“The second exciting volume of ‘Super Robot Wars OG’ features more robots and more explosive battles that mecha fans will truly love!â€
DVD INFORMATION:
DVD TITLE: Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars Vol. 2
DURATION: 72 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: COLOR/ MPEG-2 / DVD-5 / NTSC / Japanese Audio (Dolby Digital Stereo) / English Subtitles / 16:9 LB
CATALOG #: BUDH0130
COMPANY: Bandai Visual / Honneamise
RATING: 13 and up
STAFF INFORMATION:
ORIGINAL STORY: SR Production Team
DIRECTOR: Kakudo Hiroyuki
SUPERVISOR & SERIES PLANNER: Terada Takanobu
CHARACTER CONCEPTION: Kohno Sachiko
CHARACTER DESIGN: Ikeda Yuji
MAIN MECHANICAL DESIGNERS: Katoki Hajime, Miyatake Kazutaka, Okawara Kunio, Saito Kazue
ART DIRECTOR: Kato Kenji
PRODUCED By: SWROG PROJECT
CAST INFORMATION:
Ryusei Miki Shin-Ichiro, Ingram: Furusawa Toru, Yukiko: Sakuma Rei, Kusuha: Takahashi Mikamo, Tenzan: Kawazu Yasuhiko, Laker: Kiyokawa Motomu, Kenzo: MUGIHITO, Kai: Saizan Tadahisa, Hance: Masutani Yutaka, Shu: Koyasu Takehito, Bian: Iizuka Shoz
The popular Super Robot Wars OG takes to an all-new battlefield!
An encroaching alien menace… And the steel ghost that answers the call of a slumbering power…
It is the era of the so-called New Calendar. A foreign body called Meteorite 3 crash-lands on Aidoneus Island bringing with it the materials and science of what mankind dubs Extra Over Technology. The arrival of this technology is proof of the existence of extraterrestrial life and data recovered from Meteor-3 indicates it is using a form of articulated mobile weaponry. The fate of the earth sphere will be irrevocably altered.
The last volume was literally the introduction to Ryusei, the experienced robot video game player and hardcore mecha otaku who joined the military after utilizing one of their robots illegally.
But it’s no sweat because Ryusei has always dreamed of becoming a pilot right?
In the second volume of “Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars”, Ryusei has to learn quick that piloting his own real mecha is no longer a game.
He is no longer by himself, he must work as part of the team and that one careless move can cost the lives of not just him but also his teammates.
In episode 3 titled “Stage 03: The Third Man”, we are introduced to the third member of the team, Rai Branstein. A gifted pilot from a famous military family who doesn’t seem to thrilled that his teammate Ryusei was not brought up in the military and that Ryusei’s inexperience and poor decision making may harm the team.
In episode 4 titled “Stage 04: The Wings of Disaster”, after the horrible test battle against the Haruma Troops, Ryusei is learning things the hard way. His poor judgment not only made the team lose but most of all, in front of everyone, he is deemed unworthy for battle. How will Ryusei prove to the team and the military that they can depend on him?
Also, we get a look at Ryusei’s video game fighting rival Tenzan Nakajima who pilots a “Lion” and shows off his piloting skills for EOTI. His piloting skills are exceptional but a bit of a short fuse and not listening to direct orders. Similar to Ryusei but better piloting skills and more deadly.
In episode 5 titled “Stage 05: The Guests from Beyond”, the trio of Captain Aya Kobayashi, Ryusei and Rai Branstein will now be called the SRX Team and the team will go on it’s first major off-base mission
VIDEO:
As for the video, since it’s a newer anime series that aired back in the end of 2006 and early 2007, as expected, the anime is clear and colorful. Also, because it is a Bandai Visual release known for their audio and video quality, the anime is presented in 16:9 LB anamorphic with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1.
AUDIO:
Bandai Visual is known for their quality A/V and audio is encoded at 488kbps. There is no Digital 5.1 audio selection, just Dolby Digital Stereo. And primary audio is in Japanese. There is no English dub tracks, for those interested in that.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Surprisingly, there are no special features. I would expected maybe a textless opening or ending, especially for the JAM PROJECT fans out there who enjoy the opening theme. But unfortunately, there are no special features at all.
As for the DVD-insert booklet, there is an 8-page character guide and glossary.
One of the first things you will notice with this second volume is that it comes with a total of three episodes (the first volume features two).
But the pace of this volume is definitely a lot more intense as there are more battles and also character development, especially among the three members of the SRX Team and how they need to come together, work together to become victorious.
And then outside of the SRX team, you get to see the EOTI Organization taking on calculating risks and how the Earth Federation Army is responding to threats, which in this volume, they have no idea who is provoking the attacks.
Volume 2 definitely features a bit more action compared to volume 1 but so far, quite enjoyable.
You do get to meet more characters but at this time, they were just brief introductions, possibly leading to more focus on these individuals in later episodes.
Also, good insight to see how the military is dealing with new technology, moving away from tank squadrons to mecha robots and how long-standing military officers feel about the new technology and its pilots.
But all in all, enjoyed volume two. Cool mecha battles and cool storyline thus far. Good character development among the core three members and obviously setting things up, for something probably explosive in the next or upcoming volumes.
If you are a mecha fan, definitely a series to check out!
+ “SUPER ROBOT WARS†in an animated television series based on a long running video game… A long time coming!
+ Mecha battle fest! Cool animated battles and cool ideas of weapon utilization.
+ Well done voice acting with many of the original voice talent from the video games involved.
– For those who need and prefer an English dub, this DVD is ONLY Japanese with English subtitles.