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Rating: 
Summary: Meh.
Review: I'm not too happy about the Sakura Wars TV series. First off, the first episodes are filled with Sakura torture and that's about it. Ohgami enters and things get a little more lighter, but things don't get good until Kohran and Kanna enter...which is around episode 6 or 7.The good: simple and sometimes beautiful animation with soft colors. There's a lot more character development to be found in this series which is great. The bad: Sometimes the animation goes from good to fair to poor to REALLY poor. All the characters, except for Sakura, Kohran and Kanna, have completely changed. Maria is extremely, extremely cold which ticks me off because in the first OVAs, she was the only one who accepted Sakura before Kohran and Kanna came. Sumire is a mega-you-know-what now but thankfully, she gets better as the series goes on. Iris is extremely quiet and not cheery at all. Her lines constist of those breathy sounds she does and whimpering. But what really urks me is the overall darker tone of the series. Blood, violence and people being chopped in half, I dunno... I miss the lighter mood of the games and OVAs. Plus Orihime and Reni only make a 30 second appearance later on in a film reel. (Boo!) I strongly recommend that if you know the story of Sakura Wars, you skip this DVD and get the others. If you really want it, prepare to be disappointed if you're a mega-fan of Sakura Wars like me. Although, that's my opinion... I gave it four stars because ADV's dvd deserves it! Extras include production sketches, clean opening and closing animation (I love the closing animation!)and a printed booklet with background information ^_^. And once again, listen to the Japanese version...for the love of corn... XP;;;
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing
Review: I've never played the game(s) but I know in #1, you play as Ohgami, who is not introduced until episode 4 (of the 5 on this disc). I thought this was odd, but the first three focus on Sakura and the other members of the group, letting you get to know them. Thus, it starts off a bit slowly but picks up speed towards the end of the disc. You really have to watch the whole disc before you decide whether you like it or not. The music sounded very unique to me. Oftentimes, the tones would catch my attention and make me listen further. It's a nice, rich sound. I didn't listen to the dub and had no issues with the orginal voice actors. The graphic presentation is very...varied. Mad House (the studio) used a variety of filters on the video so sometimes it looks like you're watching a weak TV signal, a film reel, etc. For the most part, they used soft colours, which take a bit of getting used to. My box is slightly snug around the DVDs, but it's not hard too get them out. Overall, looks to be an interesting ride.
Rating: 
Summary: mixed opinions
Review: Whether or not you like the TV series is largely dependent on how you started watching it, and what exactly you liked about it. The OVAs and games were largely light-hearted and crowd-pleasing; the TV series is, as others have said, much darker. Personally, the TV series was my first introduction to the franchise and I adored it. It focuses less on the dramas and more on the existence of the characters' flaws and fears, as opposed to their triumphs over them. True to the series, though, the rather macabre tone is broken up by the occasional comic episode. That said, the art is horrendous.
In summary, the TV series is character-driven, dark, and badly drawn. I enjoyed it immensely, but it depends on what you're looking for. If you want something light, look for Taisen's other incarnations.
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