WYVERN MAGAZINE

NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR ELF

[animarchive]

Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko (Genmu Senki Leda) by Mutsumi Inomata / 1984

[wyvernmag]

Talking of '85 OVA series with large shoulder armour and Lovecraft references, while Iczer-1 herself is quite modest on the pauldron front, Iczer-2 is full POWER PAULDRON.

Now, the comic pre-dates Leda. But I haven’t laid my hands on any images to confirm the presence of Iczer-2′s shoulder armour before Leda.

[wyvernmag]

Dream Dimension Hunter Fandora followed Leda a few months later. Oddly Fandora only has Power Pauldrons in the first OVA. The two sequels are distinctly less impressive visually (and it wasn’t that impressive to begin with), and don’t show her in an armoured form. An ever changing staff appears to the reason, if not the cause, of this with Hideki Tamura only listed as character designer on episode 1.

[wyvernmag]

Now, a Power Pauldron is not to be confused with a Mighty Manteau.

A Power Pauldron might have a cape attached, but is not to be confused with a cloak with a powerful shoulder game designed to make the entire body seem bigger.

The Mighty Manteau is there enhance the figure of the person wearing it. A Power Pauldron is there to make you go LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT SHOULDER ARMOUR! WHAT’S THE WORD FOR THOSE THINGS? I THINK IT BEGINS WITH P?

[wyvernmag]

Is Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko power pauldron patient zero?