Tetsujin 28 – Monster
Resurrected (V. 1/Animé TV)
Picture: B-
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: B
Sometimes, because so many series are issued on DVD from
all over the place, we start with later volumes of entire seasons or in the
case of Animé TV series, later volumes. Tetsujin
28 was one of those shows; a combination of Gigantor, Johnny
Quest, James Bond and even the Horror genre and Gangster genre pre-Godfather. Though not totally original, I appreciate the
ambition and embracing of all of it in these crazy stories of a pre-teen Spy
with a giant robot.
In my previous review of the second DVD, I said “This is
entertaining, but I feel I missed something along the way, so I would recommend
you begin with the first DVD by default.
Otherwise, I hope we see more ambitious titles like this from the Animé
world.”
Well, I was right, because the way they set up the origins
of the situation and characters shows much respect for the past and is really
fun in a way later volumes two and three did not totally sustain. I was also happy that I also did not miss the
auto-gyro chase sequence taken from the Bond film You Only Live Twice that is in the credits, which we hope to see in
later volumes. The initial shows are:
1) The Resurrection Of Shotaro
2) No. 28 vs. No. 27
3) The Arrival Of Monster Robot
4) The Other Tetsujin Project
5) Tetsujin vs. Black Ox
If you see no other disc in this series, especially if you
are not an Animé TV fan, you should check this one out because this is one of
the best debuts in Animé TV series history for any show. A few decades ago, the odds of this landing
up on U.S. TV would have been high, but with the Animé DVD market being so
lucrative, it will be on DVD only. If
you like the other films and TV noted at the beginning of this review, catch
this ASAP!
The anamorphically enhanced 16 X 9/1.78 X 1 image is
pretty good, without the fake whitening we see in too many shows of this genre,
while the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no surrounds in either language. However, the Japanese version is better than
the English in the actor’s voices. The
English dubbing is lame, allowing it to be taken in by the false dilemma that
the young man has to be nice all the time, despite fighting all forms of evil. It is obnoxious. Just compare to the better Japanese voice
performance and you will see why this show is so good. The only extras are trailers for three other
Geneon DVDs and a non-credit/text opening.
- Nicholas Sheffo
