Space Captain Herlock 3 (Animé TV)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: C- Episodes: C+
Just as I
thought I would move on, here I am now looking at my third Captain Herlock DVD, not because it is so interesting, but because
the shows take a strange downturn here I have not witnessed in an Animé series
yet. Suddenly, the characters, from the
title character down, stop developing. The
deadly space betrayal has given way to persons turning into zombies or wacky
creatures who need to be put out of their misery. The episodes are:
8) Somewhere Within The Decimated Planet Lies
The Castle Ruins
9) In The Depths Of The Shadows Of The Soul
10) Kei – Illusion
Even the
titles are getting odd and even desperate, as if longer titles will give the
shows more substance. The terrorism
angle of The Moo takes a backseat to more mysterious goings on, which is a plus
for the show, but what it replaces it with is as uneven as the show has been so
far. The art itself is consistent, but
the wandering ark of people ion space scenario has been played out here by now
and done much better in several live-action shows like Space: 1999 and as mixed as Star
Trek: Voyager (both reviewed elsewhere on this site). You have to see the previous DVDs and
episodes before getting to this point.
The
full-frame image also takes a downturn, with the more detailed artwork suddenly
seeming less clear and grainier for no good reason. The softness becomes softer throughout, even
with softness that is intended. The
Dolby Digital 5.1 has not improved in strength where subwoofer activity is
concerned, but this is a TV series, so only so much can be expected. The Japanese 5.1 (once again) has more sound
fidelity than the English 5.1 mix, which is typical of DVDs in the genre, but
its subwoofer sound is no better. Extras
include almost four previews for this and three other Geneon Animé DVDs, the
title sequences minus the text print again (save the title of the show), but
that is all you get. Some DVD cases have
interlocking pencilboards included.
Consult the previous two reviews of DVDs in this series before
considering your purchase or rental.
- Nicholas Sheffo
