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Star Blazers - Comet Empire (Parts 1-6)
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13
Average rating: 4.0 of 5
Forewarned...Forearmed 1 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.
The Star Blazers/Comet Empire Saga is a classic, epic, dramatic anime masterpiece. A follow-up to the Star Blazers/Iscandar Quest storyline, it is a sequel of great merit (in terms of plot, characterization, art, and musical score). Voyager Entertainment transferred the Iscandar Quest onto DVD and produced a winner in terms of video and audio quality, DVD extras, as well as packaging. Is it reasonable to expect the same production values in this Comet Empire DVD release? Yes, but you won't get it in a most crucial respect. I specifically refer to (and condemn) the audio "quality," which is abysmal and worse-than-mediocre; in fact, I was shocked to encounter such poor, smothered sound. And if you ever find that you are too, Yamato fan, try contacting Voyager politely, but firmly about this surprising and significant flaw; I did. And maybe you'll get an explanation; I didn't. Moral: Think twice before you invest in this expensive set from Voyager--your dividends will never be maximized with the product in its current, disgraceful form (released November 5, 2002).
Star Blazers - The Quest for Iscandar - The Complete Series I Collection (Episodes 1- 26)
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
Editorial Review:
The first animated work from Leiji Matsumoto, who would create the popular Captain Harlock saga, Star Blazers (Uchu Senkan Yamato or Space Cruiser Yamato, 1974) was a landmark program in Japan and America. When it aired in syndication in the U.S. in 1979, the character names were anglicized (Susumu Kodai became Derek Wildstar; Admiral Okita, Captain Avatar, etc.), the violence and drinking were heavily censored, and the World War II connections of the Yamato were tactfully downplayed. The Quest for Iscandar comprises the first 26-episode continuity; two additional TV series and several features would follow. In the year 2199, the war with the planet Gamilon has turned the Earth's surface into a radioactive desert. The radiation will penetrate the bedrock protecting humanity's underground cities in another year, destroying all remaining life. A message arrives from Queen Starsha of the planet Iscandar, offering a way to eliminate the deadly radiation and providing plans for an engine that can power a ship across the 148,000 light-year gap. Scientists convert the ruined shell of the battleship Yamato into a starship in a desperate attempt to save the planet, and the perilous voyage begins. The animation and character designs look very dated, but Gen-Xers who grew up watching it remember Star Blazers vividly. The bonus materials include a virtual tour of the Argo, an interactive map of the journey to Iscandar, and some footage deleted from the American broadcast version. Unrated; suitable for ages 8 and up: Violence largely restricted to spaceship and robot attacks. --Charles Solomon
Star Blazers - The Quest for Iscandar - Series 1, Part I (Episodes 1-5)
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23
Average rating: 3.5 of 5
4 Stars for the anime, 2 Stars for the DVD 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
I'm still not sure what the Rating systems is for, the content or the product. I think it should be for the product since that's what's being sold. Or maybe amazon should start a dual rating system. This dvd release is really bad. It looks like they got ahold of some tapes from tv station back in the 70's. I've been comparing it to the chinese release of the original japanese series... there is absolutely no comparison. The only reason I would buy this series is for the american soundtrack. It's nostalgic. If you're watching Star Blazers for the first time, just get the chinese version, it's way less expensive, 26 episodes for about $40 (compared to 5 episodes for $30???), it has the original japanese dialogue with english subtitles, it's UNCUT (and there was a bit cut from the american version) and WHAT QUALITY!! It looks like they got the original film negatives and remastered it. This american dvd... well.. that's greed for you. Let's hope the voyager license expires soon!
Star Blazers - The Quest For Iscandar - Series 1, Part IV (Episodes 14-17)
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3
Average rating: 5.0 of 5
Star Blazers in General 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
It has been real nice being able to after 20 years watch a series that I remember getting up early before school to watch. The animation may not be as good as things that are coming out now, and the story line may be kind of lame, it is still a good story. It was one of the first anime shown on american tv that actually kept most of the whole series intact, without letting the american cenors at it, which as those of us that watch toonami on cartoon network know about what they do to a series. I am really looking forward to being able to complete this series, and to hopefully continue on and get the next two series. Also it would be nice if they released the Japanese version with subtitling on to dvd so I could see how the original series went.
Best Compilation Yet. Highly Recommended 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar Part IV, contains episodes 14-17 (out of 26) of the first season of the cult-favorite Americanized Japanese Anime series from the early 1980's.For the uninitiated, here's a rundown of the plot. In 2199 Earth was under attack by an "evil" alien race called the Gamilons. The Gamilons bombed earth with "planet bombs" which destroyed the planet and emitted high levels of radiation, thus driving mankind into underground cities. In one Earth year the planet would become uninhabitable. Queen Starsha of Iscandar offers mankind hope in the form of the Cosmo DNA which would cure all mankind from the radiation sickness. She sends Earth a message along with powerful technology that will allow mankind to travel to Iscandar to get the Cosmo DNA. Earth's youngest and brightest come together to form Star Force to travel to Iscandar to fetch the Cosmo DNA. Their faithful battleship is the Argo, a renovated WWII era navy battleship remade into a Starship. There is just one minor problem though, Iscandar is 148,000 Light Years away. No one has ever traveled that far before. More importantly, the Star Force only has one year to travel there and back for a total of 296,000 Light Years...
The story picks up steam as the Star Force ventures throughout deep space battling unknown menaces as well as the Gamilons. Perhaps the greatest enemy of all though is the crew's own psychological health. In addition we also see some powerful character development among our heroes.
Here is a summary of the four episodes included on this DVD:
Episode 14: The Star Force plays the waiting game as they wait out a galactic storm at the Octopus Star. Plus, tensions run high among the crew (particularly Wildstar and Venture) as restlessness and homesickness kick in.
Episode 15: The Star Force is caught between a rock and a hard place as they try to prevent against being sucked into a "space whirlpool" and as they try to ward off an attack from General Lysis' space armada.
Episode 16: IQ-9 and Nova land on the planet Beeland looking for supplies and come up against a race of Bee People, who are being manipulated by the Gamilons. Plus, IQ-9 shows his "human" side to Nova.
Episode 17: Wildstar steps up to the plate when Capt. Avatar falls ill. General Volgar summons the power of the Balan Force to combat the Star Force.
Voyager continues to make leaps and bounds with each DVD volume. This volume by far has the best design in terms of navigation and screen design compared to the previous volumes (particularly the pitiful Part I). The audio and video quality is also vastly improved from the previous three editions.
Included in the DVD special features:
1. "An Overview of the Gamilon Empire." Beautifully designed and rendered you can explore and learn more about the Gamilon Empire. The history section provides a great background story including WHY the Gamilons declared war on Earth. You can also browse through profiles of the Gamilon characters, look at drawings/pictures of their space vessels, weapons, mecha, etc. In all, this is, in my opinion, the best DVD special feature yet (except for maybe the Yamato clip from Part II).
2. Yet another shameless plug for part 5.
Here's my rundown:
Great: The Gamilon Empire Overview in the special features section. Star Blazers itself.
Good: Improved navigation.
Sad: The continued shameless plugs. (Of course, you can't blame though...)
Overall, this is the best installment yet in the series. The "Gamilon Empire Overiew" has a particular treat, almost worth the price of admission alone. The collection of episodes in and of themselves is pure gold.
Summed up, if you were ever a Star Blazers fan, give this (and Parts I, II, III & all the future volumes) a watch. It's great for a trip down memory lane. If you've NEVER seen Star Blazers, give it a try. It's a cult classic from the 80's (along with other Americanized anime greats like Robotech, Voltron, Transor Z, etc). The animation may look slightly dated, but the storyline still holds its own very well against anything out there today. Due to limited distribution this show may have slipped by the radar of a lot of people but it caught on like a fire with those who did catch it. Give it a watch and see what all the rage was about.
Star Blazers - The Quest for Iscandar - Series 1, Part II (Episodes 6-9)
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
Much Better Than the First Disc 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar Part II, contains episodes 6-9 (out of 26) of the first season of the cult-favorite Americanized Japanese Anime series from the early 1980's.For the uninitiated, here's a rundown of the plot. In 2199 Earth was under attack by an "evil" alien race called the Gamilons. The Gamilons bombed earth with "planet bombs" which destroyed the planet and emitted high levels of radiation, thus driving mankind into underground cities. In one Earth year the planet would become uninhabitable. Queen Starsha of Iscandar offers mankind hope in the form of the Cosmic DNA which would cure all mankind from the radiation sickness. She sends Earth a message along with powerful technology that will allow mankind to travel to Iscandar to get the Cosmic DNA. The Star Force is formed to travel to Iscandar to fetch the Cosmic DNA. Their faithful battleship is the Argo, a renovated WWII era navy battleship remade into a Starship. There is just one minor problem though, Iscandar is 148,000 Light Years away. No one has ever traveled that far before. More importantly, the Star Force only has one year to travel there and back for a total of 296,000 Light Years.
Here is a summary of the four episodes included on this DVD:
Episode 6: The Argo lands on Titan to search for the rare element Titanite for repairs. Wildstar, Nova and IQ-9 battle off the Gamilons. Plus, Wildstar learns the final fate of his brother's ship and crew.
Episode 7: The 2nd Battle of Pluto. The Argo sets out to destroy the Gamilon base on Pluto to put a stop to the Planet Bombing but meets up with the menace of the Reflection Gun.
Episode 8: It's undersea warfare on Pluto after the Reflection Gun sinks the Argo. The Star Force must take out the Reflection Gun to have a fighting chance.
Episode 9: Heavily damaged, the Argo seeks refuge in the Asteroid belt of Minerva to make repairs and a final stand against Colonel Ganz and the remaining Gamilon forces from Pluto.
Besides the 4 episodes on this DVD apparently Voyager is seeking atonement for the horrible work they did on Part I. Part II includes improved (impressive, in fact) navigation and the following DVD special features:
1. Character bios. GREAT work here, we get a complete listing of the Star Force characters, their biographies and even their Japanese counterpart names from the Yamato series.
2. A scene (complete in Japanese with English subtitles) from the Yamato series which was edited out from the English translation. The scene shows the Yamato (Argo) from the WWII era when it was sunk by American bombers. This is a DEFINITE winner for DVD extras. 3. Trailer (shameless plug) featuring scenes from Part III.
Here's my rundown:
Great: The Yamato scene in DVD extras.
Good: The episodes and the character bios.
Bad: The shameless plug for Part III (can't blame them though, it is a good marketing tool...)
Summed up, if you were ever a Star Blazers fan, give this (and Part I) a watch. It's great for a trip down memory lane. If you've NEVER seen Star Blazers, give it a try, it's a cult classic from the 80's (along with other Americanized anime greats like Robotech, Voltron, Transor Z, etc). The animation may look a little dated, but the storyline still holds its own very well against anything out there today. This series has stood the test of time. Due to limited distribution this show may have slipped by the radar of a lot of people but it caught on like a fire with those who did catch it. Give it a watch and see what the fuss was all about.
Highly Recommended
Star Blazers, Series 3: The Bolar Wars
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5
Average rating: 3.5 of 5
Worst of the StarBlazers Series 1 out of 5 stars.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Let me start by saying that I have watched the original US Star Blazers (series 1 and 2) when it was televised, and now I currently own all 3 series. There are a lot of reviews about Series 1 and 2 already, my summary on those is that they were as good as I remembered when I saw them televised - good drama, good story, somewhat inconsistent yet decent animation (excellent back in those days - yes I am that old). But when I started watching Series 3 and have viewed most of the episodes so far. It is BORING compared by far to Series 1 and 2. The voices of some of the main characters have changed to be more "wimpy", definitely not the voices of heroes that are suppose to protect the Earth. Most of the episodes are drawn out and lack any real plot. There is very little relevant story connection between this series and the others before it. You will not be missing out on anything about Star Blazers by skipping series 3, the Bolar Wars.
This is an anime classic! 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
The "Wildstar" character has matured and developed for this series. He is now officially the commander of the Argo. Emperor Desslok is actually a better ally than a foe. The other main characters from the series one and two are back except for Orion, the chief engineer. Most of the English voices are new ones, which gives the series a different feel altogether. The Bolars initially appear to be friendly towards the Argo, which has a new look and more weapons, but the Bolars are evil. Desslok is a show stopper in all three series and will not disappoint anyone. The mission of the Argo in this series is to stop Earth's sun from going nova, and trying to find a possible new home for the people of Earth. Like series one it has a countdown to annihilation. The peaceful planet Gardiana has the key which might save the day or will it? Buy it, watch it and find out.
Star Blazers - The Quest for Iscandar - Series 1, Part III (Episodes 10-13)
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2
Average rating: 5.0 of 5
A great series, a fair dvd 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Let me begin by saying thank you to Voyager Entertainment for deciding to put this beloved series on DVD. It really brings back memories of my childhood. I'd race home after school to follow the voyages of the Yamato (ok, the ARGO) and her mission to the planet Iscandar.To those who aren't familiar with the story, here's a short summary. In the not so distant future, earth is under attack from a distant planet known as Gamelon. Gamelon's 'planet bombs' rain down on earth, leaving it's surface a desert wasteland. As a result, people are forced to live in underground cities. But the radioactivity is slowly seeping into the earth, and in one year, all life on earth will be extinct. The planet's only hope lies in a message from a friend on a far away planet known as Iscandar. Starsha of Iscandar offers the cosmo DNA, a device capable of restoring earth to its former beauty, to the people of earth. The message also includes the plans for an engine capable of exceeding the speed of light. Construction of a new space ship begins, underneath the sunken remains of the WWII Japanese battleship YAMATO. The ship launches and begins it's 148,000 light year journey to Iscandar, with the hopes of saving all mankind. But, can they cross such a vast distance and return to earth in only 365 days ? Watch the series to find out!
Those who have purchased the first DVD in the series will find an obvious improvment in the menu screens and the addtional options of this disc. However, the menu screens are IDENTICAL to the second disc, with the exception of music and some new still photos. Also, it's promise of a 'Virtual tour of the Argo' is a little misleading, as it is merely a collection of pencil sketches and production cels (artwork) of the ship. I expected a 3D CGI ship to walk around and explore, but no such luck. The picture quality and sound are only slightly better than the VHS versions, but at least it will never deteriorate. I'd have to give 1 star for the disc itself, and the rest for such a great story. Fans will be pleased it's on DVD, but won't be too impressed with quality and the lack of extras on the disc.
Star Blazers - The Quest for Iscandar - Series 1, Part V (Episodes 18-21)
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2
Average rating: 5.0 of 5
Building To The Climax - Another Fine Translation 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar Part V, contains episodes 18-21 (out of 26) of the first season of the cult-favorite Americanized Japanese Anime series from the early 1980's.For the uninitiated, here's a rundown of the plot. In 2199 Earth was under attack by an "evil" alien race called the Gamilons. The Gamilons bombed earth with "planet bombs" which destroyed the planet and emitted high levels of radiation, thus driving mankind into underground cities. In one Earth year the planet would become uninhabitable. Queen Starsha of Iscandar offers mankind hope in the form of the Cosmo DNA which would cure all mankind from the radiation sickness. She sends Earth a message along with powerful technology that will allow mankind to travel to Iscandar to get the Cosmo DNA. Earth's youngest and brightest come together to form Star Force to travel to Iscandar to fetch the Cosmo DNA. Their faithful battleship is the Argo, a renovated WWII era navy battleship remade into a Starship. There is just one minor problem though, Iscandar is 148,000 Light Years away. No one has ever traveled that far before. More importantly, the Star Force only has one year to travel there and back for a total of 296,000 Light Years...
The story escalates as the Star Force ventures WAY OUT IN DEEP SPACE to the Planet Balan, the halfway point to their destination of Iscandar. The further in space they get the more the crew's fears of the unknown and of failure escalate. In these episodes we get a deeper look into the characters' personas. Even if they can overcome their own fears, the threat of the deadly Iscandarian General Lysis still looms as they venture closer toward Balan...
Here is a summary of the four episodes included on this DVD:
Episodes 18: Sandor and Wildstar go up against the Gamilon Magnatron Wave computer, a magnetic wave-generating machine that threatens to tear to shreds any metallic vehicle, including the Argo!!! Can they stop it before it tears the Argo apart, or worse, before the Argo leaves them behind!!! Plus, a look into Sandor's past.
Episodes 19: Contact with Earth stirs up the crew's deepest, darkest fears regarding whether they can succeed in their mission. Very powerful episode where Communications Officer Homer completely flakes out from the stress of the mission and his family's deteriorating condition back on Earth.
Episode 20: The Battle of Balan!!! The Star Force reaches Balan, the halfway point to Iscandar and come across a Gamilon Base. General Lysis launches his ultimate plan to destroy the Star Force, a two-front attack with missile attacks from the front and a crushing Artificial Sun from the back!!! Plus, Captain Avatar appoints Wildstar "Deputy Captain" as his health further deteriorates.
Episode 21: The Star Force prepares for a final cataclysmic battle with General Lysis and all the Gamilon forces in the Rainbow Galaxy.
This volume is another solid effort from Voyager. Included in the DVD special features of this edition:
1. "The Star Force Art Galleries:" There are two basic sections to the art galleries. First is the "Friends and Enemies" gallery with drawings of many of the minor Star Force and enemy characters combining both full color drawings and sketches. The second gallery features full color drawings and sketches of the Star Force's planes, ships and space suits. Overall, it's a nice extra, but not worth the price of admission.
2. Yet another shameless trailer for part 6.
Overall, this is another good installment in the series. The driving force behind this edition is the collection of episodes themselves. The DVD extras, while nice, are not particularly that great. However, these episodes build nicely to the climax and resolution of the storyline.
Summed up, if you were ever a Star Blazers fan, give this (and all the other volumes) a watch. It's great for a trip down memory lane. If you've NEVER seen Star Blazers, give it a try. It's a cult classic from the 80's (along with other Americanized anime greats like Robotech, Voltron, Transor Z, etc). The animation may look slightly dated, but the storyline still holds its own very well against anything out there today. Due to limited distribution this show may have slipped by the radar of a lot of people but it caught on like a fire with those who did catch it. Give it a watch and see what all the hype was about.
Highly Recommended
Star Blazers - The Quest for Iscandar - Series 1, Part V (Episodes 18-21)
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2
Average rating: 5.0 of 5
Building To The Climax - Another Fine Translation 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar Part V, contains episodes 18-21 (out of 26) of the first season of the cult-favorite Americanized Japanese Anime series from the early 1980's.For the uninitiated, here's a rundown of the plot. In 2199 Earth was under attack by an "evil" alien race called the Gamilons. The Gamilons bombed earth with "planet bombs" which destroyed the planet and emitted high levels of radiation, thus driving mankind into underground cities. In one Earth year the planet would become uninhabitable. Queen Starsha of Iscandar offers mankind hope in the form of the Cosmo DNA which would cure all mankind from the radiation sickness. She sends Earth a message along with powerful technology that will allow mankind to travel to Iscandar to get the Cosmo DNA. Earth's youngest and brightest come together to form Star Force to travel to Iscandar to fetch the Cosmo DNA. Their faithful battleship is the Argo, a renovated WWII era navy battleship remade into a Starship. There is just one minor problem though, Iscandar is 148,000 Light Years away. No one has ever traveled that far before. More importantly, the Star Force only has one year to travel there and back for a total of 296,000 Light Years...
The story escalates as the Star Force ventures WAY OUT IN DEEP SPACE to the Planet Balan, the halfway point to their destination of Iscandar. The further in space they get the more the crew's fears of the unknown and of failure escalate. In these episodes we get a deeper look into the characters' personas. Even if they can overcome their own fears, the threat of the deadly Iscandarian General Lysis still looms as they venture closer toward Balan...
Here is a summary of the four episodes included on this DVD:
Episodes 18: Sandor and Wildstar go up against the Gamilon Magnatron Wave computer, a magnetic wave-generating machine that threatens to tear to shreds any metallic vehicle, including the Argo!!! Can they stop it before it tears the Argo apart, or worse, before the Argo leaves them behind!!! Plus, a look into Sandor's past.
Episodes 19: Contact with Earth stirs up the crew's deepest, darkest fears regarding whether they can succeed in their mission. Very powerful episode where Communications Officer Homer completely flakes out from the stress of the mission and his family's deteriorating condition back on Earth.
Episode 20: The Battle of Balan!!! The Star Force reaches Balan, the halfway point to Iscandar and come across a Gamilon Base. General Lysis launches his ultimate plan to destroy the Star Force, a two-front attack with missile attacks from the front and a crushing Artificial Sun from the back!!! Plus, Captain Avatar appoints Wildstar "Deputy Captain" as his health further deteriorates.
Episode 21: The Star Force prepares for a final cataclysmic battle with General Lysis and all the Gamilon forces in the Rainbow Galaxy.
This volume is another solid effort from Voyager. Included in the DVD special features of this edition:
1. "The Star Force Art Galleries:" There are two basic sections to the art galleries. First is the "Friends and Enemies" gallery with drawings of many of the minor Star Force and enemy characters combining both full color drawings and sketches. The second gallery features full color drawings and sketches of the Star Force's planes, ships and space suits. Overall, it's a nice extra, but not worth the price of admission.
2. Yet another shameless trailer for part 6.
Overall, this is another good installment in the series. The driving force behind this edition is the collection of episodes themselves. The DVD extras, while nice, are not particularly that great. However, these episodes build nicely to the climax and resolution of the storyline.
Summed up, if you were ever a Star Blazers fan, give this (and all the other volumes) a watch. It's great for a trip down memory lane. If you've NEVER seen Star Blazers, give it a try. It's a cult classic from the 80's (along with other Americanized anime greats like Robotech, Voltron, Transor Z, etc). The animation may look slightly dated, but the storyline still holds its own very well against anything out there today. Due to limited distribution this show may have slipped by the radar of a lot of people but it caught on like a fire with those who did catch it. Give it a watch and see what all the hype was about.
Highly Recommended