Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 2 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

November 25, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Unique, fun, wild and crazy! “Sgt. Frog” is one of those rare series that FUNimation Entertainment can take liberty of experimenting with the dialogue and making it just as wacky and relevant for an American audience.

DVD TITLE: Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 2

DURATION: Episodes 14-26 (300 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Stereo

COMPANY: Sunrise TV/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: November 24, 2009

Based on the manga by Mine Yoshizaki

Chief Director: Junichi Sato

Director: Yusuke Yamamoto

Series Composition by Mamiko Ikeda

Script by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Kuniaki Kasahara, Mamiko Ikeda, Masahiro Yokotani, Satoru Nishizono, Yasuko Kobayashi

Character Design by Fumitoshi Oisaki

Animation Director: Asako Nishida

Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka

Anime Production by Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Akiko Hiramatsu/Jamie Marchi as Aki Hinata

Chiwa Saito/Cherami Leigh as Natsumi Hinata

Houku Kuwashima/Leah Clark as Fuyuki Hinata

Haruna Ikezawa/Monica Rial as Momoka Nishizawa

Kumiko Watanabe/Todd Habekorn as Keroro

Etsuko Kozakura/Brina Palencia as Tamama

Jouji Nakata/Christopher R. Sabat as Giroro

Takehito Koyasu/Chuck Huber as Kururu

Takeshi Kusao/J. Michael Tatum as Dororo

Keiji Fujiwara/R. Bruce Elliott as Narrator

Mmiko Noto/Carrie Savage as Angol Mois

Keroro’s platoon is back at full force, and the troops are finally ready for action! There’s just one problem – planet Earth is a big place for five froggy aliens to conquer themselves. So when the Sergeant blows his allowance building model mechs instead of financing the invasion, the platoon’s only hope becomes finding a weakness in humans they can exploit. Whether its telling ghost stories, sabotaging field day, or rigging bikini contests, Keroro’s crew has to prove they can do something – anything at all – better than the tyrants who’d rather see them clean bathrooms than enjoy the spoils of war.

Unique, fun and gut-bursting humor! “Sgt. Frog” is probably one of the most odd and crazy anime series you’ll ever see. Hilarious in Japanese but the writing for the English dub definitely takes things up a notch!

Since 1999, the manga series “Keroro Gunso” (aka “Sgt. Frog”) by Mine Yoshizaki (“Arcade Gamer Fubuki”, “Chibi Kero” and “Seven of Seven”) has been entertaining readers. Since 2004, the anime series has been entertaining viewers and both continue to be popular long-running series in Japan. Now the award winning series continues with its second part of the first season courtesy of FUNimation entertainment.

The anime series is directed by Yusuke Yamamoto (“Welcome to the NHK, “Sakura Taisen”, “Mobile Suit Victor Gundam” and Arjuna”) and features character designs by Fumitoshi Oisaki (“Romeo x Juliet”, “Ontama” and “Kaleido Star”). The series is known for its use of parodies of pop culture and in the Japanese case, you will see a plenty of pop culture references to anime and video games. While, the English dub features a slightly different script than the Japanese and utilizes American pop culture (which I will describe more in the video and audio segment of this review).

The series revolves around an alien race of frogs who have come to conquer the planet Earth. But somehow along the way, things didn’t go as expected and the leader of the platoon, Sergeant Frog finds himself living with the Hinata family. In the first part of the series, we learn of how the frogs get to reunite with each other and now with the second part of the season, the frogs try to think up ways to take over the world. Which the frogs find out for themselves of how difficult it will be.

The main characters of “Sgt. Frog” are:

The Hinata Family

Fuyuki – A boy who just wants to be best friends with Sgt. Frog (Keroro) and always sees the positive in him. An odd kid who is obsessed with paranormal and supernatural things, really doesn’t have any friends and runs a high school club based on the paranormal and supernatural with no members. Possesses Keroro’s weapon of mass destruction (because his sister told him to hold on to it).

Natsumi – Athletic and very intuitive when it comes to what is going on in her home. Natsumi is hot tempered and not very appreciative that her mother let Keroro live with them. Whenever Keroro (and the other frogs) misbehave, she’s quick to beat him to a pulp.

Aki – The beautiful mother and a manga editor who lets Keroro live with the family. Not for kindness but mostly to get ideas for her new manga. She also gives Keroro one of the rooms to the house for him to live in but mainly because a ghost has been inhabiting the room and also because it’s messy and expects him to clean it up.

The Armpit Platoon consists of:

Sgt. Frog (Keroro) - The green frog is the leader of the platoon. Despite being the sergeant of the platoon, he is quite a daft and lazy frog. He enjoys building Mobile Suit Gundam models, eating and watching television. He knows that each time something breaks, Aki and Natsumi Hinata will be on his case so he is somewhat mindful of the Hinata family. Also knowing that if he does chores at home, he can use his allowance to buy Gundam models. But he knows his role in Earth and that he and his platoon needs to conquer the Earth but most of the time his other hobbies get it in the way of that.

Corporal Giroro – The red frog with a scar on his face who happens to be a weapons expert. Loves combat and is a gung-ho type of character. He is the main person in the Platoon who has a disdain of Sgt. Frog’s leadership and is the one often yelling at him to remember their goal. But he also has a soft side and that is the fact that he is attracted to Natsumi Hinata’s strength and temper. So, much that he has fallen for her and will do what he can to protect her. He lives in the back yard of the Hinata’s home and finds friendship in the neighborhood cat Mr. Furbottom.

Private Second Class Tamama – The black frog with a tadpole tail and the youngest and most experienced member of the Platoon. When pushed, he can be quite destructive (shooting beams out of his mouth). Known for his gas problems and also for his major jealousy complex. He lives with the wealthy Momoka Nishizawa and gets everything he wants. But is very jealous of the female alien Angol Mois (who is in love with Keroro) and gets very upset that someone else likes the Sgt.

Sergeant Major Kururu – The yellow frog and the platoon’s intelligence and strategic planning officer. Very intelligent and loves building things but despite being a superior to Keroro, he defers to him because he’s somewhat of a mad scientist. In someways, when testing his creations on Keroro, he enjoys seeing people getting in bad or painful situations the experimenting on those creations. Also, loves listening to music in his earphones. He originally was taken into the home of Mutsumi Saburo but has built a base under the home of the Hinatas.

Lance Corporal Dororo/Zeroro - The blue frog and a member of the Elite Assassin Squad and the Armpit Platoon. Looks like a ninja by the mask he wears and is even more deadlier than Corporal Giroro. When he was younger, he didn’t have any friends and was befriended by Keroro and Giroro (because he was rich and had a large collection of Gundam’s). Each time he went out with Keroro, he would get hurt badly. He is starting to learn that his friends when he was younger really weren’t that good of friends and thus, has resentment towards the Platoon (because they all forgot about him) and thus changed his name from Zeroro to Dororo. Spends his time with ninja Koyuki Azumaya taking on aliens and protecting humankind (Pekopons).

Other significant characters:

Momoka Nishizawa – The daughter of a billionaire and very much in love with Fuyuki. Does what she can to get close to Fuyuki but the emotions that she is feeling, doesn’t necessarily come out the way she wants when she says it. Has a distrust towards any female near Fuyuki and can’t stand it when anyone interferes with her time with Fuyuki. The alien frog Tamama stays at her place.

Mutsumi Saburo – Very intelligent and excels at almost everything. A DJ and a lover of Gundam, he happens to be a guy who Natsumi Hinata likes but her brother Fuyuki doesn’t like him at all. The alien frog Kururu once stayed with him and even taught Saburo some tricks.

Paul Moriyama – Momoko’s butler and guardian. Known to have great fighting skills and has sworn his life to protect Momoko.

Angol Moa – An alien from another tribe. Also known as the “King of Terror” wand was supposed to destroy Earth in July 1999 but arrives 500 years early and thus went to sleep in orbit. She wakes up but finds out that she is five years late. She is known for using a cell phone which she inputs in order to create a major weapon which can destroy the Earth and the ability to shoot powerful blasts. But because of her love for Keroro, she will do what he says and thus, decides not to destroy the Earth. Although she is doesn’t know it, she is the rival to Tamama (who can’t stand Angol Moa’s smile and kindness) and will do whatever she can to protect Keroro.

Koyuki Azumaya – A ninja who joins Natsumi’s school and has athletic ability that rivals Natsumi. Friends with the alien frog Dororo and together they take on aliens who pose a threat to the Pekopons (Earthlings) and also has a thing about sniffing people.

Jessica Harpie - A member of the galactic Interpol and catches criminals around the galaxy.

Omiyo – The ghost that lives in the Hinata house and occupies what is now Keroro’s room.

“Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 2″ features a total of 12 episodes on two DVD’s. Each episode consists of two mini-episodes, most often at times are related to each other. but sometimes you get two different stories per episode. Here is a spoiler-less summary:

DISC 3:

EPISODE 14- The Silence of the Plans – Sgt. Kero orders his frogs to plant flowers for world domination.
EPISODE 15- The Dark Momoko Saga! - Momoko has joined the dark side and wants to help the platoon destroy the Earth.
EPISODE 16 – Twin at all Costs! - Why are there twin Angol Momoa’s?
EPISODE 17 – Froggy Paddle! – Natsumi vs. Kero in a swimming challenge. In the second story, the frogs and the gang tells scary stories.
EPISODE 18 – Wet Hot Beaches! – The Hinata family and the frogs go on a trip to a polluted beach and Natsumi takes part in a bikini competition.
EPISODE 19 – Keroro Killed the Radio Star! – The Hinata’s attend a festival away from the platoon but find out that the frogs are disguising as human selling Kero merchandise. In the second part, when Mutsumi talks about enjoying Gundam on radio, Natsumi starts building them. This gives Kero an idea for world domination.
EPISODE 20 – 20,000 Leaps Under the Sea - The Hinata’s and the gang go out to sea for a swim. In the second part of the series, the gang go diving under the sea.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 21 – Some Like It Scorching and Miserable – A heatwave hits town and the group finds a way to keep cool. In the second part of the series, the Hinata family take a trip to visit grandma (not knowing the frogs have joined them).
EPISODE 22 – Lose the Boss! – Kero is discharged from the platoon and Tamama becomes the new leader.
EPISODE 23 – The Clone wars (The Unsucky Version)! – Keroro tries to steal the Kero ball.
EPISODE 24 – Los Action Hero! - Space Deputy Kogoro comes to Earth to visit the platoon and find a job on Earth.
EPISODE 25 – A Justified War! – Momoka’s father sends his forces to take Momoka but the platoon prepare to protect her by fighting the forces.
EPISODE 26 – Let the Games Impend! – Fuyuki must take part in a school competition and since Fuyuki is not athletic, the platoon tries to give him some help.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Sgt. Frog” is presented in 4:3. For the most part, the entertaining part of “Sgt. Frog” are its characters but also the little Japanese pop culture references, especially Keroro’s love for “Gundam” (which the model kits are featured in the anime series). The colors are vibrant and for a television show, the animation works great for this series. Keroro and his members of the Armpit Platoon are frogs with a cool and cute character design, that it’s no surprise that this series has an extensive merchandise collection in Japan.

As for audio, the English dub is featured in Dolby Surround Sound and the Japanese is featured in stereo. For the most part, I have watched both in English and Japanese and the voice acting on both are great. As for audio quality, I preferred to watch the series with my receiver setting at stereo on all channels but for the most part, the English dialogue is front and center channel driven if watched via 5.1 Dolby Surround.

Now when it comes to audio and watching it on both languages, there is a difference between the English and Japanese version. For the most part, the English version has a rewritten script that utilizes the same storyline as the Japanese version but features American pop culture references and more dialogue. So, for example, when the Japanese dialogue is quiet, in the English dialogue, you may hear the narrator speaking.

Although I tend to prefer watching anime in Japanese, I have to admit that I found the English dub quite wild and crazy. The English dub tends to use quite a bit of references to American pop culture. Granted, some people may not be familiar with the American pop culture references especially if you watch this anime several years later but overall, FUNimation has done a fun job of making this series more appealing to the American crowd.

Subtitles are featured in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 2″ comes with the following special features:

Pekopon Invasion Recon Data – Using your remote, you can cycle through various data such as the school uniforms, the vacuum cleaner, the watermelon, afro and more.
Textless Opening Song – Ribbit March – (1:32) Textless opening theme
Textless Closing Song – Afro Gunsou - (1:32) Textless closing theme
Textless Closing Song – (1:32) Pekopon Invasion Song – Textless closing theme #2
Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment upcoming releases

“Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 2″ continues the craziness and fun where the last volume left off! I really don’t think anyone can be disappointed with this DVD set as its absolutely fresh, wild and crazy. As people are wanting to find a series that is fun and unique, I think that anime fans that are into comedy-based series can find something to like about “Sgt. Frog”.

Having watched the episodes in Japanese and English, the Japanese version was hilarious but being an American and familiar with the pop culture references in the dialogue and the Japanese pop culture references on the show, I had a great time watching it with the English dub. You can tell there was great care on the American side into utilizing the time of the series to create additional dialogue and of course, coming up with something new to make the characters much crazier for an American audience.

It’s important to note that FUNimation Entertainment went with the original names for the dub, so for those who saw the test episode on YouTube and were not satisfied with the name changes, FUNimation Entertainment did fix that up with only Giroro’s cat keeping the name “Mr. Furbottom” and the voice talent changed for the final cut.

As for the parents who are wondering if the show is safe for children, although the series is rated TV PG, there is no naughty talk or any profanity.

Overall, this is an anime series that is worth purchasing! For those who enjoyed “Crayon Shin Chan” (US dialogue version) or where writers tend to experiment with American pop culture references, “Sgt. Frog” uses a similar style but is much tamer compared to Shin-chan but still hilarious. One can definitely expect “Sgt. Frog” to be a series that has cool and fun characters and outrageously written episodes, definitely make this anime series worth the purchase!

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

Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

September 8, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Unique, fun and gut-bursting humor! “Sgt. Frog” is probably one of the most odd and crazy anime series you’ll ever see. Hilarious in Japanese but the writing for the English dub definitely takes things up a notch! Highly recommended!”

DVD TITLE: Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 1

DURATION: 13 Episodes (325 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Stereo

COMPANY: Sunrise TV/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: September 8, 2009

Based on the manga by Mine Yoshizaki

Chief Director: Junichi Sato

Director: Yusuke Yamamoto

Series Composition by Mamiko Ikeda

Script by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Kuniaki Kasahara, Mamiko Ikeda, Masahiro Yokotani, Satoru Nishizono, Yasuko Kobayashi

Character Design by Fumitoshi Oisaki

Animation Director: Asako Nishida

Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka

Anime Production by Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Akiko Hiramatsu/Jamie Marchi as Aki Hinata

Chiwa Saito/Cherami Leigh as Natsumi Hinata

Houku Kuwashima/Leah Clark as Fuyuki Hinata

Haruna Ikezawa/Monica Rial as Momoka Nishizawa

Kumiko Watanabe/Todd Habekorn as Keroro

Etsuko Kozakura/Brina Palencia as Tamama

Jouji Nakata/Christopher R. Sabat as Giroro

Takehito Koyasu/Chuck Huber as Kururu

Takeshi Kusao/J. Michael Tatum as Dororo

Keiji Fujiwara/R. Bruce Elliott as Narrator

Mmiko Noto/Carrie Savage as Angol Mois

Keroro is Sergeant Frog – the leader f a platoon of warriors sent to conquer planet Earth. But when the amphibious invaders discovered how much humans enjoy dissecting their comrades, the troops were scattered, the mission was aborted and Keroro was abandoned. Now, this once proud soldier spends more time wielding a vacuum than he does the weapons of war. It’s a far cry from the glory of battle, but hey, at least he’s got his own room. And though the invasion may have slowed to a hop, Sergeant Frog still occasionally yearns to overcome his karaoke addiction and reassemble his troops. Watch out world, the frogs are taking over.

Since 1999, the manga series “Keroro Gunso” (aka “Sgt. Frog”) by Mine Yoshizaki (“Arcade Gamer Fubuki”, “Chibi Kero” and “Seven of Seven”) has been entertaining readers. Since 2004, the anime series has been entertaining viewers and both continue to be popular long-running series in Japan. Now the award winning series gets its first US anime DVD release with the first 13 episodes now arriving in the US.

The series revolves around an alien race of frogs who have come to conquer the planet Earth. But somehow along the way, things didn’t go as expected and the leader of the platoon, Sergeant Frog finds himself living with the Hinata family. Always up to mischief and trying to find a way to conquer Earth, he is befriended by the weak and paranormal/supernatural obsessed boy Fuyuki, beaten to a pulp by his strong sister Natsumi and given a place to live by their mother (and manga editor) Aki who uses him as a source of ideas for her new manga.

With his obsession for Mobile Suit Gundam models, television and snacks, Sgt. Frog gets too used to human life, that is until his fellow platoon finds out that he has been neglecting his duties.

The main characters of “Sgt. Frog” are:

The Hinata Family

The Armpit Platoon consists of:

Other significant characters:

Paul Moriyama – Momoko’s butler and guardian. Known to have great fighting skills and has sworn his life to protect Momoko.

Jessica Harpie - A member of the galactic Interpol and catches criminals around the galaxy.

Omiyo – The ghost that lives in the Hinata house and occupies what is now Keroro’s room.

“Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 1″ features a total of 13 episodes on two DVD’s. Each episode consists of two mini-episodes, most often at times are related to each other. but sometimes you get two different stories per episode. Here is a spoiler-less summary:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 1- Meet the Sergeant! – The introduction of Keroro and how he came to live with the Hinata family.
EPISODE 2- Bag of Secrets! - We are introduced to Momoka Nishizawa who is in love with Fuyuki Hinata. We are also introduced to the alien frog, Tamama.
EPISODE 3 – Amphibian On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - With Tamama getting all the things he wants, Keroro is bored by living at the Hinata home. Meanwhile, a mysterious thing has been spying on the Hinata’s.
EPISODE 4 – Blood Violence Death Kill! – We are introduced to Corporal Giroro and Giroro comes up with an idea to make Keroro more of a warrior.
EPISODE 5 – The Day Gundam Cried! – Keroro wants a Gundam at a toy store and needs Fuyuki’s help.
EPISODE 6 – Ghost Kiss-Perer! – Momoka invites Fuyuki to a private island and next thing you know the Hinata family and frogs are all coming. Will Fuyuki and her butler Paul be able to make Fuyuki like him?
EPISODE 7 – Apocalypse Later! – The Lord of Terror makes her appearance. Meanwhile, we learn that Tamama is jealous of her.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 8 – Base: The Final Frontier! – Keroro builds a secret base inside the fridge.
EPISODE 9 – Desperately Seeking Brains! – Mutsumi Saburo introduces a member of the Armpit Platoon… Kururu. Meanwhile, Kururu creates an age manipulation gun that can make anything many years younger and Aki Hinata volunteers.
EPISODE 10 – Sgt. Frog versus the Cavitians of Cavity 9! – Keroro is suffering from a cavity (alien invaders have taken control of Keroro’s cavity) and Kururu comes up with an idea to take them on.
EPISODE 11 – Fake It ‘Til You Make It! – Celebrities from a galactic TV show want to do a show on Earth at the Hinata home.
EPISODE 12 – Pop Startled! – A pop star (a third runner-up of “Galactic Idol”) visits the Hinata home. And Giroro loses his weapon’s sash.
EPISODE 13 – Viper? I Hardly Knew Her! – The introduction of Dororo and Koyuki.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

Although I tend to prefer watching anime in Japanese, I have to admit that I found the English dub quite wild and crazy. For example, during one scene in which Hinata siblings and the aliens meet a fellow Galactic pop star, in the Japanese dialogue there is discussion of how popular she is. While in the English dub, they use “American Idol” references to showcase her popularity.

Granted, some people may not be familiar with the American pop culture references (especially since certain situations are taken from that time period, for example the Miley Cyrus and Asians comment) and may easily fly over the heads of those who are not familiar with American pop culture but for the most part, the rewritten screenplay by Jamie Marchi, Jared Hedges and Joel Bergen will easily make people laugh. For those familiar with what Joel Bergen did with “Crayon Shin Chan” will know what kind of humor to expect from the series albeit a more PG rating.

Subtitles are featured in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 1″ comes with the following special features:

Pekopon Invasion Recon Data – Using your remote, you can cycle through various data such as the school uniforms, the vacuum cleaner, the watermelon, afro and more.
Textless Opening Song – Ribbit March – (1:32) Textless opening theme
Textless Closing Song – Afro Gunsou - (1:32) Textless closing theme
Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment upcoming releases

Crazy, enjoyable and just all out fun! I have to admit that I was completely unfamiliar with the story of “Sgt. Frog” before watching this DVD. I knew about the character Keroro and the platoon members through the various merchandise seen at many Japanese and Chinese shops but I really didn’t know anything about the series.

And what can I say, after watching “Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 1″, I’ve become a fan! I really don’t think anyone can be disappointed with this DVD set as its absolutely fresh, wild and crazy. As people are wanting to find a series that is fun and unique, I think that anime fans that are into comedy-based series can find something to like about “Sgt. Frog”.

As for the parents who are wondering if the show is safe for children, although the series is rated TV PG, there is no naughty talk or any profanity.

There is only one scene in episode 9 in which a young Aki Hinata (who looks like Fuyuki) is hugged by Momoka Nishizawa and in the process of that hug, Nishizawa who wraps her arm around Aki and her hands on the side of her chest, she wonders why Fuyuki has breasts. And of course, there is a lot of mayhem and some fight scenes but seriously, the series is quite tame and is even aired to children in Japan (as evident by its targeted merchandise towards children in Japan) and various parts of the world. And I also shared the series with my six-year-old son who absolutely loved the series.

Overall, this is an anime series that is worth purchasing! For those who enjoyed “Crayon Shin Chan” (US dialogue version) may enjoy this much tamer but hilarious anime series. But really, this series really can’t be compared to anything. It’s that fresh, wild and crazy. One can definitely expect “Sgt. Frog” to be a series that has cool and fun characters and outrageously written episodes, definitely make this anime series worth the purchase!

Highly recommended!

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

Dragon Ball – Season One (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

September 6, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Enjoyable, addicting and absolutely awesome! This is the animated series that introduced Goku, Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha and friends. 31 Episodes in one volume, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth with this release. Highly recommended!”

DVD TITLE: Dragon Ball – Seasone One

DURATION: 31 Episodes, 5 DVD’s (745 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Voice Track with Original Japanese music 5.1 Surround, Japanese Voice Track with Original Music Mono

COMPANY: Toei Animation/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: August 25, 2009

Originally created by Akira Toriyama

Directed by Daisuke Nisho and Minoru Okazaki

Music by Shusuke Kikuchi

Character Designs by Minoru Maeda, Yuki Ikeda

Anime Production by Toei Anime

Featuring the following voice talent:

Masao Nozawa/Stephanie Nadolny as Son Goku

Hiromi Tsuru/Tiffany Vollmer as Bulma

Daisuke Gouri as Umigame

Eiko Yamada/Julie Franklin as Mai

Kenji Utsumi/Christopher R. Sabat as Shen Long

Kohei Miyauchi/Mike McFarland as Kame Sennin (Master Roshi)

Mayumi Shou/Laura Bailey as Chi Chi

Mayumi Tanaka as Krillin

Naoki Tatsuta/Brad Jackson as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe/Monika Antonelli as Pu’erh (Puar)

Christopher R. Sabat as Grandpa Gohan and Turtle

Shigeru Chiba/Chuck Huber as Pilaf

Tohru Furuya as Yamcha

Duncan Brannan as Monster Carrot

The greatest adventure of all time begins now!

Goku may be small, but this fearless warrior packs a punch as powerful as any on the planet. Left alone after his grandfather’s and eating some more. But all that changes on the day he meets Bulma – a bossy, blue-haired beauty with boys on the brain. Together, they set out to track down the seven magic Dragon Balls and make the wish that they will change their lives forever.

And that’s just the beginning! Goku also spends some time on Turtle Island where he and Krillin study martial arts under the legendary Master Roshi. The old hermit may not look like much, but if his new pupils can find him a woman, he’ll make sure they’re ready to rumble at the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament.

Season One of Dragon Ball is a must-have for everyone from the die-hard fan to the next generation of collectors.

It’s the series that started it all… “Dragon Ball”. Originally, a manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama for “Shonen Jump”, the manga series lasted from 1984 through 1995 and since the manga series has produced several anime series which include “Dragon Ball”, “Dragon Ball Z”, “Dragon Ball GT” and currently in Japan, a new HD broadcasting of “Dragon Ball Kai” and in 2009, an American live action film titled “Dragonball Evolution” was released worldwide.

“Dragon Ball” is the first arc of the series which aired in Japan from 1986 through 1989 and lasted for 153 episodes. The series was released by Harmony Gold USA in the late 80′s and then by FUNimation Entertainment in 1995 and uncut episodes were released on DVD in 2003.

But now the episodes will be released in the USA for the first season of “Dragon Ball” for the first time uncut, remastered and digitally restored.

“Dragon Ball” focuses on Son Goku, a boy who is not familiar with any humans but his Grandpa Gohan. One day, a teenage girl named Bulma uses her Dragon Ball radar to track down a Dragon Ball belonging to Goku. Goku explains to her that he never seen any female humans before but his grandfather taught him to be nice to them. He also explains that the Dragon Ball he has was given to him as a gift by his grandfather.

Bulma who has accumulated a few Dragon Balls herself wants to find the remaining Dragon Balls in order to grant herself a wish. Goku decides to join her on her quest to find the Dragon Balls and along the way the two have their own set of challenges.

“Dragon Ball” focuses on the following characters:

Son Goku – Not much is known about Goku’s past. He was found by a man he calls Grandpa Gohan and trained to be a boy who loves nature and people. And has incredible strength and fighting ability. He was warned by his grandfather to never look at the moon but one day he did and turned into a giant ape and accidentally killed his grandfather. Although not too familiar with humans, he meets a female named Bulma for the first time who is trying to look for Dragon Balls. Having own the #4 Dragon Ball which his grandfather gave him, he decides to join her on a quest to find the remaining Dragon Balls (seven total).

Bulma – A teenager who’s father is a scientist and owner of the Capsule Corporation. A technology that people can store vehicles, homes and storage into a tiny capsule. When thrown, the capsule turns into the actual object that was stored. She’s rather impulsive and outspoken. Her dream is to find the Dragon Ballas and make a wish in order to get a perfect boyfriend.

Oolong – A pig who has a fascination with women’s panties. A perverted pig who once terrorized a village. Has the ability to transform to anything for five minutes. Attended a class with Puar in transforming but failed and never learned to stay in a object for more than five minutes. He joins Bulma and Goku in their mission to find the Dragon Balls.

Yamcha – A banded who is accompanied by his shape-shifting animal Puar. With his Wolf’s Fang Fist fighting ability, it was not strong enough to beat Goku and thus he ends up assisting both Goku and Bulma along the way in order to get the Dragon Balls.

Krillin – A former monk who has been bullied by his other monks. He goes to Master Roshi for training and trains alongside Goku and becomes a rival but also good friends with him.

Master Roshi (Kamisama-sen) – An old lecherous man who trained Grandpa Gohan and the Ox King to fight. Despite looking like an old man, he has a tremendous fighting ability and is known for his devasting attack known as the Kamehameha. He then takes Goku and Krillin as his students.

Other Characters:

Puar – A shape shifting animal who can shape-shift for a long period of time and hangs around Yamcha.

The Ox-King - Many fear the Ox-King who rules Fire Mountain and is the father of Chi Chi. Aside from his brute strength, this huge man is a goodhearted guy who just hated people for trying to steal from him. He also cares deeply about his daughter and does everything to make her happy.

Chi Chi - A girl who is smitten with Goku and wants to marry him. The daughter of the Ox-King.

Launch – A woman that Master Roshi likes and when normal, she’s a regular, innocent girl. But when she sneezes, she becomes a whole new different woman with a bad attitude.

The Villains:

Emperor Pilaf – The main antagonist of Bulma and Goku who is trying to collect all the Dragon Balls. He calls himself the emperor and expects Shu and Mai to find the Dragon Balls.

Shu – A ninja fox who works for Emperor Pilaf. Tends to be a bit misunderstood and clumsy.

Mai - The gun-toting henchman for Emperor Pilaf.

Colonel Silver – The ruthless high-ranking official of the Red Ribbon Army who will squash anyone in his way in order to find the Dragon Balls.

Red Ribbon Army – Not much is known about the Red Ribbon Army but they are ruthless and are led by Colonel Silver.

“Dragon Ball – Season One” features a total of 31 episodes on five DVD’s. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 1- Secret of the Dragon Balls – Bulma and Goku meet for the first time.
EPISODE 2- The Emperor’s Quest – Another group looking for the Dragon Balls.
EPISODE 3 – The Nimbus Cloud of Roshi – Goku tries to help a turtle get to his home.
EPISODE 4 – Oolong the Terrible – Bulma and Goku find a Dragon Ball in a nearby village but the village has been terrorized by something called Oolong the Terrible.
EPISODE 5 – Yamcha the Desert Bandit – Yamcha, the bandit from the desert challenges Goku.
EPISODE 6 – Keep an Eye on the Dragon Balls – Oolong joins Bulma and Goku on their quest for the Dragon Balls.
EPISODE 7 – The Ox-King on Fire Mountain – The next Dragon Ball may not be easy to find especially since its located inside the home of the Ox-King.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 8 – The Kamehameha Wave – Goku and Chi Chi go to Master Roshi for help to calm the fire at Fire mountain.
EPISODE 9 – Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch – While at another village, a rabbit turns Bulma into a carrot. Will Goku be able to beat this troublesome rabbit.
EPISODE 10 – The Dragon Balls are Stolen – Emperor Pilaf and his group try to steal the Dragon Balls from Bulma.
EPISODE 11 – The Penalty is Pinball – Emperor Pilaf traps the Goku and friends in a game of pinball.
EPISODE 12 – A Wish to the Eternal Dragon – Who will make the wish to Shenlong after the Dragon Balls are gathered.
EPISODE 13 – The Legend of Goku - Bulma and Oolong learn why Grandpa Gohan told Goku not to look at the moon.
EPISODE 14 – Goku’s Rival – Goku meets his rival/training partner Krillin.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 15 – Look Out for Launch – Goku and Krillin must find a date for Master Roshi in order to receive training.
EPISODE 16 – Find that Stone! - Goku and Krillin continue to train while the woman Launch has a secret.
EPISODE 17 – Milk Delivery – Goku and Krillin delivery milk as part of their training.
EPISODE 18 – The Turtle Hermit Way – Will Goku and Krillin survive Master Roshi’s training.
EPISODE 19 – The Tournament Begins – Goku and Krillin take part in their first World Martial Arts Tournament.
EPISODE 20 – Elimination Round – Goku and Krillin take on their first opponents in the tournament.
EPISODE 21 – Smells Like Trouble - Krillin must go against the very smelly and foul Bacterian.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 22- Quarterfinals Begin – Yamcha fights an old man named Jackie Chun in the tournament.
EPISODE 23 – Monster Beast Giran – Goku takes on the frightening beast Giran in the tournament.
EPISODE 24 – Krillin’s Frantic Attack! – Krilllin takes on Jackie Chun in the semi-finals of the tournament.
EPISODE 25 – Danger From Above – Goku takes on Nam in the semi-finals of the tournament.
EPISODE 26 – The Grand Finals – The finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament featuring Goku vs. Jackie Chun.
EPISODE 27 – Number One Under the Moon? – When a full moon comes out during the tournament, Goku changes to an ape.
EPISODE 28 – The Final Blow – Jackie Chun must end the battle with Goku (in ape form) before anyone gets killed.

DISC 5:

EPISODE 29 – The Roaming Lake – Goku looks for his grandfather’s Dragon Ball.
EPISODE 30 – Pilaf and the Mystery Force - While Emperor Pilaf and his group search for the Dragon Ball, so is the mysterious Red Army.
EPISODE 31- Wedding Plans? – One of the Dragon Balls is in the possession of the Ox-King and with Goku to return, will it be a grand wedding for Goku and Chi Chi?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

When I first saw “Dragon Ball”, it was probably back in 1992 and the quality of this raw Japanese video was so rough and hard to watch, it was just bad. Several years later, I was able to catch the first few episodes that aired on television but the problem was that the schedule was inconsistent and our television network was quite bad.

So, it is great to see this uncut, remastered and digitally restored version on DVD. Presented in its original format of 4:3, one thing I noticed is how good this anime series looked on DVD. The series is nearly 25 years old and just watching it, FUNimation Entertainment did a great job in bringing this series out and making it look very good with only a hint of dust particles and scratches but for the most part, this remastered version definitely looked very good on DVD.

As for the audio, similar to the recent FUNimation Entertainment “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball GT” releases, the English voice track with original Japanese music comes in 5.1 Surround, while the Japanese voice track is in its original Japanese mono. I watched both English and Japanese and of course, there are some changes in the English dialogue (ie. Master Roshi and in the Japanese track, Kamesama Sennen) and grew up watching the original Japanese version but for the most part, I have enjoyed the “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball GT” dubwork that I found the English dubwork for “Dragon Ball” to be quite solid. Dialogue is clear and understandable and for audio settings, for both audio tracks, I found the best setting for me was to select on my receiver “Stereo on all Channels”.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Dragom Ball – Season One” comes with the textless opening and closing theme songs and FUNimation Entertainment trailers.

Enjoyable, addicting and absolutely awesome!

That’s how I felt after watching the first season of “Dragon Ball”. I thought it was absolutely fabulous that the FUNimation Entertainment has released the series uncut, remastered and digitally restored but to also release the first 31 episodes as a box set like they did with “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball GT”. For fans of any of the “Dragon Ball” series, not so long ago, it cost a lot of money just to purchase separate volumes of the series (which typically came with only a few episodes) and now, here we are several years later and definitely getting our money’s worth.

Also, to watch this series once again, not only was it a nostalgic time for me, it was just great to see the episodes and watching how fun, humorous and action-packed they were. Each episode was absolutely addicting and it was great seeing how awesome of a fighter Master Roshi (Kamesama Sennen) was back then and just seeing how the story evolved pre-Dragon Ball Z. Also, to see Bulma and Yamcha during their younger years was fun as well.

Although “Dragon Ball” is not as intense or action-oriented like “Dragon Ball Z”, the series still manages to capture a lot of action and although this is Goku when he was much, much younger, even then, he was no slouch and had very good fighting ability. And there was more emphasis on the storyline as well.

For parents wondering about the TV 14 rating, part of it is because Goku is nude quite a few times and also, when he finds out that females are not the same as males (and he hasn’t been around humans all that long), Goku tends to touch people in the crotch to see if they are male or female. Also, during Krillin’s fight with Bacterium, there are things that the opponent does that you will never seen in a television series, let alone an animated series. And the characters of Oolong and even Master Roshi are characters that are quite perverted.

As for the DVD, as mentioned, this is the best I have seen “Dragon Ball” look and 31 episodes for the first volume is pretty much a bargain for what it’s sold for. Granted, I wish there were some special features included outside of textless theme songs but overall, you’re getting your money’s worth with these box set releases.

Granted, if I had to find a negative and wanted to be nitpicky, I can easily complain that the fifth disc only contains three episodes and that the Japanese audio track was not in Dolby Digital 5.1 but truthfully, 31 episodes is still plentiful and for purists, you do get the Japanese audio track in its original mono format. Really, there is nothing I can really complain about this release. It’s a very solid release that is affordable and just worth it!

Overall, “Dragon Ball – Season One” is another wonderful release from FUNimation Entertainment. Fans of any of the “Dragon Ball” series will definitely want to make sure this one is in their collection. Highly recommended!

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

Sons of Anarchy – Season One (A J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

August 27, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“A violent, gritty and riveting drama series from Kurt Sutter, writer/producer of “The Shield”. Well-cast, well-written storylines and a Shakespeare Hamlet-esque type of series that will captivate you from beginning to end! The Blu-ray version of this series showcases the vibrant picture quality and the lossless audio makes this version the definitive one to own. Highly recommended!”

TITLE: Sons of Anarchy – Season One

DURATION: 13 Episodes (594 Minutes)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1), AVC @ 23MBPS, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital, Subtitled in English SDH, Spanish and French

COMPANY: FX Productions/Twentieth Century Fox

RATED: N/A

Release Date: August 18, 2009

Created by Kurt Sutter

Directed by Stephen T. Kay, Guy Feland, Bill Gierhart, Gwyneth Horder-Payton

Written by Kurt Sutter, Dave Erickson, Jack LoGiudice

Executive Producer – Art Linson, John Linson, Kurt Sutter

Co-Executive Producer – James D. Parriott

Produced by Kevin G. Cremin

Associated Produced by Craig Yahata

Consulting Producer: Jack LoGiudice, Dave Erickson

Music by Bob Thiele Jr.

Cinematography by Paul Maibaum

Edited by Jordan Goldman, Hunter M. Via, Jacques Gravett

Casting by Wendy O’Brien

Production Design by Anthony Medina

Art Direction by Lori Agostino, William Eliscu

Set Decoration by Lance Lombardo, Dena Allen

Costume Design by Kelli Jones

Starring:

Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller Morrow

Charlie Hunnam as Jackson “Jax” Teller

Ron Perlman as Clarence “Clay” Morrow

Theo Rossi as Jean Carlos “Juice” Ortiz

Kim Coates as Alex “Tig” Trager

Johnny Lewis as Kip “Half Sack” Epps

Maggie Siff as Tara Knowles

Mark Boone Junior as Robert “Bobby” Munson

Tomm Flanagan as Filip “Chibs” Telford

Dayton Callie as Chief Wayne Unser

Ryan Hurst as Harry “Opie” Winston

Taylor Sheridan as Deputy Chief David Hale

Dendrie Taylor as Luanne

From an executive producer of The Shield, comes a gripping drama that takes you into the ruthless underworld of outlaw bikers. The Sons of Anarchy live, ride and die for brotherhood. But as the club’s leader (Ron Perlman) and his wife (Katey Sagal) steer them in an increasingly lawless direction, her son Jax (Charlie Hunnam) is torn between loyalty and the legacy in this adrenaline charged first season.

“Sons of Anarchy” comes from the mind of Kurt Sutter, a former writer and co-producer of FX’s popular (and now recently concluded) series “The Shield”. Joining Sutter are fellow writers Dave Erickson (“Canterbury’s Law”) and Jack LoGiudice (“Street Time”, “Resurrection Blvd.” and “7th Heaven”), composer Bob Theile Jr. (“The Office”) and cinematography by Paul Maibaum (“My Boys”, “Samantha WHO?” and “Related”).

The drama series revolves around a motorcycle club known as the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original (SAMCRO). With SAMCRO chapters across the country, the original Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club was formed in an area called Charming. Members consist of normal men who have their own responsibilities, life style and jobs but what they have in common is their allegiance towards the club. And that allegiance includes being part of a life of danger. For the Sons of Anarchy, the group makes a lot of money by dealing with importing illegal weapons which they sell to other gangs in the Bay Area (primarily the East Bay area), dealing with other organizations or mafia connections but taking a pride in their city and protecting local businesses and the people of the area.

They are well-connected and also have ties to the inside of law enforcement and thus, are able to maintain their operations. But of course, all is not safe as major gangs are there to cause the club some havoc. There are those who try to mess with them or steal SAMCRO’s shipments such as the white supremacist group known as the “Nords”, their Latino rivals from Oakland known as the “Mayans” and possibly other dangers including the authorities.

The first season of “Sons of Anarchy” focuses on member Jax (Charlie Hunman, “Undeclared”, “Hooligans”), a member who tends to takes care of operations for the club and is quite respectful of his allegiance to the club that his father John had started and ran until his death many years ago.

SAMCRO is now run by Clarence “Clay” Morrow (Ron Perlman, “Hellboy” films and “Beauty and the Beast”) who married Jax’s mother Gemma (Katey Sagal, “Married with Children”, “Futurama”, “8 Simple Rules…For Dating My Teenage Daughter”) and have lived a life of making money but now are starting to feel the financial constraints.

Both have made the Sons of Anarchy to a club that is profitable (due to the club’s illegal dealings) but things start to change when Jax discovers his father’s belongings especially with the discovery of his dead father’s unpublished manuscript. It appears that his father has envisioned change for the Sons of Anarchy and because of this, Jax notices that with all the trouble and danger the club faces now, perhaps its time to change things for the positive for the club.

Jax eventually starts to show doubts towards the club’s activities and starts to become more compassionate to the personal lives of some of the members and thus puts himself into a position that can lead to conflict with the his step-father/leader of the Sons of Anarchy. Of course, this change of thought starts to rub certain members the wrong way, some who question Jax’s ability to lead in the future.

Needless to say, Jax’s mother, Gemma starts to be concerned of her son’s interest in her dead husband’s belongings and looks at things as if her deceased husband is trying to talk to her son from the grave. Thus, she wants her husband Clay to make sure that Jax doesn’t hurt the operations of the Sons of Anarchy and make sure he doesn’t stray.

Throughout the series, we get to see how the club operates but most of all how tight or how troubled the internal brotherhood is between the members of the motorcycle club and the dangers they face.

Members of the Son of Anarchy also include:

Bobby “Elvis” Munson (Mark Boone Junior) - The treasurer of the club and an Elvis impersonator
Tig Trager (Kim Coates) – The sergeant-at-arms. Clay’s right hand man and incredibly violent. Doesn’t believe in Jax as the successor to the club.
Filip “Chibs” Telford (Tommy Flanagan) - The medic of the club that served for the British Army.
Piermont “Piney” Winston (William Lucking) – Opie’s father and co-founder of SAMCRO.
Harry “Opie” Winston (Ryan Hurst) – A member of SAMCRO who has been off-an-on with the group because of his obligations to his wife and kids. Thus he stays away from their illegal activities.
Juan Carlos “Juice” Ortiz (Theo Rossi) - The club’s intelligence officer, ahe hacker and the guy with the inside connections.
Kip “Half-Sack” Epps (Johnny Lewis) - A member of the club and former Iraq vet.

“Sons of Anarchy – Season One” is featured on three Blu-ray discs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 1 – Pilot – Introduction to the characters and Jax’s pregnant ex-girlfriend goes into a drug overdose and harms his baby. Meanwhile, the Sons of Anarchy’s weapons have been stolen by The Mayans and now they must recover the weapons.
EPISODE 2 – Seeds – There’s a new deputy chief in Charming and is on to the Sons of Anarchy. Meanwhile, SOA member Opie and his family are having financial problems.
EPISODE 3 – Fun Town – The daughter of a prominent Charming family is assaulted and the Sons of Anarchy (who protect their town) needs to take care of business.
EPISODE 4 – Patch Over – The Sons of Anarchy try to help out their Nevada brothers known as the Devil’s Tribe. Especially now that they have been threatened by the Mayans.
EPISODE 5 – Giving Back – Clay must protect a parolee, meanwhile SAMCRO is being investigated.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 6 – AK-51 – Clay has Jax work on a project for him and a way to see where Jax’s mind is for the club.
EPISODE 7 – Old Bones – Old bones are discovered outside of Charming and secrets of Clay may be revealed.
EPISODE 8 – The Pull – SAMCRO gets into more financial problems, meanwhile the Nords and Mayans continue to grow their partnership.
EPISODE 9 – Hell Followed – SAMCRO gets their revenge against a rival biker club.
EPISODE 10 – Better Half - Agent Stahl starts to investigate the women of SAMCRO.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 11 – Capybara – Jax is put into a situation in which he must choose to be there as a friend for the members of the club vs. his allegiance to the club.
EPISODE 12 – The Sleep of Babies - Clay has to make a difficult decision on how to pay for Bobby’s defense. Meanwhile, Abel’s return home causes severe problems for the club and a tragedy for the club.
EPISODE 13 – The Revelator – Jax goes on a search for who murdered a person close to them and Jax discovers the awful truth that the murderer may be someone he knows really well.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Sons of Anarchy – Season One” is presented in 1080p High Definition (AVC @ 23MBPS), widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1:78:1. The series is a series that has a large number of scenes shot outdoors and for the most part, the picture quality features excellent detail.

From the scenery of the mountains, the motorcycles, the weapons, the explosions, the violent maiming of gangsters and the blood, burnt flesh and details of the wounds are quite clear and detailed on this Blu-ray release.

Also, during the darker scenes, I didn’t catch any major high compression or high noise during those low-light situations. Skin tones are natural and you can catch some scenes with the skin pores and for the most part, the picture quality is brilliant although you do see occasional grain but definitely not distracting.

Audio is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (Spanish in Dolby Digital). “Sons of Anarchy” is a series that takes advantage of the lossless audio track. From the revving of the engines of the Harley-Davidson motorcycles to the booms of explosions and the gunshots, the series definitely utilizes the surrounds during those action-scenes.

For the most part, the explosions and weapons are minimal and most of the audio is dialogue-driven and is primarily front and center channel driven. As with the rock music that plays throughout the series. But for the most part, fans of the series will enjoy the lossless track and its use of the various channels throughout the series.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Sons of Anarchy – Season One” comes with the following special features:

DISC 1:

On disc 1, select audio and you will be able to find the following audio commentary:

Commentary for Pilot - Featuring audio commentary with Kurt Sutter, Guy Feeland, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal.

DISC 2:

On disc 2, select audio and you will be able to find the following audio commentary:

Commentary for the Pull - Featuring audio commentary with Kurt Sutter, Guy Feeland, Maggie Siff and Charlie Hunnam.

DISC 3:

Commentary for the Revelator- Featuring audio commentary with Kurt Sutter, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Kim Coates, Mark Boone Junior, Theo Rossi, Ryan Hurst, William Lucking, Johnny Lewis and Tommy Flanagan.
The Making of Sons of Anarchy, Season 1 - (8:59) Interviews with the producers, creator and cast about the series. Kurt Sutter talks about spending time with the outlaw community and trying to make the series authentic.
The Ink – (4:50) Biker clubs have their own logo and patches and how the “Sons of Anarchy” insignia was created. Interviews with cast and crew including tattoo artists and insignia creators Freddy Corbin and Derrick Snodgrass.
The Bikes – (7:08) The cast and crew talk about riding motorcycles and their appreciation of riding them. Crew talk about the different bikes that each character rides.
Casting Sons of Anarchy – (14:47) Kurt Sutter (series creator/writer) and Wendy O’Brien (casting) discuss the casting of “Sons of Anarchy”. The two discuss the importance of finding people who really look like they fit the part.
Deleted Scenes – (35:05) Around 30 deleted scenes which can be watched individually or via “play all”.
Anarchy on the Set (Gag Reel) – (6:53) A hilarious gag reel.

“Sons of Anarchy” is one of those rare series that you will catch on television. The interesting thing is that back in the late 1970′s, the outlaw life was typically portrayed on television as this hell-bent biker gang but films really never fully explored it well, actually, if anything, they were just used as an episode of “C.H.I.P.S” and were people wreaking havoc on innocents.

There is a culture among the biker clubs and it was great to see a series that featured characters in a variety of depth and it is quite evident that creator/writer Kurt Sutter did his research well in capturing that culture, the look and feel of the individuals (and of course, great casting) but bringing together this gritty storyline of opposing gangs and rival biker clubs and creating this world where life is not always peaceful and allegiance for the club, you need to sacrifice for the club. Personally, I was captivated by the storytelling and from beginning to end, realize that hell is going to break loose in Season 2. Granted, I say this not knowing anything about motorcycle gangs up-close and personal but I would assume with all the time that Sutter spent with the various motorcycle clubs, there are some aspects of that culture that he brought into this fictional drama series. And of course, that correlation to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” makes the series quite intriguing.

I have to admit that before watching the series, I wasn’t sure how Charlie Hunnam (who typically plays popular guy that the girls dig type of roles), Katey Sagal who has been in more sitcom-based shows and more dramatic series and of course, Ron Perlman, an actor that viewers are used to seeing him in “Hellboy” or the old classic “Beauty and the Beast” series. But for the most part, each of the talent did wonderful job and the series is literally well-cast. Hunnam as Jax sans the English accent almost has this Heath Ledger type of feel to his character that works. Katey Sagal does an excellent job playing a mother, but a mother who has the potential of going bad. And of course, Ron Perlman definitely has that look of a person you don’t want to cross. Add in the other talent and overall, the way they play their characters are is convincing. Again, the talent are definitely well-cast!

The Blu-ray further enhances the enjoyment of the series with picture quality really capturing the violence and grittiness of the series. In the first episode, the first time you lay your eyes on the charred remains of two people, you know that this series is not going to be “pedestrian” and by the end of the first episode, you realize that the series is quite violent but fits the situation quite well. As mentioned before, the lossless audio track definitely compliments the series, especially for those who can’t get enough of that engine revving of the Harley’s in high definition. Also, picture quality is well-done and again, as beautiful as the scenery is of the mountain regions and the camera panning through the various Harley’s, the picture quality also captures the detail of the violence of the series.

“Sons of Anarchy – Season One” was definitely a big surprise for me and it’s good to know that FX has continued the trend of having well-written, well-cast and overall, another riveting drama series. Overall, this series is highly recommended!

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