Gatchaman Crowds: Insight (2015/Season Two/Sentai Blu-ray Set)

Picture: C+ Sound: B+ Japanese/B English Extras: C Episodes: B+

You can't keep a good Gatchaman down. After saving the world, Gatchaman introduces CROWDS technology, an app that allows people CROWDS avatar to help or aid others. Then 'Red CROWDS' appear and commit acts of violence and crime. As team Gatchaman get a new member Tsubasa, an alien comes to earth with the power to make everyone's feelings/thoughts appear as an emoji above their heads. But not everyone is happy with aliens or their technology, will it bring more peace ...or just more disasters?

In Gatchaman Crowds: Insight - Season Two (2015), The Gatchaman just got a new member to their squad, the spunky head strong Tsubasa. An alien comes to visit Earth to bring peace and happiness by allowing everyone to see how each other feels. Along with CROWDS technology, they are able to control avatars through their phone apps to help make a better world, but an evil organization VAPE feels like humans aren't ready and instead choose to abuse their new abilities by committing crimes and through terror and fear to cause humans to hate and despise Gatchaman. Through social media, they fuel paranoia and hate and use Gatchaman's technology against themselves.

This was a crazy anime mixed with old fashion heroes with new age social media. It basically asks should people depend on heroes? Or should they depend on government? In the end, it is not the tools or methods are evil, but the heart of the person who makes acts evil or not. Regardless of advancement or technology, there will always be problems and people should question themselves when to act and when following social 'norm' or popular opinions aren't always correct. This is the second season of the Crowds revival show, but you can read more about the original series from the mid-1970s (severely redone as sold as Battle Of The Planets on the U.S. market) and its 1990s revival at this link...

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12561/Gatchaman:+Complete+Collection+(aka+Science

As well as the 1978 theatrical film at this link...

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13891/Gatchaman+-+The+Movie+(1978/Sentai+Blu-ray

The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is good for what it is, consistent throughout in that regard, but it is overly simple and soft, seems to be playing against color as if to say the original series was too colorful (a tired cliche and stereotype) and results in disappointing playback. The DTS-HD Master Audio (MA) 2.0 Stereo lossless sound is here in an English dub and better Japanese version with Pro-Logic-like surrounds that are more like it. Extras include clean opening and closing animations and trailers.

Episodes include...

Inbound - The Prime Minister is attacked by VAPE and is rescued by Gatchaman.

Contact Point - Tsubasa becomes the new Gatchaman. The alien Gelsadra crash lands on Earth.

Penetration - Suzuki the mastermind behind VAPE uses the Red CROWS to cause panic in the city.

Launch - Suzuki continues to threaten the people and end up seriously hurting Rui, but in the end is caught by the Gatchaman.

2:6:2 - Suzuki is behind bars as Rui recovers. Gelsadra decides to enter the Prime Minister election to help create a more peaceful society.

Halo Effect - As Gelsadra has the ability to see and absorb people feelings and thoughts, he quickly becomes more popular and easily wins the election.

Engagement - Gelsadra continues to work and make the government more efficient, he gets rid of politicians and introduces the smartphone voting system instead... and gets the CROWDS system revoked.

Outbound - Gelsadra slowly gets ill when the people can't come to unity. All the Gatchaman expect Tsubasa realizes that humans are slowing losing free will. Tsubasa decides to leave Gatchaman. Strange creatures creatures start appearing.

Cluster - The strange creatures now know as Kuu-sama begin to populate the Earth. While they come from Gelsadra (but really are the will of mankind) and soon become socially accepted when they first appear as docile and amiable.

Opt-out - While the Kuu-samas seem peaceful and friendly they become violent when anyone doesn't conform with the rest of society. Gatchaman becomes negatively advertise in social media and becomes outcasted. Tsubasa begins to understand why people can't all think the same. Suzuki escapes from prison.

Seeds - Suzuki's prediction of the world slowly come true. Tsubasa returns home to realize how wrong she was.

Trade-off - As the Kuu-samas continue to increase people begin to realize their mistake and what a military state society is. They believe the answer to all their problems is have to Gatchaman kill Gelsadra in front of the whole world through social media.

Insight - Gatchaman reveals they faked the assassination of Gelsadra and explains the danger of absolute communism, and that people should rethink and think for themselves. Gelsadra is allowed to stay on Earth. Hajime recovers from all the damage caused to her during the attack and awakens a few months later.

- Ricky Chiang