09-25-2002, 11:33 PM
Titles:
Comic Party (AV)
Groove Adventure Rave (AV)
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne (MI)
RahXephon (MI)
These will be periodically updated as I work through the series. I'll add Scryed (MI) whenever the hell I get that in.
Comic Party
- 2 discs, 13 eps. Comprised of 2 DVD cases with a box sleeve.
- Menus are still but neat and in English.
- No chapter breaks, which means you have to fast forward and rewind through episodes.
- Video and audio were crisp and clear.
- Subtitles were Engrishy, had Chinese names, although they were timed fairly well. I've heard the MI set was better, but for a silly show like Comic Party I didn't feel like the extra money would be justified, especially since after watching it I've realized that the dialogue is fairly simple. (To me, anyways.) Overall, if subs are a concern, go with MI. Oh yes, the subs are also in this god-awful white font with drop shadows, making them hard to read.
- Content: seen 1 episode. Basically a To Heart spin-off of sorts that involves a group of doujinshi artists finding the meaning of life through doujinshi (Japanese fan-drawn comics). It's silly, injokey, and requires a fair comprehension of the doujinshi market, but it's fun and well-animated for what it is.
Groove Adventure Rave
- 2 discs, 16 eps. (The title on the spine reads "RAVE Croove Adventure". ^^
Each disc is in a separate DVD case.
- Menus are in English, and still. There's a "special feature" which looks like video game footage.
- Chaptered with OP, part A, part B, ED, and preview. Standard AV fare.
- Video and audio was crisp and clear, slight blurring on quick-moving objects like spinning train wheels. (What's the word for this anyways?)
- Subtitles were good HK originals, although some names are incorrect. I only saw one ep, so I didn't see much more than "Demon Guard" being subbed as "Dark Bring". All the names are correct thus far aside from that. Timing is good, grammar is ok, translation is good.
- Content: Rave is a weird little anime that looks like a fantasy adventure in a modern worldsetting. Haru Glory is a young boy who inherited Rave, a powerful... thing that currently is this big sword. Elly has machine gun tonfa. They go around wreaking havoc. I'm not sure what to make of it just yet since I've only seen one episode.
[ ADDITION: Seen up to episode 4. Rave is pretty obviously a shill for the video game, and while there's a plot the direction and characterization is fairly flimsy. Basically, I'm not seeing enough impetus to continue watching, and the subtitles start messing up the names a bit more. While it's not *terrible*, it's not really that interesting... but then again I do have fairly esoteric taste in anime, so it could just be a matter of preference. ]
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne
- 5 discs, 44 eps. It's a 5-disc gatefold about an inch thick, with the plastic sleeve.
- Menus are in Chinese: Play All, Subtitles (Chinese/English), Chapters.
- Chaptered with OP, episode, ED.
- Video and audio were crisp. KamiKai looks more simplistic in comparison to recent titles; this could be due to its budget since it was a fairly recent anime in 1999. Colors are vivid, though.
- Subtitles are a mixed bag. Grammar is excellent, but punctuation is inconsistent. The translation is quite accurate and well-timed, with some bits of "two people talking, one subtitle" here and there. The main problem is that sometimes the name of the character that's talking is a part of the subs, for example: "Jeanne, I have to save her!". There's also a fair amount of typos. Nothing major to detract from understanding the show, but little imperfections here and there.
[ ADDITION: Just finished ep 5. Apparently MI starts using Sachi Gumi's subtitles; Sachi Gumi is an excellent quality VHS fansubber group. The problem with the names disappears and the grammar and spelling improve drastically. I'm not sure on the quality of the middle yet but I took a peek at the fifth disc, and the subs seemed good on them as well.
ADDITION: Up to ep 15. Subs are still good, minor typos and mistimes here and there, nothing big or obtrusive. The show definitely gets more serious and while still episodic, the shift changes in the target of what Jeanne is stealing.
ADDITION: On ep 27, disc 4. Subs still good, typos here and there and rare minor mistimings that get fixed in 10-20 seconds. Show is serious and episodic, but the plot starts to kick in on ep 27. ]
- Content: A magical girl show, episodic as they tend to be. I've seen 2 eps. Maron Kusakabe is a girl who's the reincarnation of Joan of Arc, and she has a tiny angel named Fin Fish who helps her transform into Kaitou Jeanne. Jeanne is a thief who steals paintings at night, but in actuality is sealing the power of the devil away from them. It's an odd premise but looks to be an interesting show, with standard shoujo goodness.
RahXephon
- 1 disc, 8 eps. Single DVD case.
- Menus are in English. There's a special features which consists of a creditless OP and the Event Promotion trailer.
- Chaptered with OP, part A, part B, ED, preview.
- Video and audio were crisp and clear. No complaints here.
- Subtitles have to be a digisub source; the quality in translation and timing are far too good for HK originals. Near professional quality except there's a slight lack of punctuation.
- Content: Seen one ep and I've heard a lot of hype and comments on RX. It's apparently a trippy mecha show focused upon music. I'll reserve judgment until I've seen more, but it's definitely interesting if not a bit abstract.
[ Seen up to ep 5. Very interesting and beautiful artwork. Looks to be a more intense, serious version of the "military super robot" genre that Evangelion popularized. ]
Comic Party (AV)
Groove Adventure Rave (AV)
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne (MI)
RahXephon (MI)
These will be periodically updated as I work through the series. I'll add Scryed (MI) whenever the hell I get that in.
Comic Party
- 2 discs, 13 eps. Comprised of 2 DVD cases with a box sleeve.
- Menus are still but neat and in English.
- No chapter breaks, which means you have to fast forward and rewind through episodes.
- Video and audio were crisp and clear.
- Subtitles were Engrishy, had Chinese names, although they were timed fairly well. I've heard the MI set was better, but for a silly show like Comic Party I didn't feel like the extra money would be justified, especially since after watching it I've realized that the dialogue is fairly simple. (To me, anyways.) Overall, if subs are a concern, go with MI. Oh yes, the subs are also in this god-awful white font with drop shadows, making them hard to read.
- Content: seen 1 episode. Basically a To Heart spin-off of sorts that involves a group of doujinshi artists finding the meaning of life through doujinshi (Japanese fan-drawn comics). It's silly, injokey, and requires a fair comprehension of the doujinshi market, but it's fun and well-animated for what it is.
Groove Adventure Rave
- 2 discs, 16 eps. (The title on the spine reads "RAVE Croove Adventure". ^^
Each disc is in a separate DVD case.- Menus are in English, and still. There's a "special feature" which looks like video game footage.
- Chaptered with OP, part A, part B, ED, and preview. Standard AV fare.
- Video and audio was crisp and clear, slight blurring on quick-moving objects like spinning train wheels. (What's the word for this anyways?)
- Subtitles were good HK originals, although some names are incorrect. I only saw one ep, so I didn't see much more than "Demon Guard" being subbed as "Dark Bring". All the names are correct thus far aside from that. Timing is good, grammar is ok, translation is good.
- Content: Rave is a weird little anime that looks like a fantasy adventure in a modern worldsetting. Haru Glory is a young boy who inherited Rave, a powerful... thing that currently is this big sword. Elly has machine gun tonfa. They go around wreaking havoc. I'm not sure what to make of it just yet since I've only seen one episode.
[ ADDITION: Seen up to episode 4. Rave is pretty obviously a shill for the video game, and while there's a plot the direction and characterization is fairly flimsy. Basically, I'm not seeing enough impetus to continue watching, and the subtitles start messing up the names a bit more. While it's not *terrible*, it's not really that interesting... but then again I do have fairly esoteric taste in anime, so it could just be a matter of preference. ]
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne
- 5 discs, 44 eps. It's a 5-disc gatefold about an inch thick, with the plastic sleeve.
- Menus are in Chinese: Play All, Subtitles (Chinese/English), Chapters.
- Chaptered with OP, episode, ED.
- Video and audio were crisp. KamiKai looks more simplistic in comparison to recent titles; this could be due to its budget since it was a fairly recent anime in 1999. Colors are vivid, though.
- Subtitles are a mixed bag. Grammar is excellent, but punctuation is inconsistent. The translation is quite accurate and well-timed, with some bits of "two people talking, one subtitle" here and there. The main problem is that sometimes the name of the character that's talking is a part of the subs, for example: "Jeanne, I have to save her!". There's also a fair amount of typos. Nothing major to detract from understanding the show, but little imperfections here and there.
[ ADDITION: Just finished ep 5. Apparently MI starts using Sachi Gumi's subtitles; Sachi Gumi is an excellent quality VHS fansubber group. The problem with the names disappears and the grammar and spelling improve drastically. I'm not sure on the quality of the middle yet but I took a peek at the fifth disc, and the subs seemed good on them as well.
ADDITION: Up to ep 15. Subs are still good, minor typos and mistimes here and there, nothing big or obtrusive. The show definitely gets more serious and while still episodic, the shift changes in the target of what Jeanne is stealing.
ADDITION: On ep 27, disc 4. Subs still good, typos here and there and rare minor mistimings that get fixed in 10-20 seconds. Show is serious and episodic, but the plot starts to kick in on ep 27. ]
- Content: A magical girl show, episodic as they tend to be. I've seen 2 eps. Maron Kusakabe is a girl who's the reincarnation of Joan of Arc, and she has a tiny angel named Fin Fish who helps her transform into Kaitou Jeanne. Jeanne is a thief who steals paintings at night, but in actuality is sealing the power of the devil away from them. It's an odd premise but looks to be an interesting show, with standard shoujo goodness.
RahXephon
- 1 disc, 8 eps. Single DVD case.
- Menus are in English. There's a special features which consists of a creditless OP and the Event Promotion trailer.
- Chaptered with OP, part A, part B, ED, preview.
- Video and audio were crisp and clear. No complaints here.
- Subtitles have to be a digisub source; the quality in translation and timing are far too good for HK originals. Near professional quality except there's a slight lack of punctuation.
- Content: Seen one ep and I've heard a lot of hype and comments on RX. It's apparently a trippy mecha show focused upon music. I'll reserve judgment until I've seen more, but it's definitely interesting if not a bit abstract.
[ Seen up to ep 5. Very interesting and beautiful artwork. Looks to be a more intense, serious version of the "military super robot" genre that Evangelion popularized. ]
-- "Your victory will be our bravery."