Bandai // 2001 // 250 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Appellate Judge Mac McEntire // May 11th, 2006
Tachibana: "No matter what it takes, I'm going to win. This time
I'll defeat you, and I'll go back to Cammy when I'm done! Eternity
Eight!"
Kazuma: "You talk too much."
It's the future. A cataclysm has split Japan in two. On one hand is Muraji Special Economic District, a futuristic paradise of gleaming white skyscrapers and high tech wonders. On the other hand is the Lost Ground, a post apocalyptic wasteland where daily life is a violent struggle for survival. Causing a stir on both sides of the fence are the Alter Users, young men and women born with the amazing power to transform the matter around them into a unique form, one specific to each user, giving them incredible superhuman abilities.
Kazuma is an Alter User living in the Lost Ground, who can turn his right arm into a power-punching, annihilation bullet-firing super arm. He barely gets by, using his powers for profit. He eventually runs afoul of HOLY, the government's group of elite Alter hunters from the Special Economic District. The thing is, HOLY members are also Alter Users, using their powers to track down others of their own kind.
This "Anime Legends" release contains the first two volumes of s-CRY-ed in an affordably-priced two-disc set, containing the series' first 10 episodes, in the hopes of attracting new anime fans without creating vacuums in their wallets. If you've already bought Bandai's previous two "Platinum Edition" releases, you've already got what's here.
That being said, let's talk about s-CRY-ed itself.
What I liked:
* The big selling point here is the action, and
it's some pretty sweet action. The fight scenes, and there are many of them, are
kept interesting throughout, rather than just repeating the same type of battle
over and over. Expect a lot of big leaps through the air, magical shimmering
colors, and generous amounts of destruction.
* Although the characters,
especially the HOLY members, are written somewhat simplistically, there is some
nice character development throughout. We learn more about them as the series
progresses, making them more interesting as events proceed. The Alters of HOLY
aren't just enemies for Kazuma to duke it out with. Instead, their battles come
out of misunderstandings and differences in their philosophies.
When s-CRY-ed left me s-CRY-ing:
* The beginning throws
viewers right in the middle of the action with very little context. I kept
checking the packaging to make sure this was volume one, because it felt like I
had started with volume 27.
* The characters have that anime/video game habit of announcing their
fighting moves just before unleashing them. For example, just before taking
someone out with an annihilating bullet, Kasuma just has to yell out
"Annihilating Bullet!" I know this is supposed to make the characters
look cool, but, really, who would actually do this?
* I don't know what
the titular "s-CRY-ed" means, either.
Video quality here is great. There are a lot of bright colors on display, made especially vivid on these discs. The stereo sound is not as booming as it could be, but that might be a good thing when the peppy theme song starts. Extras include the usual textless openings and closing, as well as some trailers, character files and videos, and an interesting recreation of the s-CRY-ed manga, with the artwork on screen supplemented by new audio.
So, it's an action series with not a lot of depth, just enough to keep things interesting. It sometimes overwhelms viewers with a fast pace, crazed battles, and overpoweringly hyper music. This release is intended for the anime curious, and it could indeed be a good place to begin.
Review content copyright © 2006 Mac McEntire; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2013 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Judgment: 80
Perp Profile
Studio: Bandai
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Japanese)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 250 Minutes
Release Year: 2001
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks
* Textless Openings
* Textless Ending
* Lost Ground Express
* Design Gallery
* Promo Clip
* Episode 1 Promo
* Character Videos
* Sound Comic
Accomplices
* IMDb
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0307427/combined
* S-CRY-ed Platinum Edition Vol. 1 Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/scryed1.php
* S-CRY-ed Platinum Edition Vol. 2 Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/scryed2.php
* S-CRY-ed Platinum Edition Vol. 3 Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/scryed3.php