Samurai Champloo Complete Collection

Label:

MVM

Certificate:

15

Format:

DVD

Discs:

7. (26 episodes)

Running time:

650 mins approx

Subtitles:

English

Video:

16:9 Anamorphic

Sound:

English Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese DTS 5.1, Japanese 2.0

Release date:

6th September 2010

RRP:

£39.99 - Amazon - Play - MVM

From the Press Release:

It is the age of the samurai… a time for honour… a time for courage… a time for Hip-Hop!

Japan, several hundred years ago. Mugen is a young and arrogant, but highly skilled, warrior. He's also a violent, selfish womaniser. Jin, on the other hand, is a vagrant ronin – mysterious but honourable and virtually unmatched when it comes to swordsmanship. When the paths of these two fiercely independent warriors cross it looks like only one will survive the experience. But fate deals the pair a different, more favourable hand when they are both arrested after a violent, and unfinished, swordfight. Sentenced to execution, Mugen and Jin are rescued by a ditzy young waitress named Fuu, who Mugen had earlier defended against a gang of hooligans intent on causing trouble at the tea house where Fuu was working. As payment for saving their lives, Fuu convinces the pair to assist her in her search for a mysterious samurai "who smells of sunflowers". So begins their journey together – a touching story of love, friendship and courage… well, not quite!

Comments:

Samurai Champloo delights in taking what could have been a “proper” historical drama and stuffing it to the gills with anachronisms, modern day attitude and hip hop… plenty of hip hop.

Touted by many as the spiritual successor to Cowboy Bebop, and with so many cast and crew moving from one to the other and such a similar feel and flow to proceedings its hard to disagree. Hey, even the name carries a certain resemblance to it. Boasting impressive visuals, engaging characters and an engrossing storyline right from the start, this series plows ahead leaving the audience in no doubt as to why it was one of the most popular anime of 2004 in it’s native Japan.

If you’re a fan of series like Cowboy Bebop, frantic martial-arts adventures with plenty of swordplay or Samurai stuffed action dramas, then this show is for you.

Extras:

Promo trailers, Trailers, the ever present Textless Opening and Closing animation, Art galleries and US video game trailer.

Samurai Champloo Complete Collection is available now from most high street and online retailers.

 

Burst Angel: Complete Collection

Label:

MVM

Certificate:

15

Format:

DVD

Discs:

7. (24 episodes + bonus OVA episode)

Running time:

650 mins approx

Subtitles:

English

Video:

16:9 Anamorphic

Sound:

English 5.1, Japanese 2.0

Release date:

6th September 2010

RRP:

£39.99 - Amazon - Play - MVM

Press Release:

Featuring four of the sexiest gun-slinging crime-fighters ever to strut their stuff on the small screen, Burst Angel is a futuristic, action-packed sci-fi spaghetti western that plays loose and wild with genre conventions, pitting scantily clad, sharp-shooting heroines against tech-savvy villains and mecha-warriors on the streets of a near-future Tokyo.

A new law's been passed in Tokyo. Ordinary folks are now allowed to freely carry firearms; shoot, they're even legally allowed to use'em. You might think that crime would increase, and you'd be right. But the arrest rate's gone down. After all, the only prison a dead man needs is a hole in the ground. All thanks to RAPT.
The Recent Armed Police of Tokyo is stealing away jurisdiction from the local authorities quicker than a bullet leaves a barrel. What that means is that folks are getting desperate. And desperate people with itchy fingers mean more bodies in the streets.

Now, I'm not sure if she came from up above or somewhere way down below, but an angel's just come to Earth. She's an enigma, but with her partners Sei, Amy, and Meg, she's the best chance this town's got. Her name's Jo. And there's a new sheriff in town.

Comments:

If you imagine mixing a spaghetti western with a sci-fi action-adventure plus a splash of conspiracy theory and a dash of harem comedy (though thankfully that part gets knocked on the head pretty quickly) then you’re probably close to Burst Angel. Scantily clad ladies pilot mecha through a chaotic, lawless and partially destroyed future Tokyo, it’s kind of like Bubblegum Crisis 2040… just with much bigger mecha and more guns. Animating huge 3D CGI mechas firing massive guns and knocking seven bells of hell out’a each other’s one of the things that animation company Gonzo does best, which is a plus as there’s plenty of them here on show. The same’s true for animating partially dressed women blasting and kung-fu-ing the hell out of each other as well… which is good because there’s plenty of those too.

Extras:

There’s Textless Opening and Closing animation, radio show selections, trailers and the extra OVA episode Burst Angel: Infinity.

Burst Angel: Complete Collection is available from most high street and online retailers.

 

GunSword Complete Collection

Label:

MVM

Certificate:

15

Format:

DVD

Discs:

7. (26 episodes)

Running time:

700 mins approx

Subtitles:

English

Sound:

English 5.1, Japanese 2.0

Release date:

4th October 2010

RRP:

£39.99 - Amazon - Play - MVM

Press release:

On a lawless faraway planet called Endless Illusion, a world where the joys of paradise and the horrors of hell co-exist, a vagabond, tuxedo-clad swordsman known only as Van roams the wild and lawless frontier in search of the vicious clawed killer responsible for murdering his bride on the day of their wedding. Armed with a shape-shifting sword and access to a giant mecha "Armor", Vanʼs sole purpose in life is to seek revenge for the death of his lover.

His quest eventually leads him to a church on the outskirts of Evergreen, a town besieged by the psychotic Lucky Roulette and his gang, The Wild Bunch.

Arriving just in time to witness the aftermath of a ruthless massacre by a group of outlaws, Van manages to rescue the only survivor, a young girl named Wendy Garret. This fateful encounter proves to be a profoundly significant one when it becomes apparent that the lives of both Van and Wendy have been affected by the mysterious man with the clawed right hand. Their meeting marks the beginning of an adventure that will take them to the farthest reaches of Endless Illusion and a series of encounters with the planet’s inhabitants, from the good to the bad and the very ugly…

Comments:

Like Burst Angel, GunSword is a mix of Spaghetti western with sci-fi adventure but that’s about where the comparisons end as while GunSword draws heavily from the likes of Trigun, Cowboy Bebop and even old Transformers episodes, Burst Angel uses as it’s inspiration a number of much darker & grittier series. But what GunSword’s Wild-west frontier world does have in common with Burst Angel’s trashed and Lawless Tokyo is the sheer number of sword swinging, sharp shooting heroes, scantily clad pneumatic heroines, despicable gun-toting villains and giant battling mecha.

Extras:

Art galleries, Trailers.

GunSword Complete Collection will be available from most high streets and online retailers from 4th October 2010.