Luna Varga

About Luna Varga

Here is what Luna Varga (魔獣戦士ルナ・ヴァルガー) is about, retold in plain terms: an action, adventure and comedy anime by AIC (1991). At its core: The Dunbas Empire tries to conquer the peaceful land of Rimbell. The three princesses are determined to resist the invaders, expecially the middle one, the tomboyish, sword-wielding Luna.

Along the way, after a magical escapade in the cellars of the castle, she finds herself embedded up to the hips in the head of a huge green reptile, the legendary Varga, and acting as its "brain". Even when in human form she has a reptilian tail. She has to fend off a very persistent giant invader and rescue her sister who has been kidnapped by a pterodactyl.

With action at the core, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. At the front of the cast is Luna, played by Michie Tomizawa in the Japanese track. Think of it as a pick for viewers who like fast, high-impact fights. At 4 episodes in total, it is easy to plan a viewing schedule.

Production & Appeal

Production sits with AIC, which means the visual identity of Luna Varga follows that studio's craft. The action focus matters here: fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. With a 5.9/10 score, it is more of a niche pick than a universal crowd-pleaser. On the casting side, Michie Tomizawa voicing Luna gives the lead role a recognizable voice. Released in 1991, it competed with that season's other new series for attention.