Tales of the Abyss Vol. 2: Limited Edition (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

January 14, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

The story gets even deeper, more tragic but still this series remains addictive! Definitely one of the better video game to anime adaptations out there! If you love anime adventure anime series, “Tales of the Abyss” is recommended!

TITLE: Tales of the Abyss Vol. 2

ANIME RELEASE: 2008

DURATION: (Episodes 8-14) 175 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Full English Subtitles/Songs & Signs

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

RATED: Suggested 13 and Up

RELEASED: January 3, 2012

Directed by Kenji Kodama

Series Composition by Akemi Omode

Music by Motoi Sakuraba

Original Character Design by Yoshihito Hishinuma

Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda

Mechanical and Monster Design by Junya Ishigaki

Sound Director: Eriko Kimura

Director of Photography: Shigemi Ogawa

Anime Production by Bandai Visual/Namco/Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Chihiro Suzuki as Luke Fone Fabre

Yukana as Tear Grants

Halko Momoi as Anise Tatlin

Jouji Nakata as Van Grants

Michiko Neya as Natalia L. K. Lanvaldear

Miki Maruyama as Mieu

Sho Hayami as Lorelei

Takehito Koyasu as Jade Curtis

Yasunori Matsumoto as Guy Cecil

Yukana as Yulia Jue

War is aborted between the two dominant nations of the planet Auldrant, and the King of Kimlasca appoints Luke to be a goodwill ambassador in order to rescue a mining town in enemy territory. The noble heir apparent is excited with the chance to be a hero… but little does he know that General Van plans to use the spoiled kid’s hyper-resonance superpower to cause an enormous disaster.

Accompanied by magical warriors Jade the Necromancer, Colonel of the Malkuth Imperial Forces, and Tear Grants, Locrian Sergeant of the Order of Lorelei, Luke’s adventure continues through this alternate-reality world of swords and sorcery.

“Tales of the Abyss” Vol. 2 feature a more deeper, complex storyline as the truth about Luke and Asch is revealed!

In Japan, one of the longest franchises for fantasy RPG is the “Tales” series from Namco Bandai games

The series began back in 1994 with “Tales of Phantasia” and as of 2011, the series currently on its 13th series with “Tales of Xillia”. But in 2005, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series, Namco Bandai celebrated with “Tales of the Abyss”, a video game that was created for the Sony PlayStation 2.

While there has been anime adaptations primarily in OVA format, in 2008, a full 26-episode TV series was created and aired in Japan from Oct. 2008 through March 2009.

And now the second volume of the anime series will be released in the United States courtesy of Bandai Entertainment in Jan. 2012 featuring episodes 8-14. A limited edition version of “Tales of the Abyss” vol. 2 will be released and will include the second and final part of “Tales of the Abyss: Asch the Bloody” (a side tale featuring Asch).

SUMMARY OF VOLUME 1:

“Tales of the Abyss” the anime series begins with a prophecy made by a religious figure named Yulia Jue, a Seventh Fonist who is able to read the future. Yulia has written the future in scores that are documented in Fonstones. But something happened and the Fonstones were shattered and scattered around the world.

And this has led to infighting and long standing war between the nations of Kimlasca-Landvaldear and Malkuth who have been collecting the Fonstones in order to know about their future and finding out before the other nation does. Fortunately, there has been peace declared in the planet of Auldrant and the nations have ceased any war or battling for quite some time.

The series then focuses around the character Luke fon Fabre, the youngest son of Duke Fabre of the Kimlasca Kingdom. His Uncle has the family has literally kept Luke captive within the grounds of their home and has not been able to leave. All he looks forward to is learning to fight by his Master Van. But because of the royal duty of his parents, Luke rarely sees his father. So, his closest relationships are with the servants, Master Van, his good friend and swordsman Guy Cecil (who happens to be afraid of physical contact with women for some reason) and he is engaged to Princess Natalia of Kimlasca-Landvaldear. A promise that was made between both Luke and Natalia when they were younger.

The problem is that Luke has no such memory of what took place when he was younger. He was kidnapped by the Malkuth Empire and was found but have lost any memories prior to when he was a teenager.

Another problem that Luke faces is a recurring “hyperresonance” within him that makes him loses control of some unknown power or to give him visions of something he is not sure of yet. In fact, sometimes he is able to hear voices but has no idea where it’s coming from. These situations began not long after the kidnapping.

One day, as his Master Van is given orders to look for Fon Master Ion, the leader of the Order of Lorelei who is missing, Master Van promises Luke a good day of training before he leaves.

As the two are sparring, a mysterious woman named Tear Grants comes towards the home of the fon Fabres and she renders everyone to sleep through the use of Fonic Hymns. Her goal is to kill Master Van and as she begins to fight him, Luke quickly comes between them and blocs her strike.

But somehow Luke’s mysterious power and Tear’s mysterious power somehow combines and both are transported a long way from home to some unknown destination.

Now both Luke and Tear Grants, who is revealed to be a Locrian Sergeant of the Order of Lorelei’s Intelligence Division are in the middle of nowhere and must find a way to get back home.

As the two try to get a ride to the Capital city, they find out that they are headed to the capital of the Malkuth Empire not the capital of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. And because Luke is a fon Fabre, his presence in Malkuth can be seen as hostile (and reignite the war). Fortunately, Tear is nearby to watch over him but she is surprised of how sheltered he had been because being out in the wide open, he has never seen animals, the ocean or villages ever in his life.

But through his adventures with Tear Grants, he begins to meet other people who end up joining him on his mission to return home but also to make sure there is peace in the world. Joining him are Jade Curtiss, a colonel of the Malkiuth Empire and is known as the feared “Jade the Necromancer”, Fon Master Ion who is trying to keep the piece between the nations, his bodyguard Anise Tatlin, a guardian of the Order of Lorelei (who is 13-years-old and has fallen for Luke), Luke’s good friend Guy Curtiss and a Cheagle named Mieu.

But there is a lot of deceit and corruption going on in the world, for some reason, the God Generals are trying to create trouble and kidnap Fon Master Ion.

Meanwhile, according to a score written by Yulia, a red-head child would be born to save the world. Because of his hyperresonance, a few who are familiar with Luke’s power feel that Luke may be the red-head child as prophesized to save the world. But one day, when the group are trying to rescue Fon Master Ion who was captured by the God Generals, Luke encounters Asch the Bloody. A man who has the same hair and same face as Luke?

How can this be possible?

ONTO “TALES OF THE ABYSS” VOL. 2:

The adventures continue with Luke and friends arriving to the land of Akzeriuth. Because Van has pretty much built Luke’s ego up to thinking that he will be the hero that will rescue everyone on Akzeriuth, while everyone is out helping the survivors who are suffering from the miasma (a poisonous pink cloud), Luke wanders away in a bit of anger that his friends are not listening to him and rather tend to the injured.

While roaming alone, Luke sees Van and Van lies to Luke that in order to protect Akzeriuth, he just needs to destroy the Sephiroth with his hyper-resonance.

Meanwhile, Asch arrives and tries to prevent Luke from destroying the Sephiroth but Luke doesn’t want to listen and thinks that what his Master Van is telling him is the truth and that he will save the land of Akzeriuth. But when Luke destroys the resonance, Van reveals that Luke is nothing but a replica and Luke and Ion both collapse.

Asch, Tear and friends manage to arrive just in time to protect Luke and Ion but unfortunately, Akzeriuth is destroyed in the process and thousands are killed.

When Luke awakens, he is not sure what happens but he can tell by everyone’s face that they are upset with him. Luke learns that because he destroyed the Sephiroth, he was the person responsible for destroying Akzeriuth.

Also revealed is that humans live in an area called the outlands and their lands are being held up in the air by Sephiroths because the original land was consumed by the poisonous Miasma. And that the intent by Van is to take revenge on the destruction of homeland by destroying humanity on the outlands by destroying each Sephiroth.

Also revealed is why Luke and Asch have this special connection and that Asch is the original Luke Fon Fabre and Luke is nothing but a replica.

And now with his friends upset, a distraught Luke realizes that he has been a person who never lived his own life but was constantly listening to others of how he should live his life. And now, knowing the truth that he is only a replica, he wants to make things right once again and create his own destiny by starting anew.

“Tales of the Abyss” Vol. 2 comes with seven episodes. Here is spoiler-less summary of each episode:

EPISODE 8: Collapse - Luke and friends arrive to Azkeriuth. Meanwhile, Van has a job for both Luke and Ion…what can it be?
EPISODE 9: The Usurped ONE – Luke awakens, to find out that his egotistical decision has led to unbelievable tragedy. And all is revealed of who Luke truly is.
EPISODE 10: Return of Atonement – Luke and Tear return to the Outer Lands and he realizes that he must atone for what he has done.
EPISODE 11: City of Falling Snow – Jade takes everyone to the port of Keterburg Bay for repairs. Where he meets with his sister Nephry, the governor.
EPISODE 12: Water Metropolis – The group arrives in Grand Chokmah and both must stop both the Malkuth and Kimlasca from going into war with each other.
EPISODE 13: Outbreak of War – As the group splits in half in order to stop the war, all is revealed of Natalia’s true identity.
EPISODE 14: Sealed Past – The group travels to Belken to stop the fallen lands from sinking into the Qliphoth. Meanwhile, something happens to Tear…

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Tales of the Abyss” is presented in 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with English subtitles. For those who are familiar with the video game, the character designs are pretty much spot-on and the mechanical and monster designs are as well. A good balance of animation and CG, “Tales of the Abyss” is an adventure-based series which brings the characters to various locations and featuring a variety of characters. So, one of the major plus about the series is the constant moving around and scenery is not re-used over and over again.

Colors are vibrant, art backgrounds are well-painted and rendered. Character designs are very complimentary to the video game and for the most part, fans of “Tales of the Abyss” will find the overall animation to be quite solid for a TV series.

As for audio, “Tales of Abyss” is only in Japanese, no English dub and comes with English subtitles.

For the most part, I did enjoy the voice acting for the series but when it came to translations, I noticed a few changes to appeal to a Western audience, for example, when Luke tells Guy “Urusai!” (which means “shut-up!”), the English translation given was “Kiss my butt!”. Also, there were some English subtitles that I wondered if it was translated to sound a bit old English (with Master Van’s character), but I noticed it only happening in episode 1 but not on any other episode after.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Tales of the Abyss Vol. 2″ includes the following special features:

Textless Ending “Bouken Suisei”
Trailers – Bandai Entertainment Trailers

EXTRAS:

“Tales of the Abyss Vol. 2: Limited Edition” comes with a slipcase and a copy of “Tales of the Abyss: Asch the Bloody Vol. 2″ manga. The manga is the second and final graphic novel featuring the quest of Asch the Bloodyy not featured in the anime series.

In the beginning episodes of “Tales of the Abyss”, the series was lighthearted, humorous and all-out fun. But as the series progressed, the story became much more deeper and serious and with these episodes of vol. 2, “Tales of the Abyss” has become even more serious as major tragedies take place, the identities of Asch and Luke, as well as Natalia has been revealed. And not just that, we also get to know more about why Van, the man that Luke had trusted…has become the man he must stop.

Suffice to say, these episodes are much deeper than before and the adventures of Luke and friends have really become quite intriguing as there is a lot of conspiracy taking place and things are not as they seem.

“Tales of the Abyss” has everything that you look for in an adventure series based on the video game. A lot of action, monsters and the progression of a character through the adventure.

Also, featured are enjoyable characters such as the naive Luke, the mysterious Jade, the friend/enemy Tear, the chirpy Anise, to name a few… This is the kind of video game to anime adaptations that I tend to enjoy the most because it is based on a video game series and draws heavily on it, unlike another popular video game series which has had anime series that typically have no ties to a video game but only in title. It also helps that the series is coming out to the USA in coordination with the video game Nintendo 3DS release of “Tales of the Abyss” in Feb. 2012.

So far, this first volume literally kept me glued to the whole series and just watching episode after episode…I enjoyed it a lot and I can’t wait for volume 3. The adventures and also the challenges that Luke and the others must go through has continued to escalate more and more with each episode. It a complex series but easy to follow, enjoy and it’s so darn addictive! It’s that good!

As for the DVD, it’s only Japanese dialogue with English subtitles and there is only one special feature. But for a Bandai Entertainment release, I’m glad that there are seven episodes, rather than just four. So, I suppose to make up for the fact that there is no English dub or that many special features, we are treated with more episodes. The limited edition does have the “Tales of the Abyss: Asch the Bloody” vol. 2 manga which was a very cool addition, especially for those who are wondering what is happening to Asch behind the scenes when Luke and the others are on their adventures.

Overall, “Tales of the Abyss” is an exciting and enjoyable series! Definitely recommended for those looking for an action/adventure anime series that is well-written, features cool characters and most of all, is one of the better video game to anime adaptations out there!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Tales of the Abyss Vol. 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

November 12, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Addictive! Based on the popular PS2 RPG video game, “Tales of the Abyss” is an action adventure anime series with cool characters, an entertaining storyline and leaves you craving for even more after the first volume. Definitely recommended!

TITLE: Tales of the Abyss Vol. 1

ANIME RELEASE: 2008

DURATION: (Episodes 1-7) 175 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Full English Subtitles/Songs & Signs

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

RATED: Suggested 13 and Up

RELEASED: October 11, 2011

Directed by Kenji Kodama

Series Composition by Akemi Omode

Music by Motoi Sakuraba

Original Character Design by Yoshihito Hishinuma

Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda

Mechanical and Monster Design by Junya Ishigaki

Sound Director: Eriko Kimura

Director of Photography: Shigemi Ogawa

Anime Production by Bandai Visual/Namco/Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Chihiro Suzuki as Luke Fone Fabre

Yukana as Tear Grants

Halko Momoi as Anise Tatlin

Jouji Nakata as Van Grants

Michiko Neya as Natalia L. K. Lanvaldear

Miki Maruyama as Mieu

Sho Hayami as Lorelei

Takehito Koyasu as Jade Curtis

Yasunori Matsumoto as Guy Cecil

Yukana as Yulia Jue

On the planet Audlant, global war is imminent between the Kingdom of Kimlasca and the Malkuth Empire. Their conflict had been prophesied in the Scores, a complete history of this world from its creation to its destruction once written on the mysterious stones. It also predicts the appearance of a new savior-hero, who is a red-haired male child with the name of “the Light of the Sacred Flame.”

Luke fon Fabre, a son of a noble family who has been confined in his father’s palace for years, feels impatient and defiant like any teenage boy. When a beautiful young lady named Tear suddenly intrudes into his training session and attacks General Van, who he respects as a master swordsman, the spoiled kid is spirited away and forced into a series of great adventures through this alternate-reality world of swords and sorcery.

In Japan, one of the longest franchises for fantasy RPG is the “Tales” series from Namco Bandai games

While there has been anime adaptations primarily in OVA format, in 2008, a full 26-episode TV series was created and aired in Japan from Oct. 2008 through March 2009.

And now the anime series will be released in the United States courtesy of Bandai Entertainment.

The problem is that Luke has no such memory of what took place when he was younger. He was kidnapped by the Malkuth Empire and was found but have lost any memories prior to when he was a teenager.

One day, as his Master Van is given orders to look for Fon Master Ion, the leader of the Order of Lorelei who is missing, Master Van promises Luke a good day of training before he leaves.

But somehow Luke’s mysterious power and Tear’s mysterious power somehow combines and both are transported a long way from home to some unknown destination.

Now both Luke and Tear Grants, who is revealed to be a Locrian Sergeant of the Order of Lorelei’s Intelligence Division are in the middle of nowhere and must find a way to get back home.

But there is a lot of deceit and corruption going on in the world, for some reason, the God Generals are trying to create trouble and kidnap Fon Master Ion.

How can this be possible?

“Tales of the Abyss” Vol. 1 comes with seven episodes. Here is spoiler-less summary of each episode:

EPISODE 1: World of the Scores - Luke fon Fabre and Tear Grants are transported to an unknown area. How will they get back home?
EPISODE 2: Forest of the Sacred Beast – Accused of stealing food, Luke fon Fabre wants to prove that he is not a bad guy, so he wants to capture the real thieves, the animals known as Cheagles.
EPISODE 3: Oracle Knights Assault – Luke and Tear are captured by Colonel Jade and both he and Fon Master Ion request Luke and Tear to help them.
EPISODE 4: The Hidden Truth – Scared from the events from the last episode, the group encounter Arietta who wants revenge against Luke and Tear.
EPISODE 5: Chosen Hero – Jade deciphers the Fon disc, meanwhile the group is encountered by Dist the Reaper.
EPISODE 6: Desert Rain – Fon Master Ion is captured and Luke tries to get him back against Asch the Bloody, but is shocked when he sees Asch’s face.
EPISODE 7: Isolation – Luke is having another hyper-resonance situation and hears Asch telling him to go to Zao Ruins. But why would Asch request Luke to go to that location?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

As for audio, “Tales of Abyss” is only in Japanese, no English dub and comes with English subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Tales of the Abyss Vol. 1″ includes the following special features:

Textless Opening “Karma Version 1″
Trailers – Bandai Entertainment Trailers

Fun, action-packed and a good balance between humor with a deep storyline that will definitely entice action/adventure anime fans but also a solid series based on the popular RPG video game.

“Tales of the Abyss” has everything that you look for in an adventure series based on the video game. A lot of action, monsters and the progression of a character through the adventure.

So far, this first volume literally kept me glued to the whole series and just watching episode after episode…I enjoyed it a lot and I can’t wait for volume 2.

Overall, “Tales of the Abyss” is an exciting and enjoyable series by far. Granted, it’s only the first seven episodes but I enjoyed this first volume a lot and look forward to the next volume.

A series that I recommend to fans of the video game and also for those looking for an action/adventure anime series!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie – A Wakening of the Trailblazer (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

July 6, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Have you been waiting for all-out mecha action on Blu-ray? For fans of “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″ and fans of mecha, will definitely appreciate this film on Blu-ray. “A Wakening of the Trailblazer” looks and sounds incredible on Blu-ray!

TITLE: Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie – A Wakening of the Trailblazer

DURATION: 120 Minutes

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

RATED: Suggested 13 and Up

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2011

Originally Created by Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino

Directed by Seiji Mizushima

Screenplay by Yousuke Kuroda

Music by Kenji Kawai

Character Design by Michinori Chiba, Yun Kouga

Art Director: Eiji Wakamatsu

Art Design by Nobuhito Sue

Featuring the voices of:

Hiroshi Kamiya/Samuel Vincent as Tieria Arde

Hiroyuki Yoshino/Richard Ian Cox as Allelujah Haptism

Mamoru Miyano/Brad Swaile as Setsuna F. Seiei

Shinichiro Miki as Lyle Dylandy / Lockon Stratos

Arisa Ogasawara/Tabith St. Germain as Marie Parfacy / Soma Peries

Ayahi Takagaki/Chantal Strand as Feldt Grace

Chiwa Saito/Kelly Sheridan as Louise Halevy

Haruka Tomatsu/Andrea Libman as Mileina Vashti

Hiroki Touchi/Andrew Francis as Lasse Aeon

Kenji Hamada/Trevor Devall as Patrick Colasour

Minami Takayama/Cathy Wesluck as Kati Mannequin

Miyu Irino/Gabe Khouth as Saji Crossroad

Rie Kugimiya/Nicole Bouma as Mina Carmine

Ryo Katsuji/ as Descartes Shaman

Youko Honna/Lisa Ann Beley as Sumeragi Lee Noriega

Yuji Ueda/Kirby Morrow as Billy Katagiri

Yuuichi Nakamura/Paul Dobson as Graham Aker

It is the year A.D. 2314. Two years have passed since the defeat of the ruthless A-LAWs, and the new Earth Sphere Federation government has sought for peace by establishing a weapon-free world. However, a long forgotten ship that was sent to Jupiter 130 years ago somehow returns to Earth, seemingly with no signs of life onboard, but actually bringing with it a dangerous new alien threat—the Extraterrestrial Living-metal Shapeshifters (ELS), who have started assimilating Earth’s technology and inhabitants. Now, with humanity at risk of total destruction, the Celestial Being makes its return to defend against the invasion of the ELS.

For fans of the “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″ series, “A Wakening of the Trailblazers” film is a fitting, action-packed conclusion to the series.

For those who are wondering what “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″ is all about, it’s important to explain a few details on the “Mobile Suit Gundam” storyline. First, there is the Universal Century (UC) storyline which many people who grew up with the series back in the late ’70s and ’80s grew up with and is considered the true timeline.

And then the ’90s spawned “alternate timelines” which include the Future Century, After Colony, After War, Correct Century, Cosmic Era, Anno Domini and Advanced Generation timelines.

“Mobile Suit Gundam 00″ is the eleventh Gundam franchise created back in 2007 and is part of the “Anno Domini” timeline. The 50-episode TV series was directed by Seiji Mizushima and written by Yosuke Kuroda and takes place in 2307 AD.

Earth has depleted all fossil fuels and now, humanity is in the search of new power. The power they found were solar power collectors which have orbited the earth and serves power to three “power blocks” which include the Union (North America), the Human Reform League (China, Japan, Russia and India and the AEU (Europe).

And because the power benefits the larger countries, minor countries are at war with the bigger countries for fuels and energy and the result was countries being forced into poverty and resulted in a 20-year Solar War.

Because the world was at chaos, a private military organization had created the Celestial Being, which comprises of people piloting Gundams in order to eradicate war and unite humanity. The series would focus on Setsuna F. Seiei, one of the pilots who is a member of the Celestial Being and because of the technology that they possess, they would eventually fight against the countries that comprise three power blocks, who would later be known as the United Nations Army.

Season one of “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″ would focus on the battle between the Celestial Beings and the UN Army. While the second season would focus on life on Earth, four years later. Humanity has now established the Earth Sphere Federation and times have changed. Setsuna who has been living in piece is brought back to the fight to confront the A-Laws, the group whose duty is to unify the nations, detsroy terrorist cells and enforce the will of mankind. But the group has been misusing their power.

And now “Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie: Awakening of the Trailblazer” now focuses on life two years after the turmoil. While all seems peaceful on Earth, Princess Marina Ismail of Azadistan, whose goal is to unite humanity and wanting to end the war. Both she and Setsuna have shared the same goal (in the TV series) but the film begins with many wondering what has happened to Setsuna and the Celestial Beings since it has been two years since the defeat of the A-Laws and the Innovators.

When someone tries to assassinate the Princess, Princess Ismail realizes that she has a long way to go in order to bring peace to the land but seeing the Celestial Beings rescue her, she realizes that they are watching over humanity and for the princess, she is happy.

But peace doesn’t last too long on Earth. An alien force has come towards Earth and when the Federation shoots it down, the debris falls on Earth and immediately machines begin to think on their own and start killing people.

For Amia Lee, when she returns home, her contact with the metal doorknob slowly starts to turn her into metal and when she is able to break free, she is encountered by a man who looks as if he will assimilate her.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Saji who is visiting Louise at an Earth Federation Hospital notices that something bad is going on and a man begins going after Louise. Setsuna comes to the rescue and shoots several rounds at the alien and when he sees the face of the being, the face is of Ribbons Almark, the man that Setsuna killed and the man responsible for leading the innovators.

It appears that these new alien invaders who are known as ELS are targeting the living innovators on Earth for some reason and is willing to cause destruction along the way.

With humanity now in peril and the ELS now attacking Earth, can Setsuna and the other members of Celestial Being save the planet from destruction?

VIDEO:

“Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie – A Wakening of the Trailblazer” is an animated film and if there is one thing that Sunrise has have a positive track record, it’s that their Gundam and mecha films look absolutely fantastic. And because the film is on Blu-ray, watching this film in HD, you get the best of digital animation and CG animation. The colors are vibrant, blacks are deep and bold, character designs and coloring for the entire film is absolutely wonderful.

Where the film does shine is its battle sequences. The way these sequences are animated is well-done and for the most part, anyone who wants more mecha on Blu-ray will surely enjoy the picture quality of this film. I detected no artifacts, no banding and no problems whatsoever.

This film looks fantastic on Blu-ray!

AUDIO:

“Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie – A Wakening of the Trailblazer” is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English and Japanese) and Dolby Digital 2.0. Of course, the lossless soundtrack is much better than its 2.0 counterpart and because this film has so much mecha action, there is a good use of LFE and the surround channels.

You can literally hear all the various, different Gundam’s fighting other mecha and you can expect every laser shot, every explosion and the overall sounds of war really taking over the soundscape with great efficacy.

Voice acting is good for both vocal tracks but I prefer the Japanese soundtrack much more! But once again, it’s all subjective to the listener.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie – A Wakening of the Trailblazer” comes with the following special features:

Special Announcements – (5:18) Contains four special announcements for “Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie – A Wakening of the Trailblazer”.
Theatrical Trailers – (2:31) Theatrical trailer for the film.
TV Commercials – (2:15) TV commercials for the film.
Extra Promotional Video – (2:02) “Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie – A Wakening of the Trailblazer” promotional video.
TV Series Guide – (4:17) A brief primer to the “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″ series.
Trailer for “Celestial Being” The Movie Within a Movie” – (1:21) A fun special feature featuring the characters of the “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″.
Trailers – Bandai Entertainment trailers

For fans of “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″, the movie “A Wakening of the Trailblazer” has a lot to offer in terms of the many characters from the series that are featured plus for fans of mecha action, the movie does a great job in featuring plenty of that as well.

But typically, when I watch an anime-based film, especially one that is derived from a television series, the question that I often ask myself is “how friendly is it to those who have never watched the series before?”.

For Bandai Entertainment, with the film “Eureka SeveN: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers”, we have a storyline that was an alternate storyline to help non-viewers get into the film, with “GUNBUSTER vs DIEBUSTER – THE GATTAI!! MOVIE – AIM FOR THE TOP”, these were condensed versions of the TV series, easy for non-viewers of the OVA’s to follow and these titles were accessible for American viewers who have never watched the series before but were purchasing them on Blu-ray.

With “Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie – A Wakening of the Trailblazer”, I can easily say that while many who have never series can understand its main plot, unfortunately it is not the most accessible film because you see so many characters that are featured in the film, some who are no longer alive or some that show up quickly for a cameo that may not mean much to the viewer who has not invested their time watching all 50-episodes of the TV series. There are a lot of references to the TV series as well as certain relationships that can explain why this person and that person acts a certain way towards each other. So, for those who haven’t seen the TV series, you may feel that you have missed out on something while watching the film.

With that being said, when it comes to these films, especially for a series lke “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″, because this is the 11th franchise for “Mobile Suit Gundam”, not everyone (except hardcore Gundam otaku) have watched every series in the last three decades and with “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″, those who would probably buy the film probably have invested their time watching the series. And for those who have, will definitely enjoy the film and how they try to include every character (even those who are dead) in the film, someway, some manner.

Also, the film is a conclusion to the series and after all the credits are done, viewers will be surprised to see an ending that takes place far into the future.

Last but not least, for fans of the series, whether or not they like the movie is all subjective, especially those who invested their time in watching all 50-episodes but for the Blu-ray itself, I can easily say that this film looks and sounds absolutely wonderful in HD. If I do have one irk, I do feel that the summary of what happened on “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″ the TV series, the TV Series Guide would have best been explained possibly in a longer featurette much longer than four minutes because its too short and it doesn’t do the series much justice because so much happened during the series which leads up to the movie.

Especially for those who have never seen the series before, the TV Series Guide featurette could have been better utilized. But there are other special features that are included on this Blu-ray, it would also have been great to have some commentary or a featurette that focuses on the screen premiere with the director and voice talent for the film.

Overall, if you are a “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″ fan or someone craving for more mecha action on Blu-ray, you can’t go wrong with “Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie – A Wakening of the Trailblazer”. Is it a great film compared to my favorites which are the first four Gundam UC films? Definitely not as the originals really showcased action and drama extraordinarily well. Not to say that “A Wakening of the Trailblazer” is all eyecandy and great for audiophiles but the story is good, just not great.

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

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

November 22, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

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

TITLE: Kurokami – The Animation – Volume Four

DURATION: EPISODES 12.5-16 (135 Minutes)

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

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

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

Release Date: November 23, 2010

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

Directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi

Series Composition by Reiko Yoshida

Original Character Design by Sung-woo Park

Character Design: Hiroyuki Nishimura

Art Director: Shunichiro Yoshihara

Chief Animation Director: Hiroyuki Nishimura

Art Design: Tomoyasu Fujise

Sound Director: Hiromi Kikuta

Director of Photography: Naoyuki Wada

Anime Production by Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Jason Griffith as Keita Ibuki

Laura Bailey as Kuro

Christopher Kromer as Daichi Kuraki

Crispin Freeman as Reishin

Emily Bauer as Riona Kogure

Eva Kaminsky as Nam

Julie Ann Taylor as Akane Sano

Kathleen McInerney as Yuki Kaionji

Marc Thompson as Hiyou

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Mikami Hojo

Michael Sinterniklaas as Punipuni

Patrick Seitz as Steiner

Stephanie Sheh as Excel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Kurokami the Animation” Backstory

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

VIDEO:

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

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

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

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

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

SPECIAL FEATURES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

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

November 7, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

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

TITLE: Kurokami – The Animation – Volume 3

DURATION: 100 Minutes

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

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

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

Release Date: October 5, 2010

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

Directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi

Series Composition by Reiko Yoshida

Original Character Design by Sung-woo Park

Character Design: Hiroyuki Nishimura

Art Director: Shunichiro Yoshihara

Chief Animation Director: Hiroyuki Nishimura

Art Design: Tomoyasu Fujise

Sound Director: Hiromi Kikuta

Director of Photography: Naoyuki Wada

Anime Production by Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Jason Griffith as Keita Ibuki

Laura Bailey as Kuro

Christopher Kromer as Daichi Kuraki

Crispin Freeman as Reishin

Emily Bauer as Riona Kogure

Eva Kaminsky as Nam

Julie Ann Taylor as Akane Sano

Kathleen McInerney as Yuki Kaionji

Marc Thompson as Hiyou

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Mikami Hojo

Michael Sinterniklaas as Punipuni

Patrick Seitz as Steiner

Stephanie Sheh as Excel

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

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

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

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

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

VIDEO:

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

SPECIAL FEATURES:

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

Bandai Entertainment Previews

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

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

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

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

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

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2: Part 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

October 10, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Code Geass Lelouch” returns with the sequel “Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″ which takes place a year after the events of the first season finale. Action-packed, dark and entertaining episodes that the first season was known for, but a bit more emotional (and emotionally twisted) this time around. Part 1 is packed with special features and overall, if you enjoyed the first season, you’ll definitely want to check out the sequel!

DVD TITLE: Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2: Part 1

DURATION: 7 Episodes (175 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Original Uncut Episodes,English and Japanese Stereo, 1:78:1 anamorphic widescreen, Bilingual (Japanese and English), English Subtitles

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

RATED: Suggested 13 and Up

Release Date: August 18, 2009

Produced by MBS, SUNRISE, PROJECT GEASS

Original Story by Ichirou Ohkouchi and Goro Taniguchi

Director: Goro Taniguchi

PRODUCERS: Hiroshi Morotomi, Yoshitaka Kawaguchi, Takuo Munegishi, Atsushi Yukawa

Character Design: Takahiro Kimura

Character Design Concept: CLAMP

Art Director: Yoshinori Hishinuma

Mecha Design/Character Design: Kenji Teraoka

Main Animators: Takahiro Kimura, Yuriko Chiba, Eiji Nakada, Seiichi Nakatani

Assistant Director: Kazuya Murata

Assistant Series Planner: Hiroyuki Yoshino

Series Planner: Ichirou Ohkouchi

Knightmare Design: Akira Yasuda, Eiji Nakada, Junichi Akutsu (BEE CRAFT)

Featuring the following voice talent:

Jun Fukuyama/Johnny Yong Bosch as Lelouch Lamperouge

Takahiro Sakurai/Yuri Lowenthal as Suzaku Kururugi

Yukana/Kate Higgins as C.C.

Akeno Watanabe/Megan Hollingshead as Viletta Nu

Ami Koshimizu/Karen Strassman as Kallen Stadtfeld

Fumiko Orikasa/Amy Kincaid as Shirley Fenette

Jouji Nakata/Jamieson Price as Diethard Ried

Junko Minagawa/Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Cornelia Li Britannia

Kaori Nazuka/Rebecca Forstadt as Nunnally Lamperouge

Kazato Tomizawa/Cindy Robinson as V.V.

Kazunari Tanaka/Michael Lindsay as Shinichiro Tamaki

Ken Narita/Crispin Freeman as Jeremiah Gottwald

Kikuko Inoue/Deborah Sale Butler as Cecile Croomy

Masayo Kurata/Laura Bailey as Rakshata Chawla

Mitsuaki Madono/Kirk Thornton as Kaname Ougi

Noriaki Sugiyama/Brian Beacock as Rivalz Cardemonde

Norihiro Inoue/Troy Baker as Schneizel El Britannia

Omi Minami/Michelle Ruff as Euphemia Li Britannia

Saeko Chiba/Kim Mai Guest as Nina Einstein

Sayaka Ohara/Julie Ann Taylor as Milly Ashford

Tetsu Shiratori/Liam O’Brien as Lloyd Asplund

Yuuji Takada/Steven Blum as Kyoshiro Todo

On August 10th of the year 2010 the Holy Empire of Britannia began a campaign of conquest, its sights set on Japan. In the span of one month the island nation was conquered. As a dominion of the Empire the newly acquired territory was renamed Area 11. The rights of its citizens were severely limited and an economic depression followed for the Japanese, now known as Elevens.

Just as things seemed at their bleakest one man chose to stand up and fight, the masked crusader Zero. Leading his Order of Black Knights, Zero instigated a full scale revolution against Britannia culminating in one final battle, the Black Rebellion. Heavy casualties were seen by both sides but ultimately Britannia stood the victor resulting in Zero’s execution. And thus was history written.

The year is now 2018. With Zero dead and the remnants of the Black Knights being swept up by the Britannian forces, a forced state of peace settles over Area 11. The rights of the Elevens remain limited but with no one to lead them and the defeat during the Black Rebellion hanging over them, the Japanese people remain under the boot of Britannian oppression with no hope to overcome.

“CODE GEASS: Lelouch of the Rebellion” has been a gripping and thrilling series since the beginning of its first season. An anime series that features drama and action, strong character development, the pace never slows down, things continue to escalate with each episode and manages to captivate you by its well-written storyline and beautiful animation.

And now available on DVD is the four volume sequel, “CODE GEASS: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″ from Bandai Entertainment. The first season which aired on TBS ran from October 2006 through July 2007. While the sequel aired on TBS through April through September 2008, both seasons featured 25 episodes each.

The Series revolves around Lelouch Lamperouge, one of the children of the Britannian Emperor. As a child, Lelouch has harbored resentment towards his Britannian roots since the death and murder of his mother, Marianne vi Britannia. When he was younger, he spoke out against his father and by doing so, he and his sister Nunally (who was blinded and crippled during the murder of her mother) have lived with the Ashford family, hiding their Britannian ancestry. But for Lelouch, he has always wanted to take revenge against his father, even if it means destroying Britannia, including his siblings.

Japan has harbored a hatred towards Britannia, ever since the country took over Japan, made the major cities into slums and have called the Japanese not by their country name but they are known as “Elevens”. In the first volume of “CODE GEASS: Lelouch of the Rebellion”, we see how Lelouch has received the power of the Geass. A power given to him by an immortal being known as C.C. (the girl with green hair) but for a price, which is a contract between the two which is unknown. The Geass allows Lelouch to use it once on a person by looking into their eyes and have them do whatever he wants. With this power, he has assumed the identity of the terrorist ZERO, who has managed to amass a great number of Elevens and name them the “Black Masks”, a group that counters the Britannians and eventually taking their technology and grow in force.

Opposing Zero is actually Lelouche’s childhood friend Suzaku Kururgi, the pilot of Britannia’s awesome mecha known as the “Lancelot”. He is the son of Japan’s last Prime Minister and also the primary Japanese taken in by the Britannia and a warrior who opposes all that Zero stands for. He and Princess Euphemia (Lelouche’s half sister and third princess of Britannia) are quite smitten with each other.

In the end of the first season, Lelouch kills his sister Princess Euphemia in front of Suzaku. Lelouch then announces his plan for the United States of Japan. Meanwhile, Suzaku learns of Zero’s power thanks tot he mysterious V.V., who has kidnapped Lelouch’s sister Nunnally. Because his sister means everything to him, Lelouch goes after her. But without a leader, the Black Knights lose against the Brittanian army and the series ended with Suzaku and even Kalen learning the true identity of Zero, that the leader is Lelouch.

“Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″ takes place a year after the events of the Black Rebellion. For some reason, Lelouch Lamperouge is living his regular school life but has no memories of his life within the past year. The Black Knights lead a rebellion to recover Lelouch.

“Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2: Part 1″ comes with episodes 1-7 on two discs:

DISC 1:

Turn 01 – The Day a Demon Awakens - Lelouch attends school and live life like a normal teenager but something is not right…he has a younger brother named Rolo and a mysterious green hair woman wants to reawaken his memories.
Turn 02 – Plan for Independent Japan - Lelouch remembers how his father, the emperor, had erased his memories and now know Rolo must be a spy. But he must pretend that he’s still the same, while as Zero, directing the Black Knights in counterattacking the Britannian forces.
Turn 03 – Imprisoned in Campus - Because Lelouch was at Ashford Academy during the broadcast, Villeta Nu and her division have doubt he was Zero after all. Meanwhile, the Black Knights take on a Knightmare prototype.
Turn 04 – Counterattack of the Gallows – Lelouch realizes that Rolo has a Geass but using his quick intuition, Lelouch risks his life to save Rolo and thus winning his loyalty.

DISC 2:

Turn 05 – Knights of the Round - Suzaku returns to Ashford Academy to check on Lelouch after sights of Zero start happening. Lelouch continues to play along that he’s a regular student.
Turn 06 – Surprise Attack over the Pacific- Lelouch/Zero managed to take his sister Nunally and convince her to join them but learns that Nunnally wants to continue the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan.
Turn 07 – The Abandoned Mask – Lelouch is depressed that his sister Nunnally is sworn in as the new Viceroy of Area 11. Nunnally reveals to the world that she wants to restore the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan.

VIDEO:

“Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″ is featured 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. The animation and video quality is colorful and digitally modern since it is a newer anime television release. What I love about the video quality is the sheer amount of people involved. Everyone with detail, buildings, mecha and the destruction has detail. The character designs based from CLAMP’s character design concepts are just fresh and cool to look at. One of the coolest looking character designs in an anime mecha series without being a full-on mecha series. Very cool!

As expected from a recent anime series, video quality was just great. From the character animation to the backgrounds, everything was colorful and vibrant. And because this series features so many scenes throughout Japan, this series really featured so much background art and characters. Everything looked awesome! Again, I’m very impressed with how much went into creating a single episode.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the audio, the audio is English and Japanese in Dolby Digital (English and Japanese 2.0 stereo). I preferred to have my audio setting set at stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape in my 7.2 setup. But dialogue and music comes quite clear through the front channels. Voice acting is well-done on both the Japanese and English soundtrack. So, whichever preference you choose, the voice acting is well-done for both audio tracks.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2: Part 1″ comes with the following special features:

DISC 1:

EXTRA FLASH: BABA THEATER REDUX: EPISODE 1 – (0:42) Featuring two short “BABA THEATER REDUX” episodes with Nunally and the other with Rolo.
BROADCAST VERSION OF PROLOGUE (IN JAPAN): TURN 01 – (:38) An introduction prologue for “Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″.
BROADCAST VERSION OF NEXT TURN (IN JAPAN) - The “next episode” previews from episodes 1-4.
AUDIO COMMENTARY TURN 01 - Featuring audio commentary with Japanese voice talent Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch), Yukana (C.C.), Ami Hoshimizu (Kallen), Ichirou Ohkouchi (original story) and Yoshitaka Kawaguchi (Producer).
AUDIO COMMENTARY TURN 04 - Featuring audio commentary with Japanese voice talent Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch), Takahiro Mizushima (Rolo), Kazuo Miyake (Unit Director), Yoshitaka Kawaguchi (Producer)
TEXTLESS OPENING: “02″ - (1:31) The textless opening theme “02″ by Orange Range.
KEY ANIMATION GALLERY: PART 1 & PART 2 – Using your remote, you can view the key animation gallery for “Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″.
TRAILERS – Bandai Entertainment trailers.

DISC 2:

EXTRA FLASH: BABA THEATER REDUX EP. 2 & EP. 3 – Featuring two short “BABA THEATER REDUX” episodes with C.C. & Nunnally (1:04) and the other with Rolo (:30).
BROADCAST VERSION OF PROLOGUE (IN JAPAN) – (:38) An introduction prologue for “Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″ for episodes 5 & 7.
BROADCAST VERSION OF NEXT TURN (IN JAPAN) - The “next episode” previews from episodes 5-7.
AUDIO COMMENTARY: TURN 06 – Featuring audio commentary by Japanese voice talents Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch), Ami Hoshimizu (Kallen), Kenji Teraoka (Mecha Design) and Satoshi Toba (Unit Director).
Textless Ending: “Shiawase Neiro”- Textless closing theme “Shiawase Nero” by Orange Range.
Key Animation Gallery: Part 3 - Using your remote, you can cycle through the key animation gallery.
Trailers – Trailers for upcoming Bandai Entertainment series.

“CODE GEASS: Lelouch of the Rebellion” is a fantastic series and so far “Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″, looks to be an entertaining thus far. Despite the fact that there are many characters in this series, the story is well-written and well-animated that you know each of these character’s major role within the Black Mask or the Britannia Army.

The first series did a great job in introducing many characters and establishing them. So, far it’s still to early to see where “Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″ is headed but we do know that Lelouch is back but where the first season, we kind of sympathize with what he is doing, somehow we are starting to see Lelouch become much more twisted and dark.

It seems that with this sequel, where the first would focus on Lelouch and everyone around him, this time around, the storyline seems to focus more on Lelouch, Nunnally, Suzaku, Kallen and Rolo. We’re not seeing the usual strategy of Zero and the Black Knights like the previous season, if anything, it’s more of a depressed Lelouch because his sister is what kept him grounded but now his sister is Viceroy and wants to wants to continue with the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan, it goes against what Lelouch has been trying to do and it makes you wonder if Lelouch will end up turning against his sister.

Again, it’s too early to tell where the series is going but so far, so good. As always with this series, animation is top notch, character and mecha designs are awesome and for this first volume, you get a good number of special features including commentary on both discs.

Overall, if you enjoyed “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion”, more than likely you are going to stay tuned and will continue to watch “Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2″. Smart, funny, dark, action-packed and just so much packed into these episodes, definitely a series worth watching and a DVD worth purchasing!

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

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00: AWAKENING OF THE TRAILBLAZER MOVIE TO PREMIERE AT NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL!

September 1, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

September 1, 2010 (Cypress, CA) – Sunrise announced today that the North America premiere of the movie, Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A wakening of the Trailblazer, will take place at New York Anime Festival/New York Comic Con on Sunday, October 10, 2:00¬4:00pm. The movie will be subtitled in English with Japanese audio.

This movie is a two hour all o original sequel to the television series Mobile Suit Gundam 00, which had two seasons and ran for 50 episodes. The movie will premiere in Japan on September 18th and will be released in some other Asian Countries this fall.

The series story was set at the dawn of the 24th century and the world was still torn by conflict, driven by the rivalry between three great superpower blocs. Then the private armed organization called Celestial Being appeared, announcing its intention to rid the world of war and conflict.

In the movie, the year is 2314 AD, two years after Celestial Being’s last gr reat battle, and the world faces a new crisis. A A derelict Jupiter exploration ship, abandon ned 130 years ago, has left its orbit and is
approaching Earth. As Celestial Being and its Gundam Meisters begin their final mission to save humanity from an unimaginable threat, Gundam Meister Setsuna F. Seiei is about to discover the true purpose of his evolution as an Innovator, and the nature of the “dialogues” for which legendary scientist Aeolia Schenberg’s plan has been preparing the human race.

The all original feature is directed by Seiji Mizushima, director of the television series.

Filed Under: Anime Related News

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

March 9, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Kurokami vol. 1″ boasts a solid, action-packed storyline and beautiful visuals on Blu-ray but the lack of a Japanese soundtrack may deter some anime fans.

TITLE: Kurokami – The Animation – Volume 1

DURATION: 102 Minutes

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

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

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

Release Date: March 9, 2010

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

Directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi

Series Composition by Reiko Yoshida

Original Character Design by Sung-woo Park

Character Design: Hiroyuki Nishimura

Art Director: Shunichiro Yoshihara

Chief Animation Director: Hiroyuki Nishimura

Art Design: Tomoyasu Fujise

Sound Director: Hiromi Kikuta

Director of Photography: Naoyuki Wada

Anime Production by Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Jason Griffith as Keita Ibuki

Laura Bailey as Kuro

Christopher Kromer as Daichi Kuraki

Crispin Freeman as Reishin

Emily Bauer as Riona Kogure

Eva Kaminsky as Nam

Julie Ann Taylor as Akane Sano

Kathleen McInerney as Yuki Kaionji

Marc Thompson as Hiyou

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Mikami Hojo

Michael Sinterniklaas as Punipuni

Patrick Seitz as Steiner

Stephanie Sheh as Excel

A world in which one’s happiness and misfortunes, even their lives are controlled by “luck”… In this world, there are three identical looking people in existence. Each of these three split between them an energy-like force called “Tera.” This energy can be attributed to the amount of “Luck” or “Life Energy” that an individual possesses.

Between those three, the one with the largest share of Tera is called the “Root” and the two possessing a lesser amount are called the “Sub.” If a Sub should ever meet up with another person that looks just like them, they will die. Their Tera will then be absorbed by the remaining two. If two Subs run into each other, they both perish, leaving the entire amount of Tera to be absorbed by the Root. That individual then becomes a “Master Root” and comes into possession of an enormous amount of luck and leads a life with success at every turn. This is the hidden truth of existence in the World of Humans and is called the “Doppeliner System.”

In accordance to the rules of the Doppeliner System, there exist beings who observe the human world, maintaining the balance of Tera, known as the “Coexistence Equilibrium.” These beings possess abilities that surpass those of normal human beings, and reside in hiding in places known as the “Pure Place” in tribes. They are called the Tera Guardians. This is a tale of battle that begins with the meeting between a human boy named Keita and a young Tera Guardian girl named Kuro.

In the world of “Kurokami” (“Black God”), one sometimes think they see another person that looks exactly like them (doppelganger) but in reality, there are three (doppeliner) which share the same life force (known as Tera). If by any chance, one was to see each other, one would die and the others would have that life force equally distributed. Making sure this “Coexistence Exquilibrium” is kept in check are the Tera Guardians.

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

Now the two must deal with their new lives together but at the same time knowing that they will be the hunted.

“Kurokami” vol. 1 features the first four episodes of the TV series. Here is a brief, spoiler-free synopsis of each episode:

EPISODE 1- Doppeliner System – Keita and Kuro meet each other for the first time.
EPISODE 2 – Pact – Keita is badly injured while trying to help Kuro and in order to save his life, the Terra Guardian Kuro makes a pact with him.
EPISODE 3 – Synchro – Tsubota-sensei tries to help Keita but it appears that Tsubota may be something much more than a teacher.
EPISODE 4 – Tracker – Tera Guardian Steiner and Excel start to follow Akane for some reason.

VIDEO:

“Kurokami” is featured in 1080p High Definition. I have to say that for a TV series, this is probably one of the most beautiful looking (and more recent) anime to show up on Blu-ray in the U.S. Artistic backgrounds are highly detailed and for any Japanophile anime fan who is watching this series, can only be happy by seeing so many scenes around in Japan featuring this beautiful artistic backgrounds. Character animation is also well done especially during the fighting sequences which are well-animated.

Overall, “Kurokami” looks fantastic on Blu-ray. A lot of detail, I didn’t notice any edge enhancement nor did I see any more compression artifacts.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Kurokami” is featured in English Dolby TrueHD Audio 2.0 and is front channel driven. The lossless audio is enjoyable to listen to but what is surprising is that it is not in 5.1. Also, this is the first Bandai release where the Blu-ray does not include the lossless Japanese audio while the DVD does include both soundtracks. It is said that because the series is being released at the same time in Japan, to prevent reverse importation, the lossless Japanese soundtrack was not granted for the U.S. release (note: In Japan, the Blu-ray release costs about three times as more than the U.S. release and to prevent reverse importation over there, they didn’t include English subtitles).

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Kurokami” contains the following special features in 1080p and 480p:

Textless Opening - Textless opening for “Sympathizer” by Minami Kuribayashi
Textless Ending – Textless ending theme for “Irodori no Nai Sekai” by Minami Kuribayashi
Bandai Entertainment Previews

“Kurokami” has turned out to be a fantastic series thus far. The anime is definitely for those who enjoy action, especially fighting-based anime series. The concept of the “doppeliner” is pretty cool but with only four episodes, it will be interesting to see where this series is headed. But for these first four episodes alone, I was definitely pleased by the series.

As for positives, the major positive aside from the story is this series looks fantastic on Blu-ray. The detailed artistic backgrounds definitely look beautiful and the fighting sequences look absolutely fluid. Please note that I haven’t seen the DVD version to do any comparisons but with so many anime TV series upconverted for Blu-ray, it was great to see an anime TV series native to HD and look so beautiful.

On the negative side, I think that many anime fans who prefer the Japanese soundtrack let alone lossless Japanese audio soundtrack are reeling of the lack of inclusion of it. As mentioned, with Japan and U.S. sharing the same region on Blu-ray and with people wanting simultaneous (or near-simultaneous) releases, this is going to be a major issue in the near future.

Overall, “Kurokami – The Animation” is an entertaining anime series that so far features a solid storyline, beautiful animation and painted backgrounds and looks great on Blu-ray. Although not a perfect release especially without the Japanese lossless, definitely a series worth considering for your anime on Blu-ray collection!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans – The Masters of Cinema Series #1 (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

February 13, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” is not only just a F.W. Murnau masterpiece, it’s simply a classic film that is the epitome of a “must-see film”. The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray release of the film is the definitive version to own! Simply magnificent! If we had to give a score for this film, then definitely an A+.

TITLE: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans – The Masters of Cinema Series #1

DURATION: 93 Minutes (Movietone Version), 79 Minutes (Czech Version)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:20:1 and 1:37:1 original aspect ratios), 24fps AVC encodes for both features, 480p extras, Dolby TrueHD with Dolby Digital 2.0

COMPANY: 20th Century Fox/Eureka!/The Masters of Cinema Series

RATED: UNRATED (Contains Mild Thread and Violence)

Directed by F.W. Murnau

Written by Hermann Sudermann (Die Reise nach Tilsit), Carl Mayer (Scenario), Katherine Hilliker and H.H. Caldwell (titles)

Produced by William Fox

Cinematography by Charles Rosher, Karl Struss

Edited by Harold D. Schuster

Art Direction by Rochus Gliese

Movietone Score by Hugo Risenfeld and Olympic Chamber Orchestra

Starring:

George O’Brien as The Man

Janet Gaynor as The Wife

Margaret Livingston as The Woman from the City

Bodil Rosing as the Maid

J. Farrell MacDonald as The Photographer

Ralph Sipperly as The Barber

Jane Winton as the Manicure Girl

This new 2009 reissue of Sunrise (for the first time anywhere in the world in 1080p HD on Blu-ray, in addition to a newly mastered 2 x DVD set) contains two versions of the film: the previously released Movietone version, and an alternate silent version of the film recently discovered in the Czech Republic. The Blu-ray edition includes both versions in 1080p HD.

The culmination of one of the greatest careers in film history, F. W. Murnau’s Sunrise blends a story of fable-like simplicity with unparalleled visual imagination and technical ingenuity. Invited to Hollywood by William Fox and given total artistic freedom on any project he wished, Murnau’s tale of the idyllic marriage of a peasant couple (George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor) threatened by a Machiavellian seductress from the city (Margaret Livingston) created a milestone of film expressionism.

Made in the twilight of the silent era, it became both a swan song for a vanishing medium and one of the few films to instantly achieve legendary status. Winner of three Oscars for Best Actress (Gaynor), Cinematography, and a never-repeated award for “Unique and Artistic Picture”, its influence and stature has only grown with each passing year. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present a new 2xDVD and Blu-ray special edition of the film, including an all-new alternate version recently discovered in a Czech archive of a higher visual quality than any other known source.

In 1927, German film director F.W. Murnau (known for his role in German Expressionism) was invited by William Fox to make an Expressionist film for Hollywood and in return, Murnau created a film that would simply become a true classic and a true masterpiece with “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans”.

The film is highly regarded as a masterpiece and is featured in the American Film Institute’s “100 Movies List of Great Films” (#82) and the British Film Institute’s critic’s poll as the seventh best film in motion pictures. The film won an Academy Award for “Unique and Artistic Production” at the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929 (including “Best Actress in a Leading Role” for Janet Gaynor and “Best Cinematography” for Charles Rosher and Karl Struss) and was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Although the film was highly regarded then and now, the film was not a success at the box office because of its creative and artistic interpretation while critics were calling it a true masterpiece.

“Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” was the first film with a soundtrack of music and sound effects utilizing Fox’s Movietone souund-on-film system and for its creative and artistic style, the use of groundbreaking cinematography during that time would influence many filmmakers and even has been referred to as the “Citizen Kane” of American silent cinema.

Despite the original negative for the film being destroyed in 1937 due to a major nitrate fire (nearly 80-90% of Hollywood’s silent films by Fox Film Corporation’s created between 1910-1920′s were destroyed) at Fox’s storage facility in New Jersey. Fortunately, a 1936 print held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive and the NFTVA were still present (the UCLA print was later destroyed due to advance decomposition in 1992). In 1995, Kevin Brownlow and David Gill of Photoplay Productions prepared a new print for the 1995 London Film Festival using the NFTVA print and in 2002, restoration talks for the film began. A fifth generation 1940 nitrate negative print was found in 2002 and then a 1927 print loaned by the Narodni Filmovy Archv in Prague featured a Czech version of footage not featured in the American release.

“Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” is a film about a man (played by George O’Brien) who is a farmer and is married to his loving wife (played by Janet Gaynor). Both raise their child but things have not gone so well for the farming business and the man has been having an affair with a woman from the city (played by Margaret Livingston).

The woman from the city wants him to end his relationship with his wife and suggests that he kill her by taking her out to the ocean via a boat and pretending that the two have drowned but he can survive by holding on to branches. But he is not sure if he can do it… but knows that if he is going to have this new life with the woman from the city, he must.

So, he takes his wife out for a boat ride with the intent to kill her and as he is about to, she prays for him not to and then the sound of a church bell changes his mind. He can’t believe what he was about to do and nor can his wife, who upon reaching to shore, runs away from him.

He goes to chase her to apologize but she is too frightened. She takes a train for the city and he follows. He tries his best to apologize but his wife is so saddened and fearful that her husband had tried to kill her and he regrets everything that he had done. But during a stop when the two go see a wedding and a priest is saying the vows, that is when the man realizes that he has done his wife wrong and realizes that he loves her. The two then spend a day together in the city and to rekindle the love they had when they were single and to show each other their love. Meanwhile the man’s mistress from the city awaits at his home to see if he went through with killing his wife and so they can be together.

VIDEO:

“Sunrise: A Song for Two Humans” were shot with two cameras thus one has the aspect ration of 1:20:1 and the other with 1:37:1 According to Eureka!, the Blu-ray version of the films were encoded with both HD masters in 1080p AVC format on BD50. Eureka! decided against HD-DVNR, MTI or other forms of digital restoration or grain removal after tests revealed noticeable disruptions of the film’s “Sfumato” qualities in many scenes. And thus, their hands off approach was their respect to the filmmaker and the patina of the image. The level of damage still present is exactly what you would see if the film was projected via 35mm theatrically.

Having not seen any previously DVD or VHS release of “Sunrise: A song of Two Humans”, I can tell you that from what I saw… despite it having some scratches and dust, I was very impressed with the picture quality of the film on Blu-ray considering the film is over 80-years-old. According to my associates who have compared this film to the previous standard definition releases from Fox and Eureka!, this HD release of the film is absolutely fantastic!

I will say that the Czech version is a bit much more difficult to watch because it’s missing frames and thus I prefer the Movietone version.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Eureka! via “The Masters of Cinema” has released “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” featuring both Movietone and Czech films on the Blu-ray release and with a choice of the monaural Movietone score and the stereo Olympic Chamber Orchestra score by Timothy Brock. According to Eureka!, the absence of any surviving soundtrack for the Czech version led Fox to roughly approximate the Movietone score to it in 2008.

Original English intertitles on the Movietone version are featured and optional English subtitles on the silent Czech version.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans – The Masters of Cinema Series #1″ comes with the following special features:

Audio Commentary – Full-length audio commentary by ASC cinematographer John Bailey on the Movietone version. Interesting to hear Bailey’s comments, especially on the camerawork and effects used.
Outtakes – (9:57) Outtakes with optional John Bailey commentary. It’s amazing that a film of this age has any outtakes. So, I was surprised to see this on the Blu-ray.
Murnau’s 4 Devils: Traces of a Lost Film – (40:55) Janet Bergstrom’s updated 40-minute documentary about the lost Murnau film “4 Devils” featuring still pictures, art and details of scenes from the film.
Original Theatrical Trailer – (1:50) The original silent theatrical trailer.
Original ‘photoplay’ script – The original “photoplay” script by Carl Mayer with Murnau’s handwritten annotations (150 pages in pdf format). You can download these from the Masters of Cinema website as well.
20-Page booklet - Illustrated booklet with film restoration and DVD/Blu-ray transfer information, along with a comparison between the two versions.

I have wanted to see “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” for such a long time. I’ve waited with heavy anticipation for UK-based entertainment company Eureka! to release this film via Blu-ray courtesy of their Masters of Cinema series and I am so grateful that they decided to release this film with no region encoding, so anyone from all over the world that has a Blu-ray player can enjoy this film.

After watching the film, I can’t help but gush about how fantastic this film is. From the crowded streets in the city to the innovative camerawork and editing, I was simply amazed of what was accomplished back then. The film is literally gripping as the film has its share of action and drama and literally from beginning to end, “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” manages to captivate you courtesy of George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor.

O’Brien plays the man from the country with such a great presence as Gaynor transforms from this sad housewife to this vibrant woman, especially in one scene with the crowd ask the two to dance. But the camera work and artistic presentation was just phenomenal. The whole city sequence created on the Fox back lot with hundreds of extras and cars from that era in a traffic jam to the man and wife attending a fair. I don’t know how much was spent on this film but everything on camera just worked. I was overwhelmed by how magnificent this film was but then watching the special features that came on the Blu-ray release, especially the slight differences from the Movietone and Czech version was quite interesting to see, especially to know that we will never be known of what was the final cut that Murnau had wanted due to the original print being destroyed in the Fox Warehouse and many other prints out there suffering from major deterioration.

But what we are able to see on this Blu-ray release, again…I’m grateful for Eureka! for releasing this Blu-ray via non-region but most importantly, choosing a silent film for its first major release on Blu-ray. If anything, I am more inclined to purchase the Murnau DVD box sets out right now and look forward to watching the Master of Cinema’s next Murnau Blu-ray release “City Girl”.

Overall, “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” is simply magnificent and this Blu-ray release is just outstanding! If I had to give this film a rating, then definitely an… A+!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, Eureka!/Masters of Cinema, Silent Films DVD/Blu-ray

Escaflowne: The Movie (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

October 18, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The 2000 Japanese anime film ‘Escaflowne: The Movie’ receives its first High Definition treatment via Blu-ray. Featuring vibrant visuals and an immersive Japanese and English lossless Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, this version is the definitive version of the film to own. Definitely recommended!”

TITLE: Escaflowne: The Movie

DURATION: 120 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p (Main Feature), 480i (Bonus Materials), English and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1

RATED: PG-13 (Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13)

COMPANY: Bandai Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2009

Original Concept by Hajime Yatate, Shoji Kawamori

Directed by Kazuki Akane

Screenplay by Ryota Yamaguchi, Kazuki Akane

Character Designs/Animation Director: Nobuteru Yuki

Mechanical Design: Kimitoshi Yamane

Armor Design Consultant: Yutaka Izubichi

Music by Yoko Kanno, Hajime Mizoguchi

Executive Producer: Ken Iyadomi

Produced by Sunrise

A Production of Sunrise, Bandai Visual

Starring:

Jouji Nakata/Paul Dobson as Dune/Folken

Maaya Sakamoto/Kelly Sheridan as Hitomi Kanzaki

Tomokazu Seki/Kirby Morrow as Van of Adom

Chafurin/Terry Klassen as Mole Man

Aki Takeda/Venus Terzo as Millerna

Ikue Ohtani/Jocelyne Loewen as Merle

Juurouta Kosugi/Michael Dobson as Dryden

Mayumi Iizuka/Sylvia Zaradic as Sora

Minami Takayama/Andrew Francis as Dilandau

Shinichiro Miki/Brian Drummond as Allen

Hitomi Kanzaki, who is tired of life. Depressed and despondent, she wishes that she could just fade away, to make the pain of living stop hurting. Her pain resonates with another on the world of Gaia, and when her wish is granted, she finds herself in a strange land. She is greeted as the legendary Wing Goddess, with the power to summon the legendary Escaflowne. Hitomi’s fate is intertwined with the brash young warrior king Van, who also feels that life has lost its meaning. By summoning Escaflowne, the Wing Goddess will choose a path for Gaia’s future. But will it be salvation…or destruction?

The 2000 Japanese animation film ‘Escaflowne: The Movie’ receives its first High Definition treatment. Featuring vibrant visuals and an immersive Japanese and English lossless Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, fans of the film will definitely want this definitive version of the film.

In 1996, the Sunrise Studios anime television series “The Vision of Escaflowne” aired on television and although not a tremendous hit in Japan, when the series was released on DVD in America, it became a big hit. Not just in the US but worldwide.

Despite being released on Saturday morning television on Fox Kids (albeit heavily edited), the series would receive appreciation and a lot of love by fans for the Escaflowne’s characters, it’s beautiful artwork and character designs, its story but most of all, it’s enchanting music.

With the fanfare strong worldwide, in 2000, Sunrise and Studio BONES began on a reimagining the television series through a 95-minute film titled “Escaflowne: The Movie”. The film version is very different from the television series as the film is much more darker and the protagonist, the happy and chirpy Hitomi is anything but that. In fact, she’s a person who is depressed and contemplates suicide. While the character of Van, is more reserved and willing to slash and kill anyone in his way.

Needless to say, the film is quite different as it focuses on these two main characters but most importantly, the film is for those who are and aren’t familiar with the television series and can enjoy it in the theaters. The film received mixed reviews with diehard fans who had a hard time seeing a different version of their characters and of course, knowing that there is only so much story from the 26-episode anime series that is going to get covered in a 95 minute film.

The film begins with Hitomi, sad and depressed, you learn that she is a person who wants to kill herself and is prepared to say goodbye to her best friend via a letter. Fortunately, her friend discovers her and the letter and tries to convince her that suicide is not a good way to go. But no matter how much she tries to cheer up Hitomi, Hitomi is resigned with herself and with life.

The film then switches to the character of Van. We see Van, who is violently slashing through many soldiers in order to find the behemoth known as Escaflowne and the Winged Goddess which he wants to use towards defeating his brother Lord Folken and his army.

Meanwhile, while Hitomi is alone and wanting to end her life, she sees an image of Lord Folken who calls her the Winged Goddess and wants her to join him. Confused and not sure what is going on, blackness starts to envelop the area and Hitomi is immediately sucked up into darkness and not knowing what is happening, by the time Hitomi awakes, she emerges out of Escaflowne and encounters Prince Van.

Van believes her to be the Winged Goddess but immediately Escaflowne disappears and then believes that she may be a spy and a fake. Because of her more modern school girl clothing, many of Van’s friends believe she is the true Winged Goddess despite Van not believing in her and almost wanting to kill her.

On the other side of the battle, we learn that Lord Folken and the Black Dragons are preparing their attack Van’s crew and capture Hitomi for his goal to use the power of the Winged Goddess to destroy the world.

Because of the increased attacks and attempts to capture Hitomi, Van is ordered to protect Hitomi at all costs.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Escaflowne: The Movie” is presented in 1080p High Definition. It’s important to note that the film was created in late 1999 and then released in theaters in 2000. Also, the film was produced by Sunrise but animated by Studio BONES and for the most part, a few talented animators took part in the action sequences as well as new character designs for the film. With that being said, when I first reviewed this film when it was first released on DVD, I commented on how gorgeous the film looked. It’s very detailed backgrounds but also the film’s awesome animation.

Here we are in 2009 and the film now making its HD debut and I still stand by that. The film looks great and although it may not look as digital and clean like today’s modern anime, the film still looks incredible for an anime film nearly a decade old. But what is the primary difference between the picture quality from the DVD versus the Blu-ray? There are several segments in the film that I tested out and that was the outdoor sequence (50-54 minutes into the film) and on Blu-ray, the first thing you will notice is how vibrant the outdoor scenes look. The green and blues just pop out, especially during sunset with the red of the sun also popping out. Needless to say, the film looks quite vibrant during the outdoor scenes.

The print is not 100% clear of dust which I think I may have seen a few specs but overall, I didn’t see a whole lot, nor did I see any major compression problems throughout the film. Blacks are nice and dark and there is grain present. Again, I’m a person who supports film grain and not supportive of excessive DNR (Digital Noise Reduction), so overall…I was pretty pleased with the picture quality for a film nearly 10 years old.

As for the audio, this is where “Escaflowne: The Movie” shines. One thing that I noticed quickly is how immersive the soundtrack was in utilizing the soundscape of each channel. The film’s dialogue is front and center channel driven but sound effects from the whisping as Van flies in the air, the clanging of the swords during battle, the blasts that are being shot and the destruction in the city is well-captured on your surround channels, especially via LFE. I definitely enjoy when anime uses the subwoofer quite a bit, so it was great to hear that LFE usage. And of course, one thing that the film is noted for is the music and the music comes out nice and clear through your system.

I did notice one thing with the audio though. The Japanese lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sounds awesome but the English DolbyTrue HD 5.1 soundtrack seems a tad lower with the English dialogue. In fact, through the beginning of the film while watching it with the English lossless soundtrack, I felt that I had to increase the volume a little in order to hear the dialogue clearly and when I switched to the Japanese soundtrack, the dialogue was consistent and much louder. By no means are the two lossless soundtracks like night and day (like FUNimation Entertainment’s Blu-ray release of “Origin”) but overall, sound effects seem to be consistent on both soundtracks. But overall, “Escaflowne: The Movie” does have a wonderful and immersive soundtrack.

Subtitles are in English only.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Escaflowne: The Movie” comes with the following special features (in 480i Standard Definition):

Trailers: The Girl Who Leaped Through Time and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society
Staff Interviews: (23:00) Featuring staff interviews which include: Director Kazuki Akane/Composer Yoko Anno, Kazuki Akane and Kelly Sheridan (Voice actress for Hitomi), Masahiko Minami (Producer/BONES), Maaya Sakamoto (Voice Actress/Singer), Masuo Ueda (Producer/Sunrise) and a performance by Yoko Kanno, Maaya Sakamoto, Kim Su Jin perform “The Ring”(Escaflowne Ending Song, Special Duet Version).
Original 2000 Premiere: (7:20) Featuring the following segments: The line at Anime Expo 2000 in Anaheim, CA for the screening of “Escaflowne: The Movie”, Minoru Takanashi (Producer/Bandai Visual) speaking to the audience before the movie and the Post-Movie Panel Highlights at Anime Expo 2000.

When it comes to “Escaflowne: The Movie”, the film has received different results from fans when it first came out. Diehard fans who were not used to the change, of course, complained. And for those who treated the movie separately from the anime TV series found the film to be enjoyable, creative and musically wonderful. Needless to say, I’m part of the latter. The fact is that many anime series that get a theatrical treatment usually has a story that is not part of the TV series timeline. And there have been quite a few anime films that have been released that either try to take parts from a long series and condense it down to two hours or try to come up with something different.

With “Escaflowne: The Movie”, you get something different and it’s a reimagining that I was open to and at the time, I was very impressed with the results. The animation was stellar and the music, Yoko Kanno’s music and the ending theme by Maaya Sakamoto was just fantastic.

So, needless to say… I was excited to hear that “Escaflowne: The Movie: was receiving its HD treatment and for the most part, I was more curious to see how a film that was created in the late 90′s would look on Blu-ray. Already, Bandai Entertainment has proved to us that they can make it happen as evident with the release of “Akira” earlier this year. So, I had no doubt in my mind that Bandai Entertainment was going to release a solid product. What I was more concerned about was the lossless soundtrack. And fortunately, the soundtrack for the most part was immersive and great to hear via lossless.

If you are a fan who owns the Ultimate Edition of the DVD, you may be wondering if it’s worth the double dip? Well, for one, you don’t want to get rid of that “Ultimate Edition” because you get the awesome CD soundtrack and also there are special features such as the galleries that are not included on the Blu-ray. But to answer the question, yes…it’s worth the double dip. This is the best looking and sounding version of the film yet. So, if you loved the film, you will definitely want to pick up this Blu-ray.

Overall, “Escaflowne: The Movie” is a solid Blu-ray release and for those who want to add to their anime on Blu-ray collection, this title is definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray