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Rating: 
Summary: A great series, a fair dvd
Review: Let me begin by saying thank you to Voyager Entertainment for deciding to put this beloved series on DVD. It really brings back memories of my childhood. I'd race home after school to follow the voyages of the Yamato (ok, the ARGO) and her mission to the planet Iscandar. To those who aren't familiar with the story, here's a short summary. In the not so distant future, earth is under attack from a distant planet known as Gamelon. Gamelon's 'planet bombs' rain down on earth, leaving it's surface a desert wasteland. As a result, people are forced to live in underground cities. But the radioactivity is slowly seeping into the earth, and in one year, all life on earth will be extinct. The planet's only hope lies in a message from a friend on a far away planet known as Iscandar. Starsha of Iscandar offers the cosmo DNA, a device capable of restoring earth to its former beauty, to the people of earth. The message also includes the plans for an engine capable of exceeding the speed of light. Construction of a new space ship begins, underneath the sunken remains of the WWII Japanese battleship YAMATO. The ship launches and begins it's 148,000 light year journey to Iscandar, with the hopes of saving all mankind. But, can they cross such a vast distance and return to earth in only 365 days ? Watch the series to find out! Those who have purchased the first DVD in the series will find an obvious improvment in the menu screens and the addtional options of this disc. However, the menu screens are IDENTICAL to the second disc, with the exception of music and some new still photos. Also, it's promise of a 'Virtual tour of the Argo' is a little misleading, as it is merely a collection of pencil sketches and production cels (artwork) of the ship. I expected a 3D CGI ship to walk around and explore, but no such luck. The picture quality and sound are only slightly better than the VHS versions, but at least it will never deteriorate. I'd have to give 1 star for the disc itself, and the rest for such a great story. Fans will be pleased it's on DVD, but won't be too impressed with quality and the lack of extras on the disc.
Rating:
Summary: Another Fine Translation
Review: Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar Part III, contains episodes 10-13 (out of 26) of the first season of the cult-favorite Americanized Japanese Anime series from the early 1980's. For the uninitiated, here's a rundown of the plot. In 2199 Earth was under attack by an "evil" alien race called the Gamilons. The Gamilons bombed earth with "planet bombs" which destroyed the planet and emitted high levels of radiation, thus driving mankind into underground cities. In one Earth year the planet would become uninhabitable. Queen Starsha of Iscandar offers mankind hope in the form of the Cosmic DNA which would cure all mankind from the radiation sickness. She sends Earth a message along with powerful technology that will allow mankind to travel to Iscandar to get the Cosmic DNA. The Star Force is formed to travel to Iscandar to fetch the Cosmic DNA. Their faithful battleship is the Argo, a renovated WWII era navy battleship remade into a Starship. There is just one minor problem though, Iscandar is 148,000 Light Years away. No one has ever traveled that far before. More importantly, the Star Force only has one year to travel there and back for a total of 296,000 Light Years. Here is a summary of the four episodes included on this DVD: Episode 10: As they leave the solar system the crew gets a last chance to contact their families on Earth. Plus, Wildstar and Capt. Avatar share a tender moment. Episode 11: Now out of Earth's solar system the Argo faces uncertain terrors in deep space as the Gamilon's attempt to stop the Argo. The first test: The Argo vs. the Desslok mines. Episode 12: More Gamilon treachery: The Argo vs. the Space Net, a poisonous cloud and the Red Star. Plus, Captain Avatar's health deteriorates and Nova makes a wish. Episode 13: The Star Force captures a Gamilon. Plus, a flashback look into Wildstar's past and the origin of the Gamilon-Earth war. Continuing its tradition of great DVD extras from Part II, this DVD includes the following special features: 1. A Virtual Tour of the Ago. You can view photos and schematic drawings of all the part of the ship. Pretty cool feature. 2. Yet another shameless plug, this time for Part IV of the series. Can't blame them for trying though huh? Overall, this is another great installment in the series. The tour of the Argo was a nice touch and the collection of episodes in and of itself is pure gold. Summed up, if you were ever a Star Blazers fan, give this (and Parts I & II) a watch. It's great for a trip down memory lane. If you've NEVER seen Star Blazers, give it a try, it's a cult classic from the 80's (along with other Americanized anime greats like Robotech, Voltron, Transor Z, etc). The animation may look a little dated, but the storyline still holds its own very well against anything out there today. This series has stood the test of time. Due to limited distribution this show may have slipped by the radar of a lot of people but it caught on like a fire with those who did catch it. Check it out and see what everyone else was screaming about. Highly Recommended
Rating:
Summary: Another Fine Translation
Review: Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar Part III, contains episodes 10-13 (out of 26) of the first season of the cult-favorite Americanized Japanese Anime series from the early 1980's. For the uninitiated, here's a rundown of the plot. In 2199 Earth was under attack by an "evil" alien race called the Gamilons. The Gamilons bombed earth with "planet bombs" which destroyed the planet and emitted high levels of radiation, thus driving mankind into underground cities. In one Earth year the planet would become uninhabitable. Queen Starsha of Iscandar offers mankind hope in the form of the Cosmic DNA which would cure all mankind from the radiation sickness. She sends Earth a message along with powerful technology that will allow mankind to travel to Iscandar to get the Cosmic DNA. The Star Force is formed to travel to Iscandar to fetch the Cosmic DNA. Their faithful battleship is the Argo, a renovated WWII era navy battleship remade into a Starship. There is just one minor problem though, Iscandar is 148,000 Light Years away. No one has ever traveled that far before. More importantly, the Star Force only has one year to travel there and back for a total of 296,000 Light Years. Here is a summary of the four episodes included on this DVD: Episode 10: As they leave the solar system the crew gets a last chance to contact their families on Earth. Plus, Wildstar and Capt. Avatar share a tender moment. Episode 11: Now out of Earth's solar system the Argo faces uncertain terrors in deep space as the Gamilon's attempt to stop the Argo. The first test: The Argo vs. the Desslok mines. Episode 12: More Gamilon treachery: The Argo vs. the Space Net, a poisonous cloud and the Red Star. Plus, Captain Avatar's health deteriorates and Nova makes a wish. Episode 13: The Star Force captures a Gamilon. Plus, a flashback look into Wildstar's past and the origin of the Gamilon-Earth war. Continuing its tradition of great DVD extras from Part II, this DVD includes the following special features: 1.A Virtual Tour of the Ago. You can view photos and schematic drawings of all the part of the ship. Pretty cool feature. 2.Yet another shameless plug, this time for Part IV of the series. Can't blame them for trying though huh? Overall, this is another great installment in the series. The tour of the Argo was a nice touch and the collection of episodes in and of itself is pure gold. Summed up, if you were ever a Star Blazers fan, give this (and Parts I & II) a watch. It's great for a trip down memory lane. If you've NEVER seen Star Blazers, give it a try, it's a cult classic from the 80's (along with other Americanized anime greats like Robotech, Voltron, Transor Z, etc). The animation may look a little dated, but the storyline still holds its own very well against anything out there today. This series has stood the test of time. Due to limited distribution this show may have slipped by the radar of a lot of people but it caught on like a fire with those who did catch it. Check it out and see what everyone else was screaming about. Highly Recommended
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