Centered on the tale of neophyte adventurers Yuufa and Roan, Ragnarok: The Animation details their epic journey around the world of Midgard while fighting the evil denizens that have infested the world after a series of unfortunate disasters took place. Along the way, they are helped by companions and friends to help defeat the evil that's been causing the chaos.

Yuufa is the Acolyte with the golden heart, because she will heal anyone without even asking for a single zenny! She often acts like a princess whenever she would ask Roan for something (which happens a lot of times). Although she won't readily admit to having any feelings for Roan, she will do anything for him. She's a good support Acolyte and an indispensable member of their party.  Her memory of the death of her brother, Keough, torments her to this day. Yuufa travels with her childhood friend, Roan.

Roan is Yuufa's self-proclaimed protector. He has a huge crush on Yuufa, but he can't admit it until he has proven his worth. He's a clumsy lad and blunders a lot, but he's very brave and possesses great potential. Even with the occasional goofs, people should watch out for him because his Magnum Break packs a mean punch!

During their travels, Roan and Yuufa team up with newfound friends, Takius, the lovely yet mysterious Mage; Maaya, the cute and lovable Merchant (and her Poring pet, Poy-Poy!); and lovers Iruga, the soft-spoken Assassion and Judia, a skilled and battle hardened Huntress.

The animation series, produced by Studio Gonzo of Japan (producers of Gatekeepers, Blue Submarine 26 and Final Fantasy Unlimited), will be adopted for the local market and will be "tagalized" by a well-known team of professional voice-actors.

Tapping the skills of veteran dubbing director Danny L. Mandia (ABS-CBN's Magic Knight: Rayearth, Meteor Garden) to helm the all-important dubbing of the anime into Tagalog for local audiences, it wasn't immediately apparent how big the project was until he found out his son played the game.

Though it is much like the Online Game, the anime has its own identity. The places, items and characters pretty much function the same way in-game and in the series. Porings, Spores and Fabres scurry around the same forests as they do in-game. Geography and travel have remained consistent; the early journeys of the characters between the cities of Geffen and Prontera took them through forests as much as a player in the game would. However, the epic scope and deep themes dealt within the series contrasts heavily with the jovial, anything-goes attitude of the people in the online community. Think of Rayearth more than Lupin III.

The fans of the game weren't totally disregarded in the dubbing process however. The in-game lingo unique to the local pRO community is there whenever they feel it fits into the scene. Apart from using the same game terms in the Tagalog-dubbed anime, some fan lingo made it through to the production. Common playerspeak ("i-heal", "pa-heal", "oist"), contractions (Clocktower = "C.T.") and even their unique vocabulary (guapo = "wafu") has made it into the anime dub.

For true RO players, the catch is to seek the references out. An RO player like Yuufa's voice-actress, Sherwin Revister, should know. "They're there," she says, "You just have to listen carefully to find them."

So, all pRO enthusiasts take heed! Level-Up! Games will soon be coming out with an official site for Ragnarok: The Animation. There, you'll learn more about our heroes, Roan, Yuffa and their friends. Also, there's tons of stuff to download too, like wallpapers, desktop themes, and trailers.

Stay tuned for updates and announcements at the notice patch, in-game and the LUG website, www.levelupgames.ph

(For questions or feedback, please e-mail the author at sharic@pragnarok.com)