Kurokami the Animation – Volume Four (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

November 22, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Kurokami the Animation” continues the awesome action/drama storyline where the first season left off. The second season kicks off with a more Kuro/Keita-driven episodes as we see the two being put to the test as each fight brings Keita closer to death. If you haven’t checked out this series yet, definitely give “Kurokami the Animation” a try! It’s a series definitely worth catching!

TITLE: Kurokami – The Animation – Volume Four

DURATION: EPISODES 12.5-16 (135 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen), English PCM 2.0,

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

RATED: NOT RATED (Note: This anime does feature violence)

Release Date: November 23, 2010

Originally created by Dall-Young Lim, Sung-woo Park

Directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi

Series Composition by Reiko Yoshida

Original Character Design by Sung-woo Park

Character Design: Hiroyuki Nishimura

Art Director: Shunichiro Yoshihara

Chief Animation Director: Hiroyuki Nishimura

Art Design: Tomoyasu Fujise

Sound Director: Hiromi Kikuta

Director of Photography: Naoyuki Wada

Anime Production by Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Jason Griffith as Keita Ibuki

Laura Bailey as Kuro

Christopher Kromer as Daichi Kuraki

Crispin Freeman as Reishin

Emily Bauer as Riona Kogure

Eva Kaminsky as Nam

Julie Ann Taylor as Akane Sano

Kathleen McInerney as Yuki Kaionji

Marc Thompson as Hiyou

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Mikami Hojo

Michael Sinterniklaas as Punipuni

Patrick Seitz as Steiner

Stephanie Sheh as Excel

Six months have passed since the battle against Reishin in Okinawa. Keita has been in a comatose state since then while the world changed around him. Kuraki has become the new vice-chairman of the Kaionji conglomerate and is set to fulfill his dream of forming a Utopia by manipulating the Doppeliner System. A band of Tera Guardians and supports have risen around Kuro to fight against this new enemy in a strange new world…

Just when you thought the last volume of “Kurokami the Animation” was spectacular and action-packed, here we are with volume four of the anime series which kicks off the second season with more action, drama and the highly anticipated battle between Kuro/Keita vs. Raiga!

After the events of the season the season one finale which ended up with Daichi Kuraki’s Terra Guardian Raiga killing Reishin, Kuraki’s plan has begun to go in full gear in order to complete his plans for a “Pure Land”.

The events take place six months after the fight against Reishin and with Kuraki now taking over the Kaionji group as well as taking Reishin’s partner Yuki as his bride-to-be, Kuraki has become too powerful that no one can stop him, especially with Raiga by his side.

As for our protagonists… No one knows what has happened to Keita and Kuro after the events of the first season but what we do know is that Kuraki is trying move forward with his plans of Utopia, the Kaionji Group has gotten stronger and the “Noble Ones” have been forced out of Japan. That is until we see an opening sequence of Kuro defeating members of the Kaionji group which can only mean that not all Noble Ones have disappeared and are gone, Kuro and friends must be nearby.

In fact, a few of the Noble Ones, have decided to stay back in Japan. Kuro and Yakumo stayed behind at the Noble One compound to watch over Keita’s safety. And we learn that Keita has used so much of his life’s energy during the last battle and now he is in a coma.

Of course, Kuro blames herself for putting Keita in this position. And even if he wakes up, she knows that Keita will always continue to fight… but the fact is, can she continue to fight even if she knows it may kill him. It’s something that she would not want to do and the pain is already too difficult to take in.

But for Kuro and friends, now is not the time to worry because now Pro-Kaionji Tera Guardians are now going after the Noble Ones, hunting down whoever they can in order to find Keita because for Kuraki’s “utopia” plan, he needs Keita in order to make it work. But can Kuro protect Keita and prevent Kuraki from getting him? Will Keita ever wake up from his coma?

And just when you think that things are bad for Kuro and Keita, Keita’s childhood friend Akane finds out that she is a master root and her sub Yuki Kaionji (Reishin’s partner) is trying to kill her . For Yuki, she would rather become a negative root than be married to Kuraki. So, Akane’s life is in danger but with Kuro and friends watching over Keita…. Who will be protecting Akane?

“Kurokami the Animation” Backstory

For those who have never heard of “Kurokami”, in the world of “Kurokami” (“Black God”), one sometimes think they see another person that looks exactly like them (doppelganger) but in reality, there are three (doppeliner) which share the same life force (known as Tera). If by any chance, one was to see each other, one would die and the others would have that life force equally distributed. Making sure this “Coexistence Exquilibrium” is kept in check are the Tera Guardians.

This is the story of “Kurokami”, a 23-episode anime TV series which is an adaptation of a Japanese manga series by Dall-Young Lim and illustrated by Sung-Woo Park and is an ongoing series published in the magazine “Young Gangan”.

The anime series is directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi (“Glass no Kamen”, “Midori Days”, “Twelve Kingdoms”) and features series composition by Reiko Yoshida (“Aria”, “D.Gray-Man”, “Kaleido Star”, “Peach Girl”). Character designs are by Hiroyuki Nishimura (“Spirit of Wonder”, “Deltora Quest”) and music composed by Tomohisa Ishikawa (“Appleseed: Ex Machina”, “Kite Liberator”, “Innocent Venus”). And now the first volume of the anime series is released on Blu-ray and includes the first four episodes.

“Kurokami” revolves around a teenager named Keita Ibuki. When he was younger, his mother met someone that looked exactly like her and the next day she was hit by a car. So, the existence of a doppelganger has always been in his mind.

One night when he went out for ramen, he meets a girl named Kuro along with her dog Punipuni, they seem quite hungry. He offers her his ramen and all seems well until a madman comes out of nowhere and assaults her.

Keita tries to help her but is easily beaten by this madman. But what he sees is this girl’s incredible fighting power. After all is done and Kuro overcomes her assailant, she tells him that she is out to kill her brother.

The paths of both Keita and Kuro cross again and Kuro explains to her about the doppeliner and that she is a Tera Guardian. As Keita tries to deal with this and possibly learn why his mother died, his childhood friend Akane (who likes Keita) tries to help both Keita and Kuro as well.

One evening, a group of thugs with extreme power go after her again but this time, Keita tries to help but is mortally wounded. Kuro manages to escape with him but because he is dying, she decides to exchange hearts with him in order to keep him alive and thus a contract is created. But she warns him that they must be near each other at all times or her heart will become necrotic if its too far away from her. Keita has now become the contractee and his life is forever bonded with Kuro.

In volume 2 of “Kurokami the Animation”, Keita and Kuro confront a group of Tera Guardians in battle, meanwhile we learn about Kuro’s past and also information about Keita’s deceased mother. But most importantly, Keita is told the truth about his status of being a contractee and that contractee’s can easily be killed and are not invincible.

For Keita, his thought was that he wouldn’t die during a battle but now knowing that he is vulnerable may change his status of how he fights with Kuro. Meanwhile, Keita, Kuro and Akane left to Okinawa and confronted two survivors from the Hiba Clan.

In volume 3, it appears that others are looking for the survivors of the Hiba Clan and while Reishin makes his appearance. Keita discovers that contractees can be “negative roots” but would he ever dare going that direction. Also, a friend who had been dead has made his appearance once again and the news he has for Keita will surprise him.

As Kuro and Keita barely survive against their battle with Reishin, thanks to the help of Excel and Steiner, Kuro and Keita are able to escape. But unfortunately, in order for them to escape, Steiner sacrificed his life. Meanwhile, Kuraki and Raiga then take on Reishin to for the control of the Kaionji Group.

“Kurokami” vol. 4 features the episodes 12.5-16 of the TV series on one Blu-ray disc. Here is a brief, spoiler-free synopsis of each episode:

EPISODE 12.5 – Intermission – A special episode which aired before episode 13 in Japan. Keita narrates a recap of what took place from episodes 1-12.
EPISODE 13 – New World – Kuraki orders the Pro-Kaionji Tera Guardians to find Keita and destroy anyone who gets in their way.
EPISODE 14 – Breakthrough – Bernhard leads Noble One operatives including Yakumo and Riona to infiltrate the Kaionji group. Meanwhile, Yuki plans to kill Akane in order to become a negative root.
EPISODE 15 – Carnage - Kuro and Keita go against the powerful Shinra but Kuro worries that Keita will die if he diverts all his life energy into her.
EPISODE 16 – Ruin – After the events which took place in episode 15, we are introduced to a new and much more powerful duo of Kuro and Keita.

VIDEO:

“Kurokami The Animation” is featured in 1080p High Definition. The series is quite vibrant and looks absolutely beautiful in HD. Blacks are nice and deep, colors pop and I didn’t notice any edge enhancement or compression artifacts during my viewing of the series.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Kurokami The Animation” is presented in English PCM 2.0. And as mentioned in my previous review of volume 1 of the series, “Kurokami” does not include the lossless Japanese audio while the DVD does include both soundtracks. It is discussed on various message boards that because the series is being released at the same time in Japan, to prevent reverse importation, the lossless Japanese soundtrack was not granted for the U.S. release (note: In Japan, the Blu-ray release costs about three times as more than the U.S. release and to prevent reverse importation over there, they didn’t include English subtitles).

Unfortunately with Japan and the U.S. on the same region for Blu-ray releases and people demanding simultaneous or near simultaneous releases, this is easily going to be an issue for American anime fans if more series continue to feature the lack of a Japanese audio track.

As for the English dub, for the most part the English dubbing was well-done. Jason Griffith (as Keita) known for his work for the character Shadow for “Sonic X” does a very good job but anime voice acting veterans Laura Bailey (as Kuro) and Julie Ann Taylor (as Akane) do a solid job as the voice of their characters.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Kurokami the Animation vol. 4″ contains the following special features:

Textless theme and ending themes - Included are one textless opening themes and four textless ending themes for “Kurokami the Animation”.
Bandai Entertainment Previews

Just when you have thought that “Kurokami the Animation” had ended the first season with a bang! The first few episodes of the second season continues the action-packed storyline as the Kaionji group continues their fight against the Noble Ones. With the Terra Guardians helping out the Kaionji group, Kuro, Keita and friends are literally in defense mode, especially Kuro as she is unable to fight without Keita (who is in a coma).

But what makes this latest volume so exciting for me was that it devoted itself to furthering the bond between Kuro and Keita. Especially with Kuro worrying about Keita’s life and him fighting and fighting and literally killing himself in the process. So, it was very interesting to see how things have developed in these first four episodes of the new season and I’m even more excited to see how things develop in vol. 5 as the new and very powerful Kuro and Keita aim to do the impossible. So, it’ll be interesting to see if they accomplish that.

As for positives, the major positive aside from the story is this series looks fantastic on Blu-ray. Character designs are well done and are vibrant onscreen, the detailed artistic backgrounds definitely look beautiful and the fighting sequences look absolutely fluid. I didn’t catch any edge enhancement or any significant artifacting but I haven’t compared the DVD to the Blu-ray series either. But I’m confident on how beautiful this series is on Blu-ray.

On the negative side, I think that many anime fans who prefer a Japanese soundtrack and also prefer to purchase anime on Blu with a lossless Japanese audio soundtrack. So, I can feel their pain! As mentioned, with Japan and U.S. sharing the same region on Blu-ray and with people wanting simultaneous (or near-simultaneous) releases, this is going to be a major issue in the near future and I hope this is something that can be resolved for future releases.

The other negative that I can think of for anime fans is episodes per volume. With other anime companies releasing complete series or breaking down their releases by a dozen episodes, “Kurokami” which is a 23-episode series features only four episodes per volume (although vol. 4 does come with five episodes with the inclusion of the special recap episode 12.5) and also releases thus far have not really included many special features but the textless opening and closing themes and Bandai Entertainment trailers. But I suppose without a Japanese vocal track, it makes it difficult to include anything related to the Japanese releases of “Kurokami”.

Overall, “Kurokami – The Animation” is an entertaining anime series that so far features a solid storyline and really cool animation/background art. Volume 4 continues that action-driven storyline where the last volume had left off. As well as continuing the dramatic component that made the last volume so enjoyable.

If you have watched the first three volumes thus far, you’re definitely going to enjoy the fourth! “Kurokami the Animation” is definitely an anime series on Blu-ray worth checking out!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

Kurokami the Animation – Volume Three (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

November 7, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Kurokami the Animation” is an action-driven series with a cool concept and if you have followed the first two volumes thus far, volume 3 (the final four episodes of season 1) literally ends with a bang and several characters lives are lost. Definitely a highlight volume in the series with intense action and pretty awesome storyline thus far! Definitely recommended!

TITLE: Kurokami – The Animation – Volume 3

DURATION: 100 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen), English PCM 2.0,

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

RATED: NOT RATED (Note: This anime does feature violence)

Release Date: October 5, 2010

Originally created by Dall-Young Lim, Sung-woo Park

Directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi

Series Composition by Reiko Yoshida

Original Character Design by Sung-woo Park

Character Design: Hiroyuki Nishimura

Art Director: Shunichiro Yoshihara

Chief Animation Director: Hiroyuki Nishimura

Art Design: Tomoyasu Fujise

Sound Director: Hiromi Kikuta

Director of Photography: Naoyuki Wada

Anime Production by Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Jason Griffith as Keita Ibuki

Laura Bailey as Kuro

Christopher Kromer as Daichi Kuraki

Crispin Freeman as Reishin

Emily Bauer as Riona Kogure

Eva Kaminsky as Nam

Julie Ann Taylor as Akane Sano

Kathleen McInerney as Yuki Kaionji

Marc Thompson as Hiyou

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Mikami Hojo

Michael Sinterniklaas as Punipuni

Patrick Seitz as Steiner

Stephanie Sheh as Excel

For the first eight episodes, we have been waiting for the confrontation between Kuro and Reishin, if anything, we knew from the episode 8 that things are going to heat up.

Well, let’s just say that “Kurokami the Animation – Volume Three” is not only hot, hot , hot! These episodes feature significant battles, more answers and even several deaths of key characters. Needless to say, if you have watched the first two volumes on Blu-ray, you’re definitely going to enjoy volume three!

As Kuro prepares for her battle to the death with her brother Reishin, will she have to fight him alone? Or will Keita be there for her?

“Kurokami” vol. 3 features the episodes 9-12 of the TV series on one Blu-ray disc. Here is a brief, spoiler-free synopsis of each episode:

EPISODE 9 – Shadows of My Mother – While Kuro trains in martial arts with Keita’s grandfather, Keita encounters his mother’s double.
EPISODE 10 – Outcome – Keita goes to rescue Kuro who is being held prisoner by Hiyou and takes on his mother’s double – a negative root. Makana goes to help Kakuma. Who will survive and who will die in this episode?
EPISODE 11 – Reunion - A friend of Keita, Sawamura, who supposedly died has re-appeared and reveals to Keita of his true plans.
EPISODE 12 – Confrontation – Kuro and Keita take on Reishin and get some help from Excel and Steiner. Who will survive and who will die in this episode?

VIDEO:

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Kurokami the Animation vol. 3″ contains the following special features:

Bandai Entertainment Previews

“Kurokami the Animation” vol. 3 is literally the volume everyone who has been watching the series has been waiting for. Battles against Reishin, battles against Hiyou…and literally more death and destruction. Needless to say, a good number of people are killed in this latest volume and some characters, you’ll be shocked about their demise. This is an action-packed volume but also a volume that answers some questions into the capabilities of the contractee but also how various groups are pulling strings.

Needless to say, after the fight with Reishin, things will never be the same in this “Kurokami” series and ends the first season with a bang!

The other negative that I can think of for anime fans is episodes per volume. With other anime companies releasing complete series or breaking down their releases by a dozen episodes, “Kurokami” which is a 23-episode series features only four episodes per volume and also a release that doesn’t come with much special features aside from the textless opening and ending themes. In vol. 3, you only get the Bandai trailers. So, there really isn’t much in terms of special features to begin with. So, as more and more anime are being released in the US ala Blu-ray each month, unfortunately for those who are on a strict budget may find themselves looking for a series with more bang for the buck.

Overall, “Kurokami – The Animation” is an entertaining anime series that so far features a solid storyline and really cool animation/background art. Volume 3 is pretty awesome and the creators had to pull the death card several times to make this season 1 end with a bang! I look forward to the continuing of the series (season 2) in the next volume of “Kurokami”!

If you have watched the first two volumes thus far, you’re going to love (or be shocked) by the third. Definitely a shining moment in the series thus far! Recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

BANDAI VISUAL’S TITLES AT SUMMER CONVENTIONS-”GUNDAM UC” AND “HIPIRA”

July 21, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

Tokyo, Japan, July 22, 2010 – Bandai Visual Co., Ltd., a leader in the development and production of Japanese animation announced today their appearances at upcoming US summer conventions. At Anime Expo®, they screened “Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn)”—the smash hit show—in addition to an autograph session with Stephanie Sheh, voice of heroine Audrey, which was a very successful event.

At San Diego Comic-Con International, which will be held from July 22 to 25, the first episode of “Gundam UC” will be screened in English on July 23 at 3:40PM at Marriott Hall Room 6.

The Blu-ray Disc will be available at Anime Depot booth (Booth #328 (right under the 300 sign) ). A set of four free postcards will be given to those who purchase the disc while supplies last.

To introduce the East Coast to “Gundam UC,” Otakon (July 30 – August 1 in Baltimore, Maryland) was selected for its premiere. The very first screening on the East Coast for “Gundam UC” will be held on Friday, July 30 at 8PM in the HD theater. It will be played in HD quality with English audio and will be available for purchase on Blu-ray at Bandai Entertainment’s booth (Booth “C”). Free postcards will be provided for those who purchased the product as well while supplies last. For more information about “Gundam UC,” visit its official website: http://www.gundam-unicorn.net/en/. The Blu-ray Disc is also sold at amazon.com and Bandai Entertainment’s The Store (http://store.bandai-ent.com/). If you have a PlayStation® device and live in the US or Canada, visit your PS Store for rental downloads.

A new 3D anime named “HIPIRA”, which was created based on an entertaining and a bit frightening picture book “HIPIRA” created by Katsuhiro Otomo and Shinji Kimura, is also scheduled to be screened at Otakon. The show consists of 12 episodes, and its festival version in DVD quality will be shown with English subtitles. The screening begins at 9PM, Saturday July 31 in the HD theater.
Animation version of “HIPIRA” was made by creator Katsuhiro Otomo (“STEAMBOY”, “MEMORIES”, “AKIRA”) and Shinji Kimura (“Genius Party – DEATHTIC 4”, “TEKKON KINKREET”). The original book has been highly noticed in various countries and its English edition became the best seller among picture books. The animation “HIPIRA” is produced by SUNRISE’s Ogikubo Studio known for “STEAMBOY” and “FREEDOM” and its state-of-art 3D CGI animation technique depicts the world of “HIPIRA” beautifully. For more information about “HIPIRA”, visit http://www.hipira.net/index.html (English subtitles to be added on some videos).

Filed Under: Anime Related News

BANDAI VISUAL & SENTAI FILMWORKS ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT ON “SOLA”

June 3, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

TOKYO & HOUSTON, June 3, 2010 – Bandai Visual and Sentai Filmworks jointly announced today their united position regarding the title named “sola.” The parties disclosed that a clerical error resulted in the title being made available for license and distribution to Sentai Filmworks.

However, Bandai Entertainment Inc. will continue to distribute “sola”.

Bandai Visual and Sentai Filmworks agreed to unwind the issue in good faith and Sentai Filmworks has retired the title from its catalog.

Both companies regret any confusion caused by these inadvertent circumstances. Each company sincerely appreciates their fan’s ongoing loyalty and continued support for “sola” and their other respective programs.

About Bandai Entertainment Inc.
Bandai Entertainment Inc. is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc. and the premier distributor of Japanese animation on DVD, Blu-ray and television broadcast in North America. Titles include Gundam 00, Code Geass: Lelouch of Rebellion, Lucky Star, Gurren Lagann, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, My Otome, and many more.

About Sentai Filmworks
Sentai Filmworks is one of the fastest-growing anime companies in North America, including hit series like Gintama, Eyeshield 21, Clannad and hit blockbuster movies like Appleseed.

Sentai Filmworks’ line of Blu-Ray and DVDs are distributed on home video by Ingram Entertainment, Baker & Taylor, Section23Films and other good and fine distributors.

Digital contents are available through iTunes, Playstation Network, Netflix, Amazon and others!

Filed Under: Anime Related News

FREEDOM: Blu-ray Disc BOX Limited Edition (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

November 18, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

/></p> <p style=

“An anime series that is just absolutely gorgeous on Blu-ray with an ambitious storyline, great acting on both languages and much more! Excellent!”

DVD TITLE: FREEDOM: Blu-ray Disc BOX Limited Edition

DURATION: 203 minutes (24 minutes for first six episodes, 48 minutes for episode 7) +113 minutes (special features)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby TrueHD (5.1ch), Partly Linear PCM (Stereo) / BD50G x 4 discs AVC / 16:9 (1080p High Definition / Main Features)

COMPANY: Bandai Visual

Released on November 11, 2008

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Planning + Original Story: Satoshi Takamatsu

SERIES PLANNERS: Dai Sato, Katsuhiko Chiba

ORIGINAL CHARACTER + MECHANICAL DESIGNER: Katsuhiro Otomo

CHARACTER DESIGNERS: Daisuke Sajiki, Atsushi Irie

MECHANICAL DESIGNER: Yasumitsu Suetake

ART SETTING: Takashi Watabe, Yoshihiro Sono, Tomoyuki Aoki

EFFECT ANIMATOR: Takashi Hashimoto

CGI DIRECTOR: Kodai Sato

ART DIRECTOR: Takashi Ichikura

COLOR DESIGNER: Nagisa Abe

COLOR SETTING SUPERVISOR: Akiyo Yamaura

SOUND DIRECTOR: Kei Momoise

MUSIC COMPOSER: Yoshihiro Ike

DIRECTOR: Shuhei Morita

CAST:

Takeru: Daisuke Namikawa

BIS: Kappei Yamaguchi

KAZUMA: Showtaro Morikubo

AO: Sanae Kobayashi

TAIRA: Takuya Kirimoto

ALAN: Seizou Kato

Freedom unleashes a revolution in next generation animation, seamlessly combining 2D and 3D graphics to weave an epic tale of repression? and revolt. Directed by rising superstar Shuhei Morita (Kakurenbo), Freedom was an award-winner at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair and the featured on Blu-ray for the first time are all seven volumes.

In the 23rd century, mankind has fled earth and emigrated to the moon. The last outpost of civilization is the Lunar Republic of Eden, where the omnipresent Citizens Administration Council grants residents everything they need… except their freedom. His mandatory education complete, 15-year-old Takeru is in a six-month period of freedom while the Council determines his social status. Uneasy about the future, Takeru and friends decide to race their customized Lunar Terrain Vehicle in the ultimate tube race! But while working on the surface of the moon, Takeru discovers several photos featuring people from Earth with a message on the back of the photo. But how is this possible, especially when everyone on Eden have been told that there are no survivors on the Planet Earth and the Earth was literally destroyed.

With the 35th anniversary of Nissin Cup of Noodles, Nissin went on a promotional campaign to create a seven episode OAV series. And to start off with a bang, the company commissioned AKIRA creator Katsuhiro Otomo as the character and mechanical designer and then brought in Shuhei Morita, who created the award winning short “Kakurenbo” to direct the series. Producing and animating the series would be SUNRISE (Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Vision of Escaflowne and many popular titles). And to sing the theme song “This is Love” would be Japan pop star Hikaru Utada.

With so many top-tier talent involved in this project, the expectations were indeed high.

And from start to finish, I found myself enjoying the series thanks to its unique storyline, beautiful visuals and animation and on both the Japanese and English voicework were well done.

The storyline of “FREEDOM” takes place in the Republic of Eden. A man-made area on the side of the moon where millions of people live due to the Planet Earth being destroyed by a shift in the climate.

The series takes place 160 years later since Earth’s destruction and focuses on is three friends. Takeru, Kazuma and Bismarck (Bis), teenagers who live on the city of Eden. Takeru has turned 15-years old and has completed his compulsory education and thus will be integrated to society but for a short time, he has a little freedom. So, he and his friends take part in races. Takeru being the hot headed racer who wants to be the popular racer who gets the girls like his rival Taira. With the help from his friend Kazuma and the gifted mechanic, Bis, with spare parts, the three manage to build a vehicle.

As the race begins, a mishap gets Takeru in trouble and so, he has to do 15 hours of volunteer work. While walking through the lunar landscape, Takeru discovers an area which has a bunch of rubble but a photograph of a girl and for Takeru, it’s love at first sight.

With the help of their friend Allan, an older person who is knowledgeable about Earth (or overly a big fan of Earth’s classic space programs) peaks Takeru’s interest in the girl and the Planet Earth. Thus with Allan’s help, Takeru and Kazuma get themselves involved in an illegal search through the landscape to uncover more photos but while looking, they see the Planet Earth. And a message from the photo that the residents are doing well.

Both Allan and Kazuma are shocked because the citizens of Eden have been told that the Planet Earth has been destroyed and that there were no survivors, thus the guys hatch a plan to go to the Planet Earth to learn the truth about the planet and also to find the girl in the photo. The only problem, the Republic of Eden will do what they can to make sure their secret of the planet Earth is kept.

The seven episodes in the OAV series was just so enjoyable that there are key parts in the storyline that happen, that for me to even describe each episode can easily spoil the series for people, so I refuse to do that. Instead, all I can say is that the storyline, the animation and the acting is top notch. You’ll no doubt enjoy the series from beginning to end and most of all, “FREEDOM” looks spectacular on Blu-ray. And don’t be surprised if you find yourself craving for Nissin Cup Noodle (thanks to the not-so-discreet promotion of the group loving to eat the food a lot and its product placement).

VIDEO & AUDIO:

I have not watched the series on DVD or HD-DVD, so I can’t really compare the quality differences but I can say that the series utilizes the 3D cel-shading work that anime viewers enjoyed from films such as “Appleseed: Ex Machina” and “SOS Metropolitan Explorers”. But not only do you get the sci-fi technological look courtesy of the Republic of Eden, you get the lush and beautiful colors from the planet Earth. Well, done. Beautiful animation and lush, painted backgrounds. There is a lot of detail featured in some of the artwork and was very impressed.

As for the audio, you get Dolby TrueHD and the various sounds of the vehicles from the screeching of the tires, the metal and the sparks and various sound effects from each speaker was done quite well and sounds awesome on my home theater.

But my surprise was to find an English and French dub track. So, I was quite pleased to know the Blu-ray disc would feature three audio tracks and for both the English and Japanese tracks are well-acted (note: I didn’t listen to the French audio track).

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are quite a bit of special features included in this box set. Included are:

DISC 1: The first disc includes the introduction trailer, Freedom 1 and Freedom 2 digest, another vehicle race, talking about FREEDOM Session 1 and the Nissin Cup Noodle TV commercial digest.

The first session which is 17 minutes long features a round table discussion with Director Shuhei Morita, Series Planner Dai Sato and Scenario Support Gich Ohtsuka. Interesting discussions feature Morita talking about how the original plan was to create an anime-based commercial and how it evolved into an OAV series. Sato talks about making the episodes on a very tight deadline and working with a variety of screenwriters. Especially the experience working with Katsuhiko Chiba (Gundam and Outlaw Star) for the first three episodes and Yuichi Nomura (Eureka) for his knowledge on romantic scenes. The digests are pretty much a two minute condensed moments of an episode.

The prologue is included also on disc 1.

Disc 2: On disc 2, you get the digest versions of episodes 3 and 4. Also, the second part of the “Talking About Freedom – Session 2″ featuring Director Shuhei Morita, Series Planner Dai Sato and Scenario Support Gich Ohtsuka. This featurette is about 18 minutes long. The group talks about the buildup of the storylines and having to create episode 1 short handed but eventually getting more staff (especially those who came from “Steamboy”) to come in and help keep things organized. Then they talk about their favorite moments of episodes 3 and 4.

DISC 3: The third disc features the digest versions of episodes 5 and 6. Also “Freedom in the USA” Part 1 and 2. Part 1 features Director Shuhei Morita and Series Planner Dai Sato at the Long Beach Convention Center for Anime Expo 2007, promoting the first anime HD-DVD and interviewing anime attendees who just watched the first episode. This first part is about twelve minutes long. Also, you learn how happy they were of meeting fans who just come up to them and not afraid to talk. You can tell the two were so happy to interact with the American fans. Afterwards, the duo go to visit Santa Monica and travel on Route 66 which plays a part in the episodes of “FREEDOM”. Part 2 is about 13-minutes long and features the duo going to Washington, D.C. to visit the Smithsonian since it was depicted in the anime series and checkout the National Air and Space Museum and later, the two went to the Annex and talked about how they used a lot of the older space technology on FREEDOM and also to see their excitement to see things closeup.

Disc 4 – Disc features the episode 7 digest, “Freedom: The Hope”, next episode trailers, “FLY ME TO THE MOON: The Apollo Journey”, “FLY ME TO THE MOON: From the Apollo to Freedom” and messages from the characters. “The Hope” is a short near two minute race featuring Takeru, Kazuma, Biz and Ao in their vehicles racing and somewhat of an epilogue.

The “FLY ME TO THE MOON” featurettes are about ten minutes long and pretty much showcases footage from the 1960′s with JFK, the space race between the US and Russia and who would get to the moon first. A cool featurette because it’s old NASA footage but the video was more or less Allan trying to get the guys know about the history of flight and the first people to get to the moon and showing actual history via phoos and video footage. The second part is continuing the featurette and is about 13-minutes long. Actually the featurette is a good primer for those not familiar with the space race and the challenges the US had to face including the tragedy. Actual video footage from the past and how it ties into the people at Eden.

The last part “messages from characters” features the main animated characters saying thank you to everyone for watching and their support.

And included with the limited edition box set is a manga featuring Takeru. Before the events of episode 1 and the storyline seems to be more deep and teenage angst than the anime series. But nevertheless, another cool inclusion to a box set already packed with special features.

Again, Bandai Visual has hit another home run with their Blu-ray releases. It’s one thing to get quality DVD’s and I’ve praised Bandai Visual’s higher encoding of their DVD audio but having the opportunity to finally watch “FREEDOM” on Blu-ray was just an incredible experience.

The anime was just crisp and colors extremely vibrant, I was very pleased. But to release a Blu-ray box set that not only features the complete series but also provides us with a lot of special features and also a manga booklet.

But as for the storyline of “FREEDOM”, it was so refreshing to have a sci-fi storyline to be so different, unique but at the same time lighthearted. Overall, it was just one of those exciting moments when you watch a very well done anime series and you just find yourself just amazed of what you just watched and how well it was carried out from the episode 1 all the way to episode 7.

If anything, I wouldn’t watch the trailers or the special features on each disc until you finish the series because some of the trailers may contain spoilers.

All in all, the “FREEDOM” Blu-ray Disc BOX Limited Edition certainly delivered. From the all-out quality of the anime production, the well-written script, the inclusion of voice acting in Japanese, English and French, inclusion of the manga and plenty of special features, fans of the series should be pleased with this box set. Again, Bandai Visual continues their dedication to quality with their releases and I’m really impressd with their Blu-ray releases thus far. Highly recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

Haruka ~Beyond the Stream of Time~ – A Tale of the Eight Guardians Vol. 7 (a J!-ENT anime DVD Review)

October 21, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The seventh volume of “Haruka ~Beyond the Stream of Time~” continues the adventurous storyline of the eight guardians searching for the Sacred Talisman and this time storylines focused on guardians Eisen and Takamichi.”

BUY THIS DVD | Netflix Delivers DVDs to your home. NO LATE FEES. Try for FREE!

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Haruka ~Beyond the Stream of Time~ – A Tale of the Eight Guardians Vol. 7

DURATION: Approx. 74 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: COLOR/NTSC / Japanese Audio (Dolby Digital 5.1 ch and Dolby Digital Stereo / English subtitles

CATALOG #: 61493

COMPANY: Bandai Entertainment Inc./Honneamise

RATING: Suggested 13 and Up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR: Tsunaki Aki

SERIES PLANNER: Okazaki Junko

CHARACTER DESIGN: Ohnuki Kenichi, Kotani Khyoko

ART DIRECTOR: Sakamoto Nobuhito

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Arakawa Kousuke

COLOR SETTING: Ario Yukiko

SOUND DIRECTOR: Honda Yasunori

MUSIC: Hirano Yoshihisa

EDITOR: Morita Seiji

Original Story by Tohko Mizuno (serialized in LaLa and Lala DX by HAKUSENSHA)

Opening Song: “Haruka Kimi no Moto e” performed by Morimura Tenma (Seki Tomokazu), Inori (Takahashi Naozumi), Nagareyama Shimon (Miyata Kouki)

Ending Song: “flowin’ -Ukigumo-” performed by Sefle (Akikawa Yuu), Ran (Kuwashima Houko)

Animation Created by YUMETA COMPANY

VOICE ACTORS/ACTRESSES:

Motomiya Akane – Kawakami Tomoko

Minamoto-no Yorihisa – Miki Shin-Ichiro

Morimura Tenma – Seki Tomokazu

Nagareyama Shimon – Miyata Kouki

Fujiwara-no Takamichi – Nakahara Shigeru

Tachibana no Tomohmasa – Inoue Kazuhiko

Eisen – Hoshi Soichiro

Abe-no Yasuaki – Ishida Akira

Princess Fuji – Otani Ikue

Akram – Okiayu Ryotaro

Ran – Kawashima Houko

Abe-no Seimei – Matsumoto Dai

Little Tengu – Shimakta Junko

Tengu – Taniyama Kisyo

“I’m glad that you are the princess.”

The Eight Guardians continue to hunt for clues to the Sacred Talismans’ locations, while the demons mock their determination with an unending onslaught of curses. The only force capable of bolserin their spirits remains Akane’s heartfelt smile.

With volume seven of “Haruka -Beyond the Stream of Time”-, the storyline continues with the adventures of Akane, the Dragon Priestess and the Eight Guardians as they try to search for the Sacred Talismans.

In the last volume, one was found but three more are out there.

In Episode 18 titled “The Chamberlain and Maiden Akane”, I admit that I was surprised to see this episode because with so many of the previous episodes explaining the histories of each of the Eight Guardians, we get an episode that really seems more of a filler episode.

The storyline is that the Chamberlain of the Fourth Order is in love with Maiden Akane (who bares a resemblance to Akane and has the same name). Because of his nobility and that she is not high in the social class, they don’t have a relationship and for Maiden Akane, she needs to marry another man that her uncle has setup.

Of course, the Eight Guardians must help the Chamberlain and Maid Akane and sure enough, the Akane hatches a plan to get the couple together and the Chamberlain to tell her his true feelings for her.

This episode was so odd, because personally I can see it happening earlier on in the series but so late, with so many episodes focus on the talismans and the fight between the Eight Guardians and the Demon Clan, this episode was out of place.

Granted, it’s fun to get an episode light-hearted and humorous but with its current pacing, just seemed odd to have this episode so late when things are getting more serious.

In episode 19 titled “Unstoppable Feelings”, Eisen who has studied a life focusing on Bhuddism and now part of the Eight Guardians is fighting his feelings. Eisen doesn’t understand these emotions that he has for Akane. And discovering that he may be truly in love with her. While the Demon Clan now determined to cause more problems and their goal is to put a curse on the whole village.

While the others fight the demon, Eisen must protect Akane from danger.

In episode 20 titled “Light Endowed by a Lady”, the demon Shirin appears before Takamichi and shows him that she has captured the spirit of his foster mother. The Guardian is conflicted. Save his step mother’s spirit or protect Akane. Akane is determinted to help Takamichi, the best that she can in order for him to save his foster mother.

A very good episode and finally an episode that covers part of Takamichi’s life growing up and a cool battle betwen Takamichi and Shirin.

VIDEO:

Video is presented in anamorphic 16:9:LB and presented in 1:71:1 aspect ratio. I watched this DVD twice now on my 52″ inch television and on my 24″ iMac. And as I have mentioned before in my reviews, “HARUKA” has beautiful conceptual art when it comes to the backgrounds and just overall, how the whole land just looks lush. Colors galore! And I also enjoy the character designs. The men of course are quite Bishonen but the overall costumes to the colorful settings of the backgrounds mesh well with each other. Beautiful anime.

AUDIO:

As most of Honneamise releases, there is no English dub track and as most Honneamise releases, the encoding of audio for their DVD’s are top notch as audio is encoded at 448 kbps and clear audio. As for voice acting, I have been so far, very pleased with the Japanese voice acting for the characters.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The “HARUKA” DVD’s do not really come with many special features. Mainly featured on each volume is bonus footage titled “The Demon’s Soliloquy” which is more or less Akram’s voice and his rendition of the teaser trailers.

And as with each volume, there is a four fold, double paged booklet which features episode synopsis, images, character profiles, staff interview with episode director and storyboard creator Hiroshi Haraguchi and a section titled “Anthology of the Eight Guardians – Poems Unraveled” which features the poetry shown at the end of each episode. Also, included is an illustration by Tohko Mizuno (original manga creator) with comments on the Chamberlain of the Fourth Order.

I really enjoy the adventure with the Eight Guardians pursuing the Sacred Talismans. I definitely would like to see the Eight Guardians work as a team and we do get that with episode 18.

But not in a way that I was expecting. With the episodes now getting darker and focusing on the guardians trying to protect Akane, find the Talismans and do battle with the demons, for this episode, the storyline was too lighthearted and again, I would have pictured this storyline before the Talisman storylines.

With episode 19, finally we get a story based on Eisen and it’s great to see him feel these emotions of love for the first time. Problem is that many of the guardians it seems are developing something towards Akane. So, not sure if we will see any romantic drama from that or everone will just bite their lip and do their job to protect her. I guess we would have to wait and find out.

With episode 20, definitely a good story as we learn more about Takamichi (yes, finally!). And how he and Shirin go one-on-one.

All in all, a good volume but episode 18, seemed a bit off on pacing. But nevertheless, it was a fun-lighthearted episode. The other two were what I expected and look forward to watching more episodes based on the histories of the other guardians.

All in all, not the strongest volume but the episodes are still entertaining and as much as episode 18 was questionable for its lighthearted episodes, the other two were great to watch as we saw more character development for Eisen and Takamichi and their relationship with Akane.

If you have been watching this far into “Haruka – Beyond the Streams of Time”, then like me, you are staying it for the long run and just enjoy and watch the adventures of Akane and the Eight Guardians.

With only a few volumes left in the series and so many solo-based storylines, it will be interesting to see how everything plays out in the upcoming episodes.

+ Beautiful artwork and character designs and continuing Bandai Visual/Honneamise quality for audio and video encoding.

+ Really entertaining storyline so far. I really dig the character development for the series.

+ Really good voice acting from top talent from Japan and easy to ready English subtitles

- Unfortunately no English dub for those that need their anime with that option.

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Haruka ~Beyond the Stream of Time~ – A Tale of the Eight Guardians Vol. 5 (a J!-ENT anime DVD Review)

August 1, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The fifth volume of “Haruka ~Beyond the Stream of Time~” continues the storyline as the Dark Dragon Princess Ran as she puts a death curse on Akane. The seven guardians come together to protect Akane and the final eighth guardian is revealed! Another riveting, climactic volume in the series!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Haruka ~Beyond the Stream of Time~ – A Tale of the Eight Guardians Vol. 5

DURATION: Approx. 74 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: COLOR/NTSC / Japanese Audio (Dolby Digital 5.1 ch and Dolby Digital Stereo / English subtitles

CATALOG #: 61479

COMPANY: Bandai Visual/Honneamise

RATING: Suggested 13 and Up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR: Tsunaki Aki

SERIES PLANNER: Okazaki Junko

CHARACTER DESIGN: Ohnuki Kenichi, Kotani Khyoko

ART DIRECTOR: Sakamoto Nobuhito

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Arakawa Kousuke

COLOR SETTING: Ario Yukiko

SOUND DIRECTOR: Honda Yasunori

MUSIC: Hirano Yoshihisa

EDITOR: Morita Seiji

Original Story by Tohko Mizuno (serialized in LaLa and Lala DX by HAKUSENSHA)

Opening Song: “Haruka Kimi no Moto e” performed by Morimura Tenma (Seki Tomokazu), Inori (Takahashi Naozumi), Nagareyama Shimon (Miyata Kouki)

Ending Song: “flowin’ -Ukigumo-” performed by Sefle (Akikawa Yuu), Ran (Kuwashima Houko)

Animation Created by YUMETA COMPANY

VOICE ACTORS/ACTRESSES:

Motomiya Akane – Kawakami Tomoko

Minamoto-no Yorihisa – Miki Shin-Ichiro

Morimura Tenma – Seki Tomokazu

Nagareyama Shimon – Miyata Kouki

Fujiwara-no Takamichi – Nakahara Shigeru

Tachibana no Tomohmasa – Inoue Kazuhiko

Eisen – Hoshi Soichiro

Abe-no Yasuaki – Ishida Akira

Princess Fuji – Otani Ikue

Akram – Okiayu Ryotaro

Ran – Kawashima Houko

Abe-no Seimei – Matsumoto Dai

Little Tengu – Shimakta Junko

Tengu – Taniyama Kisyo

At last, the final Guardian makes his appearance for the thrilling climax of the first half of the series!

“Priestess, welcome to my splendid garden”

Akram’s sinister plot engulfs Akane, disturbing the fates of the Priestess of the Dragon God, her Eight Guardians and Ran, the girl who holds the key to Akram’s snare!

In episode 11 (of volume 4), it was revealed that Tenma’s sister Ran (who has been missing and assumed kidnapped) is in this world and she is working with the demon Akram and is possibly also a Dragon Priestess.

Nothing makes sense as of yet but at the end of the episode, Ran made a visit to Akane during her sleep and released a curse that would kill her.

In episode 12 titled “Demon Lurking Darkness”, the seven guardians come together to find out out how to rid Akane of the death curse. Tenma is wondering why his sister has not recognized him and why she has become this dark entity. Abe no Yasuaki works quickly to prepare for the cleansing of Akane and return the curse back to Ran, while Tachibana no Tomomasa (Lt. of the Left Imperial Guard) realizes that Guardians share this special bond and yet, he’s just a civil servant that feels a bit of loneliness because he isn’t a guardian.

In episode 13 titled “Release Your Heart”, Abe no Yasuaki is successful in ridding the curse but what he does with it, surprises Akane. Meanwhile Tenma wants his sister Ran back but the demon Akram tells him that if he wants Ran, she can be exchanged for Akane. Akane feeling pain for Tenma’s loss, decides by herself to exchange herself for Ran and the Eight Guardians must do what they can to save her from Akram.

The eighth guardian is revealed and the Guardians take action to retrieve Akane but also Ran.

In episode 14 titled “The Rainbow Prophecy”, a rainbow has shown up and in this time period, rainbows are sign of evil and that marks a day of abstention. Thus Akane is put in a room for protection and to prevent her from traveling to an unlucky direction. While waiting in the room, a rainbow incarnation comes to delivery a warning to Akane that a war is coming soon and that they must prepare.

VIDEO:

AUDIO:

As most of Bandai Visual releases, there is no English dub track and as most Bandai Visual releases, the encoding of audio for their DVD’s are top notch as audio is encoded at 448 kbps and clear audio. As for voice acting, I have been so far, very pleased with the Japanese voice acting for the characters.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

And as with each volume, there is a four fold, double paged booklet which features episode synopsis, images, character profiles, staff interview with Morita Seiji (editor) and a section titled “Anthology of the Eight Guardians – Poems Unraveled” which features the poetry shown at the end of each episode. Also, an illustration by Morita Nanae.

“HARUKA ~Beyond the Stream of Time~” continues to be a beautiful anime series that has been slowly building up for its first half of identifying the eight guardians and how each have become a guardian.

This volume’s first two episodes (episodes 12 and 13) focus more on the character of Ran and what has happened to her during the time she has been missing.

Episode 14 is more like a bridge for the second half of the series which I would imagine with all eight guardians having been found, now things will possibly become more serious or even darker and eventually leading to a major battle between good vs. evil.

All in all, I’ve enjoyed the series and you get to see various sides of the guardians not seen from previous episodes.

Such as Tachibana no Tomimasa getting a bit jealous because his friend Fujiwara no Takamichi (Vice Minister of Civil Affairs) has not even known Akane that long but yet yearns to be with her and protect her and yet Tachibana, who has been there since the beginning for Akane looks at his life as almost quite boringly.

Then you have Yasuaki no Abe, a character that shows no emotion, almost cold due to his lack of emotions and doesn’t understand Akane’s emotions at all.

Then you have Tenma, who wants to protect Akane but struggles as he is told to decide between his sister Ran or Akane.

Everyone has this sense and purpose to protect Akane and for some, it seems as they are discovering more about themselves and the emotions they feel.

On the other end of the spectrum, you get to see more and more of how evil a person Akram is.

But volume 5 overall is enjoyable and I’m glad to see the first half of finding the guardians now over with. Now, it’s going to be interesting from here on in as the buildup between Akane and her eight guardians versus Akram and his evil demons.

All in all, an enjoyable anime series thus far.

+ Beautiful artwork and character designs and continuing Bandai Visual/Honneamise quality for audio and video encoding.

+ Really entertaining storyline so far. I really dig the character development for the series.

+ Really good voice acting from top talent from Japan and easy to ready English subtitles

- Unfortunately no English dub for those that need their anime with that option.

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars Vol. 9 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 1, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The final volume of ‘Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars’ features the final battle between the Earth Federation Army/United Colony Corps vs. the Aerogaters. An explosive final volume and the final episodes feature plenty of mecha action and the most mecha ever assembled in an episode than I have ever seen from any anime series ever. Mecha mayhem and totally awesome!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars Vol. 9

DURATION: 78 + 6 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: COLOR/ MPEG-2 / DVD-5 / NTSC / Japanese Audio (Dolby Digital Stereo) / English Subtitles / 16:9 LB

CATALOG #: 61370

COMPANY: Bandai Visual / Honneamise

RATING: 13 and up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

ORIGINAL STORY: SR Production Team

DIRECTOR: Kakudo Hiroyuki

SUPERVISOR & SERIES PLANNER: Terada Takanobu

CHARACTER CONCEPTION: Kohno Sachiko

CHARACTER DESIGN: Ikeda Yuji

MAIN MECHANICAL DESIGNERS: Katoki Hajime, Miyatake Kazutaka, Okawara Kunio, Saito Kazue

ART DIRECTOR: Kato Kenji

PRODUCED By: SWROG PROJECT

CAST INFORMATION:

Ryusei Miki Shin-Ichiro, Ingram: Furusawa Toru, Yukiko: Sakuma Rei, Kusuha: Takahashi Mikamo, Tenzan: Kawazu Yasuhiko, Laker: Kiyokawa Motomu, Kenzo: MUGIHITO, Kai: Saizan Tadahisa, Hance: Masutani Yutaka, Shu: Koyasu Takehito, Bian: Iizuka Shoz

At last, the conclusion of the Divine Wars! This definitive collection includes an episode not aired on Japanese TV!

The Final Adjudicator has appeared before mankind! The SRX has awakened and shall put an end to the long war!

Everything has been building up to this final episode as the Earth Federation Army and United Colony Corps goes into full-scale war mode against the alien Aerogaters.

In episode 24 titled “Stage 24: Gathering Power”, the decisive battle with the Aerogaters has begun. The Operation SRW united space fleet engages in a bitter fight with an enemy of overwhelming force. But arriving just in time to join the battle is Ryusei and the other members of the SRX team who arrived at the White Star and to merge their R series units.

In this episode, we get to see a successful merge/transformation of the R series units and to finally see Ryusei exhibit power not seen in any of the episodes.

This very episode features a battle between the Aerogaters Attade Shamlan, Levi Torah’s (leader of the Aerogaters) right hand and cunning pilot who has telekinetic powers and is a master of psychological manipulation. Also, the person who is overseeing the conditioning of human samples captured in battle.

In episode 25 titled “Stage 25: Divine Wars”, the war continues and this time with the transformed SRX Team and the United Colony Corps on the Kulogwane join in battle against the Aerogaters.

The SRX Team goes into battle with their former commander Ingram Plissken who is piloting the R-Gun Revale summoned from another dimension.

While that battle is waged, the space fleet has to go into battle with Aerogater Leader Levi Torah who is piloting a giant mobile weaponry known as the Judecca. A serpent like mecha that forms the nucleus of the automated planet Nevlim and easily is decimating the space fleet with its power.

Also, the true intention of the Aerogaters is revealed and the true identity of Levi Torah is discovered. But unknown to the Aerogaters is that there is another being that is pulling their strings.

An epic battle to decide who will be the victors. The fleet from Earth or the Aerogaters.

In the final episode that was not aired on television is “Final Stage: Separate Paths“. The fact that this episode was not aired on television makes this volume important to own because it features the Final Adjudicator and what remains of the fate of certain individuals on both sides.

This episode also features the aftermath of the war, what happens to many of the pilots a month after the war and what path they choose for each of their lives.

All in all, an ending not seen on television, thus making it a series definitely worth owning!

VIDEO:

As for the video, since it’s a newer anime series that aired back in the end of 2006 and early 2007, as expected, the anime is clear and colorful. Also, because it is a Bandai Visual release known for their audio and video quality, the anime is presented in 16:9 LB anamorphic with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1.

AUDIO:

Bandai Visual is known for their quality A/V and audio is encoded at 488kbps. There is no Digital 5.1 audio selection, just Dolby Digital Stereo. And primary audio is in Japanese. There is no English dub tracks, for those interested in that.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The final volume of “Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars” finally features some special features. All opening and ending themes are now featured (textless).

As for the DVD-insert booklet, there is an 8-page character guide and glossary. Also, included is a “Special Message” (continuing from the last five volume booklets) segment which features more voice talent giving their thoughts about their character and a message for the fans.

I’m really impressed of how many voice actors (past and present) are featured in this anime series. With so many characters, it’s definitely understandable. As for the booklet, it was finally nice to find out more about Katrina Trask and the members of the Octopus Platoon. For many episodes, seeing this team and not really knowing much about them (with the exception of Shinguji Tasuku, since he plays a prominent role earlier on in the series.

It’s hard to believe the final volume is here.

This has to be one of the most intense mecha anime series in a sense of how much mecha were utilized throughout this whole series and how many characters on various sides of the war are featured and have a role in this anime.

The final volume features an awesome battle but to find out that the final episode was never aired in Japan and on this DVD, it’s really surprising because the “Final Stage” really goes into some important topics within the overall series and the future of the series. So, for this episode alone, for those who watched this series on television and loved it, you’re doing yourself an injustice if you don’t get this final volume because the final episode alone features important scenes.

So, the final volume is worth owning because this series is just straight-out mecha fan service!

But what about the entire series? As mentioned in my last volume review, where a Gundam TV series has nearly 40-50 episodes to really flesh out a character and focus on character development and relationships, with only 26 episodes and so many characters featured on “Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars”, there is only so much they can feature because so much is dedicated to the war, the mecha battles and the SRX Team.

So, because the series could have been epic and the building up of a battle or war could have been lengthened if they had more episodes, the creators did what they could to fit everything within 26-episodes.

So, because of that…”Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars” is not perfect, nor does it reach “greatness” but it manages to achieve high marks for it’s battles, the many mecha introduced in the overall series, its wide variety of characters and its enjoyable storyline.

There is so much story to tell and the fact that the foundation has been created for this series, I can see multiple spin-offs via anime (and even video games) from this series if needed featuring on the various multiple teams within the Earth Federation Army. There is so much potential!

This anime series is a long time coming and for fans of the video games, it was so great to see this anime series created and the fact that fans can finally obtain it in the US.

Although the DVD’s have been somewhat barebone in special features and there is no English dub, I’m glad that Bandai Visual continued their focus on video and audio quality. And the informative books included with each volume was definitely worth it!

So, all in all, “Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars vol. 9 is worth owning and the overall series is worth watching! Awesome mecha battles, interesting characters and a storyline that was just enjoyable to watch. Let’s say, I enjoyed it so much that I’m bummed that it’s over. So, I’m hoping for another series in the near future!

Definitely check “Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars” out!

+ “SUPER ROBOT WARS” in an animated television series based on a long running video game… A long time coming!

+ Finally, the final volume and a “Final stage” that is literally an episode that was not shown on television but manages to fill in important holes in the storyline. Overall, a great conclusion for this series.

+ Well done voice acting with many of the original voice talent from the video games involved.

+ Yes, special features are included in this volume!

- For those who need and prefer an English dub, this DVD is ONLY Japanese with English subtitles.

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars Vol. 8 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

July 30, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“As we reach the final two volumes, there are new revelations and the Earth Defense Force and the United Colony Corps goes to war against the aliens and a key betrayal comes unexpected in this latest action-packed volume of ‘Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars’”.

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars Vol. 8

DURATION: 72 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: COLOR/ MPEG-2 / DVD-5 / NTSC / Japanese Audio (Dolby Digital Stereo) / English Subtitles / 16:9 LB

CATALOG #: BUDH0136

COMPANY: Bandai Visual / Honneamise

RATING: 13 and up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

ORIGINAL STORY: SR Production Team

DIRECTOR: Kakudo Hiroyuki

SUPERVISOR & SERIES PLANNER: Terada Takanobu

CHARACTER CONCEPTION: Kohno Sachiko

CHARACTER DESIGN: Ikeda Yuji

MAIN MECHANICAL DESIGNERS: Katoki Hajime, Miyatake Kazutaka, Okawara Kunio, Saito Kazue

ART DIRECTOR: Kato Kenji

PRODUCED By: SWROG PROJECT

CAST INFORMATION:

At last, the battle moves to its final stage… The astonishing truth is revealed in this volume!

The muzzle that has been leveled is one of betrayal, and the swords that must protect the Earth will be drawn for their final mission!

In volume 7, the Alien Aerogater’s made their move by invading Earth and abducting Earth Federation Army soldiers and pilots.

Volume 8 continues the storyline about the war between the Earth Federation Army/United Colony Corps and the Alien Aerogaters who have now started to decimate major cities but this volume will be known for its major betrayal by one of the main characters of this series.

In episode 21 titled “Stage 21: Misgivings”, the Aerogater attack has thrown the Earth’s Sphere into chaos. An introduction to a new character named Brigadier General Normany Srey of the Earth Federation Army who drafts Operation SRW for an assault on the massive Aerogater base, the “White Star”.

Also, Ingram has begun Kusuha’s training as a pilot on the Grungust Type-2 while other pilots question Ingram using an unskilled pilot to take control of a Super Robot.

In episode 22 titled “Stage 22: The Muzzle of Betrayal”, the Aerogaters begin decimating the Northern area of China. The Hagwane heads to the area and the Personnel Troopers face their deadliest enemies yet.

Because of the dire situation, Ingram Plissken orders the SRX Team to transform and become as one. An order that the Ryusei and team have never done before. And a major character becomes a traitor.

In episode 23 titled “Stage 23: The Day of Parting”, the team has been betrayed and the group is at a loss not knowing why it has happened, especially what may have happened to their teammate Kusuha who has disappeared in battle.

The ramifications of the betrayal has led to the SRX team to be jailed and the higher ups want their mechas to be dismantled.

Meanwhile, the Earth Federation Army and the United Colony Corps rendezvous at the L5 Point and launch Operation SRW and come head-to-head with a former teammate.

VIDEO:

AUDIO:

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Surprisingly, there are no special features. I would expected maybe a textless opening or ending, especially for the JAM PROJECT fans out there who enjoy the opening theme. But unfortunately, there are no special features at all.

As for the DVD-insert booklet, there is an 8-page character guide and glossary. Also, included is a “Special Message” (continuing from the last four volume booklets) segment which features more voice talent giving their thoughts about their character and a message for the fans.

The eighth volume of “Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars” is another exciting volume in the series and as usual with the series, there was a lot of action and mecha battles galore!

But there are some problems when you think about the concept of time and part of the problem is when you have so many characters, where a mecha series such as “Gundam” has over 40-50 episodes, they are able to flesh out the story with more character development and even budding relationships. Also, there is a sense of time of how many days or weeks things have passed.

With this volume, Kusuha is now a pilot of the Grungust Type-2 and willing to go to battle. But how long has she actually been training. A day, days, weeks? Ryune Zoldark is concerned with the incarceration of the SRX team but since she was just let on aboard the Hagwane, without that much character development for her, would Ryune really be that concerned? So, perhaps she has been friends with Ryusei and Rai for days or weeks?

But another problem which I mentioned in previous review and again becomes a major pet peeve is the sense of death. With the battle of the Aerogaters, the Earth Federation Army and the civilians become casualties. Soldiers who pilot an airplane or drive a tank are the ones that are typically killed in battle.

But not one major character has been killed. They have been injured but well enough for battle in a few days with no lasting ramifications from injuries.

We have seen death for United Colony Corps and Divine Crusaders characters but even in this volume where Aya is shot point blank, she survives and is hospitalized and is ready to go battle by the end of the volume.

No one dies, no one gets majorly injured and with every death that we have seen on the “good” side of a mecha series, the death makes an impact.

And so you wonder what if “Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars” has had the chance to get a 40-50 episode treatment. Character development and even budding relationships can be furthered explored but at least there would be a sense of timing.

But with that being said, the end of the “Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars” is the next volume and volume 8 which features a major character betrayal was exciting and to see the turn against the fellow teammates was quite riveting.

Overall, this is a 26-episode series and Kakudo Hiroyuki and staff has done what they can to fit everything they can in a short time. It’s a bit sad to know that there is one more volume left in the series but so far, I have been entertained. The series although not perfect, is still riveting, action-packed and explosive.

I look forward to the final volume!

+ “SUPER ROBOT WARS” in an animated television series based on a long running video game… A long time coming!

+ Finally, the battle between the Earth Defense Army and the United Colony Corps versus the alien Aerogaters.

+ Well done voice acting with many of the original voice talent from the video games involved.

+ A very good volume that focuses on the character development of several key characters.

- For those who need and prefer an English dub, this DVD is ONLY Japanese with English subtitles.

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars Vol. 7 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

July 29, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“After the final battle with DC Commander-in-Chief Bian Zoldark, volume 7 introduces Zoldark’s daughter Ryune and her mecha Valsione plus a final confrontation between the Earth Federation Army and the remnants of the Divine Crusaders and the long awaited battle between Ryusei and Tenzan. Another action packed volume!”.

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars Vol. 7 DURATION: 72 minutes DVD INFORMATION: COLOR/ MPEG-2 / DVD-5 / NTSC / Japanese Audio (Dolby Digital Stereo) / English Subtitles / 16:9 LB CATALOG #: BUDH0135 COMPANY: Bandai Visual / Honneamise RATING: 13 and up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

ORIGINAL STORY: SR Production Team DIRECTOR: Kakudo Hiroyuki SUPERVISOR & SERIES PLANNER: Terada Takanobu CHARACTER CONCEPTION: Kohno Sachiko CHARACTER DESIGN: Ikeda Yuji MAIN MECHANICAL DESIGNERS: Katoki Hajime, Miyatake Kazutaka, Okawara Kunio, Saito Kazue ART DIRECTOR: Kato Kenji PRODUCED By: SWROG PROJECT

CAST INFORMATION:

The battle reaches a new stage with this watershed volume! The threat of the White Star has appeared in the Earth Sphere… Humanity faces its greatest crisis, and the iron giants shall assemble!

With the last volume, the war has pretty much ended with the defeat of Bian Zoldark but remnants of the Divine Crusaders continue to cause trouble as Adler Koch has taken control. In episode 17, the Divine Crusaders tried their best to kidnap Princess Shine Hauzen from the Principality of Riksent but the Ryusei and Rai arrived right in time to defeat the DC. In episode 18 titled “Stage 18: Ryune and the Valsione”, a gravitational anomaly is detected at the L5 Point, something similar to Meteorite-3 (which was technology used to create the super robots and new weaponry). As the Earth Federation goes on alert, the two assault cruisers, the Hagwane and Hiryu Kwai are dispatched to the L5 Point. But waiting for them is Ryune Zoldark and the Valsione. In episode 19 titled “Stage 19: Enter the Hellstar”, the threat that Prof. Bian Zoldark has talked about comes true as the alien Aerogaters massive fortress known as the “White Star” has appeared at the L5 Point and the aliens have declared war against the Planet Earth. As the Earth Federation Army holds their own against the aliens, it appears the aliens are abducting pilots and members of the Earth Federation Army. Also, one of the higher ups of the Earth Federation Army is revealed to be a traitor that has been working with the Divine Crusaders and has kidnapped the Princess Hauzen. In episode 20 titled “Stage 20: Twilight of the DC”, the remaining elements of the Divine Crusaders led by Adler Koch try to take advantage of the Aerogaters attack on the planet and launch an offensive to conquer Geneva, the Earth Federation Army’s nerve center. This episode features the final battle between the Earth Federation Army and the Divine Crusaders and also a battle pitting Ryusei and his “Burning PT” rival Tenza VIDEO: As for the video, since it’s a newer anime series that aired back in the end of 2006 and early 2007, as expected, the anime is clear and colorful. Also, because it is a Bandai Visual release known for their audio and video quality, the anime is presented in 16:9 LB anamorphic with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. AUDIO: Bandai Visual is known for their quality A/V and audio is encoded at 488kbps. There is no Digital 5.1 audio selection, just Dolby Digital Stereo. And primary audio is in Japanese. There is no English dub tracks, for those interested in that. SPECIAL FEATURES: Surprisingly, there are no special features. I would expected maybe a textless opening or ending, especially for the JAM PROJECT fans out there who enjoy the opening theme. But unfortunately, there are no special features at all. As for the DVD-insert booklet, there is an 8-page character guide and glossary. Also, included is a “Special Message” (continuing from the last three volume booklets) segment which features more voice talent giving their thoughts about their character and a message for the fans.

After episode 17, with the introduction of Princess Hauzen and the episode becoming lighthearted again, I was curious how vol. 7 would be? Would the war against the aliens begin? Will the Earth Federation Army finally confront the Divine Crusader remnants? And the answer is a resounding yes on both counts! The battle between Ryusei and Tenzan and pilots versus Tempest Hawker in a battle to the death was great to see. At least there was build up in previous episodes for a final battle with the DC and it was great to see that happen sooner than later, especially now that the war between the Earth Federation Army/United Colony Corps taking on the alien Aerogaters has begun. The introduction of Ryune Zoldark (daughter of DC commander-in-chief Bian Zoldark) wanting revenge for her father’s death was a bit short for my taste and how quickly the Earth Federation let her join the team aboard the Hagwane, again pacing went very quickly with her introduction and how she becomes part of the team. But this volume did provide continuing mecha battles and definitely sets things up between the war between humans and aliens. As far as mecha’s are concerned, I have to admit that the Valsione mecha design was a bit unusual, especially since the mecha’s head is of an anime style girl but with so many variations of mechas introduced in this series, the Valsione ranks up there for unique mecha design. All in all, volume 7 of “Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars” was entertaining and a few more revelations are made and I can’t wait to see how things play out in volume 8.

+ “SUPER ROBOT WARS” in an animated television series based on a long running video game… A long time coming!

+ Finally, the final battle between Ryusei and Tenzan! And the final battle between the Earth Federation Army vs. remnants of the Divine Crusaders.

+ Well done voice acting with many of the original voice talent from the video games involved.

+ A very good volume that focuses on the character development of several key characters.

- For those who need and prefer an English dub, this DVD is ONLY Japanese with English subtitles.

Filed Under: Anime on DVD