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Feature Presentation:
Special thanks to Geneon Entertainment for sending a copy for a review for this site. Now it's really getting more interesting & here is all the fun begins. As we left off, the Silvana got attacked by the Guild & gotten damaged. After repairs & a little duel at the end (of course, you know who will win), Alex got news that there will be a special item going for auction in the black market, the mysterious "Exile Door". I find it hilarious how the bid keep going higher & higher, with outragous price! During the auction, Claus & Lavie joins in a Vanship race of a life time, with Dio Eraclea of the Guild trying to be friends with them. Tatiana is also joining the race, but she is on a special missing. I won't tell you why, but you got to see it. It's really cool. It's been a while to see such an amazing & unique race. The race will make you cheer at the end, so you won't be disappointed. You will get to know a little more about Alvis, or Al, since everyone keeps calling her. Oh, don't you worry, there will be a very good air battle with the Silvana, as they are protecting Alvis. This volume is the best, when everyone works together, except for Tatiana. Somehow, we don't know why she acts that way. You might hear some new music that you haven't heard from the first two volumes. There is one I really like, when Claus & Lavie talks to each other after the race is over. I'm sure you will agree with me.
Video:
Geneon Entertainment did a very great job. I found no problem, the image are clear & the color looks perfect. To top things off, the series is feature on Widescreen format. If you got a Widescreen TV, you're going to enjoy this even more. There is some watermarks done for the introduction & ending credits (they are translated in English). Each episodes are separated into 6 parts: the prologue, 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 all those warnings & logos when you first load the DVD by just pressing the "Menu" button on your remote control.
Dubbing: English:
The English dubbing is well done. The voices really suit the characters. I don't know who doing the voice that read the title reading at the beginning of each episode, but it got it exactly as the Japanese reading. It's about 80% of the original Japanese.
Audio 01: English 2.0:
No problem found. I just want to note that this series should get a 5.1 audio track. It's just too good to get a standard 2.0 audio track.
Audio 02: Japanese 2.0:
No problem found.
Subtitle:
Geneon Entertainment have selected a great font, very easy to read. They use green for the introduction & ending themes, the rest is yellow for the dialogue. Like before, there is only one subtitling track, which is for the Japanese dialogue. There is a little error on the subtitle, in EPS 10 on this volume, the winning bid at the auction is wrong. It's 50, not 500. I guess there is no need for Japanese translations for signs & text. However, you won't get any subtitle for the introduction or ending theme, except if you turn it on. 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.
Menu Option:
The menu is also in widescreen format, but if got just a regular full screen TV, it will display in that format with no problem. The menu design remains the same, the side of a Vanship. Selecting any options will move it to another part of the Vanship in a quick dash effect. You can also see a little clip in the middle, reflecting the episodes on this volume. There is the "Play All", "Screen Access", "Set Up" & "Extras". The background music is the introduction theme on the main menu, however, the other parts have no background music.
DVD Extras:
There is only the art gallery, that's all. All the artworks are related to what you see or meet on this volume. I guess there isn't much lef to add in the extra, since there are more on the first two volumes.
Packaging:
Another cool translucent packaging (it's shines in light), the same design being used again. Now, it's really feels like collecting those special rare cards. A warning though, do not get it wet. It will damaged it. In the front, you see Claus & Tatiana with her red Vanship, along with one of the battleground that you will see in one of the episodes. In the back, the background is a shot of a battle screen in this volume. There is also three screenshots as well. You can also noticed the new logo "Geneon" along side with the old "Pioneer" name. The insert got the chapter listing, as well another artwork of Alex & Vincent (you will meet him in the last two episodes on this volume). Inside the insert, you have the specification of Urbanus, giving details what purpose of each section. This is Vincent's battleship. The DVD disc cover remains the same boring plain fuzzy cover, but the Vanship logo is yellow now. You can barely see the title on it! Since the DVD case is clear, you get to see a sky with clouds background, reflecting what's this series is about.
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 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 little arrow 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 race is one of the best part on this volume, especially the last few seconds. Oh, make you want to stand up & cheer for them. The battle at the end will leave you breathless, making you want to cry for more & to know what will happen next. Well, too bad, you got to wait for the next volume!
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