Megazone 23 Part 1

Sure, most fans of this title, have grown up with the older Streamline Pictures, English dub, which is a nice dub, except for the fact that the three main girls in the story, all sound like sophisticated ladies, and NOT the young adults that they are actually suppose to be, where as in this new version, the dubbing team has opted for voices that closer mirror the attitudes of the young ladies, which is also nice (my suggestion is that you try and acquire BOTH versions of this anime, so that you can decide for yourself as to which dub you prefer).

Another plus, is the audio commentary (which you should definitely listen to AFTER watching the show if you are new to this title, as there be spoilers afoot, me lads :) which, although, tends to spend more then half of it's time, with the three speakers reminiscing about their old Laser Disc anime collections, does get into some pretty funny good natured kidding about the show itself (i.e. how room items seem to change from scene to scene) and some interesting anecdotal tidbits about the show as well.

The story is shear 80's, sci-fi-mecha-transformation-actioner, and if you like Macross (or Robotech, as it is widely known here) then you'll LOVE this, as it's BIGGER and BADDER, with a nice story.

One thing to take into consideration when watching this though, is he fact that this is part 1 of a 3 part story (actually, really only a 2 part story, as the next part, part 2, really ends the story, where as part 3 is more of an add on to try and cash in on the Akira phenomenon, and, although it has it's merit, is pretty much a different story) and so, doesn't have a proper ending, as such, leaving the door WAY open for part 2. So, keep this in mind, as ALL questions WILL be nicely answered, in part 2.

All in all, a nice job was done on this title, and is definitely worth the mula (and for the novice animer out there, this is a title NOT to be missed, trust me ;)

The show's premise is reminiscent of 'The Matrix'. Our hero Shogo, a rice-burner-ridin' speed demon Mickey-D's till jockey, gets caught up in an unbelievable conspiracy-slash-cover-up-type-thingy, and discovers that the world he lives in isn't what it seems. With the help of a special top-secret convertible motor bike, a J-pop singer who also isn't what she appears to be, and his hot teal-haired aerobics-dancing girlfriend, he does what he can to fend off the clandestine forces who attempt to silence him forever. The ending is similar to that of 'The Empire Strikes Back'-- it leaves you hangin'! But then, what didja expect from a DVD labeled 'Part 1'? Speaking of 'Empire', there's one scene near the beginning where the protagonists are watching a movie, and the scene they're viewing looks just like the part where Han kisses Leia right before he's turned into a carbonite popsicle. Proof positive that 'Star Wars' really is a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon!

This disc includes both the original Japanese language track and a new English dub. Personally, I found the new dub even sillier than both the original AND Robotech movie dubs! Whenever I hear the English dialogue on this, I imagine one of the assistants slipping prozac-laced meth into the voice actors' bottled water before the recording sessions! Eh, it's not like real anime geeks actually watched the dub version, anyway... unless they're not into reading that is. On the upside, I found the subtitled translations of various Japanese-language signs and the lyrics to EVE's (the aforementioned J-pop star) tunes kinda neat...

Also thrown in for kicks is a feature-length commentary track, which is chock-full of statements and anecdotes by ADV production bigwigs Matt Greenfield, and David & Janice Williams. Well, actually Janice barely speaks up at all as the other two guys really start geekin' out. They cover the early days of collecting Japanese anime videos, and how expensive and time-consuming it was. They also hem and haw about the evolution of this feature from a TV series to one of the first direct-to-video anime presentations (called "OVAs"-- Original Video Animation-- by the fans) to hit the Japanese rental store shelves. Which led to them talking about how MZ23's success led to an explosion in the OVA market in the land of the rising sun. Also touched on and pointed out are the various plot holes, continuity errors, and other flubs that pop up throughout the show, as well as cameos by such notable anime legends as Lupin III and Max Genus (Max Sterling) of Macross (Robotech) fame. But to me the most amusing part is their discussion about how they wanted to write a fair amount of 80s lingo ("rad", "tubular", et.al.) into the English dub script so that it "sounded" right for the time it first came out (around 1985). Weird thing is, I recall hearing the uttering of "my bad!" at one point in the show, which is a term that I associate more with the late 90s than the mid 80s...

As for bonuses: included with the ADV 'Series Box' edition DVD is a fold-out poster liner sheet that features EVE on the front, and info regarding the various characters, vehicles, and the evolution of the MegaZone saga on the back. Also thrown in is a mini mouse pad. Thing is, I don't recall the artwork on the mouse pad appearing anywhere in the movie itself; it looks more like it came from 'Ghost in the Shell'. Then there's the 'series box' itself, which is wide enough to hold all three volumes of this series... as soon as the other two volumes street that is. Which I can hardly wait to take a look at, seein' as how I've never watched 'em before...

The only real problem I have with this set is the new cover art for the slipcase box and the DVD case. Why didn't they use the original artwork from the series or its initial promotional materials to decorate the packaging with? You know, something that looks like it came from the time that MZ23 was produced? Eh, it's probably their subliminal ploy to appeal to the latest generation of otaku. You know-- the super-geekin', socially inept teenager who couldn't get a date for the weekend--AGAIN (BTW I feel your pain, guys). But what about us old-schoolers, huh? What... about... us???

'Late