Finally (:

I've been waiting ages for this to be released for the UK, and now it has! I, like many others, had some reservations about the dub, because most aren't that good, but this IS the best dub i've ever heard. Alessandro Juliani's voice is amazing and so well suited for L. This is the best anime series ever created, and L FTW! :D

Porco Rosso

I think I bought this as my 7th Studio Ghibli film and it lived up to all of the others. I actually laughed out loud during this film and found how sarcastic Porco can be to be amusing. The voices were great and the landscapes are amazing as usual. Recommend for all Studio Ghibli fans.

Touching story, plush animation and lovely music

One of the loveliest of Studio Ghibli's films. It's a gentle film, very pleasing for children, but there is still something sinister going on in the subtext. One of the old ladies looks and sounds suspiciously like a proper Miyazaki witch (see Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle). It is when Kiki visits her that her powers start to ebb away. Only on her second visit to do they return. On the surface, though, the ebb and flow of Kiki's powers is determined by her levels of self-cofidence and self-belief.

Kiki never reaches the heights of Totoro, Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away, but the touching coming-of-age story, plush animation and lovely music make it more than a solid offering from director Miyazaki.

A very good film

I bought this on the recommendation of a friend, and I'm glad I did. It has instantly become my second favourite anime film of all time (second to Castle In The Sky - 1986 version). The story is entertaining without being too hampered by the laws of physics. It's great for children and childish adults (ie people like me) alike. A classic good versus evil tale in a fun setting. The only minor down point was the way they went their own separate ways at the end.

now this is where it kicks off

any fan of naruto should anticipate getting this dvd and the seris second parter, this is the seris with the awesome conclusion to the chuunin exams and the 'destroy the leaf' incident, i believe it (the whole of seris 3) goes up to episode 78, which is the very begining of the anime's jinchuuriki fight but before that it contains greats such as the slightly bewildering Neji-Naruto fight, the clever shikamaru-temari fight and the titan battle between the third hokage and his former pupil Orochimaru.

none of these are fights to be missed and neither is naruto's training for the fourth part of the chuunin exams.

so i say buy, you wont regret it, even if you're just an anime fan whos thinking about it, it's basically dragonball z with a less repetative story line and a hell of a lot more seriousness (which i don't think is a word).

btw, you may be wondering why i'm so exited about it, and yet i've only given it 4 stars, well, thats because i've seen the fourth seris like so many others and i know that is five stars.

Elfen Lied is a MASTERPIECE.

Elfen Lied has it all, it really is amazing. I only got into anime recently and have fallen in love with this series. Elfen Lied just delivers in all aspects, the style is amazing, the music is amazing and the dubbed and subbed versions of the anime are both well done. Never has a anime series been so emotional, so brutal and so MADE OF PURE WIN. The name 'Elfen Lied' means Elvish song and it has nothing to do with the main story so to speak. I am currently watching this anime for the 3rd time round, yes, its that good. People say some plot holes are left open at the end, and they are, but still these are not so massive that it's something to get annoyed about. It's just a disappointment the manga is in japan only. This box set contains 4 discs and is 13 episodes long. You'll watch them quick, because it's that good. Then you'll watch it again, because it's that good. There is a 14th ep. not included on this disc, but this was only released in japan, and you can find it online to watch it. All this contained however is some plot hole fillers and a naked shower scene, nothing dodgy, Elfen lied is not hentai but it does contain nudity and gore. Also some people refer to ep. 14 as ep 10.5 because it takes place in between ep. 10 and 11.

Buy Elfen Lied. Love Elfen Lied. Perhaps the only bad thing is that you won't find another anime better than it.... ever.

Whisper Of The Heart

'Whisper Of The Heart' follows a school girls experience of first love and how it inspires her to follow her dreams in life. The animation is the usual high quality we've come to expect from any Ghibli film and this film doesn't have that surreal feel to it that 'Howls Moving Castle' or 'Spirited Away' engender. There are many moments where you'll smile or laugh to yourself and the story is sweet and charming. I found the ending a touch abrupt, but that is a minor flaw and doesn't detract from the overall feel or quality of this film. You should finish this film with a nice warm glow inside and also inspired to work harder at fulfilling your life's dreams. I know I did! Another great Ghibli film and well worth a viewing.

Ramen with more Ramen please!

In the first series of Naruto you are introduced to the main character, the number one hyperactive nuckle head ninja Naruto Uzumaki, who has the power of the furious nine-tailed fox bound within him, and follows the beginnings of his struggles for acceptance from other ninja and his dream to become the next Hokage.
But nothing puts Naruto down for long, ever ready with a prank and always with a smile on his face, he's a constant irritation to his teammates as they head for the chunin exams and the forest of death.

If you love the first series of Naruto shown on tv then you'll enjoy this boxset. The boxset episodes feature the original intros and credits and many clips that where removed from the tv adaptation. Its interesting to see the extras and even if it does drag out and repeat in some places it is still worth it if you like to re-run the fun.

You might also want to check out the Naruto manga graphic novels by shonenjump.
Its interesting to see the diffence between the anime and the manga. Though the manga may not be suitable for young readers as it contains bloody violence and mild language that where tamed for the anime.

I'm a soul reaper

Ichigo Kurosaki is just your average teenage boy... except that he can see spirits.

So it's not exactly surprising that he gets involved in wild, dangerous adventures, in the first season of the hilarious, action-packed"Bleach." It starts off a bit slow, but rapidly winds into a thrilling, expansive adventure story, with lots of big swords, roaring monsters, and TV psychics.

One night a strange girl appears in Ichigo's bedroom, and is shocked when he can see her. She explains that she's a Soul Reaper, who helps the dead pass on to the Soul Society, and destroys evil spirits called Hollows.

But when Rukia is injured in a fight with a Hollow, all her powers are transferred to Ichigo -- and with them, the responsibility of killing Hollows. Ichigo soon finds out that it isn't easy juggling his new responsibilities with his normal, everyday life -- especially since the powerless Rukia is now attending his school, and living in his closet.

Even more distressing, his new powers are attracting all sorts of trouble: the Hollow who murdered his mother, the now-monstrous brother of his ditzy friend Orihime, an outspoken"mod-soul," and classmate Uryu-- the last of the Quincys, sworn enemies of Soul Reapers. Moreover, Orihime and the gentle giant Chad start developing spiritual powers of their own.

But then two powerful Soul Reapers show up to arrest Rukia. Ichigo is left mortally wounded and robbed of his powers, while Rukia is taken back to the Soul Society to be executed. To rescue Rukia, Ichigo agrees to undergo a terribly training regimen that could leave him worse than dead... and the journey into the Soul Society may be even worse...

Most long-running series run out their welcome pretty quickly, or start following a formula. But"Bleach" has that magical mix of complex plot, kinetic action, likable characters and kooky comedy. Not only does it click, but the results are sort of a mad hybrid of"Yu Yu Hakusho" and"Inuyasha." Its biggest problem? The first season ends with a cliffhanger the size of the Grand Canyon.

To keep us entertained, there's lots of action, monsters, blood, giant magical swords, spirit arrows and even a skyscraper-sized Hollow. But the writers keep an eye on the characters, and the first arc is used to establish them -- we get to see their pasts, their motivations, and why they want to fight Hollows. Even if it's simply a desire to do what's right and protect others.

And just as important important -- comedy. Every episode of"Bleach" has some comedy, whether it's crazy friends and/or relatives, TV appearances, or the wacky dialogue ("OH NO! I'M FRIENDS WITH A NERD! Maybe you need some thick nerd glasses..."). Even Ichigo produces some hilarious moments, such as his bloodcurdling scream when he wakes in Urahara's house.

Ichigo himself is the pivot of the whole series -- like many a good anime hero, he is rough, brash, sensitive and fights for those he loves. And though he's incredibly powerful, he still has a lot of training, fighting and learning to do, though he tends to jump in without thinking about it.

And he's backed by a colourful squad of characters: the prickly Uryu, quiet Chad, ditzy love interest Orihime, and the mysterious"Mr. Hat and Clogs" who trains Ichigo to be a full-fledged Soul Reaper. Not to mention Kon, a living lion doll who provides plenty of comic relief, whether he's getting bounced around the room or dressed as Marie Antoinette.

"Bleach's" first season introduces viewers to a brilliant series, full of hilarity, tears, blood and big, bad monsters. Definitely a must-see, for anyone who likes any of the above.

Not what I expected

Don't ge me wrong on this, but as much as I liked these films I feel as though they were overhyped. No doubt I enjoyed them but just not as much as other anime like Cowboy Bebop or Full Metal Alchemist. I was really looking forward to these with all the great reviews, but ultimately a little dissapointed as they just didn't have much of an impact on me. I feel like I'm being harsh, as I'm slating the films simply because they didn't live up to the hype. But they were still very good. Good plot, involving characters and great animation. But as good as all this was it just wasn't as good as I was led to believe.

The cat returns

This is a great film, perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons. I tend to feel that this film is aimed more toward a younger audience, although that didn't stop me enjoying it. You get the usual high quality Ghibli animation and film score, as well as a quaint story that is inoffensive and rather charming. It isn't as innovative as other Ghibli films, but it is another fine film from the respected Japanese studio. Well worth a try if you're a fan of anime.

Witness the evolution of a Super Saiyan, the boxsets and the dub!

This is it: The 33 Episode long Frieza Saga, featuring Piccolo's return, Vegeta realising he is not the legendary"Super" Saiyan and Gohan coming of age, as well as tons of fighting against the seemingly invincible Frieza. The action takes place place on distant planet Namek, which is now almost devoid of life, due to events in Series Two but there are lots of scenes of King Kai's Planet with Tien, Yamcha and co (moreso than Season two happily) and Earth.

This is a very good saga, there are some great fights spread across the first two Discs as well as tons of characterisation with Vegeta. It falters slightly in Disc 3 which is 6 episodes of Frieza VS Goku, it doesn't get interesting until he begins to form the Spirit Bomb. Disc 4 sees the Spirit Bomb make a direct hit on Frieza! But the tyrant defies impossibility but returning and taking deadly aim at Goku's friends, which leads the hero to defy impossibility by undergoing the ultimate transformation (for now...). Super Saiyan Goku starts pounding on Frieza which leads him to pump up and start to blow up the planet. Disc 5 and the first 4 episodes of Disc 6 are the famous five minute countdown until Namek's destruction. There are some brilliant episodes here, The Last Wish, Frieza Defeated and Mighty Blast Of Rage being some of my favourite episodes of the show! The Saga ends of a high note, but I won't spoil it.


But the Season isn't just the evolution of a Super Saiyan, but the sets themselves as well as the dub. The widescreen cropping is still there, but it doesn't seem to be as bad as before, it's also not as bright and overly colourful, the colours (not colors) are more faithful to the original, which is nice. Also, the dub from the late 90's is mostly here, with Krillin, Piccolo and Vegeta being re-dubbed for continuity's sake, which is good. Goku's hasn't been re-done but by this Saga, his old voice seems to fit, Gohan's does sound similar near the end of the Saga. Unfortunatly, none fo the Ginyus, apart from Ginyu himself has been re-dubbed, and when they return they sound quite far off what they were in Season Two, Zarbon has the same problem. Also, on the US Broadcast Track, Bruce Faulconer settles into his role as composer and lets rip with some really great tracks. The Japanese and Hybrid tracks sound great, if a little dated.

Overall, this saga is well worth getting, good start, decent middle and superb end, it leaves me dying for more, roll on the next set: Season Four, 32 eps with 3 Sagas; Garlic Junior, Trunks and Androids, be ready!

Beautiful, heart-warming anime

This absolutely outstanding piece of animation follows three homeless people in Tokyo who find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve. The twists and turns of the story rely far too much on unlikely coincidences to be plausible, and although this is kind of part of the point of the story, you really have to just sit back and accept it for the film to work. Its great strengths are in the sheer visual beauty of the film, the quality of the animation and the wonderful characterisation. The three main characters are so full of personality and vitality, demonstrating the advantages that really first -rate animated characters combined with good voice acting can have over live-action actors in terms of the breadth and range of emotions and moods that can be conveyed. This is a wonderful, heart-warming piece of anime.

Great show! -expected better special features....

If you like full metla panic you will enyjoy these dvds, duh!

The anime is about a mervenary group called mithril who send a group to gaurd a high school girl (undercover).

Without ruining the plot too much:
The main character, souske, has to gaurd the heronine, kenami, with out making it obviouse he is acting as her body gaurd. He doesn't manage to do that, by the way.

The series is more comedy than mech to begin with, although as the plot line progresses you get to see more of the super cool arms slaves, and it gets grittier, more interesting less funny.

The Characters are all really likable, especailly the main characters Souske and Kenami. A personal high point is when souske rams his teacher down the stairs because he has identified her as a threat to kenami's safety!

Although the series is one of my faves, the special features leave a lot to be desired. There is nothing of great interest on the dvds appart from the actual episodes.

Having said that one special thing about these dvds is that at the very begining of each dvd a fmp character will read out one of their versions of the copywrite law, they're all really funny especailly souske's... you'll see what I mean!

Final Fantasy: just without the fantasy

ok ok this film is not a scratch on FF7: Advent Children but is a bloody fantastic film, the graphics are amazing and the story line aint half bad either, perhaps the characters aren't as enjoyable to watch/play than in other FF titles but overall a great film.
One thing that does annoy me is all the people who say its a crap film just because it doesnt have chocobos or materia or magic in general are wrong. It isnt at all like the FF games but that doesnt stop it being a good film
Maybe not FF as we know it but im not complaining

Nearly perfect presentation

I agree with pretty much all of the above reviews.

I would like to comment on the b-ray oresentation, Picture quaality in nigh on suberb unfortunately, I did notice several scenes littered throughout the movie where backgrounds suffered from posterization. Now, I'm not sure if these flaws were present in the original picture or not. Scenes like Aki's ship landing in the opening 3:20, in the council chambers at 21:07 etc. For me that cost the review 1 star.

Sound quality is faultless.

Shows its age, but still an enjoyable story

Well, I say it shows its age, but I'm not really sure it does. It certainly looks a lot older than the other Ghibli films I have seen, but then it *is* a lot older than them, pre-dating Nausicaa by a massive 16 years, and My Neighbour Totoro by *twenty years* - this film is almost 40 years old now!

When you consider that, then it really is actually amazing how little it has aged. OK, the animation is quite primitive in places, with big fight/battle scenes consisting of just panning round still images - but with the added sound effects, this still works remarkably well, and gives a good sense of the energy of the scenes.

Regardless of the animation, and how dated it does look, this is actually a very enjoyable tale. Its set in a world that is less magical than those of Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, and very much has the feel of the worlds of Nordic legends. As ever with Ghibli Films, the world feels believable and you become captivated by it and the story.

This film tells a story in a much more traditional sense than other Ghibli films, and you can easily see this being a story that was passed down through the ages, told from parent to child, like many traditional legends. It's possibly also more suitable for younger children than some Ghibli films, as the story is less complex and easier to follow (due to the more traditional style of the story, and story telling); however, some of the scenes could frighten some children (though it's never as scary as Watership Down - it is scary in a similar way). If your children like legends or traditional fairy tales, then they would probably enjoy this film.

A brilliant blend of story and action, with some great animation, dubbing and possibly the greatest villains ever!

DragonBall Z Season Two takes the action to Namek; where the heroes, along with Vegeta, who is going rebel must take on the forces of the tyrant Frieza! But if the battle with the Saiyans took all they had and more, then how will they contend with foes such as Dodoria, Zarbon and the mighty GINYU FORCE!?!

The Namek Saga has more story, as well as action, seeing our heroes sneak around the planet behind the back of Vegeta and out of sight from Frieza. Needless to say, this is plenty of action and satisfying fights, like Vegeta VS Dodoria, and later Zarbon's hideous Monster Form.

Then, along comes the Ginyu Force, some of the greatest villains in history, I bloody love 'em! Unfortunatly it reverts back to the heroes holding out till Goku arrives, which is a shame, but there is plenty of action as well as characterisation, especially with Vegeta believing it is the time for the legendary"Super" Saiyan to finally appear. It's great stuff from the best anime ever!

The set is great, the colours look nice and the problems aren't as bad as before. The dubbing is great. In the Namek Saga: the voice actors are on top form and the music is pretty catchy (for the US Broadcast Track) and then the Ginyu Saga arrives; which doesn't need as much re-dubbing as FUNimation had already used their cast in 98, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin and the Narration are re-done, as are a few others, but notably Goku and Gohan aren't, but on the other hand, Bruce Faulconers music begins here and is absolutley brilliant! Tons of nostalgia and brilliant tracks! The JP and US/JP hybrid tracks sound nice, but it's up to you if you prefer the classier, but older sounding music of these to the more modern US track.


Overall, a must have for any DBZ or anime fan. Finally, there is some consistency with the English version, now only if the ocean dub and those terrible TOONAMI UK sponsored movies were erased from all history!

An overly americanised release of a truly classic animé

Robotech the macross saga was originally titled"macross" overseas,
but as per usual an american company took over the reigns of the
western release, changed the characters names, situations and the
main plot of the show to create the first installment of the Robotech
saga.

This was subsequently done with two other stand alone anime called
"southern cross" (The masters) and"mospoeada" (The New Generation) which
make up the rest of the Robotech saga.

The main reason for this was because a well know toy company had already
released a range of transforming toys under the title of robotech, so
obviously when the toy company caught wind of a TV series following the
same themes, they bought up the distribution rights for the series
(Macross)and also the other works by the same team (SC and Mospoeada)
edited them together and pretty much created one large scale advertisement.

But it really isnt all that bad, Although the three anime were in a way
butchered to make Robotech it is still a very good, if not great series.
But if like me you're a fan of the original versions then you may find
the new additions to the dubbing and credits incredibly american,
for example each episode is narrated in the first and last 3mins and at
key junctures by a cliché american voice actor, spouting phrases like
"STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT AAMAAZZZINGGG EPISODE OF ROBOTECH!".

These issues aside Robotech still contains most of what made it great
to watch in the first place, Furious space battles and a involving,and
incrediby deep(at times) plot.

Mainly centered around a small cast of characters thrown into increasingly
desperate situations each episode of robotech follows a simple formula
of drama, action and humour which never completely overwhelms you and
always keeps you gripped waiting for the"NEXT EXCITING DEVELOPMENT IN THE
ROBOTECH SAGA".

Onto the animation,

The actual animation in robotech varies depending on which series youre
watching,

The macross saga's animation is detailed and very gritty closer to a
tech noir style, whereas the last two parts of the saga take a bit of
a drop in quality (mainly due to the fact of being small budget series
and because of the editing I mentioned at the begining of this review)
Nevertheless it never drops to the low quality seen in such anime as
M.D geist which are from a similar period.

The actual release quality is not to great, as with most manga releases
they have only really remastered the sound and only removed a minimal amount
of interference that was on the vhs masters meaning at times that some
episodes can have a below dvd quality picture.
Furthermore there is little in the way of special features on
any of the disks, mainly consisting of trailers that include mangas
up and coming releases.

Editing and release shortcomings aside, Robotech is every bit of a landmark
anime as akira, if you havent seen it in its original incarnations as
"Macross","southern cross" and"mospoeada" then you will probably
find it one of the most original and brilliant anime ever to grace your
television.

A must buy for any Otaku or even a first timer looking to sink their fangs
into the anime medium.

I give it 4 stars on the plot alone, because thats all that matters in the end.