|
Feature Presentation:
Special thanks to Geneon Entertainment for sending a copy for a review for this site. It's finally happening, Ippo first debut match again Yusuke Oda. Both have their own goals, Ippo must reach the top to settle the score with Miyata & Oda, if he loses, he will lose everything. The match went great, until Ippo had a little accident that nearly cost him a TKO (technical knock-out). However, he remembers what Takamura teach him the very first time that saved him. Next, the three bullies, Umezawa & his buddies, are back, but they don't believe him that Ippo is a pro-boxer. So, they deicde to go to his next match. Uh, that match, Ippo's opponnent can really tick you off. But, don't worry, things will work out. Wow, it's been over a year since Ippo sign up to be a boxer & he has change alot. It's time for the Eastern Japan Rookie Championship Tournament & Ippo need to be really ready, his first opponent is Jason Ozma, an American KO artist with powerful hook. Once again, what i love about this series that everyone has a story to tell. Jason' story is really touching & you can feel for him. Family is important to keep. Ippo's first opponent is Jason Ozma, an American KO artist with powerful hook. Takamura is once again called to help Ippo & the fun never stops. I couldn't stop laughing all the painful training that Takamura put Ippo to, but it was all worth it when the match started. The match will be determined by who has the most stamina.
Video:
Geneon Entertainment did a very great job. They have taken the time to do it right. I found no problem, the image are clear & the color looks perfect. There is some watermarks done for the introduction & ending credits (they are translated in English). The only thing that might look odd is the EPS13 title. It's really long & any longer, I don't think it wouldn't fit the screen. Lucky, it did. Each episodes are separated into 5 parts: the introduction, part A, part B, ending & the preview for the next episode! Since all the episodes are on one single track on the DVD, there is no loading time or changing tracks when you move on to the next episode. I do note that you can skip the warnings & logos in the beginning using the "Menu" button on your remote.
Dubbing: English:
I find the dubbing very well. I have so much fun with the cast & it suit each character very well. The cast is very well picked & play their roles very well. The only problem I found is that there are some terms that it wasn't explain, such as TKO (technical knock-out). The subtitle for the Japanese track mention it, but not on the Englush dubbing. It's about 80% of the original Japanese.
Dubbing: Spanish:
I find it strange that there is the original Spanish audio version for this series. Honestly, I don't even understand Spanish, but I did take a listen & it actually pretty good. I got no idea how close to the original Japanese, but consider this audio track as an extra bonus!
Audio 01: English 2.0:
No problem found.
Audio 02: Japanese 2.0:
No problem found.
Audio 03: Spanish 2.0:
No problem found.
Subtitle:
Geneon Entertainment have selected a great font, easy to read. They use green for the introduction & ending themes, white for any text subtitling & yellow for the dialogues. One track is for the sign subtitling & the other one is for the Japanese dialogue. I might note that every odd numbered episodes, the intro & ending subtitles are in English, while the even numbered episodes are in Japanese original text on this volume. There is one little thing I didn't like, I find that the subtitling is a little too much during the introduction theme. At some part of the song, the subtitle fills up half the screen.
Menu Option:
The way the menu is set up remains the same, starting off with another clip, but from the episodes on this volume. This time, it's from EPS14 then when Ippo punched, the menu appears. It might be a little spoiler if you haven't seen the series before & I find it a little too long, but it's not that bad. There is the "Play All", "Screen Access", "Set Up" & "Extras". The little cursor for selecting in the menu is pretty cute, a little boxing glove. One of the series background music is playing in the menu screen. However, it's only for the main menu, there is no music playing in the other sections.
DVD Extras:
Well, I know it was never mention, but where are the bloopers & outtakes? There is none & it was the best part of the DVD that really is hilarious. I wonder why it was removed. The only extra is the Spanish credit ending.
Packaging:
The design remains the same. On the cover, you see Ippo during a match with Jason in the background. In the back, there is screenshots from the episodes in this volume with a boxing ring as a background. The insert is pretty simple. You get the episode list with the chapter listing, along with the same image as the cover. Inside the insert is also the same image as the cover, but with the original Japanese title logo. On the DVD disc itself, it's only with the picture of Ippo, taken the cover. I think that image is being used too much.
PC Viewing:
Watching it on the PC is the same as watching it on the TV. Very clean, no problem at all, very little pixel (little squares popping in & out), both normal mode & full screen mode. The sound is just great. The only thing that bugs me is on the menu screen. The episodes are place on one single track as you play the episodes, so loading time is really small. You can fast forward to the first episode to the last episode with one move on your mouse! The only thing annoying is the menu option. You have to click on the boxing glove icon to make the selection, instead of the word, for example, "Play". Like on your regular DVD player, you can skip the warnings & logos when you load the disc, just use the "menu" option to go to the menu screen.
Overall DVD Rating:
The boxing matches are very good & exciting, but the most of the fun is the pain that Ippo goes through, especially with Takamura. I can't stop laughing when he is around. Just sit back, cheer & have fun!
| 
