Amazon.com

Disney's first animated feature in CinemaScope is now available in widescreen presentations on video, and it is definitely good to get the whole picture. One of the studio's most original and charming movies, the 1955 film tells the story of a rakish, street-smart dog named Tramp, who helps an aristocratic pooch named Lady out of some trouble and then commences a romance with her. Sweet, funny scenes abound, and the combination of innocence and sophistication would have done well in a live-action picture. Peggy Lee cowrote the songs and provides the voice of the Siamese cats in one of the film's best-known musical sequences. This newly restored version spruces up both sonics and visuals, and a letterbox version is available. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (65)

How could I NOT give it 5 stars?
Lady and the Tramp is simply my all-time favorite Disney film! In my opinion, it is a 5 star masterpiece, and I would give it more if I could! I remember when I was just four years old, watching the characters Lady, Tramp, Jock, Trusty, and the Siamese Cats light up my eyes, as well as my TV screen, as very few films have done for me before or since. The music and songs are especially enjoyable, especially "Bella Notte" and "He's a Tramp." And the thrilling climax, which I won't spoil for the people who have yet to see it, ranks with the climaxes of "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King." I remember having to wait almost a decade for Disney to re-release this classic so that I could replace my old worn-out copy. Now that I have it on both VHS and DVD, and both editions are in widescreen, I can enjoy it for years to come as I never thought I'd be able to! Your kids will love it, and so will anyone who's still young at heart. Buy it today! Don't make the same mistake I did over 10 years ago!

How could I NOT give it 5 stars?
Simply speaking, Lady and the Tramp is my favorite Disney film of all time! In my opinion, it is a 5 star masterpiece, and I would give it more if I could! I remember when I was just 4 years old, watching the characters Lady, Tramp, Jock, Trusty, and the Siamese Cats light up my eyes, as well as my TV screen, as no other movie (except maybe Pete's Dragon or Superman) has done for me before or since. The music and songs are especially enjoyable, especially "Bella Notte." And the thrilling climax (which I won't spoil for the peope who have yet to see it) ranks with the "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" climaxes! I remember having to wait almost a decade for Disney to re-release this classic on video so that I could replace my worn-out taped version. Now that I have it on both VHS and DVD, and both editions are in widescreen, I can enjoy it for years to come as I never thought I'd be able to! Your kids will love it, and so will anyone who's still young at heart! Buy it on DVD today! Don't make the same mistake I did over 10 years ago! (And don't let the lack of special features stop you, either!)

truelly magical
I grew up with this film. It was one of my all time favorite movies. The music the charictors the story the romance! Oh it is truelly one of the best disney movies I have ever seen! No pixie dust or fairy godmothers just a great film you could watch again & again & I'm sure the DVD is even better.
True This is based on VHS I got a DVD player only a month ago & cannot get ahold of a copy of the DVD. It is too much of a treasure bring it back out of the vault for all to enjoy! It is truelly not to be missed & always to be treasured.

Disney's 15th Animated Masterpiece!
Forget about princesses marrying princes or princes marrying peasent maidens, this is Disney's most romantic film ever. Lady and Tramp is the loving story of a beautiful girl dog named Lady who falls in love with another dog from the other side of the tracks named Tramp, after different adventures in the streets of the city, they both settle down for a nice, romantic dinner at a town's restaurant, this scene is probably remembered as one of Disney's most romantic moments ever, we all love this film. Something is troubling lady though, a new baby was born at the house where she lives, and she hasn't been receiving the attention her owners usually gave her, now in the care of Aunt Sarah, Lady is afraid to return home, but many different events will give this story one of the most beautiful happy endings ever.

This Limited Edition DVD, brings nothing in Bonus Features, this title really needs a much better release and it will get it since it has been officially announced as part of the Platinum Edition line, which will give the title a much better release.

How could I replace this movie from my heart?
This is an AMAZING movie. I feel really lucky to have such a movie. I read the other paragraphs in the category,and you can say I agreed with the other peaople whom liked it. I am glad i sticked to five stars for this amazing movie!!! It's an amazing love story that brougt my love for cartoons and animated movies back to life!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mykenna Tremblay age #12 ... Read more

Description

MAX & RUBY: SPRINGTIME FOR MAX & RUBY features 12 new episodes, including "Max’s Chocolate Chicken" (when Max and Ruby go on a chocolate egg hunt in the backyard they both find more than they bargained for) and "Ruby’s Beauty Shop" (when Louise comes over to show Ruby her Deluxe Beauty Kit Max wants to play too, but Ruby insists a Beauty Parlor is no place for Max). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A FAVORITE
My 2 1/2 year old son LOVES this DVD, being a big Max & Ruby fan.My only complaint is that the image of Ruby flying a kite on the "menu" list does NOT appear in any episode.So my son requests time and time again the "Ruby kite" story which isn't on this DVD - doesn't make sense."Chocolate Chicken" and "Quiet Max" are his favorites. ... Read more

Description

After the devastating fight to save the Earth from Saiyans, many of Goku's friends have fallen.Gohan leads a small group to find the original Dragon Balls on the distant planet of Namek - Piccolo's homeworld.Without Goku, who remains behind to finish some intense training, can our heroes survive the many hazards on their journey?Even if they do, they will have to face the incredibly powerful Frieza and his henchman who were so powerful that they destroyed the Saiyan homeworld!Twenty-nine episodes on nine DVDs - 585 minutes of viewing (English language only)! ... Read more

Reviews (70)

One of the greatest sagas of all time.
This saga starts out as a simple quest for seven dragonballs. Including all of the dbz gang. At first it seemed slow, then as new faces entered the sceen. The Namek Saga, became more than just a quest for the Dragonballs. All of the people on planet Namek fought for their lives. Where the biggest villan in dbz history arrives. Freiza, is probably my favorite bad guy. Mearly because in the Namek Saga, he is a very calm, and very creepy type of villan. The Ginyu Force, was also a brilliant team. Which were evil Freiza's hench men. The Namek Saga, ended with such a teaser, that you could stand waiting for the next episode. Personally I think that the Namek Saga was unlike anything I'd seen in a dbz series. Just the way everyone on planet Namek, found out all about the Nameks. Also the way that every one grew so strong, and their power levels were so incredible. The very last episode, was where Goku was just arriving on planet Namek, and this is when I got a big case of the goosebumps. Goku had been training at 100 times earth's normal gravity. So he obviously was going to arrive the thrill of the Saga. I would recomend this Saga to anyone who is interested with Dragonballz.

Too bad we ain't in Japan!
I have seen this series with the origional japanese dialogue, and needless to say this english version is a far cry from the intensity of the orgionals. Did you know there are well over two hundred fifty episodes to this series? I cannot remember exactly how many... all I know is I want every last one- uncut and uncensored! The voices for Gohan, Kurillin, and Vegita in the english version are pathetic. Episodes are missing from the Namek Saga and, quite frankly, it is a shame. I would like to see the whole set, unabridged and not tainted by censorship. Dragonball Z is a violent series, much like Fist of the North Star... with comedy. As to when FUNinamtion will get off its rear and give us hungry DBZ fans what we really want (everything, of course) and not give us this non-fat version... who knows? They should stop treating this like a kid's show and treat it the way it was meant to be treated. Oh, by the way... did anyone know there is another Dragonball series after Dragonball Z? As slow as FUNimation is with getting the episodes out, it probably won't reach american shores until 2003. It's a crying shame...

To all the idiots out there
This is addressed to any person out there over the age of 7, who watches this program: you should be taken outdoors and shot, for you are wasting valuable air and space.

Namek Saga
This Saga starts out with vegeta falling from goku's last blast. Goku stops krillin from killing vegeta and vegeta swears to come back and destroy earth. Goku is in the hospital and Gohan, Krillin, and Bluma decide to find the dragon balls on Namek. After having alittle bit of trouble in space they finally end up on namek. There they find freeza and his gang torturing the nameks and are on the same quest to find the dragon balls. Goku finally heels and is able to join them on there quest. Vegeta also is heeled and finds out that freeza is also after the dragon balls to he rushes to namek too. Now krillin, bulma, and Gohan have to deal with freeza, and vegeta. Goku hurry up and get your butt to namek as soon as possible. This box set is only in english. A great item. A must have for all DBZ fans.

Be warned! These are the edited dub episodes!
INTRODUCTION:
Dragon Ball Z was the follow-up to Akira Toriyama's surprisingly successful Dragon Ball series. Although his first installment of the classic series was more of an adventure-comedy type series, the Z series pretty much focused entirely on sci-fi martial arts action - which makes the Z series far superior to its superior. The series has become popular all around the world, and it's no surprise that a box set of the first season was released here in the States. Read on for my review of the Namek Saga box set.

BASIC PLOT:
The story for the Frieza Saga, the second of four major sagas that make up Dragon Ball Z, goes something like this. Many of the Z fighters died fighting against the Saiyans, so the surviving members of the crew decide to make a mission to Namek, the planet where the Dragon Balls originated (since they are sure to have another set there.) They arrive on the planet only to discover the horrible truth - Vegeta is also there searching for the balls! And that's the LEAST of their troubles! Frieza, an ultra-strong warrior with a huge army, is ALSO looking for them! And Frieza is even STRONGER than Vegeta! And to make matters worse, Goku won't be arriving on planet until a week after Krillin, Gohan, and Bulma! Will the Z crew be able to defeat Frieza and get the Dragon Balls to wish their friends back to life?

EPISODE/DVD OPINIONS:
When you do anime DVDs, it's an unwritten rule that the DVDs include both an uncut English dub version and an uncut Japanese version with English subtitles. AND ALL THESE DVDS HAVE IS THE EDITED DUB! I admit, the voice actors FUNimation hired for the dub version all do the voices of their respective characters well (all except for Frieza's and Vegeta's (Frieza is supposed to sound like a black guy, not a little old lady!)), but the dialogue is too inaccurate and Americanized. Also, a good deal of footage was cut (in particular from the scene where Dodoria attacks the Namek soldiers.) And needless to say, the violence was reduced so that the series could be aired on American television stations. But the greatest flaw of all is that this set is horribly incomplete - it only contains the FIRST HALF of the Frieza saga! This, my friends, is NOT the Dragon Ball Z real fans want.

OVERALL:
My advice is NOT to purchase this set. I recently heard that Pioneer will lose their rights to the older episodes of the series soon, and when they do, FUNimation will redub the episodes, and hopefully rerelease them on DVD with the original Japanese version intact. So hold off and see if that happens. ... Read more

Description

It's Full Metal Pandemonium! Sousuke and Kaname are back in action! And this time, the battleground is the school ground! High-yield explosives and hilarity come together with a bang, as the somber soldier and his unwitting target brave everything from lovesick "terrorists" to an unforgiving teacher who is bent on revenge. But as good as he is with guns, Sousuke is one clueless commando when it comes to girls - especially Kaname! A day at the beach turns sour after Sousuke misses the point one too many times (and even fails to notice Kaname's new bikini). Then, when Kaname is suddenly kidnapped, it's up to our dense hero to devise a daring rescue! Don't miss the hilarious antics of everyone's favorite military maniac - and Jin High's most fiery female - as the full-throttle action begins! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Fumoffu! Forever
This anime series is a wonderful production featuring the characters from Full Metal Panic in a completely independent storyline. I recommend seeing this series even if you have never seen the original. The general idea of the show is Sosuke is works in a special operations branch that is currently interested in protecting Kaname. However, for all of Sosuke's training, his skills in warfare and gun use will not solve every social problem he encounters. This does not stop Sosuke in the least. Definately the best love comedy ever.

Furthermore, the authors of this Dvd's have included 2 of the unaired episodes in this dvd, but they have appeneded them to episodes 1 and 2.

The hilarious side of FMP!
This show cracks me up. It is much more hilarious and lighter than the original Full Metal Panic series. If you are a FMP fan, you own it to yourself to get the FMP Fumoffu!

must see for full metal panic fans
This series is a must see for fans of the original full metal panic series.If you enjoyed gundam wing, rurouni kenshi, great teacher onizuka or nadeisco then you will like this anime.

GREAT STUFF, beats the first on a funny level
This series is funny and even makes fun of other anime, volume makes fun of "You're Under Arrest", a poke at Indiana Jones (guy swings blade around, Sousuke just shoots him), bullet-time dodging, and brilliant use of military gear (episode 1, Ghillie Suit, for those of you who know what it is). I heard that this series had focused on the school comedy, and I thought it wouldn't be that great, as I enjoyed the first for it's combat, but I was wrong. Hilariously wrong. The directors chose the stories in the manga that used the explosives, running from police, grenade launchers, and Sousuke's favorite Glock 26.

Fumoffu, can actually be placed early in between in the original series, as both were taken from the manga. One focuses on the serious action plot, while fumoffu shows "daily" life in school. The directors wanted to focus on the comedic romance, rather than only the action (which made the first one convoluted as soon as they introduced the Lambda driver). I'd recommend both, and the manga itself, to see where it came from. This series has the destruction, comedy, but sadly no Armed Slave, but one funky lookin' mascot.

After you see this series, you will ask for MORE...
I have seen both full metal panic and FMP fomoffu.Let me tell you this second season has nothing to do with the first series, but it has also A LOT of new stuff and if you like humor situations you won't like to miss this one.
Althougt i found this 15 episodes series too funny, i don't recomended for children, because it has some minor nudity and sexual situations.It is not hentai, but some people may find disturbing some of the scenes.
If you haven't seen full metal panic, what are you waiting for??, and if you already did, you won't like to miss this one.
Trust me!!.

PD.- This DVD obviosly doesn't have all 15 episodes.
... Read more

Reviews (7)

A magnificent series.
The DVDs faithfully reproduce the videotapes; I see complaints about the quality of the transfer as unjustified. One would think from reading the other reviews that the DVDs are somehow technically defective; this isn't the case. They don't improve on the original footage, but who reasonably expects them to do that?

This is a fascinating documentary series, covering a retracement of the Silk Road from east to west, as recorded by NHK over the course of several years, beginning in 1979. This set contains the first dozen episodes, part I of the series (Boxed Set 1 and Boxed Set 2, which is not to be confused with Silk Road II, the final 18 episodes). It begins in Chang-An and ends in the Pamirs. Part II, alas, doesn't seem to have made it to DVD; that covers the journey from Central Asia to Rome.

Titles of the episodes in this set are:
The Glories of Ancient Chang-An
A Thousand Kilometers Beyond the Yellow River
The Art Gallery in the Desert
The Dark Castle
In Search of the Kingdom of Lou-Lan
Across the Taklamakan Desert
Khotan -- Oasis of Silk and Jade
A Heat Wave Called Turfan
Through the Tian Shan Mountains by Rail
Journey into Music -- South Through the Tian Shan Mountains
Where Horses Fly Like the Wind
Two Roads to the Pamirs

TOO BAD
We have watched the series on VHS--also a very poor transfer but fascinating film. I had hoped the DVD would be a good transfer but sounds as if that is not the case.

Outstanding documentary
The content of this documentary is outstanding. Though the video deficiency is not as bad as previous reviews suggest, the content more than makes up for it. I give it a 4-star rating because of the technical deficiency. If not, this is definitely 5-star material.

Content 5 stars--video 3 stars
Having watched this entire set, I can say that the quality of the content outweighs any qualms about sound or video quality. Yes, the picture looks more like an old VHS tape than a new DVD, but it's not THAT bad. I found it it didn't get in the way of enjoying one of the best documentaries ever made. Bottom line: if you're picky--make that super picky--about video quality, avoid this. If, however, you are really interested in an excellent documentary on the Silk Road, then take the plunge. You won't be disappointed.

thanks for the helpful review
After reading the one star review, I was really glad to have checked reviews before buying it. As a doctor, I really have no problems spending thousands of dollars per month on dvds. But once you get a lemon, you are very very annoyed. I must thank the reviewer for pointing out the poor transfer to dvd. As for myself, I am a Kitaro fan. Hey, how can you do justice to Kitaro with a MONO soundtrack. Joke, right? ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Cartoon Network and WBTV's fine adaptation of Marv Wolfman and George Perez's '80s-era DC Comics title Teen Titans comes to DVD in a fun and extras-laden single disc. The attractive, anime-influenced episodes that comprise Divide and Conquer are the first six episodes of the series' 2003 debut season: "Final Exam," "Sisters," "Divide and Conquer," "Forces of Nature," "The Sum of His Parts," and "Nevermore," each of which pit the Titans--former Batman sidekick Robin, Beast Boy (who in the comic renamed himself Changeling), Starfire, Cyborg, Terra, and Raven--against a horde of regular foes, including Slade (voiced by Ron Perlman), Trigon, and many others. True to their age, the Titans also have to deal with issues about maturity, confidence, and even a hint of romance between team members. WB's DVD includes a featurette about transferring the comic book to the screen (with input from Wolfman and Perez) and a video for Puffy Ami Yumi's irresistible theme song. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Amazon.com

Based on a series of fantasy novels by Yoshinobu Akita, MajutsushiOrphen (literally Sorcerer Stabber Orphen, 1998) is a rambling butentertaining saga of a pure heart triumphing over seemingly insurmountablechallenges. Orphen is the adopted name of Krylancelo, a promising youngsorcerer. Azalie, an older girl who was like a sister to him during theirtraining, tried to use magic that was too powerful for her--and wastransformed into the dragon Bloody August. When their wise instructor,Childman seemed bent on destroying the dragon, Orphen left his tutelage inthe Tower of Fangs, vowing to save Azalie himself. Six years later, he'sstill on that quest, joined by his apprentice Majic and feisty blonde Cleao,plus the comic brothers Volcan and Dortin. As they wander through cities andenchanted ruins, Orphen's story is recounted in flashbacks. The world theywander througn is a decidedly odd one that mixes elements of feudal kingdoms,the American West, and Europe during the Industrial Revolution.

Thetranslation is problematic, with the English dub differing substantially fromthe subtitles: the blue puppy Cleao adopts is called a "Deep Dragon" in thesubtitles, but a "Wolfen" in the spoken dialogue. The animation is erratic,and the design of Orphen's face changes noticeably in the last few episodes.But Orphen remains such a likable character, the viewer willingly overlookany flaws. Note: the plastic case comes apart easily. (Rated 12 and older:violence, grotesque imagery, nudity) --Charles Solomon ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wish I'd Bought It Sooner
I waited for years to watch this anime because it didn't look too interesting. I wish I hadn't waited. This was well worth the money. The animation and music are good (esp the first opening, which I love). But it's the characters that really hook you. Orphen, Cleo and Magic have great chemistry. For humor, I suggest watching the dub although it does deviate and does use anachronistic language. I didn't have a problem with that, because it's not a typical fantasy world (i.e. set in the distant past). The storyline is great, and overall consistent though some episodes can feel more like filler. Glad I took a chance and bought this.

COOL COOL COOL COOL....!!!!
Orphen is a really really really good series. Obviously. It starts a little bit slow, but still manages to make you want to watch more. Once you get to the last ten or so, it's really hard to stop watching it. Volkan and Dortin are really annoying, but hey, without them, where would the humor come from? (aside from Cleao and Majic and Leki, and Black Tiger...) Anyway, this series is definitely recommended.So is Orphen Revenge, though I've only seen the first DVD. The ending is a little twisted, but it's perfect for the series. Also, the nudity in the last few episodes is not needed. Even so, it's one of the better anime series that I've seen.

Don't buy
Orphen stinks!!! For someone who does not know Japanese, this anime is not worth the time and money, even for someone who likes magical and sword fighting animes. First, the plot sucks. Second, the dubbing does not match the subtitle. And third, the character's (especially, Orphen and his crew) names change often.

If you are not a Japanese speaker, don't buy Orphen because you will not be able to understand this anime.

A fantastic experience
Having gone into Orphen with no idea what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised from the beginning. I'm not normally a fan of fantasy titles, but there was something about this one that just demanded I keep watching.

The story is the highlight here; it's interesting and mysterious from the get-go and unfolds excellently throughout the series. One of my favorite aspects about this series is that it sort of begins in the middle of the story, and it unfolds not just forwards, but backwards as well, slowly piecing the past together via flashbacks and revelations.

I found the characters to be interesting and enjoyable. They made me laugh when I needed to, and made me sympathetic at just the right moments. Most interesting is the way things are turned on their head halfway through the series; you'll find yourself wondering who's an enemy and who isn't.

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this series. It was funny, intruiging, and dramatic. This is a title that definitely gets overlooked far too much; take my advice and check it out. I highly recommend it.

Addictively oustanding
The first time I seen Orphen a friend had it. I did want to give it back. Orphen is magically addictive and oustandingly plotted. ... Read more

Reviews (373)

Pure enjoyment for the open minded...
This review is directed to those who, like myself, are not avid anime fans. I own three anime DVDs: Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and Ninja Scroll, and I enjoy all three. However, Ninja Scroll is far the most enjoyable to watch. But this review is not a comparison of the three.

I would like to praise the writer/director of Ninja Scroll for creating such an exciting and artistic work while at the same time retelling the ancient tale of the reluctant hero. The plot was sufficient enough to withstand the weight of the amazing action sequences and fun sexual content. The character development was superb. Jubei (the hero) is not portrayed an all-powerful superhero. Instead, we just see a gifted fighter with an immense will to survive.

The action scenes are among the best I have ever seen, with battle choreography that is comparable to that of the best filmakers. The villians are imaginitive and original, not to mention devious. The plot is extremely imaginitive, touching on topics that are not common to the "super robots and cute little girls" world of Japanese Anime: love triangles, rape, greed, self esteem, and homosexuality. This film was enjoyable from beginning to end, and if you are searching to expand your collection into something new, pick up this DVD. Its pure enjoyment.

Breaking the Samurai Code
One tradition of Japanese manga and anime is based on the legends of Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi, who was a very real swordsman serving the Tokugawa Shogunate at the beginning of the 17th century. Jubei was known for wandering Japan, sometimes as a spy for the Shogun, and righting injustices with displays of his extraordinary swordsmanship. Kind of a Japanese Knight of the Roundtable.

In 'Ninja Scroll', this part is played by Jubei Kibagami, an itinerant ninja. He is drawn into clan politics when he comes to the aid of Kagero, a female ninja in service to the Yamashiro clan. To save Kagero, Jubei must successfully challenge Tessai, an evil ninja (one of the Eight Devils of Kimon) with the ability to turn his skin into stone, and the strength to chop walls down. Jubei succeeds, but Tessai swears vengeance, leaving Jubei deeply entangled in a struggle with the Shogun of the Dark.

The third player in this contest is Dakuan, the Shoguns spy. He is a deadly old man who recruits Jubei by giving him a poison that will kill him in a day and a night. Dakuan informs Jubei that Himuro Gemma, an old enemy that Jubei was sure was dead, was still alive, and, in the company of the Devils, was at the center of the plotting. Jubei, Dakuan, and Kagero must defeat the evil ninjas and discover the purpose behind the killing of an entire village.

Kagero is a poison taster, and, as a result, is permeated with deadly toxins. She can never take a lover, because even her kiss would kill. At this point in Japanese history such a woman was an outcaste, having little value in the eyes of her society. Jubei shatters her world when he insists on treating her as an honorable human being, creating a strong emotional tension that plays against the simple samurai action of the main plot.

Production qualities of the film are beautiful, echoing traditional Japanese art forms with a fine sensibility. Line and color are strong. Violence, of course, is present, but is tightly controlled, not dwelt upon. This is one of the best and most representative films of the more conservative Japanese traditions of anime. Worth seeing for its historical status as well as for its outstanding artistic values.

Even good with overdubs
The thing that bothers me the most with Anime from Asia is the sometimes horrible overdubs in English that sound flat and unimaginative. Ninja Scroll (and Princess Mononoke) is an exception.

The drawings are as always superb and the story line is as well. This story is about Ninjas in 16th century Japan, but with supernatural powers. REally interesting.

It is very graphic and the language is sometimes very coarse, does make it more 'real' in some strange way or another.

Really good movie, watch it twice, once in Japanese, once in English and be surprised

One of my favorite Anime flicks
Ninja Scroll is about a masterless ninja named Jubei who basically wanders around Japan looking to work for anyone worthy of his service. he eventually gets caught up in a change of events that force him to fight the Seven Devils of Kimoen who are trying to take over Japan and rule it by force. this movie contains a number of cool characters and very innovative villians with unic powers. there is lots of sex and voilence in this movie so i would recommend waiting until your at least 13 before veiwing this. i(being the Anime obsessed Otaku that i am) enjoyed every bit of this and i recommend that any fan of Anime should check this out.

10/10

Mehh....
I don't want to piss the NS fans out there but I don't see how good this is? I mean I have to agree with one reviewer, this is one of the coolest animes but I didn't think it was a masterpiece.
The story was alright but not big!
The animation was great but not excellent.
The action was great.
Over all it was an alright Ninja flick. Though I think this film is a little overhyped.

Also I have a problem of people saying "OH THERES A RAPE SCENE! OH!
Gimmi a freaking break its not like you see what going on! Even though you have the sence of whats going on it's still stupid how people make a big deal that you see like a 2 minute rape scene which you barley see anything but a nipple shot. Jeez.

Now I must say the violence is over the top. Especially when one guy gets both his arms ripped right off. EEWWWW thats gotta hurt.

Over all I thought this was an alright flick I guess.
Check it out for yourself and give your opinion on it. ... Read more

Description

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS revolves around the denizens of Bikini Bottom and a sweet square yellow sponge with the tongue twister name of SpongeBob SquarePants, who lives in a giant pineapple with his cookie-loving pet snail Gary.His two best friends and comrades-in-misadventures, are Patrick, a gullible starfish and a temperamental, thrill-seeking squirrel named Sandy Cheeks who lives in an underwater dome complete with a large Texas tree house and picnic area.SpongeBob is the "best fry cook ever" at the Krusty Krab, where he has to deal with his miserly boss Mr. Krabs and the grumpy cashier Squidward Tentacles.SpongeBob is always landing himself (and his friends!) in hot soup despite the best of intentions.His enthusiasm and optimism are endearing and infectious, making him one of the best-loved characters by children and adults alike. ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?
Here comes the first season of the cult smash that's fun for kids and adults alike. Spongebob's peculiar charm came from nowhere into one of the most beloved cartoons of recent times and finally we have the complete first season on DVD, instead of the numerous compilations already out. (when will they realize people really want TV released by seasons)

The classic episodes contained here are:
- Bubblestand
- Ripped Pants
- Help Wanted
- Reef Blowers
- Tea at the Treedome
- Jellyfishing
- Plankton!
- Naughty Nautical Neighbors
- Boating School
- Pizza Delivery
- Home Sweet Pineapple
- Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy
- Pickles
- Hall Monitor
- Jellyfish Jam
- Sandy's Rocket
- Squeaky Boots
- Nature Pants
- Opposite Day
- Culture Shock
- F.U.N.
- MuscleBob BuffPants
- Squidward, the Unfriendly Ghost
- The Chaperone
- Employee of the Month
- Scaredy Pants
- I Was a Teen-age Gary
- SB-129
- Karate Choppers
- Sleepy Time
- Suds
- Valentine's Day
- The Paper
- Arrgh!
- Rock Bottom
- Texas
- Walking Small
- Fools in April
- Neptune's Spatula
- Hooky
- Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II

DVD Info
For those of you wondering what exactly will come with the first season boxed set...here it is!

Contains the following episodes:
-Reef Blowers / Tea at the Treedome (Pilot "Help Wanted" Not Included)
-Bubblestand / Ripped Pants
-Jellyfishing / Plankton!
-Naughty Nautical Neighbors / Boating School
-Pizza Delivery / Home Sweet Pineapple
-Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy / Pickles
-Hall Monitor / Jellyfish Jam
-Sandy's Rocket / Squeaky Boots
-Nature Pants / Opposite Day
-Culture Shock / F.U.N.
-MuscleBob BuffPants / Squidward, the Unfriendly Ghost
-The Chaperone / Employee of the Month
-Scaredy Pants / I Was a Teen-age Gary
-SB-129 / Karate Choppers
-Sleepy Time / Suds
-Valentine's Day / The Paper
-Arrgh! / Rock Bottom
-Texas / Walking Small
-Fools in April / Neptune's Spatula
-Hooky / Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II

Special features:
-The Origin of Spongebob SquarePants
-Recollection from the 1st season crew featurette
-Everybody's talking: The voices of Spongebob SquarePants
-The Bikini Bottoms Up Tour
-In the key of Sea: Krusty Krab Karaoke
-Audio Commentary with Cast discussing 2 of their favorite episodes
-3 Music Videos

I love spongebob
Ok, I don't actually own this DVD, but I have seen all of the episodes. Spongebob is one of the funniest shows ever, and kid-friendly. That's very uncommon. But I've read by all of the reviews, that the pilot episode isn't on this, what a shame! Ecspecially since that has a tiny tim song on it.Anyway, get it. It is worth the money, I will too!

this dvd box set is awesome!
you can never have enough sponge bob and the first season is 40 episodes of great fun. from "hooky" to "ripped pants" this set will provide lots of laughs for you and your entire family.

Great fun
Spongebob is one of those rare cartoons that appeals to kids and adults like. Great fun and a great compilation in this set.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Where Oh where has my Underdog gone
If you are someone who grew up watching the faded reruns of the courageous canine you will be stunned by the rich colors and stereophonic sound of the digitally remastered episodes of this animated classic. The cliffhangers and original episode titles may be gone but the edits are smooth making this collection of DVD's nearly perfect. A five star collection with enough pluses like the once missing and very memorable theme song and opening credits. The reasonably priced videos are also worth adding to your collection because additional cartoon adventures of Underdog are on the tapes.

The best investment for entertainment this year
This has to be the best entertainment investment I have made this year. Looking at these old cartoons really takes me back to my youth filled days sitting in my grandmother's kitchen eating lunch and watching the re-runs of Underdog. The short cartoons, are also awesome to view again. This gets 5 stars for nostalgic and general purposes. My five year old nephew sits down and watches them with me, and he loves the cartoons. And this is a little guy growing up on the new He-Man, Pokemon, Digimon, and the new Transformers. This was well worth the money if you are into this type of nostalgic scene and want to be a kid again in your own time.

A Great Cartoon Butchered by Classic Media
Did I miss something that the other reviewers saw? Or did I get a defective DVD set? This set would have been alot better if Classic Media kept Underdog as the original TV series. Each Underdog episode was initially shown as a serial with cliff-hangers. In between each cliffhanger was a short like Tennesse Tuxedo. What Classic Media did was to run each episode in one complete uninterrupted showing. This takes away from the original series' charm. The "Cliffhanger episodes" are banished into the features section which is a shame because the cliffhangers are classics in and among themselves. The features would have been better if they interviewed some of the actors such as Don Adams or even some of the people involved with the production such as Howard Stern's father, Ben. Instead you get co-creator Joe Harris' creepy account of a never before seen Underdog episode written for two girls.

This collection of episodes holds up well but is incomplete
Most of the time, I cringe when I see my old favorite shows that I haven't seen in years. After watching these DVDs, I was pleasantly surprised that Underdog still brings a smile to my heart.

These DVDs were packaged both separately and together as this box set. They are NOT the complete series, which ran for a lengthy 120 episodes over 7 seasons.

There really isn't a single clunker in this small selection of episodes whose plots range from the standard evil-invention-of-the-week (The Vacuum Gun) to the moral tale about standing up to evil (The Witch of Picayoon, my favorite episode) to alien slapstick (Zot).

If anything, I was disappointed because each disc was over so quickly and left me wanting more. On each disc, there are teasers to "Episodes available on VHS" but these either never existed or are out of print.

There's no need to fear! Underdog is Here!
When I was just a little boy, my heart was filled with glee whenever my friend Underdog appeared on my TV. From lovable, humble shoeshine boy to dynamic flying hound, no better television show for childhood could be found. Now that I am older, I find (oh happy glee) that Underdog can once again be seen on my TV. This Collector's Set Edition, so carefully restored, can once again be purchased, to view or just to hoard. But I have a niece and nephew, ages four and six, just about the age to love this canine's cartoon tricks. I think that they will be amazed and find it quite sublime to make friends with an Underdog who lyrically fights crime. So let's lift a toast to Underdog, a hero for all time, and I hope you will forgive me for reviewing this in rhyme. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Mother Approved!
Our son is almost 8 months old and when we put one of the videos in, no matter where he is in the house he comes to watch. The colors and sounds has captured his attention and we can sit with him to learn. We are so happy for your products. Thank you for helping new parents find a way to connect.

GREAT VIDEOS! BEST BABY VIDEO BUY EVER!!
I bought them when my baby was 5-6 mo. She loved a little bit them by then, especially baby newton. Her interest for the videos has kept growing, she is 13 mo now and she LOVES these videos, she pays lots of attention to each and every thing she watches. My baby has never had a pacifier into her mouth, but these videos have definetely been her pacifier all this time.
I can't explain the emotion she feels when she watches me inserting the videocassette for her, she claps her hands, sings, dances, etc!
The only video that she doesn't watch is baby einstein, I think it's a little bit boring for her, and has always been. But for my overall experience, these videos deserve an A+++. My money was very well spent.

Best video series I have found
I have purchased several of the video series. Baby Genius and Bee Smart are pretty good. I also having the Signing Time videos. While I love Signing Time, my son is not quite into it yet. None of them keep my 7 month old fascinated like the Baby Einstein series. I have the language skills, bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. Doolittle is a little disappointing. I have not purchased Newton yet, and may not, due to reading of the reviews. But, in comparison to the other series out there, Baby Einstein is the top. I still use the other videos, because they seem to provide more direct education. Yet, I have to work harder to keep my son's attention with the other videos. Just today, my son was getting fussy and would not soothe. I turned on baby Mozart and he has not made a peep. I may not get him to sleep anytime soon, though.

Somewhat Disappointed....
Neither of my kids seem to be remotely interested in any of the Baby Einstein DVDs. To me, they seem strange and almost like brain-washing. I think we'll stick to Disney and the like.

Mostly good, if used correctly.....
We have all of these videos and my kids love them. They are bright and colorful, with loads of great images and top notch music. I like that they vary and have different themes, our favorite is Baby Newton. I have no idea why they prefer that one, but they just do.

Now, I've read some negative reviews on here and I must say I can see the point that those parents are trying to get across. But Julie Clark tells us at the end of every video that you should watch with your child and discuss what you are seeing. This is an opportunity to interact with your child, this is not intended as an electronic babysitter (Nick Jr. is the electronic video, or didn't you know?). So if used properly they are learning videos. My two kids, aged 4 and 2, enjoy the chance to spend time with a parent and learn about colors, numbers, shapes, etc. For that purpose they are great! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

This Disney masterpiece from 1940 will hold up forever precisely because it doesn't restrain or temper the most elemental emotions and themes germane to its story. Based on the Collodi tale about a wooden puppet who wants to become a real boy, Pinocchio is among the most magical, mythical, and frightening films to come from the studio in its long history. A number of scenes make permanent impressions on young minds (just ask Steven Spielberg, who quoted the film more than once in Close Encounters of the Third Kind), and the songs ("When You Wish upon a Star") can't be beat. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (107)

A TERRIFIC TREAT FOR THE YOUNG*AT*HEART
Gepetto, a kindly old woodcarver, creates a little puppet boy of pine and names him Pinocchio. Because the old man, who has been generous and good all his life, loves children - but has none of his own - the Blue Fairy brings the marionette to life in order to be a son to him. She tells Pinocchio that in order to be a real boy, he must exhibit the virtues of truth, courage & selflessness...A timeless excursion into the world of classic childhood fantasy, this 194O Disney picture will no doubt be treasured in 2O4O: its theme is too timeless to date badly. The film cost the Disney studio 2.5 million dollars to produce & out of the total 2 million (!) drawings, a mere 3OO,OOO were ultimately used in the finished film. Dickie Jones, who was a child actor who infrequently appeared in OUR GANG comedies, lent his voice for the title character, while Evelyn Venable provided the Blue Fairy with vocal chords. Frankie Darro vocalised Lampwick & Cliff Edwards, as Jiminy Cricket, sang the AA winning song WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR. The original story was adapted from the 1882 novel by Carlo Collodi "La Avventure d'Pinocchio".

Magical
The following is an excerpt from an essay I did about Walt Disney. The excerpt is property of Amazon, but the ESSAY is my property. Email me if you want it.

Last night I watched Pinocchio, Disney's second feature-length film and in my opinion one of the studio's best features. Based on the 19th century book by Carlo Collodi, but not half as unpleasant, Pinocchio combines winning animation with great humor and excitement. There are songs, but they're never like the huge production numbers that last four minutes and feature the voice of some up-and-coming princess of pop (who'll be gone in a year) that the studio later adopted with the applicable exception of When you Wish Upon a Star.

The movie takes a sadastic, cruel, heartless little wooden boy (Collodi's character) and turns him into an interesting, 3-dimensional kid with a good heart but who is weak-willed and doesn't always listen to reason. The animation makes brilliant use of the multiplane camera, featuring a sprawling opening sequence in which the viewer practically sees the entire village at night. The characters are colorful and fun (I especially love Honest John Foulfellow and his sidekick Gideon) and the story has never a dull moment. This film is a reminder of the sort of efforts Disney put into their films; the man himself had a great storytelling passion that was lost in later works (Alice in Wonderland, 101 Dalmations). Pinocchio was never as famous as some of the others, and this is unfortunate because it is his masterpiece.

Masterpiece Pinocchio by Luske Hamilton and Ben Sharpsteen
"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you

are, anything you heart desires will come to you."

You've heard this song on the Disneyland and Superbowl commercials, but do you remember where it came from?

It came from this cartoon, Pinocchio, Walt Disney's second feature to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1940.

I repeat 1940!! Wow and to this day ,Pinocchio still stands out as one of the greatest movies of all time.

This opinion is about the 60th anniversay VHS of Pinocchio with THX sound and Remastered visual footage. It even has a bonus at the end about the making of Pinocchio!!! Wow.

This was a Christmas gift for my best friend and she loved it, and I can see why.

Pinocchio is filled with dazzling animation,music and filled with so much fun and happyness that at the end of the movie , you will feel like wishing upon a star youreself.

Pinocchio is about a wooden puppet made by toymaker Geppeto (Christian Rub) who wants his own son.

Geppeto makes one wish, to have his own son. Geppeto gets his wish when the Blue Fairy brings Pinocchio to life!!!

It took nearly 700 animators and technicians to bring Pinocchio to life and the hard work definitely shows!!!

People can say whatever they want about Disney current movies, true they lack a certain magic unlike their cherish cartoon like Pinocchio, but Disney is one of a few companies that has a SOLID record of making Cartoon Classics that are loved by everyone.

The fairy brings Pinocchio to life and promises to Pinoccho (voice of Dickie Jones) that he will remain a real boy if he follows the basic principles that every boy should have.

He has to be loyal, truthful and above fair. She assigns Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards) to be Pinocchio's conscience.

Well it sounds easy at first, but living up to these values is the real challenge here and Pinocchio tries his best to follow them,but since he has just being turned into a boy he doesnt yet know right from wrong.

This is where we meet characters like ,J. Worthington Foulfellow, Stromboli and Barker who take advantage of the young boy.

Jiminy Cricket and the fairy save Pinocchio from his judgement calls ,but yet Pinocchio doesnt learn to tell the truth and when he lies his nose starts to grow like a Christmas tree. :-)

Meanwhile Geppeto is looking for Pinocchio and ends up being captured by a giant whale Monstro!!!

Pinocchio saves Geppeto in a brillian animation sequence and Pinocchio by displaying bravery ends up being a real boy permanently.

It's a classic, I can say more but I dont want to spoil it for anyone

In an age, where moral, brilliant, wholesome cartoons are scarce you look back to the classics and Pinocchio will forever stand out as one of the greatest classics ever made by Walt Disney who has left his print in the world and in children's hearts.

Go out and buy this for youre children

The Truth Will Set You Free
Almost all Disney movies are based on dreams that became a reality in the end. Here in this movie Gepetto (Wood Carver) who wished for Pinocchio to become a real boy.You may say this is just a movie but it discusses one very important aspect of life. Its very important for young kids to say the TRUTH or you may end up like Pinocchio.When He kept telling lies his nose grew longer eventhough he's been warned by Jiminy Cricket (his conscience)to tell the truth.
It also discusses true friendship and trust. Jiminy Cricket was upset when Pinocchio told him that he's with his best friend (other kid)on Treasure Island, Jiminy thought he is the bestfriend of Pinocchio.
Above all,this is one very touching film.

The Puppet Show
This certainly is not one of my favorite Disney movies. I just really didn't get in to the movie I guess but then I never really cared for this Fairy Tale either.
The voice actors are good and the scenery, and colors are great. But for some reason this one really just didn't hit home for me. ... Read more

Description

Deep within the mysterious Forest of Resurrection, a spectacular battle between good and evil has gone on since the dawn of time.When Prisoner KSC2-303 escapes from a maximum security facility, he enters the forest, believing it will lead him to safe haven.Instead, he finds himself a pawn in an endless struggle played out across multiple temporal planes of existence.His opponent: a mysterious man who seemingly cannot be killed. The battle to be waged: Good versus Evil in the pursuit of a beautiful woman who holds the key to eternal life. What Prisoner KSC2-303 cannot remember is whether or not he is the personification of good or the very essence of darkness ... Read more

Reviews (61)

what if Yuen Wo-Ping did this movie??? hmmmmmm
Prisoner KSC2-303 escapes with a fellow inmate and flees to an anonymous forest to a rendezvous with a group of men who will lead them to a safer place. When the men ultimately arrive with a female hostage in tow and with fueled by more sinister intentions, they kill his partner and KSC2-303 flees with the girl into the woods, which turn out to be the legendary "Forest Of Resurrection", one of 666 portals to "the other side". It's then a non-stop battle against the living dead and cunning assassins to simply stay alive, let alone find freedom.

Although this movie showed about 20 or so minutes of zombie action (if you're expecting this to be a zombie film), it is still a very awsome movie. A very good plot, great effects, tight gore, great fight scenes and, everything you expect from a movie. Better than any Hollywood movie in my fact. Get it on DVD. This movie is a cross between EVIL DEAD and BLADE. BUY IT NOW!

(some zombies)

most entertaining part: THE COMBAT

Pulp Fiction meets Night of the Living Dead with swords
This movie is one part Pulp Fiction, one part Blair Witch Project, one part Jackie Chan styled kung-fu funny movie, one part Night of the Living Dead, one part Dead Alive, one part Seven Samurais, one part anime and one part cheese. What does all this add up to? A totally unique movie.
Versus is all of the above mentioned rolled up into one twisted movie. The action scenes are good. They have an anime feel to them but the actors execute them with a Pulp Fiction sense of cool. Lots of gun play, there had to be over 1000 rounds fired in the first half. The sword fighting is really good. Very fast paced and gory.
At times the acting is a little cheesy. The director is really fond of long dramatic pauses. A little too long for me. He must have gone to the William Shatner School of Film.
The plot is weird and kind of hard to explain. Guy busts out of prison. Meets up with the Yakuza who have kidnapped some random girl. While waiting for "The Boss" to show up, the guy gets angry with the Yakuza, kills one of them. Guy grabs girl and the chase is on. And once "The Boss" (a 500 hundred year old mystic that kicks serious butt) shows up, the action really gets going.
This movie is worth buying. But buy the Director's cut. The Special Edition doesn't really offer enough to warrant the extra $10 dollars.

Don't turn it off when you really want to...
I basically bought this movie 'cause I thought the front cover was pretty cool (I even have a T-shirt with that logo on it). I read the reviews here, and figured I'd give it a shot.

First thing "Versus" started up, I was already groaning. The film quality was retro "my neighbor's camcorder", the acting was REALLY bad and it wasn't really living up to anything special. The music was okay, but I have a history of liking some strange music... also, sometimes the music is loud enough to where it's kind of hard to hear what is being said clearly.

About twenty minutes in (do try to last that long), the mood changes and it becomes more bearable, and then the story kind of comes together. It starts becoming interesting (which until then, I felt I had just wasted thirty bucks to see this movie).

The main character emerges (first twenty minutes will leave you going "uhh... who am I suppose to be rooting for here?") and they begin to develop what personality he has.

I really feel that this movie would have been better left in Japanese with subtitles. The voice-overs, where-as they match up okay were fairly annoying in general (the bad guy and the good guy were done pretty well, but everyone else sounds like the old Hong Kong flicks from the 70s with the whiny voices)

What I had envisioned was kind of a dark-souled samurai fighting the undead... What it ended up being was more of good/evil battle with the zombies being more of an excuse to fire off a bunch of bullets and to explain later events. Also, don't hold your breath for the sword-fighting, it comes kind of late in the film.

The ending was fairly thought provoking, and aside from the fact blood is applied with a fire-hose, and none of the zombies are really "zombie-ish" (they're live people with a lot of blood on 'em and it shows) Versus really wasn't that bad.

I'd probably suggest renting it, if you can find it at your local video store. This film is more for your die-hard martial arts/horror B-movie fan...

Not very good
The story is good but the way they filmed it sucked. Starts off in the past and is very cool with costuming and plot then...well basically after that it's slap stick humor and a bunch of fighting in the woods which is not very good, especially after you see the same fight over and over again with 3 different charachters...booorrring...

Embarrassingly awful.
I rented this, based on the quote on the front cover from Moriarty of Ain't it Cool News. This "film" is unbelievably bad. There's no plot, and it looks like the efforts of a couple of teenagers with a video camera trying to shoot a "cool, violent" movie. The characters posture pathetically, and it's about as stylistically interesting as...a bunch of teenagers shooting a home movie. The dubbing is atrocious (and like everything else, sounds like the efforts of...a bunch of teenagers shooting a home movie), but subtitles wouldn't have saved it.

After watching it I thought there was no way Moriarty could have liked it, so I searched Ain't it Cool News for that quote. It turns out the quote was from someone writing in to the site. Moriarty prefaced the comment by basically saying he couldn't stand the movie. It might be great as a Mystery Science Theater 3000 film, were that still around, but aside from that, stay away. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The search for the mysterious cyber-villain the Laughing Man falls by the wayside in this collection. Mamoru Oshii's original feature focused on Major Motoko Kusanagi; in the broadcast series, Batou emerges as a more complex and compelling character: Episode 16 hints at the complicated past that forged the human-cyborg fusion he ultimately became. In "Machines Desirantes," the Tachikomas, crab-like robots used by Public Security Section 9, appear to be developing individual personalities and a sense of their existence. Not surprisingly, they fear Kusanagi, but like Batou. The Tachikomas also seem to recognize some of the implications of their growing consciousness, and look to Flowers for Algernon and I, Robot for inspiration. However, their cute, childish voices--modeled after the performance of Japanese actress Akiko Tamagawa--sound odd discussing deep philosophical questions. (Rated 13 and older: considerable violence, grotesque imagery, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Who Is Smarter?
This set of episodes represent a bit of a change of pace from some of the previous story arcs.Taken individually they are disconnected stories about everything from modern anti-technology terrorists to cyborg philosophy and it is only in retrospect that the connecting thread stands out.

Not Equal starts when a woman kidnapped by terrorists many years ago is spotted n a surveillance film.The story puts Kusanagi and her team on a village which has sprung up on an abandoned oil drilling platform traders on top and Human Liberation Front folks underneath.That action includes what is the best battle scenario of the series so far and some surprising twists at the end.

The Y$S heads in the other direction, when a sting operation in a run down bar reveals a plan to take down a reclusive billionaire with a yen for hoarding gold.An assassin who is fond of killing people with coins is the lead horse in the race to get to the target but, as usual, nobody finds what they expect and the aspect of artificial intelligence haunts the fringes of the story.

In Machines Desirantes the tachikomas try to link to a malfunctioning sniping device and become enmeshed in a philosophical discussion of their own mortality, the nature of humanity, and the possibilities of revolution.The surprise here is Major Kusanagi's reaction to what is essentially a comic situation.

In Lost, Batou finds himself pitted against a boxer that he once greatly admired.This is a spy vs. spy story, but it is oddly disturbing, with a very bitter ending.And I think this is where the story beneath the story finally opens up.While Batou played a supporting role in the original movie, Innocence (the sequel) revealed that his personality had surprising depths.In retrospect, he is the cyborg with the 'ghost' that retains most of its humanity.

Kusanagi, the main character, is actually the colder of the pair, someone who we know eventually was only able to form a relationship with an entirely artificial intelligence that roamed the net.For all her physical attractiveness her nature is that of an effective machine that has human attributes.

Batou, for all his more apparent mechanization houses the more human and emotional spirit, and the last two episodes reveal his unique ability to see the remarkable in both the imitation and the reality of life.This is made more poignant because we know from the feature films what the future of this story is.

On the whole this is a quieter DVD, but it leaves a strong impression.If the story develops from this point I thing we are due for some very interesting moments.

Much better than the average 3.5 star rating
I am shocked by the average ratings this volume is getting in the review section.Personally, I found this 4th volume the most absorbing and the best development of plot of the earlier 3.

That being said - for fans of non stop action, take a back seat and allow the storyline to thicken a little bit.Make no mistake about it:"Stand Alone Complex" is heavy on character development and intelligent scripts.Not just action and graphics.

I will admit - the second episode on this disk, "Yes" seems a bit sluggish, and demands your full attention...but after a second viewing, I seemed to have understood what it was trying to convey.Having not seen the entire series, I can't help but think there are some very key moments in this episode regarding "The Laughing Man".Watch it *again*.

**SLIGHT SPOILER - so skip to the lower paragraph**
I can't help but get a little down about the "Machines Desiranes" episode.If what they lead you to believe about the Tachikomas is *true*, I'm really going to miss those little buggers.I was never annoyed by their childlike actions, but really enjoyed the comedic moments they brought to the series, which is rather dark and brooding at times.I hope they come back - but if not, I respect the realistic decision brought on by the production.

In summary - this very well could be the most important volume in the series, even if you think it shys away from its action element a little bit.Its a brilliant series for the intelligent viewer and the action fans alike.Not to be missed !

Do not feel disappointed
For those of you who are looking for the t-shirt look no further than the 3rd volume in the series. By far the best collection of the first session, the DVD looks great and the sound compared to the import version is phenomenal. A lot of people say that ghost in the shell the TV series is not like the original movie! To this I say look at the comic book! The TV series takes it's time and slowly gives you character incite and unfolds in a slower more methodical way then the hard edged movie. You will find that the series does not treat you like and idiot, like your typical Sci-fi program. Here we get placed into a possible future and we get treated some great cyber punk story telling. All in all I can say with out a doubt that this show truly brings the old comic book world to life of the original Ghost in the Shell. Buy this set and do not feel disappointed. My only gripe is that we did not get any cool team up item like the last three volumes.

Volume 1st we got a cool CD of the soundtrack
Volume 2nd we got a REALLY cool CD of the Soundtrack
Volume 3rd we got the collectors box and a killer T-shirt

Here is hoping that we get a cool collectors figure of making of DVD in the next installment.

Not As Advertised ...
i purchased this item via "Pre-Order" to continue my collection when it was still being advertised as "With T-Shirt."that's what was on my order confirmation, and that's what was on the shipping confirmation.what arrived instead was a version of the product with the cheesy "collector card" other reviewers have mentioned.

i note that the product is currently correctly identified, but if you're expecting a T-Shirt based on the article description from, say, a link saved in your wish list, you will be disappointed.

i note that the price was -not- adjusted along with the table of contents...

GITS: Stand Alone Complex Vol. 4: Tachikoma-centric
This set contains episodes thirteen through sixteen of the first series/season from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. The fourth volume sets aside the Laughing Man plot for now and instead shifts to the Tachikomas. It's a nice variety of episodes and those wanting action, following a more talkative third volume should be mostly satisfied.

Here is an episode summary (in order, with some spoilers if you hadn't seen the previous episode):

NOT EQUAL: A teenage girl, one of the first to have a cyberbrain and kidnapped some twenty years before by the Human Liberation Front, suddenly reappears in the sights of Section 9 - who looks exactly the same as before. Even worse, she's apparently the new focal leader of the HLF. Section 9 is detailed to "rescue" her using any means necessary. All of Section 9 and the Tachikomas get involved, and they get embroiled in a huge firefight. There's probably more action in this episode then the first twelve episodes altogether, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

YES: A reclusive wealthy magnate becomes the target of an assassination plot by a foreign agent. This episode doesn't really expound on the evils of stock and money market manipulation, and really just shows that the Tachikomas are becoming more unstable - at least in the eyes of the Major. The way the episode resolves is disappointing as well.

MACHINES DESIRANTES: The Tachikomas engage in various philosophical debates about robots, appearances, children, and mostly, death. One Tachikoma, who appears to collect books, uses Flowers for Algernon (yet another literary reference) as a reference point. If you don't like how the Tachikomas sound you'll probably get really annoyed by this episode. After the Tachikomas openly lie to the Major (though not with malice) and even begin spying on the Major and Batou (which they notice). Their conclusion is saddening, while simultaneously the Tachikomas are cheering the idea that they were saving themselves. The very last scene is very telling and multi-layered, and one of the reasons why I really like this episode.

AG2O: Batou is saddened as the Tachikomas are led to the labs where each assumingly will experience death, though they seem pretty happy about it the whole thing. Meanwhile he gets assigned an undercover job at the Navy yard involving an an ex-Olympic boxer who is apparently selling secure information. Batou immediately feels a connection as he gets close to the boxer and his wife (the boxer was an idol of sorts), but of course in the end he does his duty, and like the Tachikomas seemingly loses more friends.

While ultimately this set of individual episodes doesn't seem to further any overall plot, the complexity of the Tachikomas and how they work is actually pretty interesting. They play a very important role in the series so don't put aside their episodes so quickly. Overall a fairly decent volume.

The deluxe version comes with the original release, a second DVD with a DTS 5.1 sound version of the show, and a rather cheesey "collectible ID card" with the volume art on it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Director Kazuhiro Furuhashi has recut the four-episode Samurai XOVA into a seamless feature that serves as a prequel to both Samurai X: TheMovieand the light-hearted TV series. The action unfolds in 1864, at thebeginning of the revolution against the Tokugawa Shogunate that culiminatedin the Meiji Restoration. The orphan Shinta is transformed by master swordsmanHiko into Kenshin,an assassin who believes he is using his sword to bringabout a better world. When he and the mysterious Tomoe hide from the intriguesof Kyoto in a remote mountain village, Kenshin finds peace, raising crops andsavoring the passage of the seasons, but this tranquility cannot endure.Furuhashi choreographs the characters' inner conflicts as skillfully as the epicsword fights, infusing them with an elegant sensuality. In either format,Samurai X OVAs capture the violence and poetry of samurai culture in a storyof exceptional emotional depth. (Rated 17 and older: violence, alcohol use,mature themes) --Charles Solomon ... Read more

Reviews (69)

A beautiful story though very violent
I only started watching the Rurouni Kenshin series this year but I was hooked immediately! I love the RK series and when I found out there were RK movies I was really excited. I only have Trust/Betrayal right now and I loved it. It was very violent (at times) but an awesome movie. The movie isn't all blood and swordfighting though, it also has love in it. But the swordfights are awesome!

The quality of animation is spectacular but there is superimposing done that is terrible for the movie. There is superimposed water, fire, and a shot of an actual tree in actual snow. But don't let that bother you if you are considering buying this DVD.

It took me a while to realize that this is both Samurai X: Trust and Samurai X: Betrayal in one DVD. It is an awesome deal if you want both (like I did). It is suggested for 17 and up for extreme violence, usage of alcohol, and some mature themes. But it is an awesome movie! Oh and beware of the first seen, it is pretty intense with violence.