Actors & Directors
- Katsuhito Akiyama
- Hiroaki Gôda
- Yoshiko Sakakibara
- Michie Tomizawa
- Fumihiko Takayama
- Kinuko Ômori
- Akiko Hiramatsu
- Nozomu Sasaki
Review Baburugamu kuraishisu:These OAVs were among the first Japanese series released as such in the U. S. and are remembered fondly by fans. An early example of cyberpunk that borrows heavily from Blade Runner and Robocop, Bubblegum Crisis depicts the adventures of the female vigilante group the Knight Sabers. In form-fitting, high-heeled mecha suits, Sylia, Priss, Linna, and Nene fight the rogue cyborgs of the sinister Genom Corporation in MegaTokyo, 2032. Sylia's brother Mackie, and A. D. Cop Leon, Priss's long-suffering suitor, assist them. The first three episodes (1987) form a single continuity; "Revenge Road" (1988) depicts a battle between an embittered man and a motorcycle gang. "Moonlight Rambler" (1988) and "Red Eyes" (1989) pit the Saber Knights against vampire cyborgs prowling MegaTokyo. [+]"Double Vision" (1990) introduces the mysterious pop star Vision, and "Scoop Chase" (1991), in which a high school journalist tries to unmask the Knight Sabers, ends the series on a silly note. The direction and design in the first trilogy look decidedly old-fashioned, but the later adventures grow increasingly sophisticated. Odd notes include suggestions of lesbianism, officer Daley's homosexual passes at Leon (who gets better-looking in each redesign), and Mackie trying see his sister in her underwear. Included in the set are Hurricane Live! 2032 and 2033, collections of music videos, and concert footage of the Japanese voice actresses singing the pop songs used in the series. Unrated; suitable for ages 16 and up: Violence, grotesque imagery, profanity, brief nudity, tobacco use, and sexual situations, including prostitution. -Charles Solomon.
Actors & Directors
- Masami Kikuchi
- Kazunori Ikegami
- Martin Burke (III)
- Lainie Frasier
- Yasunori Matsumoto
- Hekiru Shiina
Run time: 55 min.
List Price: $9.98
Price: $39.88
Review Sonic the Hedgehog (Dub) / Adv Films:True to its Sega video-game roots, this futuristic 60-minute movie includes a lot of yelling, crashing, and exploding on the way to saving the world. Sonic and his sidekicks are determined to thwart a plan that would turn their Land of the Sky into the equivalent of The Land of Darkness, which lurks beneath the surface (and is obviously the former planet Earth). So they plow through to the center of the planet and the ancient city of Robotropolis (the former New York City?) to do righteous battle. The big question of the day is whether the usually evil Dr. Robotnik is telling the truth for once or sending the good guys into a trap. The tape's producers suggest viewers be at least 7 years old because of its violence, but the rudimentary nature of the animation will probably make it appealing only to hard-core action fans among the older-kid crowd. -Kimberly Heinrichs.
Actors & Directors
- Janyse Jaud
- Rintaro
- Kathleen Barr
- Masako Nozawa
- Masako Ikeda
- Saffron Henderson
Run time: 130 min.
List Price: $24.95
Price: $92.40
Review Galaxy Express 999: Adieu Galaxy Expre / Viz Video:
Actors & Directors
- Dan Woren
- Elizabeth Berkley
- Wanda Nowicki
- Takuya Sato
- Mike Reynolds
- Kiefer Sutherland
Review Armitage III: Poly Matrix:
Actors & Directors
- Amanda Winn Lee
- Umanosuke Iida
- Doug Smith
- Jimmy Slaughter
- Marcy Rae
- Tiffany Grant
Run time: 60 min.
Price: $19.98
Review Mighty Space Miners 1 & 2 (Sub) / Adv Films:
Actors & Directors
- Masami Suzuki
- Yasunori Matsumoto
- Shigeru Morikawa
- Masato Sato
- Megumi Hayashibara
- Makoto Noriza
- Hikaru Midorikawa
- Bin Shimada
Run time: 350 min.
List Price: $69.99
Price: $139.98
Review The Slayers Try - Collector's Set 1 / Software Sculptures:
Actors & Directors
- Daisuke Nishio
- Joyce Kurtz
- Alexandra Kenworthy
- Steve Bulen
- Eddie Frierson
- Eleni Kelakos
Run time: 30 min.
Creator: Yuzo Takada
Price: $9.98
Review 3x3 Eyes: Descendant / Orion / MGM:Pa-Bo Ayanokoji believes she's a typical high school girl who likes to hang out with her friends. Her world is shattered when the mysterious warrior Yakumo reveals she is not a human girl, but Pai, the last surviving Sanjiyan or holy demon. The rest of the Sanjiyans were exterminated 300 years ago when their king, Kaiyanwang, turned to evil. Now he is about to rise again, and his servants are trying to kill Pai, who can challenge him. Pai's memories of her past life in the blessed realm of Kunlun have been blocked by a spell; Yakumo takes her to Tibet for help breaking it. Along the way, he fights assorted villains led by the sniggering Choukai. Pai and Yakumo cross the barrier to Kunlun with the aid of treasure hunter Jake Macdonald and some Tibetan monks. In Kunlun, they battle Choukai and Kaiyanwang's chief henchman, Benares. The drawn-out climax proves disappointing. Pai and her friends never confront Kaiyanwang, just his servants (which probably means sequels are in the offing). [+]Yakumo repeatedly gets beaten to a bloody pulp but magically heals himself. Typical of the heroes in "magical girl" series, he remains unshakably devoted to the simple and whiny Pai. Rated 16 and up for considerable violence, minor profanity, and nudity. -Charles Solomon.
Actors & Directors
- Mika Doi
- Jennifer Watson (IV)
- Beau Billingslea
- Maureen O'Connell (III)
- Toshihiro Hirano
- Yuriko Yamamoto
Run time: 60 min.
Price: $24.99
Review Dragon Century / U.S. Renditions Video:
Actors & Directors
- Mitsuo Iwata
- Maya Okamoto
- Kôji Tsujitani
- Carol Jacobanis
- Kôichi Mashimo
- Hiroyuki Shibamoto
Run time: 390 min.
List Price: $89.95
Price: $38.49
Review Irresponsible Captain Tylor - OVA Collection / Ventura Distribution:
Actors & Directors
- Sharon Holm
- Mamoru Oshii
- Megan Hollingshead
- Julie Anne Taylor
- Lisa Enochs
- William Dufries
Run time: 118 min.
List Price: $19.95
Price: $39.90
Review Patlabor 1 (Spanish) / Manga Video:This stylish science fiction detective story bears the stamp of director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell). "Labors" are gigantic robots used for everything from construction work to law enforcement, but a massive land reclamation project in Tokyo Bay is threatened by robots going on unexplained rampages. Patlabor cops Noah Izumi and Azuma Shinohara are called in to investigate, and soon find themselves trying to decipher the apocalyptic visions of E. Hoba, who wrote the operating system for the Labor robots and then committed suicide. Hoba introduced a virus into the software that could affect robots all over world and cause unparalleled destruction. In abandoned slum apartments and high-tech construction sites, he left clues about what he was doing-and why. But are Noah, Azuma, and their friends clever enough to second-guess a genius? And will their superior officers accept their conclusions? The first Patlabor feature has a darker tone and look than the previous OVA series. Oshii assumes the viewer already knows the characters, and doesn't bother introducing them. But this powerful tale of the dangers of over-reliance on technology is far superior to ordinary mecha features. The recent attacks of powerful computer viruses give the story an added relevance. [+](Unrated; suitable for ages 10 and older: occasional profanity and robot vs. robot violence. ) -Charles Solomon.
Release date: 1993-11-01
Run time: 30 min.
Price: $9.99
Review Lupin 3: Tales of the Wolf / Streamline Pictures:
Actors & Directors
- Lydia Leeds
- Amy Howard Wilson
- Mike Czechopoulos
- Leiji Matsumoto
- Chris Latta
- Eddie Allen (III)
Run time: 45 min.
List Price: $19.95
Price: $39.90
Review Star Blazers Series 2: Comet Empire 24 / Voyager:
![Review Geneon [Pioneer] / Night Warriors 3 (Dub)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51AD8Q8ENML._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Night Warriors-Darkstalkers' R
Run time: 45 min.
List Price: $24.98
Price: $38.95
Review Night Warriors 3 (Dub) / Geneon [Pioneer]:
Actors & Directors
- Rob Matthews (II)
- Steve Bulen
- Stanley Gurd Jr.
- Tom Fahn
- Hiroyuki Yamaga
- Lena Gale
Review Wings of Honneamise:Many anime fans acclaim writer-director Hiroyuki Yamaga's Wings of Honneamise as a masterpiece, but general audiences may react less enthusiastically. Honneamise is a small country in a parallel world very similar to Earth. Shiro Lhadatt, the least impressive cadet in the air force flight school, volunteers to become the first astronaut in a controversial space program. Training toughens his body, while the priggish evangelist Riqunni challenges him to discipline his spirit. In one distasteful sequence, Shiro attempts to rape her. The next morning he starts to apologize, only to have her apologize for braining him with a candlestick, a scene certain to infuriate feminists. Despite an invasion by a hostile country, Shiro gets into space and delivers a ponderous homily from his capsule. Wings was made by a group of young artists in 1987, and with a record- setting budget. Art director Hiromasa Ogura's lavish designs blend '80s high-tech with art nouveau, and Yamaga's leaden pacing gives viewers the time to study every detail. Fans of Honneamise acclaim it as a critical meditation on the illusions and follies of the human race, which suggests that profundity, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. [+](Ages 13 and older for violence, attempted rape, and occasional profanity) -Charles Solomon.
Release date: 1999-10-12
Run time: 325 min.
Price: $69.95
Review Slayers Next Collection 2 (Coll Dub) / Software Sculptures:
Actors & Directors
- Kôichi Yamadera
- Miki Itô
- Kôichi Chigira
- Kappei Yamaguchi
- Jenny Baker
- Takehito Koyasu
Run time: 111 min.
Price: $34.95
Review Tokyo Babylon 1 & 2 / U.S. Magna Corp/Wea V:Based on a manga series by the all-female Clamp studio, these two OAVs from 1992 and 1994 are linked by the character of Subaru, a powerful medium whose family has used their psychic powers to "protect Japan for 2,000 years. " In the first adventure, he's pitted against a power-hungry executive who murders anyone in his way. The embittered sister of one of his victims unwittingly releases a spirit too powerful for her to control. In the second, Subaru helps to solve the grisly murders committed by a serial killer stalking the Tokyo subways. The police also call in Mirei, who has powers of "post-cognition": an ability to see into past. In each case, Subaru is rescued at the last minute by the handsome veterinarian Seishiro. Subaru and Seishiro also appear in the feature X (1998). (Rated 13 and older: violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery) -Charles Solomon.
Actors & Directors
- Amy Howard Wilson
- Mike Czechopoulos
- Chris Latta
- Lydia Leeds
- Leiji Matsumoto
- Eddie Allen (III)
Run time: 584 min.
List Price: $159.95
Price: $37.95
Review Star Blazers Series 3: The Bolar Wars (6pc) (Coll) / Voyager:
Actors & Directors
- Wendee Lee
- Steven Jay Blum
- Kôichi Chigira
- Gloria Gines
- Rob Matthews (II)
- Richard Cansino
Review Yûgen kaisha:There are hundreds of thousands of companies in modern Tokyo, but only one Phantom Quest Corporation, a firm that specializes in exorcisms and troublesome spirits. Its founder and CEO is Ayaka Kisaragi, a red-haired klutz whose lipstick turns into an enchanted sword when she needs to dispatch vampires, demons, or ghosts. She's assisted by the exorcist Rokkon, the medium Madame Suimei, the innocent-looking Nanami, and Mamoru, a long-suffering computer whiz who tries to reconcile Ayaka's profligate spending with her limited income. The tone of Phantom Quest suggests Ghostbusters remade for Bette Midler-Ayaka drinks too much, oversleeps, and murders songs in karaoke settings, but she comes through in the end. Her tongue-in-cheek adventures juxtapose supernatural villains with slapstick comedy, much of it involving her put-upon beau, Detective Karino. In "Kiss of Fire," they defeat Count Dracula (whose coffin has been purchased as a novelty by a Japanese businessman) but trash Tokyo Tower in the process. The most satisfying of the four adventures is "Love Me Tender," in which the ghost of an archeologist tries to protect his former fiancée from beyond the grave. Possible sequels are hinted at in the DVD extras. Rated 13 and up for nudity, violence, sexual situations, and occasional profanity. -Charles Solomon.
Actors & Directors
- Miyuki Akiyama
- Yuko Hamada
- Eiji Funakoshi
- Noriaki Yuasa
- Christopher Murphy
- Nobuhiro Kajima
List Price: $19.98
Price: $59.99
Review Gamera Vs Guillon (1969) / Ventura Distribution:This fourth entry in the Gamera series found the titanic turtle paralleling the cuddly direction of his competitor Godzilla. When two young, star-gazing children investigate a spaceship that has practically landed in their backyard, they are whisked away to Terra, our undiscovered tenth planet whose two "groovy spacegirls" are all that remain of a once-superior alien civilization. But the boys soon discover that their seemingly friendly hosts have sinister plans in mind for them. Never fear, for Gamera comes to save them, flying through space to battle the spacegirls' guardian Guiron, a giant, rhino-like beast possessing a razor-sharp steel blade for a snout. This movie is truly suited for young children, for older kids, and especially for adults will chortle at the unintentional humor arising from the cheesy effects, underplayed roles, and possibly the worst dubbing job in Japanese monster history. Taken as comedy, adults will find this a real camp gem-when the two boys witness Guiron slice 'n' dice a laser-spewing Gaos, one of them proclaims: "What a monster!" -Bryan Reesman.
Actors & Directors
- Jessie Cody
- Enuka Okuma
- Jon Allen (II)
- Travis Willingham
- Daisuke Nishio
- Matthew Piersall
Price: $19.95
Review Dragon Ball Z: Perfect Cell (2pc) (Unct) / Funimation Prod:
| Models & Brands:
Baburugamu kuraishisu, Sonic the Hedgehog (Dub), Galaxy Express 999: Adieu Galaxy Expre, Armitage III: Poly Matrix, Mighty Space Miners 1 & 2 (Sub), The Slayers Try - Collector's Set 1, 3x3 Eyes: Descendant, Dragon Century, Irresponsible Captain Tylor - OVA Collection, Patlabor 1 (Spanish), Lupin 3: Tales of the Wolf, Star Blazers Series 2: Comet Empire 24, Night Warriors 3 (Dub), Wings of Honneamise, Slayers Next Collection 2 (Coll Dub), Tokyo Babylon 1 & 2, Star Blazers Series 3: The Bolar Wars (6pc) (Coll), Yûgen kaisha, Gamera Vs Guillon (1969), Dragon Ball Z: Perfect Cell (2pc) (Unct)Top headlines: Enjoy 7 nights in Curaao, from$435: Thanks to the Curaao Tourism Corporation's latest promotion, it's no sweat to get to this vibrant Dutch Caribbean island just off the coast of Venezuela and outside the hurricane belt. ›15:24 Cervical cancer advances give hope to poor: New screening tests and effective vaccines from Merck & Co and GlaxoSmithKline make tackling cervical cancer in poor countries a real possibility for the first time, researchers said on Thursday. ›23:29 28 Aug, Thu Ramadan's memorable recipes, traditions: Ramadan is not about starving yourself," says author Huma Siddiqui, "it's about taking a step back." Epicurious examines memorable recipes and traditions of Muslim holy month. ›21:15 In Bordeaux, a white wine road less traveled: Its back-to-school time again, and many families are trying to figure out just what to pack in school lunchboxes. TODAY food editor Phil Lempert presents affordable and nutritious foods that'll keep your kids happy and healthy. ›15:52 28 Aug, Thu Al Gore's Nobel Patrol: A vigilant fan of the former veep keeps watch as the Nobel Committee announces its peace prize. ›15:10 12 Oct, Fri Now hear this: Don't remove earwax: The gooey, golden stuff that builds up inside your ears should stay there, according to newly released national guidelines on earwax removal. ›12:48 Slide show: Slide show: Celebrity men over 50: In his debut novel, "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle," author David Wroblewski examines the limits of language and the elemental forces of love, loss and revenge. An excerpt. ›13:59 28 Aug, Thu World champ in wacky competitions? 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Lymphoma survivor gets new look: US Weekly contributor Jill Martin and hairstylist Louis Licari make over two TODAY fans, including a Georgia mom who recently became cancer-free, and a hardworking Nebraska woman who is looking forward to a night on the town. ›15:14 13 Jun, Fri All hands on deck: Maryland crab cakes: With prices in the $9 to $15 range, Entre-Deux-Mers are one of Bordeauxs real bargains, even with a weak dollar. On a visit to the region, TODAY wine columnist Edward Deitch enjoys their fresh and fruity pleasures. ›01:45 28 Aug, Thu Pageant for nuns canceled: An Italian priest who had planned an online "pageant" for nuns has suspended the project, saying he was misinterpreted and had no intention of putting sisters on a beauty catwalk. ›15:14 26 Aug, Tue Eww or eureka? An ode to earwax: Its easy to wax poetic about such august matters as cancer, heart disease and trauma. But we prefer the bit players on the medical stage the unsung, largely forgettable conditions. Of these, nothing is as gloriously mundane as earwax. ›00:18 Saad Hariri on Lebanons Future: Saad Hariri takes up the mantle of his assassinated father, and argues for the world to isolate Syria. ›15:46 12 Oct, Fri Slice of Lady Di's wedding cake sells for $1,830: Talk about icing on the cake. A slice of royal wedding history was sold for 1,000 pounds ($1,830) at an auction. The piece of wedding cake from Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's ceremony in 1981 was sold by a former royal servant, who had kept it wrapped in clingfilm in an attic for 27 years. ›13:56 Q&A: Shawn Hornbecks Parents: The parents of kidnap victim Shawn Hornbeck speak out on the sentencing of their sons tormentor and the status of the boys recovery. ›20:50 12 Oct, Fri |
