When an all-female adventuring team needs a mage, the only one they can get on short notice is the burly adopted son of the head of the local mage guild. Not only does Louie look more like a fighter than a mage, he acts like it, too, getting into all manner of trouble and trying to solve it with his fists. And when the team's cleric learns that her god has assigned to her a special relationship with Louie, well, let's just say she's less than happy.A slapstick comedy set in the world of the ultra-serious high fantasy drama Record of Lodoss War, Rune Soldier Louie (Mahou Senshi Riui) has fun playing against type with the tropes of the fantasy genre. Lodoss's roots in Dungeons & Dragons are just as clear here as they are in the original series, with the stereotypical character classes — who don't always act anything like you would expect they should.
This show provides examples of:
Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female on Male: Very much played straight... at first but was rather subverted later on in the series when Louie actually fought back when Genie was about to use him as a punching bag again, Melissa and Meryl were worried about this but the scene was generally depicted as a good thing as this is when Genie got softer around Louie a little later on afterwards.
In Another Man's Shoes: Episode 21 is about this for Melissa when she covers for Merrill, with a variation. The focus is on the difference between Melissa and Louie, rather than between Melissa and Merrill.
Because Destiny Says So: Melissa working with Louie, although it is against her will. Also subverted with Isabel, who eventually confesses she faked having a revelation of a hero to serve, but it turned out the man she chose by herself was a real hero anyway.
The Smart Guy & The Chick: Melissa and Ila, when she tags along. Both of them play both roles.
Sixth Ranger: Louie tends to trust Celesia. The others tend to make snide comments and treat her like an outsider though in most events they're not wrong in their views.
The Fool/The Messiah: Louie. Anime Louie is closer to a Bunny-Ears Lawyer with some of The Ditz mixed in. Manga Louie is less goofy but more perverted and also rather more competent than his anime counterpart.
Form Fitting Clothing: Impossibly so and usually only the lead female characters but it's all for fanservice.
Gender Bender: In one episode, and made all the more disturbing by the fact that Louie is most decidedly not an Attractive Bent Gender, looking pretty much like normal except for a pair of large breasts. It would appear Genie is the only one in the show capable of pulling off the strong lady look well.
Gratuitous Spanish: In episode nineteen of the English dub when Merrill buys a house she says "Mi casa es su casa" (My house is your house) to Louie, Genie, and Melissa.
Hangover Sensitivity: Ila in episode 2. Probably the only time where she tried to keep a far too loud Louie away from her.
Harem Anime: Subverted, it's got the trappings of a harem comedy but the emphasis is on parodying fantasy tropes. All three main female characters at the beginning of the show actually dislike him and by the end have a good amount of respect for him with no romantic elements involved. On top of that, Louie always thinks of them as his buddies and seems to be in a perfectly stable relationship with his girlfriend Ila.
Improvised Weapon: Louie is capable of swinging a wild boar around, seemingly effortlessly.
Innocent Innuendo: Ila is trying to help Louie with his working out by sitting on his back as he does forefinger-thumb push-ups. For some reason she's making moaning noises. Louie some what enforces this by saying Ila's name three time, each time with more emphasis before asking her to get off.
Left Hanging: Although there are sufficient clues for the observant viewer to deduce who Louie's parents probably are and why he was fostered by the head of the mage guild, no one in the cast has access to them all — or any interest in the question, for that matter — so there is no chance to find out for sure.
Let's Get Dangerous: Louie is surprisingly competent when the chips are down and the day needs saving. In the latter half of the anime, he hardly ever botches a spell and actually comes up with creative uses for minor incantations.
Merrill has shades of this dependant on how old you think she is.
Magic Knight: Louie is more this than a straight up wizard, particularly a Bare-Fisted Monk, as he's rather unreliable in the magic department and prefers his fists over his sword.
Nobody Poops: Averted in the episode where Merrill spends pretty much the whole episode in the restroom because of some laxative-laced cookies she eats.
Pimped-Out Dress: Exaggerated with Merrill, who is mistaken for a nobleman's true love, and she is offered a whole bunch of dresses to wear. She can't decided so she layers several on at once.
Potty Emergency: Merrill has to get to a restroom very quickly when she eats some laxative-laced cookies.
The Power of Friendship: Louie's punching isn't enough to break the Big Bad's barrier at the finale, but when the girls join him, their combined punches are strong enough.
Pretty Freeloaders: Inverted — Louie becomes an unwanted companion to Melissa, Merrill, and Jeannie.
Rebellious Princess: Melissa was a noblewoman who ran away from an arranged marriage.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Inverted. Louie has blue hair and clothing but possesses the characteristics typically associated with a Red Oni. Genie has red hair and clothing, yet acts like a typical Blue Oni. Their rivalry is played up a lot outside of Genie's master/student sessions teaching Louie how to swing a sword.
Spanner in the Works: Louie ruined one of the bad guys' schemes because there wasn't a ready bathroom nearby. Of course, odds are he was doing it to mess with his teacher, as well.
Stay in the Kitchen: Subverted, Genie thought this happened to her in her army days. It turned out one of the soldiers didn't let her stay and die because he was in love with her, not because she was a woman and he thought he should do it instead.
Stripperiffic: Genie doesn't even bother with a Breast Plate, apparently being so Bad Ass that she doesn't need armor, or even much clothing.
And one of Merrill's day jobs is an exotic dancer, which Melissa found out to her horror when she tried doing Merrill's jobs when she was sick, and had to put the dancer outfit on.
Melissa:"If this is what he means when he says the word 'costume', then I don't want to know what he means when he says 'dance'".
The Sneaky Guy: Merrill is the lithe thief of the group.
Too Long, Didn't Dub: Averted - a long wordplay exchange is masterfully adapted.
Turn Undead: Melissa and even the three student Priestesses can do this to the undead. They use it to take out some zombie mooks in one episode.
Unlucky Childhood Friend: Perhaps not necessarily a childhood friend, but poor Ila certainly appears to have an affection for Louie which isn't really returned.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Louie has this sort of relationship with Merrill and Genie. Even after they start acting nicer towards him they still tend to throw insults at him.
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