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Feature Presentation:
Special thanks to ADV Films for sending a copy for a review for this site. Finally, here is the action & butt-kicking the bad guys! Mithril might have been caught off-guard, but lucky for them that Sousuke is still with Kaname when their class is going on a school trip! Mithril has plan an all out ruscue to save them & their classmate, but with a very short time. While their classmate are taken hostage, Kaname have been kidnanpped & Sousuke is off to save her & have no choice to reveal himself to her. Running off with an old Soviet Arm Slave, the Savage, Gauron caught up with them, using unknown Arm Slave that is more powerful then Mithril's M9s. Yes, you will get to see the M9 all in action, along with a super powered Arm Slave called Arbalest (ARX-7), somehow, only Sousuke knows it's existence. Will it be enough to stop Gauron, the master-mind of all this? Will everyone make it all out alive? I love the battle music that this series have, especially loading to an Arm Slave! It does raise your pulse, getting you ready for some action! Don't worry, you will get a few good laugh like the first volume!
Video:
ADV Films did a very great job. I found no problem, the image are clear & the color looks perfect. Though, they did translated the Japanese credits to English in the introduction & ending, but they left the Japanese texts intact in the episodes. The episodes are on a different track, so there will be a small loading time when you move on to the next episode. Each episodes are separated into 5 parts: introduction, part A, part B, ending & the preview for the next episode! I do note that you can skip all those warnings & logos when you first load the DVD by just pressing the "Menu" button on your remote control.
Dubbing: English:
The dubbing is really great. The voices are now better & it suits each characters. Oh, I love the voice of the Arbalest (ARX-7) computer. It's sound so cool, with the music, you feel like you're the one who is piloting it. Again, you get a little audio clip on the FBI warning about copyrights, time time, done by the voice of Sousuke Sagara, which is really cool. This time, I feel like watching the FBI warning. It's about 85% of the original Japanese.
Audio 01: English 5.1:
Unable to test it, since I don't have a 5.1 surround system, I can't really say much.
Audio 02: English 2.0:
No problem found.
Audio 03: Japanese 2.0:
No problem found.
Subtitle:
ADV Films have selected a great font, very easy to read. They use yellow for the introduction, ending themes & the Japanese dialogue & white for Japanese signs & text. There are two tracks of subtitling. 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 on this volume. Oh, just a little note, it might be me, but in a few spots, the Japanese subtitling track, some liness don't seem to fix on the screen.
Menu Option:
The menu is the same as the first volume, exactly the same, except a little clip taken from the episodes in this volume. As you go in the menu, you feel like you're in a high-tech machine. There isn't a "Play All" feature, just a selection of one of the 4 episodes, "Screen Access", "Set Up" & "Extras". Any selections you will make the menu move mechanically as it changes. The background music is one of the background music during the series, I'm not sure which one. The extra section same music as the menu, but the the others are just sound effects.
DVD Extras:
You will get the same non-credit opening & ending, again. I was hoping they will put the original Japanese credits version. There is another batch of production sketches, as well another original Japanese Pivacy warning as well. It's bascially the same what ADV Films added to the FBI warning when you load the DVD, but for the original Japanese release in Japan. That's about it.
Packaging:
Keeping the same design, it's another cool packing. On the cover, you get to see another M9. It's not the same as the first volume. I think it's Melissa Mao's M9. In the back, keeping the same design as the menu on the DVD, you get the same mechanical design, with a few screenshots. Again, the list of special features is really hard to read with the colors picken. The insert isn't really an insert, it's more of a full mini-poster of Mizuki from EPS 08. In the back of the mini-poster, you get another batch of information of the characters, as well as design notes. On the DVD disc itself, same as the first volume, the same mechanical design. Since the DVD case is a clear one, you get to see the reversible cover & what a cover it is. It's totally different then the default one. It's mostly blue, featuring Sousuke, in a chasing position. Yup, you will get an episode description for all 4 episodes on this volume.
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. Since the episodes are on different tracks, it will take time to load when you move on to the next episode. 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:
Man, those Arm Slaves battles are wicked! The volume does make you exicted & pump up, making you want to stand up & cheer while our hero is kicking butt & saving the day! The music even make your heart race! You gonna enjoy it every moment, maybe better then the first volume! I can't wait what will happen next!
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