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

JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade (a J!-Ent Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

January 3, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The Okiura animated classic of an alternate Japan caught in chaotic turmoil with a modern twist of the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ storyline is not only enjoyable but even more visually stunning and gratifying on Blu-ray! Includes a 500+ page storyboard booklet, a 20-page booklet… You can’t go wrong with this awesome release!”

TITLE: JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade

DURATION: 102 minutes + 2 minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 16:9 (1080p Hi-Def), Japanese Liner PCM 5.1ch or Linear PCM (Dolby Surround), English Dolby Digital 5.1 ch, Japanese and English Subtitles

CATALOG #: BUXH0140

COMPANY: Bandai Visual/Honneamise

RATED: Suggested 16 & Up

Directed by Hiroyuki Okiura

Originally created by Mamoru Oshii

Original Character Designs by Hiroyuki Okiura

ADR Director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi

Screenplay by Mamoru Oshii

Character Design: Tetsuya Nishio

Art Director: Hiromasa Ogura

Storyboards: Hiroyuki Okiura

Music: Masayoshi Furukawa, Tsuneo Imahori, Yoko Kanno, Mario Klemens, Hajime Mizoguchi, Yoichi Okabe, Keishi Urata, Hitoshi Watanabe

Sumi Mutoh as Kei Amemiya

Yoshikatsu Fujiki as Kazuki Fuse

Hiroyuki Kinoshita as Atsuhi Henmi

Yoshisada Sakaguchi as Hachiroh Tohbe

Eri Sendai as Nanami Agawa

Kenji Nakagawa as Isao Aniya

Kousei Hirota as Bunmei Muroto

Ryuichi Horibe as Shiroh Tatsumi

Tamio Ohki as CAPO Officer

Yoshisada Sakaguchi as Narrator

Yukihiro Yoshida as Hajime Handa

Yukio Hiroda as Bunmei Muroto

A modern adaption of “Red Riding Hood” featuring stunning visuals during a wartime setting of an alternate Japan and a tragic story with a twist.

When the film came out in 2000, many viewers were just in awe of the animated film that was created with a traditional cel animation, with it’s care in detail to the backgrounds, the architectural landscapes and most of all, the brooding images of the Panzer cop. The story is based on Oshii’s Kerberos saga manga “Ken-Roh Densetsu” written back in 1988 through 2000 but where the manga and live action films are set in an alternate Japan in 2000, “JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade” takes place in the 1950′s and a different timeline in which Japan is not defeated by the Americans but instead defeated by the Germans.

The backdrop of the this storyline is a time in Japan where government is corrupt and guerrilla organizations against the government is growing. As for the government, the Metropolitan Police aka CAPO was created to fight these organizations, while the regular police aka “Self-Police” has their own division and somehow these two divisions are entwined in political corruption.

In the film, we see the Guerrilla group known as “The Sect” in operation as a protest is taking place between people against the government while the self-police stand watch with their shields. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police aka stands guard with their tanks and will assist the “Self-Police” if they need assistance. “The Sect” prepare their weaponry against the self-police and a young teenage girl (known as “Red Riding Hoods”) delivering a bag to a guy. The guy throws the bag towards the police and blast kills and injures many and thus chaos ensues as the police and the protestor’s clash.

Meanwhile underground, some of “The Sect” members armed with grenade launchers and weapons start maneuvering through the sewers but is caught by the 1st Patrol Unit of the Panzer Corp (unlike regular CAPO, these wear German-like, menacing armory with a mask and red penetrating lights as eyes) and the Panzer Corp. literally kills them all. As for the “Red Riding Hood”, she is caught by one of the patrol units but instead of shooting her, he asks her “Why?”, while he receives orders to shoot her. But seeing her cringing in fear and unarmed, he hesitates until the girl pulls a string and her bag and she detonates herself.

Because the one soldier, named Kazuki Fuse didn’t fire, due to the the politics surrounding the government, the CAPO and Self-Police, the CAPO embarrased that their own soldier disobeyed orders, an inquiry is done to find out why he didn’t shoot and thus he is put back in retraining. What is puzzling to government and even members of the CAPO is why Fuse didn’t shoot the girl. Fuse doesn’t even know why he didn’t shoot.

Fuse feeling some guilt because of her death, starts doing some research on her and to get to know her name. Fuse tries to find out more information about the girl that detonated herself and his friend from the academy, Atsuhi Henmi (who works with the CAPO’s rival, the Public Security) meets Fuse secretly and is there to help him and give him the information he needs.

Fuse then goes to the area of where her ashes are and sees another girl that looks like her. This grieving girl is standing and mourning and eventually the two strike a conversation and the girl claims to be the dead girl’s older sister, Kei.

Ultimately, Fuse and Kei enjoy their company together and Kei gives Fuse a book titled “”Rotkäppchen” (Little Red Riding Hood). This story is much more darker as the young girl who has never seen her mother for several years decides to visit her. As she goes to visit her home, she is asked by the wolf, do you take the path full of pins or the path full of needles. The young girl takes the path of pins and thus the wolf takes the other path and kills her mother. When Little Red Riding Hood arrives home, the wolf disguised as her mother, tells her to come in. Little Red Riding Hood is hungry and the Wolf tells her to eat the meat in the fridge. A cat warns her to not eat the meat because that is the flesh of her mother. The Wolf says it’s not true and to throw a wooden shoe at the cat. So, she eats the meat. Red Riding Hood is thirsty and the wolf tells her to drink the wine. A bird warns her telling her that is blood of her mother. Red Riding Hood asks her mother (the wolf) and the Wolf tells her to drink it and throw her robe at the bird. Thus she drinks it. Red Riding Hood joins her mother at the bed and saying, “What big eyes you have”, “What big teeth you have” and “what big claws you have”…

Eventually, Fuse and Kei becoming closer and closer and start having feelings for each other. But somehow, Fuse gets these dark images in his head. Somehow the “Red Riding Hood” story has some affect on him and he has these nightmares of Kei being killed by gunfire and another which has him and pack of wolves following Kei and the wolves start to devour her.

Meanwhile, we see the government ala Public Security (the rival of the CAPO/Panzer Corp.) led by Fuse’s friend Henmi meeting with the Self-Police. You learn that Kei lied to Fuse and that she is working with the Public Security as a trap against the CAPO. But while they are secretly meeting, they keep asking each other about a secret counter-intelligence division called the Wolf Brigade. A possible fact or rumor that there is a secret group that watches over these organizations but no one knows if its true.

Meanwhile, Fuse sees someone comes out of his room and intrigue of what they were doing in his room, he searches and spots and envelope containing photos of Henmi and Kei in the back of his car. He immediately gets a call from Kei saying that men are after her but it’s all part of a trap by the Public Security and Self-Police to discredit the CAPO. But Fuse manages to get Kei out of the building and the two are on the run. You realized that the two have fond feelings for each other.

Without spoiling the many twists and turns of the film, you watch and learn that the “Little Red Riding Hood” story that Kei reads to Fuse, is probably closer to life. Who among them is the wolf and who is Red Riding Hood. Who is being betrayed?

“JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade” is definitely one of those films that keeps your attention as you keep up with who is telling the truth, who is lying and thus twists and turns are set along the way. Not until the final 15-minutes do you find out the truth and you realize that this film is indeed a modern spin on the “Little Red Riding Hood” storyline.

VIDEO:

The video for this anime film is presented in 16:9 1080p Hi-Def. One must remember that this film was created in 1999, because it was in development for three years, it was created via traditional cel animation and not via digital that many people are familiar with these days.

But for anime fans, you look at what the art director and their staff had to pull of to make this story come alive. That involves creating an alternate Japan, awesome visuals that when you see the backdrops and just the amount of detail in each painting, it’s quite stunning to look at. Also, because this film’s setting takes place in the 1950′s, you get a little aged look and thus you don’t get eye popping colors, there is a slight haze to the film.

On Blu-ray and at 1080p, the Blu-ray manages to keep that beauty intact for a film of its age but for those not familiar with older anime films, especialy if one views the eye popping, vibrant colors of animated films today, some may have trouble with it. This film is artistically beautiful when it comes to the details but not vibrant with sharp and bright colors coming at you.

In an interview with the director/animator Hiroyuki Okiura, Okiura says that filters were used during the photography to create a certain sense of space. He also goes on to say that the HD version of the film is closer to the original film than the DVD ever was and even had requests for the engineers to make happen on the Blu-ray version. Details that were hard to see during the dark in the DVD can now be seen in the Blu-ray version.

AUDIO:

I watched the film both in Japanese and English. The Japanese is featured in Linear PCM 5.1ch and Linear PCM Dolby Surround. The English track is in Dolby Digital 5.1ch. During the action segments especially the machine gun rattling, your surround system really comes alive. In fact, I kept repeating the gun shots just to hear it over and enjoy the clarity of that sound. Both are well-acted in Japanese and English dub.

In the interview with the director Okiura (in a booklet that comes with the Blu-ray box set), Okiura talks about how they wanted to use the 5.1ch surround to showcase certain sounds like leaves rustling when one steps on them.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

As for special features on disc, you can choose from subtitled or non-subtitled trailers (four total). So, really, there aren’t any major special features but in this box set, there is something that will be of satisfaction to “JIN-ROH” fans.

Included in this Blu-ray box set is a 524-page storyboard booklet. This has the complete storyboards and of the many anime I do own, outside of the recent Studio 4C “Amazing Nuts” DVD special edition which came with an awesome booklet, “JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade” was simply a great addition for the fans of the film.

And that’s not it, you also get a 20-page booklet which includes a writeup on “JIN-ROH”, a booklet featuring a comparison of storyboards and the actual animation but also an interview with the director Hiroyuki Okiura. In the writeup, Chikashi Saito actually makes some clarifications as many call “JIN-ROH” the final analog film. But we learn that although the film was constructed via analog there are a few scenes that do employ some CG work and the digital editing system Avid was used for post-production work.

But the best part of the booklet is the interview with Okiura who talks about the actual colors of the film, the use of sound and also why he made some changes from Oishii’s screenplay on his animated version and more. Overall, a pretty cool interview to read.

I have to admit that I really enjoyed watching “JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade” on Blu-ray. One thing that I have noticed in animations is that with Blu-ray, things that are in the dark, you are able to see much more detail in the darkness and even the director noted that in his interview.

Also, I have to give Bandai Entertainment/Bandai Visual credit for bringing quite a number of their older films on Blu-ray and “JIN-ROH: The Wolf’s Brigade” is definitely a classic that received awesome treatement in this release.

It’s one thing to have the release (in Japanese and English) and watch it in 1080p but with “JIN-ROH”, like “ROYAL SPACE FORCE”, there is so much detail in the overall artwork that just simply looks stunning on Blu-ray. Granted, this is not a film that spotlights vibrant colors but it’s a film that looked beautiful then and it look beautiful now. The artistic detail in this film is spectacular and in balance with a film with a unique storyline, you can only hope that there is another animated film that takes place in Oishii’s “Kerberos Saga” and you can only think what upcoming film will be coming from director Okiura next.

I do wish there were more special features included on the Blu-ray disc but Bandai made up for that with the inclusion of the thick storyboard booklet and the addition of the 20-page booklet with an interview with Okiura.

If you enjoyed this film, are a fan of the “Kerberos Saga” manga series or fans of Okiura or Oishii’s work, this Blu-ray release of “JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade” would make awesome addition to your anime Blu-ray collection.

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

SOS! TOKYO METRO EXPLORERS: THE NEXT (A J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

December 28, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“What a beautiful film this one is! S.O.S! TOKYO METRO EXPLORERS: THE NEXT is definitely setting a new standard for the future of 3D anime! If you thought the DVD looked beautiful, the Blu-ray version is even more eye popping and looks and sounds awesome!”

TITLE: SOS! TOKYO METRO EXPLORERS: THE NEXT

DURATION: 40 Minutes + 27 minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 16:9LB and 4:3 (for special feature segment), Japanese Language, Dolby Digital TrueHD 4.1 Ch, Linear PCM Stereo

CATALOG #: BUDHO142

COMPANY: Bandai Visual/Honneamise

RATED: Suggest 7 Up

DIRECTOR: Takagi Shinji

NOTES: Based on an original story and original character designs by Otomo Katsuhiro

Screenplay by Sadayuki Murai

Character Design and Animation Director: Hidekazu Ohara

Special Effects Animation Director: Takashi Hashimoto

Art Director: Junichi Taniguchi

CGI Director: Masashi Koubo

Chief Animator: Tomonari Nakajima

Sound Director: Kei Momose

Music: Yoshihiro Ike

Animation Created by Sunrise Emotion Studio

Produced by Bandai Visual & Sunrise

Sanae Kobayashi (Ryuhei Ozaki)

Akiko Yajima (Sasuke Ozaki)

Sayaka Aida (Shun Sakuragi)

Kikumi Umeda (Yoshio Okido

Yuu Asakawa (Momoyo Takiyama)

Kouzou Shioya (Matakichi)

Bin Shimada (Sojiro Yamashita)

Search for the “treasure” that rests in the Tokyo underground!

A group of children unlock the entrance to the unknown. A new standard for the future of 3D anime!

Fifth-grade student, Ryuhei, discovers a notebook containing the “Tokyo Exploring Records,” a text written by his father. Together with his friends, he forms an exploration team, heading into a manhole to find a world that goes beyond imagination. With a thorough knowledge of the Otomo world, the staff of Steamboy took Katsuhiro Otomo’s short manga and fully demonstrated their ability to make it into a 3D anime. Otomo even praised the anime saying, “It made me feel lucky to be the original author.”

One of the most beautiful anime that I have seen in a long time! That’s what I wrote when I initially reviewed the “SOS! TOKYO METRO EXPLORERS NEXT” DVD but this time around, it’s time to review the Blu-ray Disc version.

“SOS! TOKYO METRO EXPLORERS: THE NEXT” is based on an original short manga titled “SOS DAITOKYOTANKENTAI” by Otomo Katsuhiro published back in 1980 for now-defunct Manga Shonen.

As the team were preparing to work on “Steamboy 2″, a film that would feature a hybrid visual style that brings together hand-drawn 2D graphics and 3D characters. Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances, plans for the second film was put on hold.

Thus the team of Sunrise Emotion Studio began working on “SOS! TOKYO METRO EXPLORERS: THE NEXT”.

When I first watched “SOS! TOKYO METRO EXPLORERS: THE NEXT”, I was just blown away by the actual art used by the film and the technology used to create this anime. So, my instinct was that if it looked that awesome on DVD, I can only imagine how much more beautiful it would look on 1080P Hi-Def and also hearing it in Dolby TrueHD.

The opening scenes of Japan, the paintings were whimsical but yet almost realistic. I was just in awe that I found myself pausing during each scene just to appreciate it.

Upon watching this film, I can’t help but grin and smile.

[Please note: From this point on, there may be a few spoilers. Reader be warned]

The storyline revolves around fifth-grade student Ryuhei who discovers his fathers notebook which contains information of the “Tokyo Exploring Records” which leads him, his little brother and a few friends embarked on a journey ala Tokyo underground to search for some treasure.

The story features the children going underground and discovering a new world.

Sure, this may read a bit farfetched but it’s not for children to do something like this but it’s not.

I actually have done something similar with a group of friends when I was younger. Going through a manhole in an old area of town and we were in eighth grade at the time and relying on hearsay and rumors of what exists down there.

And similar to the world that Ryuhei and friends have discovered in the Tokyo Underground, it’s similar to what we discovered but in a more surreal (and dirty and messy) sense as many homeless were seen living underground.

The situation is no different for this film but the world of those living in the Tokyo Underground is something that is innocent and that makes it a very entertaining children’s story that adults will love (especially if they have/had a similar adventurous side).

VIDEO:

The video for this anime film is presented in 16:9 1080P Hi-Def. The colors are much more vibrant and I was impressed by how much sharper the colors were and even in the blacks, you can actually see additional detail of the buildings even when dark. I saw no artifacts in the blacks which is also another plus.

In a way, child adventures have done quite well in capturing that fantasy that a lot of us have felt when we were younger and like a Hollywood adventure classic like “The Goonies”, “SOS! TOKYO METRO EXPLORERS: THE NEXT” manages to capture that feeling of adventure, discovery and the excitement that one feels when you are much younger.

Also, for sheer enjoyment, there were just subtle things that caught my attention and also made me smile. From the children using Apple, Dell and Vaio computers to Ryuhei’s father working figurines and Gundam and My-Hime figures in the background. To one of the guys singing “Tomo yo”, a 1960′s Japanese song by Okabayashi Nobuyasu and everyone all singing “When the Saints Go Marching In” in English and much more.

And going back to that visual enjoyment of watching the beautiful scenery and conceptual art backgrounds, I found the images (done through scenery scouting for the film) of the overpass looking down Odakyu Line, to the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line and how things were just detailed just was breathtaking.

Even on the human perspective as Ryuhei tends to get bothered by his little brother Sasuke and knocks him in the head and Sasuke cries. Sakuragai Shun, the child who wears the glasses and keeps adjusting them. Capturing those moments to give a sense of realism to the animated film is something that I truly enjoy.

The animation is presented in 16:9 LB. The animation is vibrant, colorful and what Sunrise Emotion Studio was able to accomplish through toon shading and finding a way to capture hand-drawn animation via 3D. What an awesome attempt that I can see them refining in future animations. Bravo!

AUDIO:

The audio is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Ch, Linear PCM Stereo (for the extras). Bandai Visual/Honneamise releases have always been known for their attention to quality and this Blu-ray doesn’t disappoint.

Definitely some scenes when the action comes alive, that the sound is well done. The acting is well done and the subtitles were nice, crisp and easy to read. There is no English dub for the Blu-ray or the DVD release.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

As for special features, this is where Bandai Visual/Honneamise always rocks! The extras are presented in Linear PCM Stereo but the video is also 1080P Hi-Def.

The special features on this Blu-ray comes with a “Making Of” that really goes into the behind-the-scenes of creating this anime and interviewing people on staff (not just the director and screenplay writer but actual members of the staff involved in the creation of the anime) was a great addition!

Special features included creator interviews, the trailer and even commentary (which is English subtitled) with Director Takagi Shinji, CGI Director Kokubo Masashi and Chief Animator, Nakajima Tomonari. This addition of a subtitled commentary from the Japanese staff is just awesome!

And similar to the “Gunbuster” releases from Bandai Visual, “SOS! TOKYO METRO EXPLORERS” also includes a detailed and informative 12-page booklet with an introduction, the transition from manga to anime, character information, “Did You Know?” section that goes into the scenes that I enjoyed watching over and over and featuring some notes on those scenes.

Also featured is “The Making of SOS! The Next” and with an interview with Takagi, Ohara and Otomo.

As I felt, when I first reviewed the original DVD version and even when I am reviewing this Blu-ray version, you can’t help but be wowed by the eye popping, vibrant visuals. This film is just visually impressive. It’s not an action or mecha film, it’s a film about children going on an adventure to look for treasure underground.

For me, I can’t help but appreciate this film in many levels, mainly because the kids going out and going underground is an experience that I also had done as a child.

But what I found more touching is how the original manga by Otomo and the current animated film, finally are bridged together to know how the new relates to the old and I found it extremely touching.

Again, Bandai Visual manages to give the anime fan so much more with its inclusion of in-depth interviews and behind-the-scenes look at how the animation was created. And the inclusion of the informative booklet for this film, again, a nice touch!

For those who are wondering if it’s worth upgrading from the original DVD to the Blu-ray version, that’s primarily your call. Both literally come with the same content but of course, where the Blu-ray shines is that it’s 1080P Hi-Def and features TrueHD sound. Also, just to note that compared to the other Blu-ray releases from Bandai, this release does come in a blue Blu-ray case and not a boxed or digibook package.

All in all, “SOS! TOKYO METRO EXPLORERS: THE NEXT” is a film that will appeal to animation fans who appreciate great art, great storytelling and the awesome effort by the Sunrise Emotion Studio in creating this beautiful animated film.

Overall, this Blu-ray Disc is a winner!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

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

November 18, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

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“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

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