price：$4.99
Funimation
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (If you've watched everything else...) 『This isn't a horrible series, but there really isn't anything special about it either. It's an anime comedy and if it differs from other anime comedies in any way it's only in how spastic the series is. If they made an anime for people can't pay attention this would be it! It's like Family Guy (which I love) in that the scene changes every thirty second, except here there are no cool clips with jokes to go along with the changes. But to be fair this anime is probably intended for 12 to 17 year olds (regardless of the rating) so I can't be to mad that the show misses with someone in there late twenties (me). I was hoping for "School Rumble" and got stiffed, but if you enjoy comedies with no overall story or plot this is for you. You could honestly start watching the series beginning with any episode at random and you'd be good to go. Paniponi Dash is a good buy if your just looking to get an anime fix, but if you want substance look elsewhere. P.S. If you do buy, by the end of the show you'll never want to here the word Maho again.』
(Crabs, Maho, Gigantic Foreheads, and more in this Hilarious Series) 『There is not really much to say about the series. If you ever want a Artificial Hilarious High watch this show. It is very hilarious from episode one and thats what kept me hooked throughout the whole series. The series ending is kinda meh but it's humor doesn't slow down. Basically the Story is around this 10 year old girl who managed to Graduate from MIT and decided to Teach in A Japanese high school as a teacher. she also has this weird bunny, thing, That keeps getting Abused 24/7 in the whole show. The Girls in the class are mainly the generic smart girl but has a gigantic forehead, Mentally Derranged woman who can't stop thinking about King Crab and keeps spewing out the word "Mahou" or something like that while loving on the teacher too much. Normal kid who gets picked on for being normal. A girl conviently named 6 for some reason who is quite generous. Green haired girl who works at some chineese resturant and loves to scare The teacher to death, and last but not least, the Class President Ichijo. Ichijo is about the most random person you can ever think up. Along with her sister she instantly becomes my favorite charater of the whole show.
There's also aliens that Watch over The whole thing and they have pretty good skits.
Side charaters are also well written to like God AKA that Weird cat in the Vending machine, The other teachers, Etc.
Watch it. You will love it if your Into random hilariousness or if your inner child never dies for some reason.
』
(The smartest choice to see entire TV series...without extras and the new OVA) 『Buying this set is the smartest choice to see entire "Paniponi Dash!" TV series, absolutely. The price you have to pay par one episode is only $2.42, and I strongly think you'll enjoy seeing!
But, this set has no extras such as clean-close OP/ED, and, I guess it is the most important thing, it lacks the new OVA episode released as the bonus of the Japanese edition of this set on April 15, 2009.
Amazon.co.jp says the Japanese edition costs you JPY 21,756, about $220.00, excluding the shipping fee. Well, which do you think is better?』
(Very enjoyable) 『This series is a favorite of mine. One warning, though, don't bother watching the final 4 episodes, they are the worst of the collection. That's what kept me from giving it 5 stars instead of 4. But it's worth buying and watching, Go Pani Poni Dash!』
(Fantastic) 『I had already watched this series before purchasing, so I knew it was well worth it. I haven't been disappointed! Perfect for those who love those wacky animes and all the characters are easy to love. It's fun and I can guarantee I'll watch it over and over again!』 『The girls of Momotsuki Academy's Class 1-C are starting their tenth grade year with a brand-new teacher. The good news? The teacher is an MIT grad. The bad news? She's only 11 years old! So, while Becky Miyamoto may be an intellectual titan, this child prodigy is painfully ill-equipped to deal with a group of tempermental teens, especially THIS group. There's the bitchy heather, the ADD spazz, the angry nerd, the identical twins, the invisible girl, the freaky class president, the drama geek, the Nancy Drew™, the gamer, and the princess! Whew! As if that weren't enough mayhemic potential, add a pathetic, perpetually abused stuffed bunny and idiotic aliens watching her every move. It's no wonder Becky's prone to crying fits, tirades, and flipping the class the bird. Now all 26 episodes of this classroom comedy that sets a new high score for zaniness and laugh-out-loud wackiness have been brougth together in one complete collection. Paniponi Dash!』
price：$9.99
Bandai
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Good Ending) 『Slow start but a really good ending. After the first two discs the actors improve and the story gets a little more complex. Not less obviously contrived but better. The main plot revolves around a romance between two of the main characters which develops over the series.
But unlike most shows where the last episode is just "The End" this one has a real ending that doesn't feel tacked on. I'd recommend it for that reason. After watching the whole show, I enjoyed the experience. 』
(Best hard science fiction I've seen) 『I'm a big fan of science fiction especially the hard variety, And I wasn't disappointed. Not only was the technology realistic, so were the characters. Everything was believable, and the story telling was spot on.
I'd recommend this to all scifi enthusiasts.』
(Effing rad!) 『This was a really amazing anime, loved the story line, character development, and the animation. Great if you're looking for an anime with a little bit of everything, love, action, suspense, drama, humor, and mystery. I'm really drawn to space-themed anime and watched this on a whim, and fell in love and had to buy it. Highly recommend it!』
(Science Fiction That Resembles Science Fact) 『Sometimes an anime story comes along that manages to push exactly the right combination of buttons to appeal to nearly everyone. Planetes is an example of this most rare and thoroughly enjoyable experience. If you know nothing about this program the premise may seem a bit, um unimpressive in its rather narrow scope of vision. The concept of Planetes centers on junk- no, really- space junk to be exact. As the second half of the 21st century witnesses a humanity capable of traveling and living in space, debris that we left behind to eternally orbit the Earth has become a serious safety hazard.
Just like the men today who come around to collect our refuse from garbage cans on the street side curb each week, so too does the garbage zipping around the planet require human beings for the task of collection and disposal. Enter our lead characters, a group of very unique individuals who come together in the stuffy office space of a large orbiting space station with the common goal of ridding the solar system of man-made debris, one piece at a time.
If the prose sounds a bit under-whelming, take heart in the fact that following along against this seemingly menial job in the grand scheme of things is perhaps the show's greatest strength. The viewer is treated to a near-endless succession of interesting, realistic science fiction but as only the backdrop to the monotony and routine of a futuristic daily job. Additionally the interaction between the lead cast is incredibly accurate and lifelike thanks to the fact that the nature of their jobs is established early on in terms of social status. Pilots, managers, and just about anyone else in the organization seem to look down on the lowly debris collectors (in fact labeling the whole unit Half-Section) despite the fact that without them, space travel would be severely stifled.
The true beauty of Planetes lies simply in its realistic interpretation of the near future and a painstaking attention to small detail. The gains made in space travel are near science-book accurate for the setting of the year 2075. Yes, humans travel into space via pressurized aircraft (not unlike a beefed up version of a jumbo jet) and enter into pre-established orbits from there. Sure the average person can take a vacation to the lunar surface, but it's still a four-day trip to the moon just like it is for astronauts today. More impressive still is that the moon's distance to the planet earth is chillingly accurate as viewed from the lunar surface. So often in fiction, the moon is portrayed as a celestial body just above the clouds. Add the fact that earth appears a distant blue sphere from the moon's surface to the four-days travel time (at speeds of 18,000 miles per hour) and the scope of the galaxy starts to look dauntingly immense (just like it really is).
Another beautiful little scientifically correct touch is the fact that all of the external space shots are devoid of sound (since sound is after all, vibrations carried through air). Every space scene doesn't feature a panoramic backdrop of perfectly twinkling distant stars either. Sun light reflected from the earth's (or moon's) surface often drowns out such views in favor of simple silent blackness.
The level of technical detail is exceptional and impressive, making this one of the best of science fiction series of all time and is rivaled only by the interesting character development in the foreground. The story focuses on Tanabe, a naïve and idealistic rookie debris collector, and her budding love interest in the almost comically cynical Hachirota (who has more names than a phone book).
The high point of the show is the inner office political strains as some of the work-environment struggles take cues from classic pop-culture staples The Office and Office Space. Couple that to a chief who knows he's useless, a die-hard temp-worker, a tough, chain smoking, and yet oddly attractive female pilot, and you have the formula for some solid interaction dynamics.
Pacing is nearly perfect as well with several episodes that are deliberately uneventful. As such, this is truly a show that only the Japanese could have done so delicately. American studios would have littered the prose with unnecessary action, drama, or futuristic technology (worm-holes, hyperdrives, and so on). Instead, Planetes blends a realistic daily grind and realistic space travel with the type of awkward romance that American children experience at around the age of 12. It may not sound like much, but somehow it works very well.
Unlike most anime, the look and shading of the characters is particularly unique. The colors aren't especially vivid or bright but rather earth-toned and subdue which works well with the drab backdrop of life within a space station. Those accustomed to giant, glassy eyes may be surprised to find much more realistically proportioned (and dare I say Asian) peepers here.
Like most Bandai Anime Legends collections, the set is a bit light on extras but makes up for this by offering up the entire show across 6-discs for a great price. My only complaint about Planetes is that the show comes to an end. Concluding the 26th episode had me wishing for another 26.』
(Excellent and super-realistic sci-fi comedy/drama) 『This is anime for those who liked 'From the Earth to the Moon', 'The Right Stuff' and perhaps 'The Office'. It really is the most realistic and enjoyable sci-fi/comedy/drama film ever, beating out both '2001: a Space Odyssey' and the excellent sci-fi mock-documentary 'Voyage to the Planets' (known in England as 'Space Odyssey') in terms of its devotion to realism.
Although the series is set 70 years in the future, the show uses only the science we use now and that we can be fairly sure will exist at that time. No warp drives or matter transporters here, only good old fashioned rockets and good old Newtonian physics. I think I've learned more about the realities of space exploration from a few minutes of viewing this series than I ever have from years of keen interest in space documentaries and NASA TV. In my view, this show should be required viewing for astronauts in training - yes, it's that realistic and that informative.
This show proves that realism can make for truly great science fiction. We don't need di-lithium crystals when the real story is where it's always been (whether we're talking about Star Trek, Star Wars, 2001 or indeed Planetes itself) - in the interactions of well-written characters.
The show starts off a little over-the-top (more like 'The Office' in space) and there are a couple of episodes in the first few that are more than a little corny, but there are also a couple of episodes that are hilarious - the one where they meet ninjas on the moon is classic! After the first seven or eight episodes it settles into more of a thoughtful and well-written drama with the occasional humorous scene. I enjoyed the dramatic episodes equally as much as the comedy episodes - there's a lot to like in this show, and watching the characters grow is definitely a big part of that.
If I have any criticisms of the show, it's with the English dub. In some ways it's better than the Japanese version (e.g. Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino's voice sounds more age appropriate in the English dub), but all the characters speak with an American accent - every single one - and this comes across as very odd, since it's quite obvious that at least two of the characters are Japanese and one is Russian. Now I can understand giving the Japanese characters American accents, since this is a region 1 DVD and the American audience is meant to identify with the leads, but the choice for the Russian is just strange. But I'm not going to make too big of a deal of it - once we get to know the characters their accents (or rather the lack of them) kinda fade into the background.
Altogether, Planetes is an excellent show that can be enjoyed by anyone who doesn't have an aversion to cartoons. Some episodes may not be entirely suitable for kids though - not because there's any unpalatable sexual content or violence, but because some of the issues discussed are more serious (i.e. the real effects of poverty, death, disease etc.). Like many Japanese anime movies and shows, this is definitely geared towards for teens and adults.
The Planetes Complete Collection comes in a nice 'keep case' that uses a very well designed system of keeping the six DVDs safe and secure, and unlike some DVD cases it's fairly easy to get the discs out - just press and pull - no wrestling with the thing and yelling "Come out you stupid bugger!". Each disc contains about five episodes and the last three discs include a very short (like five minutes) but informative documentary covering the real effects of space debris on the space program, as well as a few digital comics, audio episodes, intro and ending sequences without subtitles and the usual trailers. Sadly there are no interviews with the cast or crew, although some of the episodes include quite funny commentaries made by the actors and director while under orders to drink beer while commenting!
The DVD presents the show in 16:9 anamorphic and definitely NOT 1.33:1 as Amazon's product details currently state. Video and sound are good, with optional Japanese/English dubs and subtitles.
In my view this is the best DVD set for space fans since HBO's 'From the Earth to the Moon' was released on DVD. Anyone who loves space exploration should take a look at this show.』 『Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 11/28/2006』 『The sci-fi adventurePlanetes(2004) opens in 2075, as eager but maladroit Ai Tanabe arrives at Space Station ISPV-7--and discovers she's been assigned to the Debris Section, the department charged with cleaning up the orbiting junk that threatens interplanetary navigation. Ai immediately begins squabbling with her instructor, veteran astronaut Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino. The set-up of a feisty newcomer joining a team of eccentric grunts recallsPatlabor: the oddballs in the Debris Section are also under-appreciated and underpaid, but hardworking and dedicated. In the first few episodes, the relationship between Tanabe and Hachimaki feels like anime boilerplate, but the filmmakers deftly unfold their back stories, transforming standard characters into intriguing individuals. Hachimaki has to wrestle with his fears and dreams as well as his relationship with Tanabe. WheneverPlanetesrisks falling into formula, the filmmakers veer off in a new direction. In a less imaginative series, when Hachimaki quits the Debris Section to try out for the experimental ship making the first voyage to Jupiter, he'd realize he'd made a mistake and go back to working and squabbling in the Debris Section. Instead, director Goro Taniguchi and his artists involve the characters in a deadly plot launched by the terrorist Space Defense Front. The extras include photographs of real space debris that's fallen to Earth and a discussion with NASA officials, who warn there may be 15,000 objects 10cm or larger orbiting the planet at speeds approaching 8 km./sec. (Rated 13 and older: violence, minor risqué humor, alcohol and tobacco use)--Charles Solomon
(1. Outside the Atmosphere, 2. Like a Dream, 3. Return Trajectory, 4. Part of the Job, 5. Fly Me to the Moon, 6. The Lunar Flying Squirrels, 7. Extraterrestrial Girl, 8. A Place to Cling to, 9. Regrets, 10. A Sky of Stardust, 11. Boundary Line, 12. A Modest Request, 13. Scenery with a Rocket, 14. Turning Point, 15. In Her Case, 16. Ignition, 17. His Reasons, 18. Debris Section's Last Day, 19. Endings Are Always… 20. Tentative Steps, 21. Tandem Mirror, 22. Exposure, 23. Debris Clutter, 24. Love, 25. The Lost, 26. And the Days We Chance Upon)』
price：$9.98
Manga Video
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (A perfect conversion) 『Everyone knows the generic beat 'em ups with two fighters on the separate sides of screen. Obviously that is not a good source for a good anime without some changes and that is what happened to Street Fighter II Victory - a repetitive fighting game converted into a five-star anime. The series explains the origins of the characters of SF II: The New Challengers minus Deejay and T. Hawk. Akuma cameos are also there.
The animation itself is quality work. The graphics are nice for a mid-90's series, the casting is nice and the dubbing is even better. Every episode has a lot of happenings and there are a few cliffhangers which is nice and there are parallel stories going on, preventing the show to get boring. The last few episodes were a bit of a disappointment with all that mystic power and world domination mumbo jumbo. Overall, the fighting scenes, the characters and the story are strong points of the series.
I think this series is must for all SF fans and friends of good anime. The only bad thing about this release is the absence of the TV release openings and endings. At least the blood and violence is still there so I don't mind.』
(AWESOME) 『This goes perfectly as a prequel to Street Fighter 2 the animated movie. But as good as Street Fighter 2 the movie is, this collection might just have it beat. Its that good. While everything in this series isnt perfect, its so entertaining and it grabs you and pulls you in that you forget about its flaws. The story is awesome and you get to travel the world with Ryu and Ken basically as they try to master various martial arts. Once you get to the second episode, you'll be hooked and you wont be able to stop watching it until the end. After watching this, you'll feel like you literally went on a really cool life journey. The animation is top notch. The music is top notch. The story is top notch. The fights are bad a**. Buy this Collection. You wont regret it.』
(Great Gift!!) 『This is a great dvd for the older people that used to own a super nintendo (before all these other game systems came out) and played streetfighter. Most of you would remember the characters such as: guile, ryu, ken, chun Li, vega and others. The dvd tells you how some of those characters from the game met and started fighting. I got this as gift to my brother and he hasn't been able to put it down.』
(The Street Fighter Series Everyone must watch.) 『Street Fighter II V is probably one the best action based anime series around. Even though it was based on the popular video game series, Street Fighter II V does have all the most popular characters from the game series. A storyline that everyone can relate too, a journey of self-discovery and heroism. A must have for any anime or Street Fighter fan.』
(Very good collection) 『Even though its not very faithful to the storyline. I stilled liked it alot as a fan. Nice action scenes and good ending. My biggest problems are too many needless episodes and scenes. And some of the fight scenes repeat alot. I would have given this 5 stars but my second watch wasn't as great. StreetFighter fans should see it.』 『Studio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 05/31/2005』
price：$1.99
Bandai
Usually ships in 3 to 6 weeks Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Short but sweet) 『I was glad when I found this on Amazon. I remember when stores used to try and sell each episode on a single DVD for about $20 each. I love the show, but not enough to spend $60 for 6 episodes. :P Very glad they finally came around and became more reasonable with the boxset price.』
(amazing anime) 『i saw this on cartoon network years ago when cartoon network was actually a good channel for cartoons and anime. if you love action and adventure, then you will like this. i already orderd this it should be hear by monday ?』
(An underated anime) 『The story to this anime is basically a cross between The Island of Dr. Moreau and the Little Mermaid set in the ocean. While the characterization isn't' all that deep, there's something haunting about being dumped into this world. If only Waterworld had been this good.
There's a lot of brooding and introspection, some of the dialogue is flat, it's not the subtle kind. This will really bug some people.』
(Good Show. Horrible DVD Format) 『Blue Submarine No. 6 is a good mini series with a fascinating style of animation. The only qualm i have with the product is the A and B side use of the discs. i new that the product had three discs but only one episode is on each side of the discs. This is an unnecessary feature because it's a mini series and doesn't need to have an A and a B side for four episodes. This neglects any option for disc art too! There is no where on the information page of the DVD collection that describes this feature/fault.
To be honest. i would not have bought this product knowing i would have to get up and either flip the disc or change the disc after each and every episode. You also have to set the language and subtitles. You have to sit through the animation and production company logos that you cannot skip through on each episode.』
(Great Anime) 『I was a little diappointed at how short this series was. It was a great anime』 『It is the future, and the world is getting smaller by the second. As a result of the machinations of the rogue scientist Zorndyke, all land and sea level has begun to succumb to the expanding ocean tides. Billions have died, and mankind is now at war with Zorndyke's army of water dwelling hybrids. Mankind's last hopes lie within an international fleet of submarines and the vessel, Hayami. Together, they and the rest of blue fleet must launch an attack on Zorndyke's base of operations in Antarctica before he floods the rest of the world's remaining landmass. From Studio Gonzo. Includes a bonus disc loaded with extras! Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi.』
price：$9.99
Funimation Prod
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (naru) 『unreal fun and humour with scary stories, naru deserves every mean comment but he's still such a sweetie, =p i'm only dissapointed that there is not more』
(What's that sound?) 『For the record, "Ghost Hunt" is an anime series based on a manga series based on a novel series. Surprising, it doesn't suffer in translation.
And "Ghost Hunt: The Complete Series" does an excellent job bringing home elaborate and genuinely eerie scares, based on curses, possessions, psychic powers and the occasional roaming ghost. It can be rather slow-moving at times and some questions are left unanswered (just who is "dream Naru"?), but it has a winning mixture of comedy, horror and suspense.
A handsome young man, Kazuya Shibuya, wanders in while Mai and her friends are telling ghost stories -- and later Mai encounters him in the seemingly haunted part of her school. But since Mai accidentally injured his assistant Lin and demolished a camera, he allows her to work for him as compensation -- he's a "ghost hunter" hired by the school. And Kazuya (soon nicknamed "Naru") starts rubbing Mai the wrong way with his cold attitude.
They're soon joined by some professional exorcists: slinky Shinto priestess Ayako, renegade Buddhist monk Hosho, psychic Masako, and Catholic priest John Brown . And more and more odd things happen -- windows shatter, chairs move and doors jam. Is there a rational explanation for the strange events, or is this part of the school really haunted?
The little group soon find themselves dealing with many strange cases: a house oppressed by an evil doll and the ghosts of tormented children; a high school whose students and teachers are being tormented by strange apparitions and accidents, pointing to a lethal curse; a Christmastime visit to a Catholic church haunted by the spirit of a child, and a ghost who likes to drench parkgoing lovers with water.
Then things take a darker turn when the gang is called in to deal with a school haunted by horrifying specters and fires, which are connected to a student's suicide; a vast labyrinthine house with a bloodthirsty secret that is still claiming victims; and finally a seaside hotel whose inhabitants have been possessed by vengeful spirits of the dead, who are determined to stop any spiritualists who come around. Even worse, Naru has become possessed as well.
The supernatural stuff in "Ghost Hunt" is pretty intense stuff -- howling ghosts, haunted wells (Sadako, is that you?!), voodooesque curses, onmyodo, exorcisms (complete with sizzling holy water), fox spirits, zombies, ouija, and a creepy possessed doll. Those who like a lot of action and melodrama will undoubtedly find all this to be rather slow, since every episode is a sort of supernatural detective story.
The overall series has a nice haunted house atmosphere without many showy "boo!" moments, although the last couple arcs get flashier in their horror (bloodbaths! Zombies!). Instead we get a general atmosphere of overhanging dread, psychic/supernatural trivia (such as those wooden effigy dolls) and eerie Japanese spectors (including a buggy-eyed ghost that pulls a scythe out of its mouth). But fortunately the writers keep it from getting too grim with regular doses of humor, such as the rock'n'roll monk being swamped by fangirls, or a romantic rivalry popping up between Mai and Masako.
The big problem is that the otherwise satisfying open ending leaves some questions unanswered, such as Mai and Naru's budding relationship and the mystery of "dream Naru." Just what is going on there?
Mai is a likable heroine -- she's hardworking, honest and resilient, and seems to have some amazing psychic powers she never knew about. Not to mention that she seems to have some budding romance with her new infuriating boss. Naru is intriguing as well -- a chilly, sarcastic teenage genius, but he has a lighter side that comes out in less stressful circumstances (his "talking pet coin").
And the supporting cast is pretty good as well -- Ayako takes most of the series to reveal her unique skills, but is a kind woman overall, while Masako seems rather devious and stalkerish. Hosho (or "Monk" as he's constantly addressed) is a hilarious combination of rock'n'roll star and powerful Buddhist monk, while John is a mellow, sweet-tempered Aussie who serves as the volatile group's peacemaker (as well as its strongest exorcist). And Lin serves as a silent enigma through most of the series, but is revealed to be an essentially kind and powerful man.
Ghosts, curses and bizarre occurrences abound in "Ghost Hunt: The Complete Series." It moves rather slowly at times, but has the right balance of comedy, suspense and horror.』
(ghost hunt dvd) 『Nice box set. I preordered it so I got the preorder price which was better than the going price now. It is well done on the dubbing to English. Very entertaining.』
(A Nice Series For Any Fan Of The Supernatural Or Folklore Stories) 『The series has a nice twist of having both a touch of the scientific and the mystical as a group of psychic researchers take on cases that involve the spiritual or the unusual, the seven(And later eight) all have qualifications and abilities that help them along their cases from a catholic priest to a spiritual medium. The team tries to solve the cases in order to discern if they're truly hauntings, psychical phenomenon, or just hoaxes concocted by thrill seekers. The series is a nice mix of the storylines of psychical research into the spiritual world and the need to believe in the unusual with only faith, the episodes are mostly stories that come in multi-parts meaning that a story of a school haunting will last about three to four episodes instead of just ending with one episode which is very good since some of these stories need more than just one episode to explain whats going on with the case. The video quality and audio of the series is wide-screen and clear and sharp no distortions or blurriness to complain about and as with most of the anime coming from Funimation the voice cast for both the English/Japanese actors/actresses were great for their character roles, the extras are decent but not much to really shout about but for the price very forgivable. The set as with some of the other Funimation box set comes in two thin dvd cases that hold two dvds each and than put into a laminated thin paper sleeve, so if you're a fan of ghost or spiritual anime series, shows about ghost hunting, or just looking for a great series here's a good choice for anyone's anime home library...』
(Creepy, Mysterious, Fun) 『I'll be the first to admit that in the grander scope of things, I've never really been enthralled with paranormal-themed entertainment. Sure I enjoyed The Sixth Sense well enough when it was new and I may have even reviewed some anime titles in the past that bordered on supernatural, but I consider myself the type of guy who enjoys science fiction over mysticism and action over horror: In other words Star Trek over X-Files. That said, it's tough to argue with what an intriguing property Ghosthunt really is. But before we get ahead of ourselves here, let's take a look at the hard facts.
Originally released in individual season sets by Funimation, this set represents the first time the company is getting a Complete Series release out to the public. Coming in at a total runtime of 600 minutes, Ghosthunt The Complete Series spans 4 discs and comes packaged as a pair of thin packs within a cardboard slipcase.
The show wears an appropriate TV MA (14+) rating, which is due to some disturbing imagery and horror-themes over bad language or nudity.
Language options are typical sub&dub meaning the option of original Japanese dialog trackor an English dub (either of which is in stereo) and English subtitles available under either language choice.
Extras are quite thorough and include scans of the original manga pages, character case files, ghost sightings, textless opening, and of course, a nice host of Funimation trailers.
To explain the show to someone who has never seen it would go something like this: Take the mystery solving elements of say, Case Closed only center them on supernatural occurrences (ranging from ghost possession to legions of zombies).
Some of the scenarios are more realistic than others but each maintains a sort of creepiness throughout that is hard to dispute. The viewer follows the exploits of Naru, the founder of Shibuya Psychic Research, while he attempts to tackle such mysteries with John, Ayako, Houshou, Lin, Masako, and Mai.
Yes the names are a mouthful, but not to worry, they are easy to keep separate thanks to some unique and well assembled character development.
The cast is well rounded and plays well off each other (part of the show's charm): Naru represents levelheaded-ness and business aspects of running a Psychic Research operation. Ayoko is the intelligent and quick-witted shrine maiden (priestess). Housho gets the distinctive honor of being both a monk and a bassist for a rock band. John Brown (no, not the Sheriff) is an Australian priest straight out of the seminary (with Australian accent to boot), and a kimono-sporting psychic-hotline ghost buster Masako rounds out the crew. In other words, you'll have no trouble telling this motley crew from one another.
The source material was adapted from a manga that was itself based on an original novel series by Fuyumi Ono and pays homage to the material from which it was spawned surprisingly well (don't take my word for it, the manga pages are included here in this collection for your viewing pleasure).
Pacing is pretty slick as, and unlike most anime serials, Ghosthunt is actually a collection of several (two-part) self-contained mysteries. Once the individual case in question is solved, it's on to the next one. This formula works out thanks to the fact that the mysteries are pretty unique, save for the fact that they all involve the supernatural of course.
Voice work is a pretty even toss up between the languages. The Japanese version succeeds in terms of its dynamic flow while American counterpart introduces some interesting accents and ethnic touches.
In all, Ghosthunt is sure to appeal to fans of horror-mysteries and the paranormal alike. While a bit of the priest versus entity stuff comes off as a little too, um, cliché Americanized occult horror (over the generally more intriguing Asian thought-provoking stuff), on the whole the show meets some pretty lofty goals. It's especially nice to note that Funimation is bundling together the entire collection for the same price each of the two individual seasons has been selling for until now- An extra star for that!』 『The dead have something to say....
The appeal of the unknown is undeniable and freshman Mai Taniyama is hooked. This fact, coupled with her burgeoning psychic powers, leads Mai to join the ranks of the Shibuya Psychic Research team. Led by enigmatic Kazuya“Naru” Shibuya, she works alongside a spirit medium and a shrine maiden, an exorcist and a monk to uncover the darkest mysteries of the unseen. Using state-of-the-art technology and their respective spiritual gifts, evil is confronted and vanquished time and again.』
price：$9.99
Bandai Entertainment
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (I like my SciFi hard, dramatic and epic. Gundam Seed delivers) 『I do NOT give away 4 star ratings lightly (unlike some of my fellow Anime "lovers").
This 2nd installment in Gundam Seed was better than the first (call me dense, but "Complete Collection, part II" is an oxymoron... but with this much content, I'll forgive the misnomer) in every way.
NON Spoiler (again, unlike my fellow reviewers) review:
"What is it you believe in? What are you fighting for? Is it that medal? Or your fathers orders?"
For this 2nd part of the story, the drama intensifies, the true horrors of war are even more revealed and the characters (some of whom, may have appeared to be comic relief or eye candy...such as the person who uttered the above quote) become more complex, more grown up, more of a player than we were led to believe.
The "Giant Uber Weapon Dispensing Machine" is in full production as both sides reveal their secret weapon(s) (mobile suit and otherwise) in a bunch of "AHA!" moments. It gets a little much, but does add to the suspense.
This is a "cartoon" but is not for children. People are shot, bloody, chopped in half, blow up in the horrors of space (vacuum) combat and die in briefly violent ways. I'd rate it PG13.
The music is over all passable, but with flashes of particular greatness. The Music video alone on this set is worth watching again and again, "Believe" by Nami Tamaki. I'm listening right now and getting goosebumps. And this other particular song was beautifully haunting (and imho, under used) [EDIT - link to Youtube video deleted by Amazon. Search on Youtube for Akatsuki no kuruma by FictionJunction and you'll find it...]
The character development, the plot twists, the music, the story, the hard edge, all were brought together in a very satisfying way. Its not perfect, but its close. Ironically, my biggest turn off is the cartoonish Gundams. Giant humanoid fighting machines have only the barest of military justifications, painting them in clown colors just makes it worse. Robotech (Macross in particular) had much more realistic looking Mechs (Gundams, whatever) and that was 25 years ago. This grown up story with its tight production is worthy of a more grown up design of weaponry.
It is a strange mix. On the one hand, you see the horrors of war, the loss of your friends, coming face to face with those who loved the people you killed, the treatment of Prisoners of War, civilian casualties. Then another well choreographed battle that draws you into the action, but shouldn't I feel guilty now for enjoying it?
Guilty or not, I completely enjoyed Gundam Seed.』
(Bandai....has to be the worst.) 『I hate buying anything from Bandai but unfortunately they have titles that I like. The reason I rated it so low is because of Bandai..they just crap it out and do not care about anything else. Case in point....sound wise 99 percent of your voices will come out of the Center Channel versus like ADV Films or Geneon where when a character is off screen to the left...their voice comes out of that speaker and other sounds move around with the scene. Bandai just makes the background music come out all channels and for the most part uses the most generic sounds in this series. While in a battle their lasers sound like something out of 2 dollar toy gun for the most part. My beef is with Bandai not with the story ....I did like the story quite a lot. Others have reviewed the series very well which is why I said nothing. I was just letting you know what kind of sound quality or lack there of...you can expect in this series. Compliments of Bandai and their less than spectacular company.』
(Awesome) 『After watching Gundam Seed, I just had to watch the next collection. Awesome series. So totally hooked, recommand highly』
(gundam seed) 『the vol 1 goes to episode 1 to 25 and the vol 2 goes to episode 21 to 50 little bit confuse about this two volume's』
(Very good anime) 『People who like the anime Mobile Suit GUNDAM SEED. This Mobile Suit GUNDAM SEED: Anime Legends Collection, Vol. 2 (episode 26 to 50)is a good to have it in your Movie,DVD Library at home.
』 『A fierce three-sided battle begins outside the Mendel colony. While the Archangel takes on the Dominion, the Eternal and Kusanagi attempt to fight off Le Creusets ships. In the midst of this chaos, Le Creuset sets Flay adrift in a lifepod, entrusting her with what he claims is the key that will end the war. The Archangel, Eternal and Kusanagi fight to prevent both sides from using their weapons of annihilation. At the controls of his own new Gundam, Rau Le Creuset enters the fray to ensure that the war builds to a crescendo of devastation. Three lone ships and a handful of people are all that stand between humanity and total destruction.』 『AsMobile Suit Gundam Seedcontinues, the struggle between the "Naturals" of the Earth Alliance Forces and the genetically enhanced "Coordinators" of ZAFT escalates. Although he's a Coordinator, Kira Yamato has been fighting for the Naturals aboard the Archangel in a series of contests that pit him against his childhood friend, Athrun Zala of ZAFT. As the two teen-agers are acemechapilots, even major battles ultimately hinge on their man-to-man/Gundam-to-Gundamduels. Adding to the emotional complications are the loyalties Kira and Athrun feel towards their friends, both living and dead, and their affection for the rebellious princesses Cagalli and Flay. Anthrun's ex-fiancée, singer Lacus Clyne, makes both young men realize the futility of the war they're caught up in. When the Earth Alliance and ZAFT begin deploying atomic weapons, the need to end the conflict and establish peace becomes urgent. Kira, Cagalli, Athrun, and Lacus triumph over their violent superior officers in time to prevent a nuclear holocaust. The emotional struggles of the characters provide the setting for the many battles involving increasingly advanced mobile suits, which take place on the surface of the Earth, under water and, most spectacularly, in outer space.Gundam Seeddelivers the blend of fantastic battles, splendidly designed robots, conflicted loyalties, and emotional entanglements that fans ofYoshiyuki Tomino’sGundamuniverse love and expect. Episodes 21 through 50 were recut into the featuresMobile Suit Gundam SEED: The Faraway Dawn (Movie 2)andMobile Suit Gundam SEED: The Rumbling Sky (Movie 3). (Rated 13 and older: violence, violence against women, minor profanity, brief nudity, alcohol use)--Charles Solomon』
price：$15.99
Bandai Entertainment
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (still hvnt gotten it yet) 『it has been over a month since i've ordered this, and i still have not received it』
(Good Story Telling) 『As a fan of few anime shows, this one takes the cake. The story is rock solid and some episodes left me hanging on the edge of my seat. Although if you want the full Gundam Seed experience you will need to finish it out to the end of Gundam Seed Destiny. I would recommend this to anyone.』
(Awesome) 『Highly recommand, all english language so no need to ask if it is. Love the series.』
(Great Show Crap DVDs) 『This is the best Gundam i've seen yet. I really like the characters and the drama between the two friends having to fight one another. The story behind Kira Yamato makes it more realistic that he can just jump in a pilot the Gundam without any military training. It is just like every other Gundam series but this is one I would watch over and over again.
The bad part is that Bandai is a terrible company in my eys (at least with the manufacture of dvds). I've read so many reviews of various other anime series that have defective discs. So far disc 5 will only work in my computer and only the first 3 episodes work. Disc 2 and 4 only read a few episodes in all my dvd players and my computer. I have had no luck trying to contact Bandai for replacments by e-mail or phone. I would have rated this a 5 because the series is one the best animes i've ever seen but because of Bandai and it terrible customer service and product quality I gave it a low raiting.』
(Been there, done that, but this time was ok) 『First off, Disk 2 was damaged and unreadable, but I choose not to allow that to affect the review. I emailed the manufacturer who had a replacement to me within a couple days so thats worth overlooking the issue imo.
Secondly, maybe I am dense, but this is not a "complete" product despite the words "Complete Collection" on the cover. It is the first in an installment of 2 DVD collections. As I was watching the final epidode in this series, they had a trailer for the next episode, which irked me but at least I didn't feel like they cut it in half on "purpose". There is quite a bit of material in here so they decided to make some extra money and release it in 2 sets. In fact they should have made it one long series and charged 50% more but I'm going to be somewhat generous and overlook that too in the review rating.
What I can't overlook though is this: The Gundam series has exactly one story which they tell again and again, changing a couple of names and nothing else.
I have seen 3 Gundam series now and here is the story:
A teenage boy, with no military training finds himself in the middle of a battle in his home "town" (space station, whatever).
He is a peaceful young man, who doesn't "believe" in war.
He comes across a prototype war machine designed to turn the tide of the war.
The military commanders decide that, rather than have the machine piloted by an experience war veteran, it would be best if the 17 year old boy with no military training whatsoever pilot the trillion dollar war machine. He also exceeds everyones expectations and instantly becomes the best warrior anyone has ever seen.
The experimental and expensive war machine is taken on board an experimental warship and they spend the rest of the show being chased by the enemy in a long running battle where they are free to discuss and see the horrors of war.
This makes 3 series now, with that exact same plot line and its getting a bit tiring.
The good news is, of the 3 I've seen, this is the most "grownup" of them. The characters are slightly better fleshed out, and more adult conversations are had. One girl uses sex as a "weapon" in one plot line and teenage petulance is not as overlooked as in other Gundam series. This isn't to say this is aimed at an adult audience however. The constant use of a "teenage boy in grandiose situations" has been beat to death. Doesn't the entire nation of Japanese Anime writers have anything else? The Japanese Anime community deserves better. It is a sloppy and lazy way to engage who is clearly their primary target: teenage boys. Teenage boys (and girls for that matter) deserve more credit than that. A good story will engage everyone.
There are a couple panty shots but none of the more hard stuff typical from Japan. However, at the beginning of the show during the music is a siloutte of a nude woman arching her back with her breasts heaving. Maybe not for the younger crowd, which is a shame because other than that and 2 panty shots, even younger teens could have enjoyed this show (the woman who uses sex as a weapon is not rewarded for it and it can even be seen as a warning about the dangers of teenage sexual activity...). On the other hand, any teenage boy with even indirect access to the Internet has seen a whole lot worse than this...
The combat is better than average and includes some large fleet engagements as well, but this particular Gundam takes the "large robot" fantasy a little to far for me. 3 prototype Gundams slaughter an entire fleet of capital ships as well as dozens of their support fighters WITHOUT A SCRATCH. Only the enemy Gundam is capable of stopping them. This too is a bit much to swallow and should have been toned down. Large and powerful, sure. Completely unstoppable, no.
Making the Gundams totally overwhelming just pulled me away from the action and reminded me of the silly dribble I watched from Japan as a boy where every robot was Godzilla and every piece of military machinary was just a prop for the guy in the suit to stomp on.
In the end, if I were going to recommend someones first Gundam series, this would be it. But then there would be nowhere else to go after this...』 『Year 70 of the Cosmic Era. The Coordinators, a group of genetically enhanced humans, have moved into colonies orbiting the Earth. But that hasn t quieted the tensions between them and regular humans; the conflict soon escalates into a full-scale war. On the neutral colony of Heliopolis, Kira Yamato, and his friends are going to school and just being kids. But when the ZAFT commando forces attack, Kira s life changes forever. Left with no choice, he and Federation officer Murrue Ramius are thrown into battle in a prototype mobile weapon, which Kira christens GUNDAM . Now, Kira must defend himself, and his friends, from his own people. For, unknown to anyone else, Kira is a Coordinator. And the enemy he faces on the battlefield is his childhood best friend, Athrun! Contains Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Episodes 1-25.』 『Released in Japan 23 years after the initialGundamseries,Mobile Suit Gundam Seed(2002) introduced a new generation of viewers to the Yoshiyuki Tomino’s sci-fi universe. Kira Yamoto becomes amechapilot when he stumbles onto the top secret GAT-X105 Strike Gundam during an attack on his home satellite-colony, Heliopolis. The Earth Alliance and ZAFT, the fighting arm of the genetically enhanced humans known as Coordinators, are at war; Heliopolis is caught between them. Because Kira is a Coordinator, he can pilot the Strike and reprogram its operating system with no training. Although he's a civilian, Kira joins the crew of the Earth Alliance ship Archangel, fighting off ZAFT attackers. But many of the "Naturals," the regular people he defends, doubt Kira's loyalty because he's a Coordinator--even when they owe their lives to his extraordinary abilities. The focus of the story is not the struggle between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, nor the conflict between the Naturals and the Coordinators: it's the clash between Kira and his old classmate, Athrun Zala. A dedicated ZAFT officer, Athrun adheres to a space-age version ofbushido, the warrior's code of honor; Kira only fights to protect his friends. These emotional entanglements provide a backdrop for the dramatic Mobile Suit battles in space, on Earth and under water. Director Mitsuo Kukada stages these CG fight sequences with a panache that makes the viewer forget how often the action violates the laws of physics.Gundam Seedprovides all the elements that have madeGundamone of the most popular franchises in animation history. Material from the first 20 episodes was recut into the featureMobile Suit Gundam Seed--The Movie. (Rated 13 and older: violence, minor profanity, brief nudity, alcohol use)--Charles Solomon』
price：$2.00
ANIME WORKS
Usually ships in 24 hours 『Ritsuka's innocent childhood days came to a bloody end when he lost the one person who understood him. His brother Seimei was always his guiding star, and without him Ritsuka was lost. The enigmatic Soubi appeared to change all that. Soubi was once partners with Seimei, a sacrifice who gave his energy so Soubi could fight. Now Soubi has come to Seimei looking for a new partner. Will Ritsuka find happiness chained to Soubi?』
price：$4.99
Funimation
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (It was worth the wait , My Wife Loves Kodocha she Enjoyed it!) 『Kodocha is a great anime from a girl that has a great life,but with her hapiness come allot of hardships and all type of topics Adult kind of topics which are great they help you realize and understand life. Sana Kurata age 11 is a great lively person but sometimes its a exterior method she utalize's when she's in pain or hurt. Akito hayama is the person she loves but too innocent to accept. a person she will have to learn to lose till she understands how much she loves. Watch i do recommend i wish they made season three』
(They finally released one) 『Funimation finally released volume 7-13 in a complete box set.Now we don't have to buy the babbit box set two and then buy volume 9-13 individally.You can just buy volume 7-13 and be done with it.When I realized Funimation was going to release this my first thought was that they finnally recieved the rights for Season 2 only to find out that it was only Season one's volume 7-13.I was very dissapointed when i found out that they didn't realease Season 2.I am glad they released this for people who don't own these volumes.Funimation should not false advertize. I do recomend this box set to any fan looking to complete thier collection.I won't give this 5 stars only because of the misprint but I do give 4 stars for convienence of the volumes 7-13 together in one box set.』 『Sana Kurata may be a famous TV star, yet her life is anything but perfect! And it seems as if the only time this 11-year-old superstar isn’t causing trouble is when she’s trying to fix it… But even then, there’s bound to be some sort of chaos! From feuding friends and neighborhood nuisances to tabloid reporters, classroom battles and scripted kisses, Sana’s got her hands full. And just as her career takes an unexpected nosedive, the book she’s worked so hard to publish looks to do more harm than good.
But life’s hardest lesson lies just around the corner, and Sana’s gonna have to realize there are some problems that just can’t be fixed. Will the distraught diva come to her senses before it’s too late? Or will tragedy breed tragedy? Find out on Kodocha!
The scallop of large satisfactory ! northern countries and - [ of how much ] botan shrimp are ! tightly.
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>,Chiwa Saito,Ai Nonaka,Fumiko Orikasa,Kana Ueda,Kayo Sakata
