Obviously a near-perfect R2 DVD rip, with only some minor compression artifacts. The series itself doesn't have the most fluid animation, so there isn't much to pixelate either.

Sounded perfect on my (simple) set-up. The series has some nice music, and it comes through perfectly. Didn't notice anything wrong with it.

Sounded perfect on my (simple) set-up. The series has some nice music, and it comes through perfectly. Didn't notice anything wrong with it.

If you want to see this series, which probably won't come to R1 DVD, this is your best bet. Video and audio quality are near-perfect, and the subtitles work fine. The packaging is just Ok. It has music bars everywhere, which tend to get on my nerves. It also has an over-used Violinist of Hameln logo everywhere, but overall it looks Ok. I think the other reviewer made a quite thorough review, so I don't have much to add, exept the screenshots.

Absolutely nothing to complain about. No artificing or macroblocking to be seen (although that's hardly surprising, as there is a dearth of fast action scenes in this anime. The animation style veers more towards still images with speed lines than actual action.)

MMmmm.... you can say what you like about the animation style of VoH, but you can't say anything bad about the sound. The musical score is absolutely delicious, especially if you have a thing for classical music (and I do!). The voices are also excellent, and this DVD set doesn't (to my ears) do anything to lessen the experience. Great stuff.

MMmmm.... you can say what you like about the animation style of VoH, but you can't say anything bad about the sound. The musical score is absolutely delicious, especially if you have a thing for classical music (and I do!). The voices are also excellent, and this DVD set doesn't (to my ears) do anything to lessen the experience. Great stuff.

[menus] The menus are nice and simple; quick loading and animated, with the music from the first intro playing in the background. You have three options upon putting in the discs, play all, subtitles, and chapter selection. The chapter selection allows you to choose which episode you want to jump to (no mid-episode jumping allowed from the menus) and the episodes have little animated clips denoting the different selections. Simple yet stylish. [Packaging] The packaging is quite nice, with a musical score background overlayed with pictures of various characters. The background pictures on the inside of the gatefold are a little low-res, but not by much. There are also e-mail addresses watermarked all over the interior of the gatefold, but because of the light grey color of the case you don't notice them unless you look for them. The DVDs are held in the case by soft clamp grips, which look quite secure and are a nice change from the breakable hard plastic nubs that you usually find on the inside of HKDVD gatefolds. [chapter breaks] Chapter breaks are nicely set up with a break at the beginning of the intro, right after the intro, halfway through the episode, and at the ending credits. [animation style] All right. Some of you may have heard the Violinist of Hameln called a "slideshow" or a "picture book with a voiceover". While it's true that there ARE quite a lot of still images in this show, some people definately exaggerate the lack of animation. Maybe the people who produced Hameln spent all their money on voice actors and musical scores, maybe not; The animation is quite limited, but it's unfair to say that the show as a whole is unanimated. You are warned though, if you buy this expecting incredible, high quality animation, you could be disappointed. [overall] This series is VERY different from the manga upon which it's based. The manga is far more slapstick, with Hamel typically abusing Flute and Raiel (Flute missile!) at every opportunity and generally being an ass. In this, he's more of a brooding hero type, and the anime gives up on trying to be humerous early on in the series. It's very dramatic, and quite engrossing though. If you like classical music, badass characters (mmm.... Sizer....) and an epic plot, give the Violinist of Hameln a look. It wont make you feel warm and fuzzy inside necessarily, but it'll certainly captivate you; if you don't say "holy @(#%" at least five times during the second Sfortzando war, you're a VERY jaded human being.