Disgaea: The Complete Series (ep.1-12)

Ratings are a guesstimate, usually on the "safe side".

Sub-genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, some romance

Situations: PG
Language: Probably PG+
Nudity: PG
Violence: PG

Language options: Dub, Sub with separate on/off option. The way it should be.
Start-up ads can't be skipped, annoying!

Special Features:
Disc 2: Clean open/close. Trailers(Previews) - Ragnarok and Sgt. Frog were okay. Soul Eater, Tsubasa (actually season 2 + OVAs), Full Metal Alchemist (actually Part 3) are useless to tell what the story is about. Kaliedo Star (actually Season 2 + OVA) is almost as useless. FLCL was not good, but the series is confusing enough that trying to describe it is probably beyond the limited abilities of whoever made the ad anyway. ;p

This is an anime based on a video game (series of games actually). Unlike most in this "class" of anime, this one was actually very good. It didn't run like watching someone play the video game on your TV. Plot, character development and story developed well. Animation was a bit older/"kiddie" (think Pokemon) but the writing and direction were great. Mid and backgrounds were often excellent art. One opinion: Laharl laughs maniacally early in the series... it is one of the most pathetic maniacal laughs I've heard. You sort of get used to it as the series goes on though. Otherwise the voice acting and direction are great.

Overall I greatly enjoyed this, but I wasn't a great fan of the ending chosen. It was good, but a little unexpected. Not necessarily a bad thing I guess and it may grow on me with further viewing. As game based animes, it is one of the best I have seen and may change my mind on the whole sub-genre which I generally avoid.

The story is about Laharl, a demon and heir to the throne of the demon world who was placed into a 2 year sleep by an attempt to poison him. During an attempt by an angel in training to assassinate him (thinking it was his father) he is awakened and begins his quest to take his rightful place as ruler. Laharl, the angel and an impish female demon begin the search for the castle and the book of demons required to declare Laharl ruler. They are aided, or sometimes hindered, by the Prinneys, penguin-like souls seeking redemption and who always end their sentences with "dood!".
While based on a video game, this one (as an anime) would be at least T for Teen, so probably isn't suitable for children unfortunately. Some is situational but mostly language.

I had previously seen the Disgaea series and just when I was considering seeking the episodes out another time at my local video rental place, I stumbled across this bundle. Fans of the games will definitely enjoy Laharl's romp in the netherworld and these few, yet highly enjoyable episodes will certainly draw new people into the video games. Memorable characters from Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness are frequent and, though the plot of the anime is different from the game it is based on, it still maintains its quirky humor that envelopes the games.

I was very impressed with the packaging and the images on the CDs are very colorful. A must have!

I don't do games and I'm not familiar with the entertainment, but from somewhere, an advertisement for this series appealed to me. That in itself is unusual, because sadly, anime commercials nearly always fail to sell their product. This one looked a little quirkey, a little rude, and a bit on the fast-paced side, so I took a chance on it. I am glad I did. Disgaea is a fun series, full of demons who aren't quite as bad as they might be, angels and heros who aren't as good as they should be, and worlds we all can relate to. The story is nothing new, but the presentation is well done and the tale is a good one. If you like sarcastic comedy with anti-heros and anti-villians mixing it up for the sake of their own views and goals, Disgaea will entertain you.