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ADV Films presents
Lost Universe #3: Flushed Into Space (1998)

"You have strange hobbies for a girl your age."
- Kain Blueriver (Souichirou Hoshi)

Review By: Jeff Ulmer   
Published: March 14, 2002

Stars: Souichirou Hoshi, Megumi Hayashibara, Fuyumi Hiiragi, Steve Metz, Larissa Wolcott, Jessica Schwartz
Other Stars: Hikaru Midorikawa, Masami Suzuki, Michiko Neya, Furin Cha, Jouji Nakata, Yasunori Matsumoto, Bill Wise, Camille Chen, Sarah Richardson, George Spelvin
Director: Takashi Watanabe

Manufacturer: IFPI
MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (12+)
Run Time: 01h:30m:20s
Release Date: November 14, 2000
UPC: 702727004728
Genre: anime

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
A	B+	B+	B+	D

DVD Review

Not surprising, considering that it comes from the minds of those behind Slayers, disc three of Lost Universe brings another four episodes of this whacked out space adventure to DVD. With one of the three main characters being a hologram, a second on a mission to become the universe's best something?a quest which entails routinely blowing up the ship's kitchen?and the third having an obsession with his none to stylish cape, there is a fine basis for the quirky comedy that drives this series. The disc starts out with a pair of fairly standalone episodes, though hints of what is to come, and some background information does come to light. The first, Toilet Fears, proves the adage that in space, no one can hear you pee, especially when you run into a strange artifact that rearranges the interior of your spaceship for you?a minor inconvenience for a hologram, but for those who rely on the predictable whereabouts of certain onboard facilities, it can be a panicked race against the inevitable when the biffy goes AWOL.In Vagrancy Decides, our team get a job safeguarding the cargo of an interplanetary colonization ship, whose forty year and as yet fruitless journey has some members of the population looking to sell off the contents of their holds to rogues willing to barter for it. Kain gets himself involved with a group of kids fighting for turf over a basketball court, as he displays his skills while searching for the secret storehouse where the goods are located. A bit of a filler, but not bad. Things start to get a bit more involved in Friendship Scatters, as the crew take on an escort job for a freight company that has been losing shipments to pirates. What they don't know is that they aren't alone in their mission, as an old acquaintance of Kain's makes an appearance, and the two go on a bender. When the results of a wager cause a bit of a change in plans, the stage is set for a sequence of events that will have lasting repercussions, and segue into the final installment on the disc, Rain of Tears Ends. We now have a little more basis for an ongoing storyline, and the drama steps up a notch.Lost Universe continues to entertain, with likeable characters finding themselves in bizarre and unpredictable circumstances. While the Japanese cast is excellent, I still can't warm up to the dub, as the rewrites take away a lot of the good parts. The space battles do a decent job of combining anime looking CG with regular cel animation?it isn't quite seamless, but I like the way it has been pulled off. We still haven't quite got to the meat of the overall story, but it feels like we have been given a lot of pieces that will congeal as the series moves on. It still may not make my essentials list, there is still a lot of fun to be had here, with each new episode primed for another comedic fest. So far my recommendation is to get Lost!

Rating for Style: A
Rating for Substance: B+

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: Like the last disc, image quality is pretty good considering when this was released. Colors remain strong, grain is moderate and generally only an issue in darker scenes, and black levels for the most part are right on. There is still some aliasing and interlacing present, however it is not excessive. Nothing to get very upset about here.

Image Transfer Grade: B+

 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	Japanese, English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: Audio continues to be pretty good, but there is a harshness to some of the louder dialogue in places on the Japanese track. Stereo spread is decent for the score and effects, and directionality is adequately used when appropriate. The extreme low end isn't utilised, but the soundtrack still feels complete and well balanced.

Audio Transfer Grade: B+

 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu
Scene Access with 16 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
5 Other Trailer(s) featuring Burn Up Excess, Generator Gawl, Reboot, Gasaraki, ADV mix
Packaging: Scanavo
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extras Review: Disc three contains more front loaded, but skippable trailers for Burn Up Excess, Generator Gawl, Reboot, Gasaraki and the ADV mix trailer. Like the previous discs, the main menu also allows access to the trailer reel, though you'll need to chapter skip to the individual titles. Static menus have different animated transitions than the first two discs.

Extras Grade: D

 

Final Comments

I'm continuing to enjoy this farcical space adventure, and while the episodes here may not have had quite as much over-the-topness to them (that's not saying much), the characters are still charming, and interest remains held. This is still one to look forward to spinning. Good to go!

 

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