Since 1984, the Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements.

The following is a list of all the CRITERION COLLECTION Blu-ray and DVD’s we have reviewed on J!-ENT thus far.

THE CRITERION COLLECTION BLU-RAY AND DVD REVIEWS (Listing are in the Criterion Collection & Eclipse Series numeric order):

Note: Reviews are from 1999-Present

Seven Samurai – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #2 (Blu-ray release)

Amarcord – The Criterion Collection #4

the 400 blows – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #5

Beauty and the Beast – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #6

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #7

Walkabout – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #10

The Naked Kiss – The Criterion Collection #18

Shock Corridor – The Criterion Collection #19

High and Low – The Criterion Collection #24

alphaville – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #25

Branded to Kill – The Criterion Collection #38

Tokyo Drifter – The Criterion Collection #39

ARMAGEDDON – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #40

For All Mankind – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #54

The Passion of Joan of Arc -THE CRITERION COLLECTION #62

The Third Man – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #64

The Blood of a Poet – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #67 (part of “Jean Cocteau’s Orphic Trilogy”)

Orpheus – The Criterion Collection #68

Cléo from 5 to 7 – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #73 (part of the “4 By Agnès Varda” Box Set)

Chasing Amy – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #75

Brief Encounter – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #76

Good Morning – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #84

L’Avventura – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #98

GIMME SHELTER – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #99

BEASTIE BOYS VIDEO ANTHOLOGY – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #100

THE ROCK – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #108

M. Hulot’s Holiday – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #110

Mon Oncle – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #111

Playtime – THE CRITERON COLLECTION #112

Sullivan’s Travels – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #118

Rashomon – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #138

Contempt – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #171

Band of Outsiders – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #174

My Life as a Dog – The Criterion Collection #178

Night and Fog – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #197

The Rules of the Game – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #216 (2004 Release)

The Rules of the Game – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #216 (2011 Release)

Smiles of a Summer Night (Sommarnattens leende) – The Criterion Collection #237

A Woman is a Woman – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #238

The Battle of Algiers – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #249

SHADOWS – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #251 (as part of the “John Cassavetes Five Films” DVD Box Set)

Fighting Elegy – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #269

Tout va Bien – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #275

L’Eclisse – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #278

Jules and Jim – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #281

Le Samourai – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #306

Masculin Féminin – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #308

Metropolitan – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #326

Yi Yi – The CRITERION COLLECTION #339

The Bakery Girl of Monceau – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #343 (part of “Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales” DVD Box Set)

Suzanne’s Career – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #344 (part of Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales” DVD Box Set)

My Night at Maud’s – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #345 (part of “Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales” DVD Box Set)

Pandora’s Box – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #358

The Double Life of Veronique – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #359

symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Two Takes by William Greaves – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #360

The Emperor Jones/Paul Robeson: The Tribute to An Artist – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #370

Overlord – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #382

La Jetée/Sans Soleil – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #387

Robinson Crusoe on Mars – The Criterion Collection #404

Breathless – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #408

La Pointe Courte – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #419 (part of the “4 by Agnès Varda” Box Set)

Pierrot Le Fou – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #421

Antonio Gaudi – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #425

Trafic – The Criterion Collection #439

BOTTLE ROCKET – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #450

CHUNGKING EXPRESS – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #453

El Norte – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #458

Simon of the Desert – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #460

THE LAST METRO – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #462

In the Realm of the Senses – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #466

The Curious Case of BENJAMIN BUTTON – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #476

Made in U.S.A. – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #481

Marty (as part of “The Golden Age of Television – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #495)

Germany, Year Zero – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #499 (as part of Roberto Rosselini’s War Trilogy)

REVANCHE – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #502

Make Way for Tomorrow – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #505

Dillinger is Dead – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #506

Vivre sa vie – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #512

Summer Hours – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #513

Red Desert – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #522

The Secret of the Grain – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #527

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #535

Paths of Glory – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #538

MODERN TIMES – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #543

CRONOS – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #551

The Times of Harvey Milk – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #557

Topsy-Turvy – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #558

The Mikado – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #559

Something Wild – The Criterion Collection #563

Pale Flower – The Criterion Collection #564

The Great Dictator – The Criterion Collection #565

The Makioka Sisters – The Criterion Collection #567

People on Sunday – The Criterion Collection #569

Zazie dans le métro – The Criterion Collection #570

Léon Morin, Priest – The Criterion Collection #572

The Music Room – The Criterion Collection #573

Secret Sunshine – The Criterion Collection #576

The Complete Jean Vigo – The Criterion Collection #578

The Phantom Carriage – The Criterion Collection #579

Le Beau Serge – The Criterion Collection #580

12 Angry Men – The Criterion Collection #591

Design for a Living – The Criterion Collection #592

Belle de Jour – The Criterion Collection #593

The Moment of Truth – The Criterion Collection #595

Tiny Furniture – The Criterion Collecton #597

ECLIPSE SERIES DVD REVIEWS

One Hour With You (part of Lubitsch Musicals – Eclipse Series #8)

Tokyo Chorus (part of Silent Ozu: Three Family Comedies – Eclipse Series #10)

I Was Born, But… (part of Silent Ozu: Three Family Comedies – Eclipse Series #10)

The Ascent (part of Larisa Shepitko – Eclipse Series #11)

Wings (part of Larisa Shepitko – Eclipse Series #11)

Eclipse Series #21: Oshima’s Outlaw Sixties – General Review

Pleasures of the Flesh (part of Oshima’s Outlaw Sixties – Eclipse Series #21)

Violence at Noon (part of Oshima’s Outlaw Sixties – Eclipse Series #21)

Sing a Song of Sex (part of Oshima’s Outlaw Sixties – Eclipse Series #21)

Japanese Summer: Double Suicide (part of Oshima’s Outlaw Sixties – Eclipse Series #21)

Three Resurrected Drunkards (part of Oshima’s Outlaw Sixties – Eclipse Series #21)

Eclipse Series 23: The First Films of Akira Kurosawa – General Review

Sanshiro Sugata (as part of The First Films of Akira Kurosawa – Eclipse Series #23)

The Most Beautiful (as part of The First Films of Akira Kurosawa – Eclipse Series #23)

Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two (as part of The First Films of Akira Kurosawa – Eclipse Series #23)

The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail (as part of The First Films of Akira Kurosawa – Eclipse Series #23)

Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company (as part of The Actuality Dramas of Allan King – Eclipse Series #24)

Eclipse Series 25: Basil Dearden’s London Underground (General Review)

Sapphire (as part of the Basil Dearden’s London Underground – Eclipse Series #25)

The League of Gentlemen (as part of the Basil Dearden’s London Underground – Eclipse Series #25)

Victim (as part of the Basil Dearden’s London Underground – Eclipse Series #25)

All Night Long (as part of the Basil Dearden’s London Underground – Eclipse Series #25)

MISC. RELEASES

Band of Outsiders (part of the “10 Years of Rialto Pictures” DVD Box Set)

Red Balloon/White Mane

Filed Under: J!-ENT Review Categories

KINO Lorber (a J!-ENT Listing of All KINO Blu-ray and DVD Reviews)

January 12, 2012 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

Kino International was founded in 1977 as a theatrical distribution company specializing in classics and foreign language art films. The company began operation with a license to handle theatrical distribution of the Janus Collection, a library containing over 100 important European and Asian art films of the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Kino now boasts a catalog of over five hundred films — one of the most important libraries of classic and contemporary world cinema titles available to the home video collector — and has been honored by numerous critical accolades, including the prestigious Heritage Award from the National Society of Film Critics for its work in film preservation in 2002 and 2003.

The following is a list of all the KINO VIDEO/KINO INTERNATIONAL/KINO LORBER Blu-ray and DVD’s we have reviewed on J!-ENT thus far.

Note: Reviews are from 1999-Present

- Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and ’30s: Ménilmontant by Dimitri Kirsanoff

- Battleship Potemkin

- The Birth of a Nation

- The Blue Angel: Special Two-Disc Collection

- Boccaccio ’70

- Buster Keaton: The Short Films Collection 1920-1923

- Casanova ’70 (as part of the “Great Italian Directors Collection”)

- The Cat and the Canary: The Photoplay Restoration (as part of the “American Silent Horror Collection”)

- The Charley Chase Collection Vol. 2: Dog Shy

- The Cigarette Girl of Mosselprom

- City of Life and Death

- The Constance Talmadge Collection: Her Night of Romance

- The Constance Talmadge Collection: Her Sister From Paris

- David Holzman’s Diary: Special Edition

- Edge of Dreaming

- A Farewell to Arms

- Film Socialisme

- A Fool There Was

- Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2 1908-1916

- The General

- Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould – Director’s Cut

- Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis

- Go West and Battling Butler

- Going Places

- The Good Fairy (as part of the “Glamour Girls” DVD Box Set)

- Great Directors

- Great Italian Directors Collection

- happily ever after (Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d’enfants)

- Harry Langdon…the forgotten clown: Long Pants

- Ingrid Bergman in Sweden

- Intermezzo (as part of the “Ingrid Bergman in Sweden” DVD Box Set)

- Intolerance (as part of the Griffith Masterworks DVD Box Set)

- It/Clara Bow: Discovering the “It” Girl

- June Night (as part of the “Ingrid Bergman in Sweden” DVD Box Set)

- La Ronde

- Le Quattro Volte

- Liverpool

- Lost Keaton

- Mademoiselle Chambon

- Marriage Italian Style

- Metropolis: The Complete Metropolis

- Metropolis: Restored Authorized Edition

- The Norma Talmadge Collection: Kiki

- The Norma Talmadge Collection: Within the Law

- Nothing Sacred

- The Ocean Waif (as part of “The Ocean Waif plus 49-17″)

- Our Hospitality

- Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

- The Red Chapel

- The Robber

- The Sacrifice: Remastered Edition

- The Scent of Green Papaya

- Seven Chances

- Sherlock Jr. and Three Ages

- The Sound of Insects

- Steamboat Bill, Jr.

- Story of a Love Affair (as part of the “Great Italian Directors Collection”)

- Strike

- A Summer in La Goulette

- Two in the Wave

- United Red Army

- Way Down East

- Winnebago Man

- Who is Harry Nilsson (and Why is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)?

- A Woman’s Face (as part of the “Ingrid Bergman in Sweden” DVD Box Set)

- Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Filed Under: J!-ENT Review Categories

Robinson Crusoe on Mars – The Criterion Collection #404 (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

January 2, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

A classic sci-fi favorite for many fans of the genre, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” is an enjoyable sci-fi film about one man’s battle for survival in a martian planet. From director Byron Haskin (“The War of the Worlds”, “The Outer Limits”), “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” is an enjoyable sci-fi film that looks fantastic on Blu-ray!

TITLE: Robinson Crusoe on Mars – The Criterion Collection #404

YEAR OF FILM: 1964

DURATION: 110 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1 Aspect Ratio), Color, Monaural

COMPANY: Paramount/THE CRITERION COLLECTION

RELEASE DATE: January 11, 2011

Based on the novel “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe

Directed by Byron Haskin

Written by John C. Higgins, Ib Melchior

Produced by Aubrey Schenck

Executive Producer: Edwin F. Zabel

Music by Van Cleave

Cinematography by Winton C. Hoch

Edited by Terry O. Morse

Art Direction by Arthur Lonergan, Albert Nozaki, Hal Pereira

Starring:

Paul Mantee as Cmdr. Christopher “Kit” Draper

Victor Lunding as Friday

Adam West as Col. Dan McReady

The Wooley Monkey as Mona

Special effects wunderkind and genre master Byron Haskin (The War of the Worlds, The Outer Limits) won a place in the hearts of fantasy film lovers everywhere with this gorgeously designed journey into the unknown. Robinson Crusoe on Mars tells the story of U.S. astronaut Commander “Kit” Draper (Paul Mantee), who must fight for survival when his spaceship crash-lands on the barren waste of Mars, a pet monkey his only companion. But is he actually alone? Shot in vast Techniscope and blazing color, this is an imaginative and beloved marvel of classic science fiction.

“Robinson Crusoe”, a novel written by Daniel Defoe back in 1719 would become an inspiration for a 1964 Techniscope sci-fi film titled “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” directed by Byron Haskin (“The War of the Worlds”, “The Outer Limits”, “Captain Sinbad”) and written by Ib Melchior (“Death Race 2000″, “Death Race”, “The Outer Limits”, “The Time Travelers”) and John Higgins (“Border Incident”, “He Walked By Night”, “The Public Pays”).

While the original film focused on a castaway trying to survive 28-years in a remote tropical island trying to survive from Native Americans and captives, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” is a story about two astronauts: Colonel Dan McReady (played by Adam West) and Commander Christopher “Kit” Draper (played by Paul Mantee) and Mcready’s monkey named Mona who are the crew of Mars Gravity Probe 1.

When a meteor is incoming, the crew uses up their fuel to avoid a collision from the meteor and end up stuck in orbit. So, to survive, the crew have no choice but to eject to the surface and will become the first men on the planet.

For Commander Draper, he nearly suffers a tragic landing but manages to survive with a two oxygen tanks and a few equipment but unfortunately his radio is not working in the martian environment.

As he observes the martian landscape, there is nothing but rocks and a volatile environment. The first thing Draper needs to do is find shelter and manages to find a cave. Draper believes he has about 60 hours tops before he runs out of oxygen, so he needs to go find Colonel McReady and hopefully the two can get some help. When he goes to check out the surface, he notices rocks catching on fire and amused by it, he brings a few back with him.

As he conducts tests on the rocks, he learns that they are combustible with oxygen and enough to keep warm during the cold nights.

As he goes to find Colonel McReady, unfortunately he finds a perished spacecraft and the body of McReady but surviving the accident was Dan’s monkey, Mona in which he manages to use some of Mona’s oxygen tanks to keep them both alive. With not much oxygen left, Commander Draper knows he is going to die and he makes it to the cave along with Mona and collapses near the rocks.

Next thing you know, the rocks seem to be blowing oxygen and keeps Draper alive. It appears that the coal-like rocks not only are great for heating, they also provide oxygen and now he knows that he and Mona can survive on the planet. But now, the problem is water and food. As Draper tries to conserve their space tubes of food and what little water they have, Draper notices that Mona is gone for hours at a time? Where is she going?

When he goes to find her, he falls through a shaft and in that shaft he finds Mona drinking water and eating food. It appears that Mona has found a water source underground and also a food source which include edible plant-like sausages.

As Draper and Mona tries to survive in Mars, he tries to communicate with his aircraft above but with no success. Feeling helpless and isolated, he slowly begins to crack. Although Draper has had months of isolation training, he knows that after that training, he would be back to reality. But this time around, he knows that he may be stuck in Mars, the only human there.

One day, while walking around Mars with Mona, he notices a rock in an upright position and discovers a skeleton hand with a bracelet on it. As he digs up the corpse, by analyzing the body, he realizes that the human has been murdered and his skull was charred. He realizes that the presence of the Mars Gravity Probe 1 spacecraft could show signs of his presence, so he uses a destruct code to blow it up.

He notices that after he does that, unidentified flying objects show up and start attacking the Mars landscape. He grabs his video camera and starts focusing it on the UFO’s and sees a man trying to escape from the area. Commander Draper realizes that he is not the only human on Mars and helps the man back to the cave. He names the man “Friday” (played by Victor Lundin) as as he watches video footage, he sees alien beings uses these humans as slaves and the reason why they were shooting was to capture the escaped slave, Friday.

The two manage to have a friendship and try their best to communicate with each other.

But Draper learns that the bracelets (that were found on the dead skeletal remains and on Friday) are communication alert tags put on the slaves by their alien captors to find them and Commander Draper knows he must do all he can to remove those bracelets from Friday and save them from the enemy UFO’s before they end up being killed.

VIDEO:

“Robinson Crusoe on Mars” is presented in its original Technicscope aspect ratio of 2:35:1. According to the Criterion Collection, the high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit 4K Datacine from a 35 mm 2-perforation A/B interpositive struck from the original negative.

Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were manually removed using MTI’s DRS system and Pixel Farm’s PFClean system, while Digital Vision’s DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.

Compared to the original Criterion Collection LaserDisc and the 2007 DVD release, the Blu-ray release of “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” looks great on Blu-ray as we can see the detail of the rocks with clarity. The film was originally shot at Death Valley National Park in California as well as Zabriskie Point, Ubehebe Crater and Devil’s Golf Course.

The colors showcase the red atmosphere of Mars but also shows detail on the grime and skin pores of Commander Draper and the fur of Mona. The film doesn’t utilize any uber-expensive production sets but utilizes area of Death Valley, with the desert, the rock formations and a lot of dirt.

Where we see most of the color of the film is when Draper is inside the cave and we see pink and green illuminating rocks or outdoors when it shows fire coming from the rocks. But we see a lot of the detail coming from the three main characters and the rocks themselves. Good use of color filters in the composite shots. Colors are vibrant, blacks were nice and deep and a good amount of grain featured throughout the film.

If there was a downside, it would be the dated special effects, especially when featuring the UFO’s but If anything, the picture quality for “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” on Blu-ray is pretty solid and definitely a major upgrade from the original 2007 DVD release.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Robinson Crusoe on Mars” is presented in lossless monaural. The soundtrack was absolutely crystal clear. Dialogue was understandable and those UFO laser blasts sound absolutely great as well!

According to the Criterion Collection, the monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35 mm magnetic full-coat three-track master. Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated audio workstation.

Subtitles are in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Robinson Crusoe on Mars – The Criterion Collection #404″ on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:

Audio commentary – Featuring screenwriter Ib Melchior, actors Paul Mantee and Victor Lundin, production designer Al Nozaki, Oscar-winning special effects designer and Robinson Crusoe on Mars historian Robert Skotak, and excerpts from a 1979 audio interview with director Byron Haskin
Destination Mars – (19:30) A video featurette by filmmaker and space historian Michael Lennick detailing the science behind the film
Music video - (4:34) Victor Lundin’s song “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” receives a music video courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Stills gallery – Using your remote, you can view the various concept artwork and production material for the film.
Theatrical trailer – (4:01) The theatrical trailer for “Robinson Crusoe on Mars”.

EXTRAS:

Included is a 14-page booklet featuring an essay by Michael Lennick as well as Melchior’s “Brief Yargorian Vocabulary” (a glossary of original alien dialect) and a list of facts about Mars, both from Melchior’s original screenplay.

One must put themselves through the shoes of those who lived in the early ’60s. The Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union was in full steam and both countries were committed to their space program and the future of space exploration.

In 1961, Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel to space on Vostok 1. Three weeks later, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. In 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth and that same year, President Kennedy gave a speech about the importance of America getting to the moon.

So, naturally space exploration was in the minds of many Americans. But as America was focused in getting to the moon, other countries including the United States have also focused on sending spacecraft, orbiters and rovers to Mars. And many programs were unsuccessful.

But in 1964, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” was shown in theaters and while many sci-fi films tend to focus on alien invasion of planet Earth, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” fascinated movie-goers as it pertained to space exploration as many people believed that Mars would be a planet where people would find alien life, that something had to exist in the planet that is next to Earth.

So, for me to watch this in 2010, especially how nearly five decades later, the planet Mars is still on our minds as NASA continues to explore life and water in the planet and the excitement still exists, even after we have discovered many Earth-like planets in other galaxies. Also, exciting is to see how the technical side of science as thought of back then were employed in this film.

Yes, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” was a sci-fi film, a B movie that literally banked on the special effects and popularity of filmmaker Byron Haskin and what he had accomplished in “The War of the Worlds” and “The Outer Limits”. But the writers were smart to follow science of that era of space exploration and also to develop technologies that they felt would exist in the future. And interesting enough, there are aspects of the film that scientists are quite amused of watching this film today because those technologies exist today and some of the science is still relevant today. But of course, some of the crazy and ridiculous imagination of the writers.

Although I would believe that many people are probably not familiar with the character of “Robinson Crusoe”, I think many people can see a connection with the Tom Hanks film “Castaway” and “Robinson Crusoe on Mars”. A person taken out of his real life element, trying to survive in an area where no human life exists and the isolation one goes through of living alone for a long period of time. Whereas Tom Hanks’ character had a volleyball named Wilson to converse with in “Castaway”, Paul Mantee’s Commander Draper had Mona the monkey.

And while the first half of the movie was quite intriguing as we see how Draper does all he can to survive and how the monkey proves to be an interesting character as well, it’s when the film gets to its second half where I would seem to guess that moviegoers at the time were wondering “where are the aliens?” and that is where Haskin delivers as we get the hostile UFO’s trying to blast Draper and his newly discovered humanoid friend Friday. The storyline which is all about survival in the Martian planet is the focal point from beginning to end.

I would imagine that when Friday was discovered and we see this humanoid sporting Egyptian style of hair, sandals and without a shirt, critics at the time probably saw sci-fi kitschiness. But people have to realize that this was a low-budget sci-fi film and it has been discussed for many generations that perhaps the set, the technology and even the UFO’s were from previous Haskin films from the ’50s. Probably true but I don’t think I was so in awe of the technology compared to a “Star Trek” TV episode which came out five years after this film.

Sure, there are some farfetched ideas featured in the film. In one scene, a meteor explodes and black parts of the meteor can be seen falling down on both Draper and Friday. Granted, I would imagine that the high heat of those meteor parts would have been quite deadly for humans. Also, when people see sausages come out of plants in mars, I found it to be quite humorous but yet, I suppose it works with the whole context of the film especially its overall look.

So, while I was watching this film, I had an enjoyable time watching this old sci-fi film. I was not expecting anything significant in terms of the look of the film considering the year it was made and if anything, I was just hoping we wouldn’t see creatures come out with rubberized suits. So, the fact that the film played off of Draper’s isolation and survival was very intriguing and in some ways, if you enjoy Bear Grylls on “Man vs. Wild”, imagine Commander Draper as a Bear Grylls-like character in this sci-fi film.

While watching this film, I had the chance to watch it with a few others and interesting, they had a different perspective towards the film. One felt “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” had a homo-erotic sensibility to it, while another felt it was a film that would probably inspire Gene Roddenberry.

As for the Blu-ray release, this is definitely a wonderful looking film on Blu-ray compared to the original Criterion Collection LD and 2007 Criterion Collection DVD release. With the clarity of the details throughout the film, the fact that you can see rock formations and ever crack and granule to the hair puffing out of Mona the monkey with such clarity, you can’t help but feel that this is probably the best looking version of the film on video. And if you love the film, which I know many sci-fi fans consider “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” to be a fan favorite, then this Blu-ray release is what you are looking for. Solid PQ and clear lossless monaural soundtrack.

As for special features, the features remain the same as the 2007 release but for those who owned the original LD version of the film and were hoping that the text supplements that were included in the older LD and not on the DVD release (well, actually there was a PDF with excerpts ala DVD-rom and played on a computer), will appear on the Blu-ray release. Unfortunately, the screenplay or Robert Skotak’s “Retroview” text supplement are not included on the Blu-ray. So, if those text supplements are still important to you, you may want to hang on to that old Criterion Collection LD.

And if you own the 2007 “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” DVD (which was a solid Criterion Collection release), the upgrade to Blu-ray is definitely worth it. Especially if you love/enjoy the film!

Overall, I am biased towards sci-fi films and I definitely enjoy classic and even a few kitschy sci-fi films but I also know that not everyone digs analog sci-fi films, let alone classic sci-fi films that may be too dated for their personal taste. I can’t say that “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” will be an awesome viewing experience because it’s not exactly the greatest sci-film ever made. But I will say that it is a good, entertaining classic sci-fi film worth checking out.

So, if you are a fan of classic sci-fi, then most definitely give “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” on Blu-ray a try!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, THE CRITERION COLLECTION

Classic Hollywood: Blu-ray & DVD Deals – Our Top Picks this Black Friday Week!

November 23, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

There are plenty of awesome sales this week and as classic Hollywood fans, there have been incredible price drops. Here are our top picks thus far:

Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection

BEFORE: $119.99 | NOW: $47.99 (AMAZON)

Bogie and Bacall – The Signature Collection (The Big Sleep / Dark Passage / Key Largo / To Have and Have Not)

BEFORE: $39.98 | NOW: $17.99 (AMAZON)

The Marlon Brando Collection (Julius Caesar / Mutiny on the Bounty 1962 / Reflections in a Golden Eye / The Teahouse of the August Moon / The Formula )

BEFORE: $59.98 | AFTER: $15.99 (AMAZON)

Gary Cooper – The Signature Collection (Sergeant York / The Fountainhead / Dallas / Springfield Rifle / The Wreck of the Mary Deare)

BEFORE:$49.98 | NOW: $16.99 (AMAZON)

The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 3 (The Old Maid / All This, And Heaven Too / The Great Lie / In This Our Life / Watch on the Rhine / Deception)

BEFORE: $59.98 | NOW $16.99 (AMAZON)

TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection (It’s a Great Feeling / Tea for Two / April in Paris / The Tunnel of Love / Starlift)

BEFORE: $49.98 | NOW: $16.99 (AMAZON)

The Complete James Dean Collection (East of Eden / Giant / Rebel Without a Cause Special Edition)

BEFORE: $69.98 | NOW: $16.99 (AMAZON)

Errol Flynn Westerns Collection (Montana / Rocky Mountain / San Antonio / Virginia City)

BEFORE: $49.98 | NOW: $16.99 (AMAZON)

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Filed Under: Asian Entertainment News

Linebarrels of Iron: OVA Collection (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

November 3, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

This budget-priced OVA set features two episodes which should be watched after you have seen the entire TV series. So, if you enjoyed all 24-episodes of “Linebarrels of Iron”, then definitely pick this DVD up. Otherwise, on its own, it’s an OK release that is more for the fans, especially since it features more fan service.

DVD TITLE: Linebarrels of Iron: OVA Collection

DURATION: 2 episodes (50 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Language: English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Stereo, English Subtitles

COMPANY: Gonzo/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV MA

Release Date: October 5, 2010

Based on the manga series “Kurogane no Linebarrel” by Eiichi Shimizu, Tomohiro Shimoguchi

Directed by Masayuki Kojima

Series Composition by Kiyoko Yoshimura

Screenplay by Kiyoko Yoshimura, Shigeru Morita

Music by Conisch

Character Design by Hisashi Hirai

Chief Animation Director: Hisashi Hirai

Mecha Design by Tsutomo Suzuki

Sound Director by Masafumi Mitsuma

Featuring the following voice talent:

Mamiko Noto/Alexis Tipton as Emi Kizaki

Tetsuya Kakihara/Josh Grelle as Kōichi Hayase

Aya Hirano/Monica Rial as Miu Kujou

Chiwa Saito/Tia Ballard as Rachel Calvin

Emi Shinohara/Michele Specht as Yurianne Faithful

Gô Shinomiya/Joel McDonald as Hideaki Yajima

Hirofumi Nojima/Ian Sinclair as Sobi Nakajima

Jun Fukuyama/Todd Haberkorn as Hisataka Katō

Jun Konno/Jerry Jewell as Makoto Doumyouji

Kana Ueda/Cherami Leigh as Shizuna Endō

Masako Joh/Cynthia Cranz as Chisato Hayase

Miyuki Sawashiro/Mary Morgan as Satoru Yamashita

Noriko Shitaya/Carrie Savage as Risako Niiyama

Rie Kugimiya/Aaron Dismuke as Izuna Endō

Yoshikazu Sato/Bob Carter as Jack Smith

Yuuichi Nakamura/J. Michael Tatum as Reiji Moritsugu

Rachel Calvin, a young American genius, has a hard time reaching JUDA headquarters after wild animals eat her map and a bulldozer crushes her credit card. Upon finally arriving at her destination, she stumbles upon scenes of debauchery that will leave her glasses foggy for days!

And that’s just the beginning! See more of your favorite characters than ever before as the JUDA crew slips out of their uniforms and into their swimsuits for a trip to the beach!

In 2004, the manga series “Kurogane no Linebarrel” (Linebarrels of Iron) was created by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi. The manga was first serialized in Akita Shoten’s monthly shonen manga magazine “Champion Red” and in 2008, received its anime adaptation featuring a total of 24-episodes which ended in March 2009.

The anime series is directed by Masamitsu Hidaka (known for his directorial work on various “Pokemon” series and films), series composition by Kiyoko Yoshimura (“Chocolate Underground”, “Dogs: Bullets & Carnage”) and Shigeru Morita (“Mobile Suit Gundam Seed”, “Seikon no Qwaser”). Character design for the series is by Hisashi Hirai (“Mobile Suit Gundam Seed”, “Sokyu no Fafner”, “Infinite Ryvius”, “Heroic Age”), mecha design by Tsutomu Suzuki (“Zone of Enders”, Kurokami the Animation”, “Bokurano”) and music by Conisch (“Hitohira”, “Hipira: The Little Vampire”). “Linebarrles of Iron” is animated by Gonzo.

“Linebarrels of Iron” is a story about Kouichi Hayashi, a teenager who is often bullied. He always dreams that his purpose in life is to be an ally of justice but he is often picked on and bullied in front of his childhood friend and the girl he cares about Risako Niyama. Things get so bad that often she tries to defend him and when things get tough, his friend Hideaki Yajima is always there to protect them.

One day, Kouichi is bullied by three people who force him to get their lunch, which Kouichi agrees to and infuriates Risako. He tells her that he believes he has a hidden, latent power to become an ally of justice but of course, his two friends don’t believe it and try to tell him to fight back. Meanwhile, an object called “Linebarrel” is heading towards the planet Earth.

When Kouchi is arriving back to school after getting the bullies their food, he sees the object going straight down on him. When Kouchi awakens, he sees a big giant mecha robot in front of him and right next to him, a naked girl. He brings the girl, who doesn’t remember who she is to his home to get some clothes. But while they are talking, three mecha show up in the area. They belong to the Katou Organization and start destroying parts of the city.

The girl, Emi Kizaki immediately remembers that those mecha are the enemy and the military with their mecha start to protect the city and fight against the enemy. Both Kouichi and Emi are stuck in the neighborhood with no chance to escape but his friend Yajima finds them and tries to save them. Kouichi who has had enough of people trying to protect him, gets upset and punches the wall and ends up breaking the wall. Emi then remembers and tells him that he has power and must call the power of Linebarrel. Immediately a light surrounds both Koichi and Emi and he awakens and calls a huge machina named Linebarrel to appear.

We then see a more confident Kouichi with special abilities and Kouichi believes that this latent power to become the ally of justice has finally awakened, when the truth is that on the day the object fell on him, he died but Emi saved his life by having Linebarrel choose him for a factor. He now has special abilities and has been given a second life which is tied to the life of the mecha. But the problem with Kouichi is that the power has gotten to his head, his idea that he’s the ally of justice makes him feel that he is the most powerful being and doesn’t understand humility. All he cares is people recognizing his power and wanting to exact revenge on those who hurt him.

But eventually, he’ll learn a big lesson when someone close to him dies and knows he has a major responsibility by having this newfound power.

In “Linebarrels of Iron: OVA Collection”, there are two OVA episodes. One focuses on how Rachel Calvin came to join JUDA and the second episode featuring the group taking a break and being attacked by a group of Linebarrels. Who is behind this mysterious group of Linebarrels?

“Linebarrels of Iron” is a series that pits two organizations against each other. The good guys are known as JUDA while the bad guys are known as the Katou Organization.

JUDA consists of:

Kouichi Hayase - The main character who goes from the weak teenager constantly being bullied to a boy who controls the powerful machina known as Linebarrel. He was killed on the day Linebarrel crashed into him and shares his life with Linebarrel. Linebarrel has now given him power and also power to automatically restore his body. But because Kouichi is somewhat unstable with his emotions and his belief that he is the ally of justice, his ego tends to get into his head at times. But throughout the series, we see him grow as an individual and becomes protective over the people he cares about, including the girls of JUDA who suddenly start taking a liking towards him.
Emi Kizaki – Emi was supposed to be the initial factor (pilot) of Linebarrel. She is a mysterious member of JUDA because she came from another dimension. She tends to be hard on Kouichi but at the same time cares for him. But she gets very angry when she thinks Kouichi is always trying to see her nude.
Reiji Moritsugu – The Chief of the Special Task Force at JUDA. He is a calm but cold person who seems to be impervious of pain. He and Kouchi often get into squabbles because of their sense of dealing with justice.
Satoru Yamashita – (the blonde factor at JUDA) A subordinate of Reiji and also obsessed with him. Also serious but can be cheerful. She pilots the machina known as Hind-Kind.
Shizuna Endo – One of the twins of JUDA, She is very loud and always screaming and hurting Koichi but you can tell she has feelings towards him, especially when Kouichi treats her as a girl and compliments her. She and her brother pilot the machina known as Deceive.
Izuna Endo – One of the twins of JUDA, he is very shy and introverted. His sister Shizuna is more domineering. He pilots the machina Deceive along with his sister.
Miu Kujo – The kindhearted (and well-endowed) member of JUDA. She has a crush on Kouichi after he saved her life. She pilots the machina Painkiller.
Kunio Ishigami - The Chief of JUDA Corporation. A former high-ranking officer of the Katou Organization with many secrets. Also, loves to prank his pilots and have fun.
Yui Ogawa – Ishigami’s secretary and is the more maternal member of JUDA, giving the pilots advice and admonishing her boss for his pranks.
Rachel Calvin – A genius from the US who is the chief of research and development for JUDA. Often gets angry with Kouichi.

The Katou Organization:

Hisataka Katou – The head of the Katou Organization. Cold and calm, his goal is world conquest with bloodshed. He is the pilot of the massive mecha known as Shangri-La.
Masaki Sugwara – The right hand man of Katou. The First Division Captain who is mysterious and sports a cowboy outfit and long hair with no emotions. Pilots the second largest Machina known as Glein-Neidr.
Takuro Sawatari – The Fourth Division Captain of the Katou Organization. Violent and brutal and wants to destroy Linebarrel. He pilots the Arma Idaten.
Dimitri Magarov – Third Division Captain and a creepy looking man who pilots the Arma, Kagutsuchi.
Yurianne Faithful - The Seventh Division Captain. An attractive redhead who pilots the Arma Tsubaki-Hime.
Riku Ousei - The Eighth Division Captain who is very obese and a psychopath. Pilots the Arma Yaoyorozu.
Jack Smith – The Sixth Division Captain – A human with a power of the Arma, doesn’t pilot any mecha and follows the code of honor in combat.

“Linebarrels of Iron: OVA Collection” comes with a total of 2 OVA episodes on one DVD. Here is a basic, spoilerless summary of each episode:

EPISODE 1 – Pretty Girl Genius Scientist Rachel – There are two parts in this first episode. The first part is a prologue of how the young American genius Rachel Calvert came to join JUDA and become their chief of research and development. The second part features Rachel broadcasting a show on her new co-workers of JUDA.
EPISODE 2 – Shadows of Iron - The JUDA team are on a break but suddenly the are attacked by a group of Linebarrels. Who is responsible for them?

VIDEO:

“Linebarrels of Iron: OVA Collection” definitely looks better than its TV counterpart. More artistic backgrounds, more lighting, more shading and more detail are featured on the OVA episodes. For the first OVA, we see a Rachel Calvin visiting a variety of locations and the fact that this is an OVA and not a TV episode that has a much more strict deadline, there is more effort put into the overall artistic backgrounds and more locations are featured.

Meanwhile, the second episode features much more mecha action and great battles between Moritsugu and the other Linebarrels. Also, a much more emphasis on the the female characters bosom it seems. So, if anything, its quite evident that the OVA episodes are geared for the men because there is quite a bit of fan-service in these two episodes.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Audio for “Linebarrels of Iron: OVA Collection” is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound and Japanese Stereo. Both voice acting for the English and Japanese are well done. The English dub is very well done and was quite pleased with the amount of action and sound effects. Good use of surround channels and good punchy bass for booms from the subwoofer. I definitely would love to hear this soundtrack ala lossless audio if brought to Blu-ray. But for the most part, English dub soundtrack is well done and more immersive. Japanese soundtrack is very good but only in stereo but if you have a home theater receiver capable of setting audio on all channels, it definitely makes the soundtrack much more immersive.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Linebarrels of Iron: OVA Collection” comes with the following special features:

Textless Opening Song – (1:47) Opening theme song by JAM Project.
Textless Closing Song – (1:35) The ending theme by Maaya Sakamoto.
Trailers - FUNimation Entertainment trailers

“Linebarrels of Iron” is a pretty cool mecha, harem anime TV series and I definitely recommend both DVD volumes currently available from FUNimation Entertainment.

But what makes me scratch my head is the fact that these two episodes were not included in part 2 of the “Linebarrels of Iron” TV series because these are two short episodes that could have easily been put on the part two DVD (which FUNImation Entertainment usually does). But because there are only two episodes on a single DVD, this anime release is budget-priced.

The first episode is Rachel Calvin driven, and while Rachel is known as the feisty young American genius, not really too sure why she got her own episode but for fans of the series, it is a welcome addition since we don’t know too much about her.

But the second episode is where the action’s at and the way it ends, it ends in a cliffhanger and makes you wonder if there will be a continuing TV series or OVA release to continue this storyline.

The only reason why I think that these two OVA’s were not included in PART 2 of the “Linebarrels of Iron” TV series DVD box set was because these are some fan service that may have needed a different type of rating. For example, the opening sequence tries to make the young Rachel Calvin seem quite sexy. But she’s a young girl and personally, she’s the last person you expected the animators trying to make sexy but I suppose the hardcore otaku fans of the series will probably dig that. And of course, the second episode, definitely a fan service episode with Kizaki and Ritsuko in their teeny bikinis. But that is my opinion of why these episodes were not included on the Part 2 DVD box set.

On it’s own, it’s hard to recommend this OVA to people who have never watched the TV series but if you have, then the fact that this release goes for under $10 is quite enticing and I can see fans of the series definitely purchasing this OVA collection.

Overall, “Linebarrels of Iron: OVA Collection” is more for the fans of the series and by no means are these two episodes meant as a starting point for those curious of “Linebarrels of Iron”. Watch both volumes of the TV series first and then watch this OVA collection.

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Linebarrels of Iron: Part 2 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

November 3, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

A solid continuation of the mecha anime harem series “Linebarrels of Iron”, the second part of the series features more harem-driven storylines but also a more serious tone as there is more suspense, more death and destruction and more mecha action! Definitely recommended!

DVD TITLE: Linebarrels of Iron: Part 2

DURATION: 13-24 episodes (300 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Language: English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Stereo, English Subtitles

COMPANY: Gonzo/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV MA

Release Date: October 5, 2010

Based on the manga series “Kurogane no Linebarrel” by Eiichi Shimizu, Tomohiro Shimoguchi

Directed by Masayuki Kojima

Series Composition by Kiyoko Yoshimura

Screenplay by Kiyoko Yoshimura, Shigeru Morita

Music by Conisch

Character Design by Hisashi Hirai

Chief Animation Director: Hisashi Hirai

Mecha Design by Tsutomo Suzuki

Sound Director by Masafumi Mitsuma

Featuring the following voice talent:

Mamiko Noto/Alexis Tipton as Emi Kizaki

Tetsuya Kakihara/Josh Grelle as Kōichi Hayase

Aya Hirano/Monica Rial as Miu Kujou

Chiwa Saito/Tia Ballard as Rachel Calvin

Emi Shinohara/Michele Specht as Yurianne Faithful

Gô Shinomiya/Joel McDonald as Hideaki Yajima

Hirofumi Nojima/Ian Sinclair as Sobi Nakajima

Jun Fukuyama/Todd Haberkorn as Hisataka Katō

Jun Konno/Jerry Jewell as Makoto Doumyouji

Kana Ueda/Cherami Leigh as Shizuna Endō

Masako Joh/Cynthia Cranz as Chisato Hayase

Miyuki Sawashiro/Mary Morgan as Satoru Yamashita

Noriko Shitaya/Carrie Savage as Risako Niiyama

Rie Kugimiya/Aaron Dismuke as Izuna Endō

Yoshikazu Sato/Bob Carter as Jack Smith

Yuuichi Nakamura/J. Michael Tatum as Reiji Moritsugu

Kouichi Hayase is everything you never wanted in a hero. He’s a cocky flyboy whose bad attitude and reckless antics endanger everyone around him. Sound like a nightmare? Well, it’s even worse. Thanks to Kouichi’s partnership with the revolutionary Linebarrel mecha, he’s the only one who can save humanity from a deadly race of alien invaders.

With his dream girl missing and his best friend back from the dead, Kouichi must join forces with an unlikely ally to prevent the pulverization of his precious planet. The time is now for Kouichi to prove he has what it takes to become a true “Hero of Justice.”

But eventually, he’ll learn a big lesson when someone close to him dies and knows he has a major responsibility by having this newfound power.

In “Linebarrels of Iron: Part 2″ (episodes 13-24), the episodes take an interesting spin as many of the young women of JUDA start to fall for Kouichi and also, something mysterious is going on when Kouchi’s friend Hideaki who was killed earlier, seems to be back and is alive. Meanwhile, more political turmoil takes place within JUDA when one of their own is killed by the Katou Corporation and just when you think that things are becoming much more difficult for the JUDA Corporation, a new threat has arrived.

“Linebarrels of Iron” is a series that pits two organizations against each other. The good guys are known as JUDA while the bad guys are known as the Katou Organization.

JUDA consists of:

Kouichi Hayase - The main character who goes from the weak teenager constantly being bullied to a boy who controls the powerful machina known as Linebarrel. He was killed on the day Linebarrel crashed into him and shares his life with Linebarrel. Linebarrel has now given him power and also power to automatically restore his body. But because Kouichi is somewhat unstable with his emotions and his belief that he is the ally of justice, his ego tends to get into his head at times. But throughout the series, we see him grow as an individual and becomes protective over the people he cares about, including the girls of JUDA who suddenly start taking a liking towards him.
Emi Kizaki – Emi was supposed to be the initial factor (pilot) of Linebarrel. She is a mysterious member of JUDA because she came from another dimension. She tends to be hard on Kouichi but at the same time cares for him. But she gets very angry when she thinks Kouichi is always trying to see her nude.
Reiji Moritsugu – The Chief of the Special Task Force at JUDA. He is a calm but cold person who seems to be impervious of pain. He and Kouchi often get into squabbles because of their sense of dealing with justice.
Satoru Yamashita – (the blonde factor at JUDA) A subordinate of Reiji and also obsessed with him. Also serious but can be cheerful. She pilots the machina known as Hind-Kind.
Shizuna Endo – One of the twins of JUDA, She is very loud and always screaming and hurting Koichi but you can tell she has feelings towards him, especially when Kouichi treats her as a girl and compliments her. She and her brother pilot the machina known as Deceive.
Izuna Endo – One of the twins of JUDA, he is very shy and introverted. His sister Shizuna is more domineering. He pilots the machina Deceive along with his sister.
Miu Kujo – The kindhearted (and well-endowed) member of JUDA. She has a crush on Kouichi after he saved her life. She pilots the machina Painkiller.
Kunio Ishigami - The Chief of JUDA Corporation. A former high-ranking officer of the Katou Organization with many secrets. Also, loves to prank his pilots and have fun.
Yui Ogawa – Ishigami’s secretary and is the more maternal member of JUDA, giving the pilots advice and admonishing her boss for his pranks.
Rachel Calvin – A genius from the US who is the chief of research and development for JUDA. Often gets angry with Kouichi.

The Katou Organization:

Hisataka Katou – The head of the Katou Organization. Cold and calm, his goal is world conquest with bloodshed. He is the pilot of the massive mecha known as Shangri-La.
Masaki Sugwara – The right hand man of Katou. The First Division Captain who is mysterious and sports a cowboy outfit and long hair with no emotions. Pilots the second largest Machina known as Glein-Neidr.
Takuro Sawatari – The Fourth Division Captain of the Katou Organization. Violent and brutal and wants to destroy Linebarrel. He pilots the Arma Idaten.
Dimitri Magarov – Third Division Captain and a creepy looking man who pilots the Arma, Kagutsuchi.
Yurianne Faithful - The Seventh Division Captain. An attractive redhead who pilots the Arma Tsubaki-Hime.
Riku Ousei - The Eighth Division Captain who is very obese and a psychopath. Pilots the Arma Yaoyorozu.
Jack Smith – The Sixth Division Captain – A human with a power of the Arma, doesn’t pilot any mecha and follows the code of honor in combat.

“Linebarrels of Iron: Part 2″ comes with a total of 24 episodes on two DVD’s. Here is a basic, spoilerless summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 13 – Black Executioner – Whatever happened during their vacation, there is a rift between Kouichi and Kizaki.
EPISODE 14 – Shed is Blood, Lost Are Tears – The secrets of LINEBARREL are revealed, meanwhile a trusted friend at JUDA becomes a traitor and joins the Katou Corporation. A member of JUDA is killed.
EPISODE 15 – Vector – Kouichi and Kizaki are on the run. Meanwhile Kizaki starts to remember memories of her deceased father.
EPISODE 16 – Judgment at Dusk – With Kiriyama and Katou Corporation trying to shutdown JUDA, the JUDA members will not give up!
EPISODE 17 – Mechanical Curse – Yajima returns but somehow Kouichi is not sure how his friend is back alive.
EPISODE 18 – Memento Mori – Yajima wants to know Kizaki’s true feelings towards Kouichi, meanwhile Kouichi goes to an abandoned Russian base in which the Katou Corporation are waiting for him.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 19 – Kight Reaches, Shadow Us Incovered – Masaki who is pilotin gthe GLAIN-NEIDR installs the last sphere. Meanwhile, Kouchi must try to rescue Kizaki.
EPISODE 20 – Man of Destiny – Miu has not been doing so well in battle with PAINKILLER which is unable to advance. Meanwhile the Katou Corporation has set up Spheres throughout the world for a multidimensional invasion. Shizuna and Izuna try to convince the UN to take action.
EPISODE 21 – Wings of Madness – Kouchi and JUDA must hold back the launch of the SPHEREs.
EPISODE 22 – That Wich Devours Demons – Kouichi must take on his nemesis Moritsugu Reiji. Who will win?
EPISODE 23 – The Way of Life Determined by Way of Death – The enemy invasion has begun and Kouchi and team try to defend Earth.
EPISODE 24 – Flowers of Steel – Kouchi reflects on his life, meanwhile Linebarrel shows its true form.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Linebarrels of Iron: Part 2” features pretty solid animation. The artistic backgrounds are nicely lighted and shaded. Character designs are also well done and feature the character designs with a lot of shading and featuring the character in a variety of emotions. Also, the series features a lot of mecha. Each pilot on both sides with their own machina and abilities definitely brings in this other element to the series. There is a lot of action featured in “Linebarrels of Iron” and a lot of destruction. GONZO did a spectacular job with the animation and a series that I hope receives the Blu-ray treatment.

Audio is in English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound and Japanese Stereo. Both voice acting for the English and Japanese are well done. The English dub is very well done and was quite pleased with the amount of action and sound effects. Good use of surround channels and good punchy bass for booms from the subwoofer. I definitely would love to hear this soundtrack ala lossless audio if brought to Blu-ray. But for the most part, English dub soundtrack is well done and more immersive. Japanese soundtrack is very good but only in stereo but if you have a home theater receiver capable of setting audio on all channels, it definitely makes the soundtrack much more immersive.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Linebarrels of Iron: Part 2” comes with the following special features:

DISC 2:

Textless Opening Song – (1:47) Opening theme song by JAM Project.
Textless Closing Song – (1:35) The ending theme by Maaya Sakamoto.
Trailers - FUNimation Entertainment trailers

“Linebarrels of Iron” is enjoyable, action-packed, sexy and mecha driven anime series with a twist.

With the first half of the series, I found it interesting on how the main protagonist was literally mentally unstable and egotistical. This time around, Kouichi has developed confidence and the series starts to shift more to a sci-fi harem series as now various women start to care for him and it was one thing to deal with Kizaki or Ritsuko liking Kouichi but this second half throws more romance at you as Miu starts to fall for Kouichi and somehow its starting to have an effect on the group. But interesting enough, Kouichi is quite oblivious to what is going on.

Also, the second half definitely amps up the action and the series definitely becomes more serious as characters die and literally Kouichi and Kizaki are on the run. Meanwhile, a major threat is about to happen on the planet and chaos starts to reign in on both JUDA and the Katou Corporation.

But part of the allure with “Linebarrels of Iron” is how the episodes are structured, there are no filler episodes. With so many characters featured in this series, there is a good amount of character development and a very good balance of humor and action. And that is what makes “Linebarrels of Iron” so addicting and enjoyable. I really enjoyed this second half of the series and it ends in a pretty solid note.

It is important to note that there are two OVA’s and released on the same date of this second part of the series is the OVA’s for “Linebarrels of Iron”.

As for the DVD, this is a pretty solid release that actually has a good number of special features than just the opening and ending theme songs. Character and mecha design especially the artistic backgrounds are well done. The series is also well-acted both in Japanese and English. Personally, this is one series that I hope FUNimation Entertainment considers for a Blu-ray release. It’s a really fun, action-packed series that I can imagine, will look and sound great via HD.

Overall, both volumes of “Linebarrels of Iron” was exciting to watch and a good amount of mecha action, humor, fan service and more. Definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Rin ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~ – The Complete Series (A J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Review)

July 13, 2010 by Dennis Amith · 2 Comments

Sexually charged, dark and violent, if you are looking for a mature anime series on Blu-ray, definitely give “Rin ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~ – The Complete Series” a try!

TITLE: Rin ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~ – The Complete Series

DURATION: 6 Episodes (270 Minutes)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition 16×9 (SD Remaster), Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0, Subtitles: English

RATED: TV MA

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: July 20, 2010

Directed by Shigeru Ueda

Screenplay by Hiroshi Ohnogi

Storyboard by Shigeru Ueda

Music by Takayuki Negishi

Original Character Design by Chuuouhigashiguchi

Character Design by Mitsuru Ishihara

Art Director: Yumiko Kondou

Animation Director: Mitsuru Ishihara

Anime Production by Xebec

Featuring the voices of:

Mamiko Noto/Colleen Clinkenbeard as Rin Asogi

Akira Ishida/Todd Haberkorn as APOS

Rie Kugimiya/Jamie Marchi as Mimi

Rie Tanaka/Monica Rial as Sayara Yamanobe

Sayaka Ohara/Clarine Harp as Laura

Yasunori Matsumoto/Christopher Bevins as Tamotsu Yanagihara

John Swasey as Tajimamori

Kaori Nazuka/Luci Christian as Mishio Maeno

Rin Asogi is an immortal private detective with a thirst for vodka and a talent for attracting things that go bump in the night. In a series of nightmarish vignettes spanning sixty-five years, Rin’s lush body is sadistically pierced, blown up, and mulched to a bloody pulp. The fiend behind her tortured existence is Apos, an eternal being obsessed with sacrificing Rin to Yggdrasil, the tree of all life.

While Rin struggles to unravel the secrets of her endless agony, Apos lurks in the shadows, eager to tear into her ripe body and devour the memories of her countless lives. Rin’s no stranger to the realm of the dead, but her next visit could last forever.

Sexually charged, dark and violent, “Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne” is a much more mature anime series on Blu-ray from FUNimation Entertainment.

Known as “Mnemosyne: Munemoshune no Musumetachi” (Daughters of Mnemosyne), the six-episode TV series premiered on AT-X in Japan in 2008 and was produced by Xebec (“Bleach”, “Love Hina”, “Arc the Lad”) and Genco and was released on DVD as a complete series by FUNimation Entertainment and an upscale Blu-ray release will be released on July 20th.

The series is directed by Shigeru Ueda (“Serial Experiments Lain”, “Tales of Eternia”, “UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie”), series composition by Hiroshi Ohnogi (“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”, “Aquarion”, “RahXephon”), music by Takayuki Negishi (“Cardcaptor Sakura”, “Bakugan Battle Brawlers”, “Ichigo 100%”), character design by Mitsuru Ishihara (“Rockman .EXE”, “Chosoku Spinner”) and art direction by Yumiko Kondou (“Halo Legends”, “Heroman”).

The series revolves around a busty, martial arts female protagonist named Rin Asogi. Rin runs a private investigation agency and takes on strange cases. But despite what cases she takes on, no matter how violent or grotesque, no matter how injured or close to death she may find herself in, Rin somehow finds a way to come back and making the viewer believe that there is more to this woman, possibly supernatural.

The series revolves around the concept of immortals and angels. Immortals who have a time spore which keeps them alive with regenerative abilities, while Angels are driven to consume an immortal (and an immortal is sexually aroused by their presence and want to be consumed to death). With Rin being an immortal, she does all she can to stay alive even trying to repress her sexual desires by eliminating Angels. Meanwhile, a being known as APOS wants her dead.

The main characters of “Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne” are:

Rin Asogi – The main protagonist with a secret past who runs a private investigation agency. A woman who has a “time spore” which has made her immortal, young and able to withstand and regenerate after being killed or losing a limb. Very smart, cunning and an awesome martial arts fighter willing to take on any case.
Mimi – Rin’s assistant at the private investigation agency. Also an immortal like Rin, she has the appearance of a teenager despite being older. It is implied that both Rin and Mimi are intimate with each other.
Laura – An assassin hired by APOS to kill Rin and is a constant rival for Rin.
APOS – A being (or hermaphrodite) who is an angel and an immortal who has an interested in Rin and enjoys going after Angels and immortals to consume their “time spore”.
Koki Maeno – A man saved by Rin who joins the private investigation agency.
Sayara Yamanobe - The head of the Aoyama Pharmaceutical research lab. Sadistic, cold and the scientist responsible for using illegal cloning techniques to create the time spore.

VIDEO:

“Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne” is presented in 1080p High Definition 16×9. The series is an standard resolution upscaled to 1080p and I saw no major compression problems, edge enhancement haloing, blurring, etc. Blacks are nice and deep and colorful images were vibrant. But as mentioned, this is an upscale, you will see the edge enhancement stairstepping and some aliasing. But not as bad as other upscaled anime series on Blu-ray.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne” is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English and DolbyTrue HD Japanese 2.0. I did notice use of surround during the action sequences and center and front channels were crystal clear. I didn’t notice any major low frequency but did notice the surround channels more for its ambiance. But overall, a good soundtrack with the English dub track sounding much better with the lossless 5.1 track but for those with a modern receiver, can easily enjoy both soundtracks via stereo on all channels to make things a little more immersive. If anything, for those wanting the Japanese soundtrack to be included as a lossless track, should be happy.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne” comes with the following special features:

Disc 1:

Episode 2 Commentary – Audio commentary featuring ADR director J. Michael Tatum and Rob McCollum, Jamie Marchi and Colleen Clinkenbeard.

Disc 2:

Promotional Videos – (10:33) The Japanese promotional video for “Rin – Daughter of Mnemosyne”.
Japanese Cast Interview – (13:48) Featuring the pre-AT-X interviews with the Japanese cast of “Rin – Daughter of Mnemosyne”: Mamiko Noto (Rin), Rie Kugimiya (Mimi), Sayaka Ohara (Laura) and Rie Tanaka (Sayara).
Textless Closing Song – Cause Disarray - Featuring a closing theme performed by Galneryus.
Textless Opening Song – Alsatia - Featuring a closing theme performed by Galneryus.
Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment trailers

When I first watched “Rin”, the first thing that came to mind was Marvel’s “Weapon X” (for the X-Men fans) as the storyline of Rin’s regenerative abilities reminded me of Wolverine/Deadpool and the series has its share of violent moments in which Rin’s investigations lead her to dark situations that would lead to anyone’s death. But of course, Rin is not a normal being.

The first thing that caught my attention while watching this anime series is its use of sex and violence and aside from previous FUNimation Entertainment series liked “Speed Grapher”, it’s a been awhile since we have seen a series that combining sexual themes, bloody violence and action. In fact, the protagonist – Rin, is quite different from most leads. She is not perfect and in the first episode, we get a glimpse as she is running from her assassin and has her arm blown off and falls many floors down to the pavement. Of course, she has regenerative powers, so she can’t die.

Needless to say, the series has its interesting characters. Add the hermaphrodite antagonist, the sadistic scientist and immortals who also have their share of faults despite being killing machines, “Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne” is not really a story about good vs. evil but survival.

Characters that are not like other type of characters you would see in an anime series and a six-episode OVA series that can easily get complex (especially with its timeline) and may require several viewings. In fact, even during the audio commentary, the voice talent said they needed to rewatch it again.

Overall, “Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne” is one of those darker, action-driven series that people have wanted to see. FUNimation has had its share of violent anime series on Blu-ray such as “Afro Samurai” (action violence), Shigirui: Death Frenzy (action violence and a darker storyline) while “Rin” is much more accessible but has a more mature theme with its nudity and bloody violence, yuri themes but also often has its fine share of dark humor and not always bleak (especially earlier on in the series).

I do caution people that despite the earlier upbeat scenes, “Rin ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~” is a series that can really get disturbing with its depiction of S&M torture. This is one series that is definitely not for everyone and if you are looking for a romantic comedy or an uplifting anime series, “Rin ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~ – The Complete Series” is probably not for you. But if you are looking for a more mature, violent anime series, then definitely give this series on Blu-ray a try!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray, Blu-ray Reviews, TV BOXSETS: DVD/Blu-ray

Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor – The Complete Series (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

June 26, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

For those who grew up watching “Guyver” the OVA series or reading the manga, were no doubt excited about the release of the TV series which would follow the manga series much more. But what made “Guyver” so exciting was its combination of violence and dramatic elements, the TV series is unable to get too violent but for the most part, anime fans looking for an action-driven series on Blu-ray may find “Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor – The Complete Series” to their liking.

TITLE: Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor – The Complete Series

DURATION: 26 Episodes (625 Minutes)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition 16×9 HD Native, Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0, Subtitles: English

RATED: TV MA

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: June 22, 2010

Based on the original manga by Yoshiki Takaya

Directed by Katsuhito Akiyama

Series Composition by Junki Takegami

Music by Hayato Matsuo

Character Design by Yoshihiko Umakoshi

Anime Production by Oriental Light and Magic

Featuring the voices of:

Kenji Nojima/Chris Patton as Sho Fukamachi/Guyver I

Kousuke Takaguchi/Lowell Bartholomee as Tetsuro Segawa

Katsuyuki Konishi/Brian Jepson as Agito Makishima/Guyver III

Mitsuaki Madono/Andrew Love as Masaki Murakami

Nana Mizuki/Luci Christian as Mizuki Segawa

Kinryuu Arimoto/Bill Wise as Richard Gyuot

Michiko Neya/Brittney Karbowski as Shizu Onuma

Saburo Kamei/Klaus Vaux as Hamilcar Barcas

Takeharu Onishi/Illich Guardiola as Toshiaki Hayami/Bio-Freezer

Tetsu Inada/Robert Kraft as Aptom

Tomo Adachi/Kira Vincent-Davis as Natsuki Taga

Unshou Ishizuka/Jason Douglas as Oswald . A . Lisker/Guyver II

Yasunori Matsumoto/Gray Haddock as Archanfel

It is a world controlled by a sinister brotherhood who hide their fangs behind masks of humanity, known as the Chronos Corporation. While investigating a mysterious explosion near his school, Sho Fukamachi happens upon the Chronos Corporation’s greatest weapon: a techno organic suit of bio armor known as “the Guyver.” But Chronos is determined to conceal their secrets at any cost. Sho soon finds himself relentlessly pursued by its army of horrific bio-monsters. With nowhere to run, Sho is forced to call upon the fearsome power of the Guyver and rip his opponents limb from limb in a desperate struggle for survival.

In 2006, “GUYVER” made its return! And this time with a new 26 episode anime series which was previous released by ADV Films and now out on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment.

I have to say that “GUYVER” has been a major anime series among old school anime fans. We grew up watching the 12 episode OAV series and of course there were the two live movies but the manga story of “GUYVER” has been around a long time.

The original manga series written by Yoshiki Takaya back in 1985 in “Shonen Captain” magazine and is currently serialized in Kadokawa’s Monthly Shonen Ace magazine over 20 years later.

The “GUYVER” series can be a bit complex for me to explain but to simplify things, two high school students Sho and Tetsuro discover a mysterious object which pretty much is being heavily sought by the Chronos Corporation. The object is a Guyver unit stolen by a test type Zoanoid (three units were stolen) and now the corporation is doing what it can to recover them.

While Sho and Tetsuro were messing around with the object, it begins to envelops Sho and merge with him and literally transforms him into the Guyver unit 1.

The Chronos Corporation tries to get the unit back through evil means but standing in their way is Sho who uses the unit to protect and also in many instances, save his friends.

The original anime series (a 12 episode OAV series) was released in Japan from 1989 to 1992 was loosely based on Yoshiki Takaya’s manga, “Bio-Booster Armor Guyver”. The new 26-episode anime TV series is more closely based on the manga and allows for more character development for Sho, his friends and also the people behind Chronos.

The main characters of “Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor” are:

Sho Fukamachi – The main character and a teenager who comes across the Guyver unit accidentally and merges with the unit to become “Guyver I”. Now, he is a wanted man by the Chronos Corporation.
Tetsuro Segawa – Sho’s closest friend and highly intelligent. A big sci-fi fan and the older brother of Mizuki.
Mizuki Segawa – Tetsuro’s younger sister who once had a crush on Agito Makishima but through time, develops feelings for Sho.
Agito Makishima – A high school student who is stoic in nature. Discovers one of the Guyver units to become “Guyver III” and for some reason, has knowledge of the Guyver and its abilities.
Natsuki Taga – A high school student and a good friend of Sho and the Segawas who helps the three when they get into a bind.

VIDEO:

“Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor – The Complete Series” is presented in 1080p High Definition and because the series was released on television back in 2006, it is quite obvious that the Blu-ray release is not native HD and is an upscaled release. And while the series does have its times of vibrant colors (especially the green trees or blue skies), the series puts a lot of focus on making the action sequences come alive and some of the natural background settings are not as detailed but some background elements are handpainted and it definitely brings something different for the artistic backgrounds. But as far as PQ goes, you will notice edge enhancement and some haloing around the edges.

The new anime series doesn’t have the sketch/drawn style look that the original series (which many OAV’s from the 80’s tend to look like) had but the TV series looks good. Again, it’s not super-detailed but it does tend to focus more on the action sequences which there are plenty of in this series. I preferred the original OVA series with its detail and because of its more violent nature which fit the series.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor – The Complete Series” is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English) and DolbyTrue HD 2.0 (Japanese). First, the English lossless soundtrack features a good amount of surround usage for the various battle sequences. Good amount of sound effects utilized and the English dub voice acting was well done. For my experience though, I had an issue with the center channel being a bit low. I usually never have to adjust the center channel when watching an anime series on Blu-ray but for “Guyver”, I had to really boost up the center channel during viewing.

As for the Japanese DolbyTrue HD 2.0 lossless track, I preferred to watch the anime series in the original Japanese dialogue. Voice acting is well done and for those with a modern receiver, I chose to have my settings set at stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor – The Complete Series” comes with the following special features:

Disc 1:

Episode 1 Commentary – Audio commentary featuring ADR director Charlie Campbell, Ron Peters (marketing manager) and Jack Glausner (marketing associate and convention coordinator).

Disc 2:

Episode 13 Commentary – Audio commentary featuring ADR director Charlie Campbell and voice actor Lowell Bartholomee (Tetsurou) and their experience working on an action-driven anime series.

Disc 3:

Episode 23 Commentary – Audio commentary featuring ADR director Charlie Campbell and voice actor Chris Patton (Sho). Discussion about the fandom and the popularity of the series.
Episode 26 Commentary - Audio commentary featuring ADR director Charlie Campbell and voice actor Chris Patton (Sho) and Lowell Bartholomee (Tetsurou). Discussion about the final episode and their experiences working on the series.
Manga to Anime Comparisons – (1:06:50) Featuring manga to anime comparisons for episodes 1-26.
Clean Opening Animation- Featuring the clean opening animation featuring “Waiting For…” by Reiri.
Clean Closing Animation – Featuring the clean closing animation featuring “Cotton Candy” by Bonnie Pink.
Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment trailers.

When I first heard that a TV series for “Guyver” would be airing on Japanese TV, I was excited!

I owned older Japanese manga of “Bio Booster Armor Guyver”, I bought the 12-episode OVA series of “The Guyver-Bio-Booster Armor” and at one time, I even had the VHS for “The Guyver” live action-films. So, I suppose you can say that I’m a big fan of the “Guyver” series and with the announcement of “Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor”, you can’t help but be excited with a series that would try to incorporate the manga elements to the storyline.

Granted, because this is a TV series, I figured that the violence would not be as graphic as the OVA series and after watching the first two volumes, I was literally hooked on the series. I enjoyed how the series would focus on the friendship of Sho, Mizuki and Tetsuro much more than the OVA series but most importantly, the sheer number of characters introduced and also involve storylines with those characters.

And it’s one of the few series where the protagonist ends up being gone for several episodes and focuses on the supporting cast (Sho’s friends) and also the series puts more time into the behind-the-scenes of what Cronos Corporation was planning, the introduction of the Zoalords and for the most part, the series does manage to keep its action-packed storyline from beginning to end as we get to see Guyver III in action.

I have to admit that my enjoyment of “Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor – The Complete Series” is due to my previous love for the original OVA and manga series and part of that enjoyment was that it was a sci-fi violent anime series that had an intriguing story behind it. Granted, the TV series is is not as violent as OVA episodes, but the fact that it does tend to follow the manga series definitely made many of us excited. But in many ways, I felt that once it was all done, there should be much more story that needed to be told. Hopefully there will be another Guyver series in the future.

As for the Blu-ray release, I pretty much made up my mind that if you want outstanding HD anime for a TV series (not a film or an OVA), you may need to look for series created post-2008 versus pre-2008. “Guyver” is upscaled and definitely much better looking (and sounding) than its previous DVD releases.

Overall, “Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor – The Complete Series” is a pretty cool action-driven anime series but I have to admit that the storyline starts to taper off a bit in the second half. Some may find the series a bit repetitive, I actually enjoyed the OVA series more because of its animation and the action was more violent in nature which fit the series quite well. But there is only so much you can do for a TV series.

In the end, if you are like for an action-driven anime series on Blu-ray with battles galore and a dramatic storyline along with it, definitely give “Guyver – The Bioboosted Armor – The Complete Series” a chance.

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray, Blu-ray Reviews, TV BOXSETS: DVD/Blu-ray

Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

June 11, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Violent, gory and stylish! Definitely an original and unique, action-packed short anime series featuring an awesome collaboration with actors Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu in to bring out the original manga vision of Takashi “Bob” Okazaki. Beautiful artistic visuals and animation by GONZO, if you’re into anime that focuses more on the action, “Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” is definitely for you.

TITLE: Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions

DURATION: (Disc 1) 5 Episodes (125 Minutes) / (Disc 2) Afro Samurai: Resurrection 97 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition 16×9 HD Native, Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Dolby Digital: English 2.0, Subtitles: English (for special features)

RATED: TV MA

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: June 22, 2010

Directed by Fuminori Kizaki

Written by Takashi Okazaki

Executive Produced by Leo Chu, Eric Garcia, Shinichiro Ishikawa, Samuel L. Jackson and Arthur Smith

Co-Produced by Eric S. Calderon

Consulting Producer: Tommy Blacha

Character Design and Chief Animation Director: Hiroya Iijima

Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda

Music by RZA and Michael Baiardi

Casting by Jamie Simone, Kendra Carter

Featuring the voices of:

Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of Afro Samurai/Ninja Ninja

Ron Perlman as Justice

Kelly Hu as Okiku

Yuri Lowenthal as Juma

S. Scott Bullock as Dharman

Jeff Bennett as Foo

Tara Strong as Otsuru

Jason Marsden as Sasuke

Phil LaMarr as Brother

Afro Samurai: Resurrection:

Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of Afro Samurai/Ninja Ninja

Lucy Liu as the voice of Sio

Mark Hamill as the voice of Bin/ODen Shop Master

Grey DeLisle as the voice of Tomoe/Ogin

Dave Wittenberg as the voice of Adolescent/Fencing Brother

Liam O’Brien as the voice of Shichogoro

Zachary Gordon as the voice of Kotaro

Yuri Lowenthal as the voice of Jinno

Afro Samurai. A relentless brother with an ice-cold soul and a jones for revenge. His path is long and violent, and the entire journey so far is now yours to witness.

First, the legendary series: Afro Samurai. As a kid, he saw his father slaughtered. Now a man, Afro walks to the mountain where destiny waits on high. The perpetrators must atone, and they’re gonna get what they deserve. Nothing personal – it’s just revenge.

The saga continues in Afro Samurai: Resurrection. Afro is forced back into the game by a beautiful and deadly woman from his past. She won’t quit until Afro is schooled in the brutal lessons he dealt those who stood in his way. One brother. One path. One thousand deaths.

Violent and visually entertaining! Definitely an original and unique, action-packed anime series featuring a fantastic collaboration with actor Samuel L. Jackson, Takashi Okazaki and GONZO.

The popular anime and manga series is created by mangaka Takashi “Bob” Okazaki and produced by world renown Japanese animation company STUDIO GONZO (”Full Metal Panic”, “Vandread”, “Gantz”, “Samurai 7″ and many other anime) brought us the popular five-episode series (which aired in the US on SPIKE TV back in 2007 ) was released as a special Director’s Cut featuring 15 minutes of never before seen footage.

The short animated TV series featured a collaboration with Samuel L. Jackson, creator Takashi Okazaki and anime production studio GONZO and took three years to develop and the series was followed by a movie titled “Afro Samurai: Resurrection” which takes place a year later after this series.

Because of it’s impressive visuals, violent action scenes, unique characters (especially since the main character is a Black samurai) and its hip hop music courtesy of RZA (of Wu-Tang Clan fame), the anime attracted many fans in the US. Although both the series and the film “Afro Samurai: Resurrection” were previously released on DVD and Blu-ray, FUNimation Entertainment is re-releasing both in one complete Blu-ray package on June 22, 2010.

The five-episode series revolves around a wandering samurai known as Afro Samurai in his goal of wanting to exact revenge for his father’s death.

In this futuristic, feudal-like Japan, the country is dominated by the person who is known as the top #1 fighter (which is designated by a “ichiban” headband). Afro’s father happened to be the #1 man at the time, the person to beat and one day, he was killed by the #2 opponent (note: only the person who has the #2 headband can challenge the #1 fighter) that goes by the name of “Justice”.

Justice decapitated Afro’s fathers head in front of him when he was a child and since that traumatic moment, Afro has trained and has become an excellent swordsman in order to become #1. So, the series focuses on Afro trying to get his vengeance by challenging the top opponents out there and becoming #2 and finally getting the opportunity to challenge his father’s killer, Justice.

Accompanied by the mouthy Ninja Ninja (also voiced by Samue L. Jackson) during his adventures, the five episodes feature Afro taking on a variety of opponents and also flashbacks of his past when he was a child.

“Afro Samurai-Director’s Cut” features a total of 5 episodes on the first Blu-ray Disc:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 1 – Revenge – The series features Afro when he was young and watched as his father was killed during a battle. Now Afro, grown up and a feared samurai, is now wanting his revenge on the man who killed his father.
EPISODE 2 – The Dream Reader – Afro is taken care of by a woman named Okiku and we see flashbacks of Afro’s past as a child bent on revenge.
EPISODE 3 – The Empty Seven Clan – A clan sends out a robot based on Afro to take on the Afro Samurai.
EPISODE 4 – Duel – Afro comes face-to-face on someone sporting a bear mask (a face resembling a teddy bear that Afro’s young female friend used to have) and a flashback from Afro’s past.
EPISODE 5 – Justice – The final battle between Afro and his childhood friend and the final confrontation between Afro and Justice.

Afro Samurai: Resurrection:

The top samurai with the afro is back for another round of slicing and dicing galore. Okazaki’s “AFRO SAMURAI” returns with the animated film “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” that is action-packed and poetically violent.

The popular anime and manga series is created by mangaka Takashi “Bob” Okazaki and produced by world renown Japanese animation company STUDIO GONZO (“Full Metal Panic”, “Vandread”, “Gantz”, “Samurai 7″ and many other anime) that brought us the popular five-episode series (aired on SPIKE TV back in 2007) made its return returned with a feature film in 2009.

The series revolves around a wandering samurai known as Afro Samurai in his goal of wanting to exact revenge for his father’s death.

Justice decapitated Afro’s fathers head in front of him when he was a child and since that traumatic moment, Afro has trained and has become an excellent swordsman. So, the series focuses on Afro trying to get his vengeance by challenging the top opponents out there and becoming #2 and finally getting the opportunity to challenge his father’s killer, Justice who is #1.

With “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION”, the action takes place a year later. The story focuses on Afro who tries to live an ordinary, peaceful life since the last events (from the TV series) have transpired. Afro is literally hated by people due to the people he had to kill in order to get the #1 spot. Some people who were really bad but some who are pretty good.

As Afro tries to live this normal life, his peaceful life is suddenly changed when Sio and Kuma make their return and steal his #1 headband and also his father’s remains. Sio’s goal is to avenge the many people killed by Afro but also what Afro did to her step brother Kuma. By resurrecting Afro’s father, the former #1, Afro will be made to suffer because he will have to fight and kill his own father.

So, Afro’s peaceful and normal life is dampened and now the samurai must return to his old killing ways in order to find out what happened to his #1 bandanna but also to get back at the people who stole his father’s remains.

VIDEO:

GONZO has done a remarkable job with this series. Presented in 1080p High Definition, the animation and the painted backgrounds are well-done! Daytime scenes are colorful and vibrant and night-time scenes are dark and work well with this series. It’s also important to note that “Afro Samurai – Director’s Cut” has quite a bit of talent involved with the look of the film such as character designer and animation director, Hiroya Iijima (”Gantz”, “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” and “Black Cat”). Also, art direction from Shigemi Ikeda (”Gantz”, “Gasaraki”, “Inuyasha”, Infinite Ryvius, “Black Cat” and many of the “Mobile Suit Gundam” TV series and films).

The series is featured in 16×9 and for the most part, the picture quality really brings out the detail of the surroundings, including the rocky cliffs to the disembowelment of several characters. And color from the lush green painted backgrounds, blue skies and huge clouds, villages and buildings to the action sequences which showcases a lot of blood.

“AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” is an anime film that looks absolutely gorgeous on Blu-ray. One thing is clear, the film just looks so much better than the TV series and the film showcases its vibrant colors during daylight scenes, its darkness during the night and most of all, impressive detail in the backgrounds courtesy of its 1080p High Definition (16×9) transfer. The film just looks great!

It’s also important to note that “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” has quite a bit of talent involved with the look of the film such as character designer and animation director, Hiroya Iijima (“Gantz”, “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” and “Black Cat”). Also, art direction from Shigemi Ikeda (“Gantz”, “Gasaraki”, “Inuyasha”, Infinite Ryvius, “Black Cat” and many of the “Mobile Suit Gundam” TV series and films).

The picture quality really brings out the detail of the surroundings, including the rocky cliffs to the disembowelment of several characters. And color from the lush green painted backgrounds, blue skies and huge clouds, villages and buildings to the action sequences which showcases a lot of blood.

“AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” is just far superior to the look of the “AFRO SAMURAI” television series in picture quality and animation detail.

AUDIO:

As for the audio, “Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” is featured in Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Dolby Digital: English stereo. The series actually sounds quite awesome with the clanging of the swords and the metal healing, sounding quite awesome. Also, scenes with weapons being launched or fireworks being shot up to the sky, “Afro Samurai” has a solid lossless presentation.

“Afro Samurai – Director’s Cut” is featured only in English, there is no Japanese soundtrack. Voice acting is well done by actors Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman and Yuri Lowenthal. Samuel L. Jackson definitely brings out the believability of both Afro and Ninja Ninja and gives the series that cool, funky vibe.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” comes with the following special features:

Disc 1:

In the Booth – Voice Talent of Afro Samurai – (14:48) Interviews with voice talent Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman, Kelly Hu, creator Takahashi Okazaki and co-producer Eric Calderon discussing how the series came about.
RZA Music Production Tour – (4:54) RZA showing us how he created the music and crew talking about how RZA’s music was important for the series. How hip hop is blended with Japanese animation.
Character Profiles with Commentary by Co-Producer: Eric Calderon – (23:42) Gonzo’s Eric Calderon talks about Afro Samurai, Okazaki’s vision, the voice talent involved in the series and what is cool about the character and the series.

Disc 2:

Afro Samurai: The Game - (11:41) Interview with the staff who created the “Afro Samurai” video game. From the cuts, the music, movement, character animation for the video game and more.
Enter the RZA - (6:20) RZA talks about how he came up with the music for the film and the various hardware and software used.
Afro In-Depth – (6:37) Interview wtih Takashi “Bob” Okazaki and how “Afro Samurai” became a manga, an animated series and an action figure.
Afro Samurai: East Meets West, Part 1 – (19:14) Interviews with creator Takashi “Bob” Okazaki and director Fuminori Kizaki about having more freedom now than when they had with the TV series and now, wanting to blend of the cultures and how they had much more freedom to work for “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION”. Also, interviews with the crew that includes character designs and artistic backgrounds. And also the Eastern staff working with the Western staff.
Afro Samurai: East Meets West, Part 2 – (25:03) Interview with actor and executive producer Samuel L. Jackson, executive producer Arthur Smith, voice actor Yuri Lowenthal, actress Lucy Liu and the crew from the Western staff.
Afro Samurai at San Diego Comic-Con 2008 - (8:10) Series creator and mangaka Takashi “Bob” Okazaki, Samuel L. Jackson and RZA at San Diego Comic-Con discussing the series during their panel and also interviews with the excited audience.
Part A Video Commentary – (28:59) A roundtable video/audio commentary by Director Fuminori Kizaki, Creator Takashi “Bob” Okazaki, Character Designer/Chief Animation Director: Hiroya Iijima, Animation Producer: Yuji Hori and Animation Producer: Kenichi Hayashi. The guys have a fun time watching the animation and discuss what they wanted to accomplish for the film, things that they wanted people to see and taking pleasure in discussing scenes that were well done and more.
Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment trailers for upcoming or currently released series or films.

EXTRAS:

“Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” comes with a cardboard slip cover.

“Afro Samurai – Director’s Cut” is a solid, violent action anime series.

It’s definitely a violent series (and I emphasize “violent”) that features plenty of blood and dismembered body parts but it’s interesting to see how samurai anime-based series has come since the early 90′s. The action is fast and fierce but for “Afro Samurai”, the series is highly stylized. Even the blood flowing and how the colors are feature is quite artistic in presentation.

Of course, some people may have a hard time seeing characters that are non-Japanese who are samurai, especially a Black anti-hero with a huge afro. But Takashi “Bob” Okazaki, who was a big hip hop fan definitely was inspired by the music and wanting to do something different and sure enough, Afro Samurai was a unique creation. Okazaki has done a wonderful job with this series and for the most part, doing something unique and different. “Afro Samurai” may feature five episodes but in the overall plan, Okazaki has mentioned, that the series is just a very small part of what he has planned for Afro Samurai and for the most part, one can only hope that the series receives a larger storyline than just five episodes.

The “Afro Samurai” series has star power with Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu contributing their voices to the series. You have RZA bringing the hip hop to Japanese animation, so for the most part, it’s a unique blend of East meets West in bringing two cultures together. I felt that was pretty awesome!

GONZO also has done a fantastic job on the animation and artistic backgrounds for this series. I felt the action and fighting choreography was well done! Again, everything is stylized. Even down to the packaging of this release. I have to say that “Afro Samurai-Director’s Cut” also features a pretty awesome package design. Featuring a magnetic case and how the folds are, it’s pretty cool.

As for the TV MA rating, despite the series being shown on television, this is not a series to have children around watching. It’s violent, bloody and features nudity and a sex scene. In fact, some might find the series a bit disturbing and too gory for their tastes.

Overall, if you are a fan of “Afro Samurai” that was shown on television, the director’s cut features 15 extra minutes will definitely entertain you. I personally can’t comment on where the extra footage is located but I would assume that the majority of those extra minutes are the extremely violent scenes.

As for my opinion on the series, for one, its short. The series obviously focuses more on the fighting and violence and the goal for people to become #2 in order to fight the #1 fighter. I felt that the nature of this series was keeping the Western audiences in mind but utilizing Japanese animation by GONZO. As far as storyline execution goes, “Afro Samurai” is nowhere near the deepness of other samurai anime like “Samurai Champloo”, “Hakkenden”, “Rurouni Kenshin” or “Samurai 7″. But again, the series is short and Okazaki has not had the opportunity to have a full-length animated series.

But it’s also a different style of anime that although it uses the concept of samurai and has some inclusion of Japanese culture, the series is very Western. Afro is stoic, while Ninja Ninja could be easily too vocal or mildly annoying but what I did like about the series is its style. Sure, it’s bloody but somehow the way these fight scenes, no matter how violent they were, the execution was quite artistic in someway.

Also, the series is unique and how it tries to bring together samurai and hip hop music. And of course, having the main character being a Black protagonist. But “Afro Samurai” is a series that is literally action and style over substance. If Okazaki was given a chance to have a full-length anime series of 26 episodes, it would be interesting to see what he would be capable of plot-wise.

“AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” is definitely going to appeal to the fans of the show. It was pretty unique to see the collaboration between the East and the West for this series and I can only hope that GONZO continues to further production of more episodes (note: Okazaki says that what we have seen so far on the TV series and film is such a small part of what he has already written/planned for the characters).

As far as samurai anime goes, “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” is a violent anime. Part of Afro’s unique fighting style is his ability to slice and dice people with multiple hits with his sword. There are a lot of decapitations, loss of limb and blood featured throughout the series, so for the parents wondering if this film is child-safe, the answer is that this film is definitely not child-safe.

There is a lot of Western appeal and as seen at San Diego Comic-Con back in 2008, this series has its large fandom who love this series. For those who enjoy samurai violence and a samurai anime that is just full of action, there are many positives of “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” from its beautiful animation, magnificent art and of course, the music by RZA just adds another positive reason why people the series but also the film.

Also, another major plus is that this Blu-ray goes beyond what many anime Blu-ray tend to have in terms of special features. You get several featurettes and the Blu-ray definitely explores the Japan and American side of their working collaboration. So, there are a good number of special features include on this Blu-ray disc.

Of course, the biggest question is if you own these previously on DVD or Blu-ray, is there a reason to buy “Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions”? The answer is that if you have the DVD, then the upgrade to 1080p HD is worth it, if you enjoyed the series. For those who own the previous two Blu-ray releases, the answer is no. This is simply a collection of both releases, re-released in one complete package. So, if you haven’t purchased “Afro Samurai” before, then most definitely, “Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” is the way to go!

Overall, “Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” is an anime film that features a ton of action, humor and violence. If you dig samurai anime and a lot of fighting and violence, definitely check this film out!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray, Blu-ray Reviews, TV BOXSETS: DVD/Blu-ray