Rating: 
Summary: Welcome to the Jungle
Review: The second DVD in the "Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles" CGI series, the Tesca Campaign takes Razak's Roughnecks to a jungle world teaming with new, frightening arachnid species. The squad will face not only the 'bugs' but also serious trials within its own ranks. Some old faces will be lost in battle, new faces in the unit are met with suspicion and hostility. These are by far the best episodes of the series, in sophistication of animation, superior story, and realistic characterization. One warning: these episodes take place in the middle of the series, well after the events of the Pluto campaign (the first DVD). In the interim the Roughnecks have fought campaigns on several worlds including Tophet, where they faced the Skinnies, a sophisticated alien race allied to the bugs (a plot device pulled directly from Heinlein's book). During the campaign they discover the Skinnies are being used against their will by tiny control bugs. The Skinnies are freed, but Carl Jenkins, the Roughneck's psychic is critically injured in the process and lost to the squad. The Tesca campaign opens with the Skinnies, now allies to the humans, joining the war effort. The Roughnecks are chagrinned to learn that this includes a Skinnie being added to their squad. Pvt. T'Phai, a former adversary must now weather the resentment and predjudice of the squad. The alien soon proves his worth in battle, and not a moment too soon. For one of the Roughnecks will fall in battle. I won't say more and spoil the surprise. Again the animation work by Sony and Foundation Imaging is first rate. Realistic action, incredible vehicles, emotionally real performances from the virtual 'cast'. This isn't just another 'cartoon'. If you enjoyed the Pluto campaign, or just enjoy first rate science fiction or war stories, you want this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the Jungle
Review: The second DVD in the "Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles" CGI series, the Tesca Campaign takes Razak's Roughnecks to a jungle world teaming with new, frightening arachnid species. The squad will face not only the 'bugs' but also serious trials within its own ranks. Some old faces will be lost in battle, new faces in the unit are met with suspicion and hostility. These are by far the best episodes of the series, in sophistication of animation, superior story, and realistic characterization. One warning: these episodes take place in the middle of the series, well after the events of the Pluto campaign (the first DVD). In the interim the Roughnecks have fought campaigns on several worlds including Tophet, where they faced the Skinnies, a sophisticated alien race allied to the bugs (a plot device pulled directly from Heinlein's book). During the campaign they discover the Skinnies are being used against their will by tiny control bugs. The Skinnies are freed, but Carl Jenkins, the Roughneck's psychic is critically injured in the process and lost to the squad. The Tesca campaign opens with the Skinnies, now allies to the humans, joining the war effort. The Roughnecks are chagrinned to learn that this includes a Skinnie being added to their squad. Pvt. T'Phai, a former adversary must now weather the resentment and predjudice of the squad. The alien soon proves his worth in battle, and not a moment too soon. For one of the Roughnecks will fall in battle. I won't say more and spoil the surprise. Again the animation work by Sony and Foundation Imaging is first rate. Realistic action, incredible vehicles, emotionally real performances from the virtual 'cast'. This isn't just another 'cartoon'. If you enjoyed the Pluto campaign, or just enjoy first rate science fiction or war stories, you want this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: WARNING: Contains Negative Portrayal of Giant Space SPIDERS!
Review: This disc contains episodes 16 thru 20 of Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles (40 episodes altogether). For those of us who have seen the entire series, we're happy to see some of our favorite episodes finally released in DVD format. For those of you who are new to the show, this DVD contains a Filmmakers' Commentary feature which will bring you up to speed on the series as well as provide some insight into the quirky production process of this completely computer-generated show.Over the course of the series, some of the main characters get wounded and spend time "off stage" to recuperate. One of the main characters is ultimately killed. Each planetary campaign introduces the possibility that not every member of the Roughnecks squad will survive. Such is the case at the beginning episode 16 where an alien character (and former enemy) is recruited to replace a trooper who was hospitalized in a previous episode. This is a very well written series which takes the consequences of war and combat seriously. The characters are fully developed over time and the sheer ambition and complexity of the CGI is truly breathtaking. Also, the techno-inspired soundtrack continues to be one of my favorite elements of the show. The original score contributes much to the energy and mood of every scene.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly mature and touching!
Review: This DVD was released after the first one (Pluto), but they should not be watched in that order. After PLUTO, it's HYDORA, then TOPHET, and finally TESCA. They make up the first 20 episodes out of a 40 episode season. Hopefully, the next 20 will make it to DVD as well. But take note, the filmmakers explain in the commentaries that the last 3 or 4 episodes were written and recorded but NEVER PRODUCED. Tesca is an interesting campaign. It is very different from the previous ones in that it gradually gets less violent and more emotional. The first episode deals with Rico's struggle to accept T'Phai, a "skinny," into the Roughnecks. I thought Rico's hostility was way overdone and his actions unrealistic. There are better, more subtle ways to dramatize hate and narrow-mindedness. But since this is supposed to be a kid's show, I understand the need to make things like this obvious. One of the later episodes in the DVD deals with Rico's psychological coma. The shooting and blasting takes a back seat to the emotional battles raging inside Rico. It's a refreshing change of pace, and you'll be surprised at how emotionally involving it gets. Dizzy really gets the opportunity to develop as a character and her relationship with Rico is moving. The rest of the episodes contain the usual doses of great story and even greater action. Live forever, Apes!
Rating:
Summary: So Where's Their Hugo Award?!
Review: This episode, at the chronicle's half-way point, proves conclusively that Roughnecks should rightfully be considered
a Science Fiction landmark.
Forget the awkwardly conceived Starship Troopers film, this is
true Heinlein. In fact, for a computer animated "cartoon" series, there is more interesting detail, depth and characterization then is normally encountered in most normal
TV and film fare. Why the creators of Roughnecks have not already been voted at least one Hugo award for their efforts is
a ridiculous lapse in judgement -- especially considering the
absurd awarding of Harry Potter. Roughnecks is the mini-series I imagined possible when I first
saw the Sexy Robot American Can commercial on television over 20
years ago. Let's hope there's much more to come from these folks; the makers of Final Fantasy have a lot to learn from them!
Rating:
Summary: The great just got greater!!!
Review: This excellently done dvd covers the greatest special effect in cgi I have ever seen. In this dvd the roughnecks are to destroy a brain bug that controlls the bugs on the planet. But what they is a excellerated way the bugs are evolving to colonize the planet. And when the roughnecks come up against a fierce army of spiders they must forge new ties with one another to beat the overwhelming odds of returning alive. ...
Rating:
Summary: Ultimately much better than the Verhoeven film.
Review: This series became kind of a treasure to me when I originally happened upon it on early morning weekday television before going to work. I had seen and liked the film for what it was, but to be honest the film didn't engage the original Heinlein story that much. The spirit of kids becoming adults through their military experience wasn't really there, and Heinlein's imagined military society was treated in only the most facile and jokey way. This series takes Heinlein's spirit seriously. It's all summed up for me in the last episode that was produced (there are still a few more that haven't been produced yet... please check out the fan website and sign the petition!) that has a moment when one character who has been thrust into a position of authority expresses his doubts about his own ability by saying his mentor, who believed in him, must have been mistaken. The answer he is given is, "If you respected him as much as you say, then you wouldn't try so hard to prove him wrong". That, although I don't think it came from the novel, is in it's spirit pure Heinlein. It's the kind of deep lesson that American animated series rarely reach for so wholeheartedly. This series, in targeting a younger audience but not writing down to it, in fact in writing more maturely than many series written for adults, achieves exactly the effect that the Heinlein juvenile novels did in their day. It challenges with concepts and moral dilemas at the same time as entertaining with pyrotechnics and spectacle. The first episode I lucked into of Roughnecks is one that hasn't been collected on one of these discs yet. It was one in which an experimental combat robot is assigned to the Roughnecks, and they all resent it, but it ends up sacrificing itself in a jaw-droppingly spectacular sequence of combat to save the squad. The episode's narrator, Higgins, sums up the story at the end saying the military command has decided not to use robot soldiers as they are too expensive. Higgins' final comment floored me as much as the great cgi battle, something I would have never expected from a weekday morning animated series... "Good thing troopers come cheap." The writing and the character development are far superior to anything I've seen series wise in the states. I remember these things as though they were live action shows. I'd rate them up with such shows as Babylon 5 and some of the better Star Treks, except that the Roughnecks storyline is more riveting than anything I've seen over the last couple of seasons or Star Trek, and the acting, between the voice actors and the wonderful facial animation, much much better than most of the acting on Babylon 5. So please, if you're on the fence and reading this review, give the Roughnecks a try. And get your friends to watch it too. And buy lots of DVDs, so they'll keep bringing them out. There are 40 episodes out there, but only 10 are collected between 2 discs so far. Each disc of 5 episodes can be viewed as one film, and the two discs that have been released so far can be viewed independently if neccissary. There are nuances of character that grow as the show progresses, but you can watch this second disc without having seen the first, you'll still get what's going on.
Rating:
Summary: Transcends the book and the movie
Review: This series is a great interpretation of Starship Troopers. The book felt too much like military propaganda, and reduced the possibility of emotional content by separating men from women. I liked the satirical tone of the movie, but it felt cartoonish. The TV series takes the military situation seriously, but without glorifying it, and puts a lot of flesh into actual combat and the bug threat, something missing from both the book and the movie. The scope of the series, a story that continues over many hours, allows character development and interaction, and these are given the attention they deserve. The graphics of the series are computer generated, and provide a cinematic feel while keeping enough of a cartoonish feeling that it's not too jarring that facial animation and other things aren't perfect. The series is made of story arcs 5 episodes long, and this DVD contains episodes 16 to 20. These five episodes are strung together to form one 93 minute movie. 93 minutes seemed a little short for me, both because the series is good enough that I just want more of it, and because I have a series DVD that is double this time (The Black Adder). Sadly, neither the scene selection leaflet nor the DVD menu separate the episodes in any way, making it difficult to watch them one at a time. Surprisingly, the DVD of the episodes prior to these is not yet out, but the start of the first episode tells enough of what's needed to be known, and the episodes are actually quite a good introduction to what had gone on before, including the relationship between the main characters. So this DVD stands quite well on its own. The DVD interface is pretty simple and not too attractive. The only worthwhile feature is the filmmaker's commentary, which is very interesting, illuminating, and at times funny. Well worth listening to. This is more than I'd normally expect from a series DVD, and definitely increases the value of this DVD, IMO. All in all, it's a DVD well worth buying.
Rating:
Summary: Tesca Nemerosa is awesome...
Review: This was one of my favorite campaigns for the series. My favorite episode is in it. It is the one with the huge Jungle Spider picking everyone off. Then Rico is forced to help T'Phai. They Recover the team and everything is well.
Rating:
Summary: welcome to the jungle.
Review: we find the roughnecks on the jungle world tesca nemeroses (hense the title). The troopers new ally is an alien that was wonse there enemy. these epesodes will keep you om the edge of your seat but I don't wan't to spoil it for you.
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