DVD Review – That Geek Thing

Bleach Series 16 Part 1 DVD review

July 19, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment News

A short time ago we reviewed Bleach Series 15 part 2 and said that the next release was imminent. We weren’t kidding. Just a few scant weeks later the next DVD dropped through the letterbox at MCM Buzz towers. Eager to find out what awaits our spiky orange haired hero now that he faces the daunting prospect of life without his Soul Reaper powers, we sat down and waded through the three discs and the 12 episodes found therein.

This set marks the start of the final arc, known as the The Lost Agent arc. It picks up the story 17 months on from when Ichigo lost his Soul Reaper powers and deals with the emergence of a new group of super powered humans known as the Fullbringers. These newcomers are led by Kūgo Ginjō. Several episodes in, Ginjō presents Ichigo with an interesting offer that could mean the return of the powers he thought lost. Whilst all this is going on, several of Ichigo’s friends are being attacked by a mysterious man and Ichigo’s father and Kisuke Urahara are having secret meetings. What does all of this mean and just how does it relate to Ichigo and his friends future? Well that we can’t tell you, as that would be cruel.

It is also nice to see in this arc that more time is given to characters such as Chad, Orihime and Uryū. This is mostly because the story is set primarily in the world of the living and also because Ichigo can no longer see Soul Reapers, even if there were any. So all of this means that there is little point having these characters around for the moment. In particular, the episodes here allow us to see some growth in Chad and may even provide us with an answer to the origin of his and Orihime’s powers.

As you can gather, this arc appears to have a lot going on and as such the plot is engaging and does manage to keep you hooked all the way through the episodes in this set. What’s even better is that the entire first part is filler episode free! Whilst this is good, it does mean that at some point in the next set we may have to endure one or two of them. Given the conclusion of the last episode on this set it could be sooner than we’d like.

Despite this there is not much that can really be picked at in this set. Mostly it is standard fare for the series (the voice cast is, as ever, good). Even a powerless Ichigo can still have a good story, so fans of the series should find themselves entertained from start to finish as a result.

Bleach Series 16 Part 1 is available to buy now from Manga Entertainment and don’t forget you can read our previous Bleach reviews here.

Bleach Series 14 Part 2 DVD Review

April 3, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment Reviews

With the end of the current Fall of the Arrancar and the storyline surrounding Eizen looking set to be wrapped up, this latest Bleach release courtesy of Manga Entertainment promised to potentially be a must have purchase for both fans and casual viewers alike.

This season features episodes 304-316 and as mentioned, on paper, looks to be a must have DVD. However once you start watching it you begin to see that all may not be what you first thought and hoped. Whilst both the aforementioned storyline and story arc are wrapped up, you will be surprised to hear that it is all done in five episodes, leaving a total of eight episodes that are pure filler/fan service.

Yes, Bleach is well known for its filler/fan service episodes, and as pointed out in previous reviews, this can help when it fills in character background. Most of the eight filler episodes on this set however are just pointless.

Worse still is that the storyline that has taken up hundreds of episodes is seemingly wrapped up in five short episodes. The final battle itself, the one everyone has been waiting for, Ichigo v Aizen, lasts, unusually for Bleach, only two episodes! That’s right, the series that can sometimes eek a battle out for four or five episodes or more resolves the battle everyone was waiting for in what seems like a blink of an eye and as such leaves you feeling somewhat cheated. As if this point was not irritating enough, the sub-plot surrounding Ichigo learning his final Getsuga Tenshō is resolved through a flashback during the final battle with Aizen. What is odd about this is that in the past when he has been training the writers have taken their time to show Ichigo learning new powers. Here it seems as if they wrote the battle sequence and halfway through remembered that they had forgotten to resolve this point and so quickly wrote in something to cover it off.

There is also only one episode devoted to the aftermath of the battle and as such you are only shown what has happened to a handful of characters. Considering the sheer number of characters who were used in big ways throughout this arc, it leaves you wanting and reaching for the internet again to find out if your favourite lieutenant was killed or if that captain survived.

Add to this the somewhat casual mention of something or someone that could potentially be a huge story arc and something crucial to the whole world of the Soul Society, only for it to be left unanswered. You are left wondering whether the writers forgot everything that they had been taught about resolving plotlines and building intrigue when adapting this section of the manga.

Granted in the build up to the battle there are some interesting plot twists relating to some of the characters that will make you gasp, but sadly these are overwhelmed by the aforementioned points.

Bleach EP 308 Ichigo v Aizen

The rest of this release is fairly standard by now, in that the voice performances by all the cast are good and the anime quality is presented well. The disc menus too are still the same static picture background, but that again is no surprise. What is interesting is the cover art for the set that Manga Entertainment have chosen to use, for it is a huge spoiler, revealing the look for Ichigo when he achieves his final Getsuga Tenshō. In revealing this they actually show that Ichigo not only learns it, but that we will be seeing him use it in the episodes.

It is difficult to defend a release that promises much on the surface but then sadly fails to deliver. It is releases such as this that are enough to make the audience wish for the days when they could buy individual volumes so as to avoid episodes that they did not want to see. It might be difficult to justify spending the RRP of £30 here, unless you are a collector or a major fan of the series.

Bleach Series 14 Part 2 is available on DVD from April 6th courtesy of Manga Entertainment at the reduced price of £22.49.

The Road Is Jericho: Epic Stories and Rare Matches From Y2J

March 13, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment Reviews

Y2J fans rejoice: the ‘Highlight’ is back with an all new DVD/Blu-ray, The Road Is Jericho: Epic Stories and Rare Matches From Y2J, set for release on March 16th.

This release is a little different from the classic “where they grew up, how they broke into the business and where they are now” documentary-style release the WWE usually put out, and that’s a good thing.

In The Road is Jericho, we join Y2J in his limo on route to a Fozzy gig, as he looks back at the matches that have, in his opinion, defined his career, his character and his love for the business – matches that he loves, matches that he hates and even (in the cast of one against Stone Cold), matches that he has no memory of.

Jericho not only introduces each match, with his reasons for making the choice, the story behind the match itself and even some insights into the build-up and his personal relationships with his opponents, but also shares a number of previously unheard stories. The stories begin from as far back as his days as Lion Heart Chris Jericho in Stampede Wrestling, moving onto his time in Mexico and Japan, and his brief but successful stint in ECW, before turning to his growth and eventual heel-turn in WCW and of course his infamous arrival in WWE, all the way up to his final (for now) match against Randy Orton.

Jericho also talks about his input into the business, how frustrations, storylines and fellow superstars helped shape his career and how he manages to balance his multiple jobs. Even when he is away from the ring, he is always working, be it on tour with his band Fozzy, writing (he has a journalism degree), or talking about his fantastic podcast, Talk Is Jericho.

One of the most interesting stories concerns how European dates, especially in the UK, were difficult: arriving on the day of the show and only catching a couple of hours’ sleep at the venue before going out to perform, and then often travelling back the same night. He tells of how the Undertaker once tore his ear, but he didn’t have time to get it stitched up in case they missed their flight.

In another fascinating revelation, Jericho explains how, when he initially came to the WWE, Vince McMahon paired him with X-Pac to help come to terms with the “WWE style”. At that point, Jericho had to run all his match ideas past X-Pac before each match.

Unlike many of WWE’s previous releases, the matches that Jericho has chosen tend to be rare and forgotten matches, or pay-per-view undercards, rather than the same old main events that already appear on multiple other releases. Matches against Ultimo Dragon, Pitbull #2 (for the ECW TV Championship), Dean Malenko and X-Pac, as well as a wonderful ladder match with Shawn Michaels are just a few of the electrifying battles hand-picked by the Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rolla.

The Road Is Jericho is a fantastic release, packed with great stories, wonderful memories and a whole bunch of incredible battles, all put together in a completely new format that will hopefully mark a new direction in WWE DVD/Blu-ray releases that is sure to thrill Jericho and wrestling fans alike.

If you’re looking for a biography for the star, check out Chris Jericho: Breaking The Code, but if you’re interested after a collection of outstanding matches and behind-the-scenes stories, then The Road Is Jericho: Epic Stories and Rare Matches from Y2J is definitely for you.