seeks to destroy the Titans, Zeus and Poseidon. Along the way, Arion travels through a world filled with gods, monsters, and powerful human characters, all vying for control. It's all very heady stuff that moves at breakneck speed through various tales that are very familiar to us Europeans—where things like the Odyssey, Troy and the search for the Golden Fleece are basically core texts. Narratively, it's a complex hodgepodge narrative of epic scope and familiar tropes that blends classic Greek elements with uniquely dark undercurrents. We're talking themes like incest (the classical, implied kind, thankfully—think a slightly darker version of Luke and Leia in A New Hope—though the Olympian Gods are consistently appalling here; imagine Real Housewives of Olympus but with more lightning), deicide, patricide, and all those other heavy -cides. It's a seriously intoxicating mix and I was hooked.
The animation is amazing, and I'm not even going to use the caveat of 'for its time'; it is absolutely stunning with gorgeously detailed backgrounds, amazing fighting scenes, and fluid character movement. I'm not sure how much they spent on this, but they must have thrown a lot of money and talent at it, as it shows—it is a true visual spectacle! The music, by the legendary Joe Hisaishi, is spectacular and complement the tone of the film well.
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with Arion. Sure, it takes some big liberties with the source material to make its own story flow, but the outcome is a brilliant, action-packed ‘greatest hits’ version of old Greek legend. What’s not to love? Just know that this ain't your Grandpa (or great, great, great Grandpa's) Greek mythos!
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