Nana Uncut DVD Box Set Volume One Review!

You can purchase this DVD online today

Synopsis: The NANA anime is based on the popular manga by Ai Yazawa, which has sold over 43 million copies in Japan and is published in North America by VIZ Media under its SHOJO BEAT imprint.  NANA follows the adventures of two girls both named Nana. While they share the same name, they couldn’t be more different. Nana “Hachi” Komatsu follows her boyfriend to Tokyo in the hopes of finding a fresh start, while Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, is a punk rock beauty with the ambition for making it big in the world of rock and roll. Although these two young women come from opposite backgrounds, they quickly become best friends while chasing their happiness and dreams.

Review: This DVD set includes the first 11 episodes of Nana and what a treat they are!  The story follows these crazy girls and their romantic journies and self discovery.  Its really a great anime tale that stays very faithful to its manga source material.

All too often anime gets a bad name being focused on just violence and action, when there is a largely female audience that wants drama, humor and romance, as well.   If that describes you, then this set is really the thing for you.

The video on this release is presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio.  The DVD also comes packed with a great collectible guitar pick.  I recommend watching it in Japanese language with English subtitles for the best effect and fullest story.

We highly recommend this release for anyone seeking something unique, but well made in the realm of anime.  The voice acting and animation are fantastic and well worth your time.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Naruto Uncut Box Set, Vol. 15 DVD Review

Studio: Viz

You can purchase this anime DVD online today

Synopsis: Ino faces an unusual exercise in royal etiquette when she is asked by an overweight princess to take her place and attend the first meeting with the young prince she adores. Then the Hidden Leaf Village comes under serious threat when important blueprints of the village are stolen! Naruto, Shikamaru and the others have their hands full finding and removing the massive numbers of paper bombs placed throughout the village. Can they save the Hidden Leaf Village from utter demolition?

Review:  Naruto is one of those shows that is well-known, thanks to some limited domestic airtime, but is really still under appreciated as a whole.  Viz is doing a superb job of releasing the episodes in a high-quality and collectible format.

Volume 15 contains 14 episodes and continues the fan favorite Leaf Village Saga.  This is great news, because a lot of the previous sets feature one-shot and filler episodes that don’t progress the overall story arcs.   While this may be necessary in the minds of some, its more beneficial to see the major storylines, as this is what keeps serious anime fans interested.  And lets face it, a release like this is geared towards serious anime fans.

The packaging for Volume 15 features Orochimaru.  You’re only going to see him in this one 200th episode special, which features re-caps of old battles from past episodes.  Its high-quality packaging with attractive colors and it definately syncs with previous releases.  You’re treated to some more great collectible playing cards with the set, as we’ve seen with previous releases.  Extras like this are almost essential to any legitimate anime release these days.

The video transfer is fairly flawless.  The colors pop and the action looks superb on a high-def television.  The sound is 2.0 stereo.  Its not the best quality it could be, but its about what is to be expected.    We definately recommend watching the show in Japanese language.  The English dubbing is rather painful, which is fairly typical to any anime.

We look forward now to Naruto: Shippuden.  There is only one more volume of Naruto to come before we get there, so I’d add this one to your collection now.


Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars