Skip to main content

Something to Watch: DVDs, 19Mar13

There isn’t much this week, but The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is worth checking out. I was hoping they would have stuck with the one book = one movie format they did with the Ring series, but this one book they are dragging out into 3 movies. They are doing this by showing you a number of complete battles they mentioned in one or two sentences in the book, dragging in filler from some of Tolkien’s other works, and so forth. That’s it for movies, and there do not seem to be any live action TV shows this time around.

We do somewhat better in Anime, with One Piece Season 4 DVD Part 4 bringing us episodes 242 through 252; at this rate, we may catch up with real time episodes in another few years. Toriko: Part 3 continues the gastronomic combat series (it doesn’t deserve to be on the menu if it doesn’t have at least as good a chance of having you for diner when the hunt finishes).

Fate/Stay Night: Complete Collection is all 24 episodes of the Stay Night storyline, but remember there is also a movie called Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, which is an alternate retelling, an OVA collection called Fate: Prototype, and another TV series titled Fate: Zero, so I tend to take exception to the Complete Collection part of the designation.

Vampire Princess Miyu TV is an actual complete collection of the TV series, although there was an OVA set for this show as well. The half human vampire girl is doomed to be a teenager forever, fighting the forces of darkness to save mankind. The series aired in 1997 through 1998, but it was a sequel to the original 1988 show, so this is old school style anime. Another classic being re-released this week is Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter, a Giant Mecha battle drama from 2000. It is an OVA of four 30 minute episodes. Finally, the much more recent Corpse Princess: The Complete Series is being released in a S.A.V.E. edition, which means you can add it to your collection for $20 or so if you shop around. She’ll kill anything that’s dead, to protect the living.

Something to Watch: DVDs, 12Mar13

The most interesting movie this week is about a man who made interesting movies; Hitchcock. Anthony Hopkins does an amazing job in the role title role. Someone is releasing the 1962 movie Jack The Giant Killer, probably in the hopes you will confuse it with Jack The Giant Slayer which hit theaters last week and buy it by mistake. Rise of the Guardians is a fun little animated film from Dreamworks you might enjoy, with various mythical characters teaming up together to fight evil.

In TV Ripper Street is a crime drama in Victorian London with a Steampunk edge, as the law enforcement team struggles to keep control of the streets of the city. And always, they keep an eye out for the one that got away… Jack the Ripper.

Anime brings us Bleach: Season 16, with episodes 230 through 242. Of course, we still have a ways to go there; Japan just watched episode 366 last week. Penguindrum: Collection 2 brings us closer to Himari’s appointment with Death by supernatural forces.

There are also a few re-releases worth noting; Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars and Trigun: Complete Series each bring their entire stories out in box sets. If you have missed them so far, now is your chance to pick them up.

Something to Watch: DVDs, 5Mar13

In movies, Wreck-It Ralph was one of my favorite recent animations, well worth watching again and again. Meanwhile, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 brings what is hopefully the conclusion of this series to the small screen.

In TV the Australian Mermaid fantasy series H2O Just Add Water is having all three seasons being released in the US. Likewise the Canadian Steampunk series Murdoch Mysteries is coming out with season 5, and also putting seasons 1 through 4 into a box set.

In Anime, Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc is a feature length OVA alternate history ninja vs. warlord story. Bodacious Space Pirates: Collection 2 brings the second half of the series about a high school girl who inherits a spaceship full of pirates from her father. Finally, Natsume’s Book of Friends rolls out season 3 in a premium edition. It seems Natsume was shunned for his ability to see yokai (spirits and/or monsters), and spent the first two seasons resolving things with the spirit world, in the process of which he gained a family and made friends. Now the spirit world is coming back for him with new problems to be solved.

Something to Watch: DVDs, 19Feb13

In movies, Atlas Shrugged: Part II is the concluding part of the epic Ayn Rand story. I missed this one in the theaters, so I am looking forward to watch both parts back to back. With The Complete Adventures of Flash Gordon the three original Flash Gordon serials are being released in a single package. Originally released in 1936, 1938, and 1940, they starred Buster Crabbe as Flash. I already have all 3 serials bought separately, but I am tempted to pick up this package for the included original comic strips and cartoons from the 1930s.

Game of Thrones: The Complete Second Season is out this week, and it is every bit as adventurous, sexy, and violent as the first season. It also grew the characters well, which I didn’t realize was happening until I noticed who I was rooting for kept changing. Also this week, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome takes place in the middle of the First Cylon War, with a young Adama piloting a fighter and coming to the Galactica for the first time.

Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee comes out with the second half of season one. This series has heavily armed letter carriers combating giant insects and rival organizations, as well as the occasional mad scientist. It takes place in a land of perpetual twilight, with a unique and beautiful art style that reminds me of certain tarot decks. The manga it comes from is also beautifully drawn. Also new, Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts is an OVA special collection of only two episodes. Finally, Tiger & Bunny Set 1 brings the first 12 episodes of the first story, which totals 25 episodes in all. Giant Robot pilot/heroes with sponsors logos painted on their metal hides, it brings an interesting view of how the future might be.

Something to Watch: DVDs, 12Feb12

Robot & Frank is a great little indi film about the robot Frank’s kids get for him, to help him around the house. But Frank see’s a chance to come out of retirement, and starts teaching the bot how to be a cat burglar. This one absolutely has to come home with me this week. In The Man with the Iron Fists the Emperor’s gold is stolen, and everyone in China is out to claim it for themselves. Aladdin and the Death Lamp is one of those Syfy Channel made-for-TV movies that they would be better off not making. However, I can’t wait until the production company that they formed with Universal Pictures comes out with their first movie, based on the first Wildcards book, with both George R.R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass involved with the project.

Skyfall has to be mentioned, because Bond is the character that made Spy stuff so out there it became genre. For the documentary fans we have two items, the first being 50 Years of Bond Cars from the mainiacs with Top Gear. There is also an offering called Jedi Junkies, all about Star Wars fans. It includes the usual collection of interesting people, of whom my favorite has to be Olivia Munn.

In TV we have Weeds: Season Eight which, while not genre, is a twisty little series. I am amazed so many of the characters lived to make it to the final season, but I don’t hold out much hope many of them will survive it. The other TV show of note is Duck Dodgers: Dark Side of the Duck Season 1; any program that has Marvin the Martian as a regular character definitely gets my vote.

In Anime, InuYasha: The Final Act – Set 2 finally brings the saga to a close. I think. This series has been running for a very long time, there is no rule saying they couldn’t continue it if they wanted to. Also this week, New Fist of the North Star – Complete Collection brings us more story for that show, but not a lot. This one is a 3 episode OVA. What the two shows have in common is they are both old school anime of a style common in the 1980s and 1990s, probably because that’s when each series originated.

Something to Watch: DVDs, 5Feb13

There seems to be a distinct lack of live action genre releases this week, either Movies or TV. And the western animation is a re-release, Peter Pan, Diamond Edition, which brings this classic out in Blue Ray format for the first time.

We do a little better with Anime, but not by a lot. Toriko: Part 2 continues the combat gourmet epic as our hero attempts to assemble his Full Course Menu of Life. The rule for including a dish seems to be it has to be made from something that kills most of the people that hunt it. While I can’t vouch for Toriko’s sanity, you have to admire his style. Also this week, Casshern Sins: Complete Series is coming out in a S.A.V.E. edition, which means if you shop around you can pick it up for under $20. Robot redemption in the wasteland he created is a unique premise for a series, and this one is done quire well.

There are, of course, many other DVDs coming out this week, both live action and animated, but they do not seem to be genre or even genre related. Hopefully we will do better next week.