| Anime Crash has put together a very attractive package for this release. The DVD comes in a clear case with a reversible cover. One side has a full color image and a summary of the show with UPC. The reverse had a more minimal illustration that I really liked, and a synopsis of each episode. (And both sides have the volume number on the spine! I hate when they leave that off.) Inside there is a thick card stock insert with a biography of the Geisters commander. There will apparently be one for each Geister member in the future volumes. That's all fairly standard stuff, but wait there's more! Included in the case is a really cool metal lapel pin with the Geister logo. It's fairly large; a 2" X 1½" oval. There is also a postcard that you can mail in when the series is complete to get a free talking action figure. You need to include a stamp that will be included with the 6th volume and mail it in. There doesn't seem to be a shipping and handling charge, which is very cool. According to the small print, there will be a different collectable figure available for volumes 2-5. That's quite a lot of stuff for a regularly priced release, and it all arrives in a spiffy slipcase (that only volume one fits in.) This is the most bonus material I've seen included with a single DVD release that didn't charge extra for a collector's box. I hope Anime Crash continues to shower us with extras like this in their future releases.
While I really liked the whole package Anime Crash put together, there were a couple of things I didn't like about the disc. When you first pop the DVD in, a minute long animated sequence that ends with the Anime Crash logo plays. You can't skip this little flourish because the remote buttons are disabled. While I enjoyed watching it once, I don't want to watch it every time I feel the urge to view an episode. Another thing that I didn't like is that the time was disabled on my DVD player's display. Usually, I can chose whether to display how much time has elapsed or how much time is remaining on the disc, but there wasn't a time code on the DVD. This will probably only effect a small portion of viewers, but I often jot down times when a particularly good (or bad) looking scene takes place or some witty piece of dialog that I may want to quote. Again, it's a minor quibble, but one I felt should be noted.
AUDIO:
The DVD offers you the choice of an original Japanese language track in stereo, or an English dub in 2.0 or 5.1. I viewed the show with all three tracks on different episodes, and I had a slight preference for the original language. The English tracks were very nice though, with good voice actors. The main characters and supporting cast all had realistic sounding voices. Unfortunately the very minor incidental characters sounded really silly with strong fake accents. This isn't too bad since most of these people only have a line or two. One odd thing about the 5.1 soundtrack is that the replayed the opening song over the end credits. The Japanese and English 2.0 tracks had a different song at the end.
The sound quality is very good. All three soundtracks have a good dynamic range, but the English 5.1 is the most forceful. (The explosions and battle scenes sound great on that track.) The sound is clear with the echoing of footsteps on a metallic floor coming through perfectly. The dialog is easy to understand and there is no distortion.
VIDEO:
The full frame video is also very good. The colors are nice and vivid, and there is good detail and shading. The encoding is very good, resulting in a disc that is almost free of artifacts. There is some very minor aliasing in the background when the camera moves, but this is almost invisible. Anime Crash has put out a solid first disc.
EXTRAS:
In addition to the lapel pin and card for a free figure that I already mentioned, the disc itself has a couple of bonuses. There is an alternate opening for the show that was used when it was shown in Korea, and a photo gallery. There is also a trailer for the as yet unscheduled show Ki Fighter. This looks like it might have potential for younger audiences, and I hope they schedule it soon.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Anime Crash seems to be on the right track with their release of teh first volume of The Geisters. There are some fun goodies included with the DVD, and they did a good job with the sound and image on the disc. But the most important thing is the show itself. While this show doesn't grab me by the throat the way the best anime series do, it is very good and enjoyable. It has a good mixture of plot and action, and some interesting characters. It looks like Anime Crash is off to a great start. A strong Recommendation. |
Technical Notes:
