ADV Films presents

Getter Robo: Armageddon #3: Ascension (1998)

"The one who rules Shin Dragon will also rule the world... no, the universe!"- Dr. Saotome (Mughito)

Stars: Nerumi Hikada, Yasunori Matsumoto, Tomokazu Seki, Muguhito
Other Stars: Shozo Iizuka, Naoya Yuchida, Shinpachi Tsuji, Yotsuaki Suzuki
Director: Yutaka Sato

Manufacturer: IFPI
MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (15+ for graphic violence)
Run Time: 01h:12m:44s
Release Date: 2001-10-23
Genre: anime

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

 

DVD Review

I love the smell of anime destruction in the morning. Disc three of ADV's Getter Robo: Armageddon series brings another three action-packed episodes with it. Carrying on in the tradition established in earlier discs, more mayhem ensues from the opening frames. There is nothing subtle here: giant human-powered, transforming robots fight the forces of shapeshifting alien Invaders, leaving massive destruction and innumerable casualties in their wake.

After the events of the last episode, Benkei, Kei, Gei, Go and the Getter support crew are on a hunt for the Shin Dragon, which has mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Their first mission takes them to the North Pole, where a group of humans have established a Getter collector, but are now being ravaged by a huge Invader snow beast. As the survivors recouperate, the Invader presence makes itself known again, this time in an overwhelming assault that not even the Getter team can overcome alone. A furous battle ensues, the climax of which sees the arrival of another mysteryóthe Black Getter, whose attacks offer an unmatched level of unrelenting carnage.

Voices from the past await as the Tower oversees the search for the Shin Dragon by looking out for eruptions of Getter energy around the world. Meanwhile, Benkei's Getter team intercept an SOS coming from the ruins of Manhattan and close in to investigate, but the streets of New York have a few surprises in store for them. As expected, collateral damage is high as more battles erupt; despite the destruction this conflict creates, it may be nothing compared to what awaits them....

Stylistically, Getter Robo continues to impress, with superb cinematography packing every scene with vibrant and bloody action. The Getter Robots slice and dice their way to victory, with their extraordinary array of weaponry. Whether impaling an adversary with a giant scythe or shredding them from the guts out with a giant drill-like apendage, the audience gets a front row spectacle that spares no explicitness.

As was the case with the earlier episodes, the writers have yet to figure out how to complete a sentence that can be delivered with more interuptions than a Captain Kirk soliloquy. This works in the show's favor, however, as the pauses are put to effective use with more visual stimulation, compounding the impact of what little is said. We also get plenty of maniacal laughter and angst-ridden outbursts of emotion as our warriors take on their seemingly unending barrage of adversaries. If this series doesn't get your heart pounding, you may already be dead! Forget the double espressos, kickstart your day the Getter way.

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: Image quality is again impressive, with only very minor interlacing issues detracting from a perfect score. Colors are vibrant and solid, black levels bang on, save one or two shots. The only grain worth mentioning is intentional. An excellent presentation.

Image Transfer Grade: A-
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	Japanese, English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: The Japanese stereo audio is clean and free of any artifacts. The soundstage and presentation are not as aggressive as I would have expected for this type of series, but the hard rock soundtrack is certainly more fitting than some used in earlier discs. An English dub is also available, and despite a menu presentation I found somewhat confusing, is the default.

Audio Transfer Grade: A 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 12 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
6 Other Trailer(s) featuring New Cutey Honey, Soul Taker, Sorcerer on the Rocks, Gasaraki, Evangelion, Dai-Guard
Packaging: other
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. Textless opening and closing
2. Behind the scenes
3. Laserdisc inserts

Extras Review: This round we get nine screens featuring the contents of the laserdisc inserts, which include handy notes from the production and publicity departments, a serialized comic strip, and quotes from three of the Japanese voice actors. This is a lot of fun. We again get the show's clean opening with its original Japanese logo, and clean closing credits, though I'm not sure why these need to be on more than one disc in the series.

The behind-the-scenes section features four more of the English voice actors; Doug Taylor (Ryoma) and Margaret Cassidy (Leanne), who are shown in both interview and session footage, Lowell Bartholomee (Benkei) shown dubbing lines, and Robert RudiÈ (Narrator) being interviewed by the camera operator with a brief dubbing session outtake. Clips range from one to three minutes in length. I like this kind of extra.

Most menu actions again feature animated transitions between screens. I found the sound and subtitle options screen confusing, as the item you can select is highlighted, with the one already in place dimmed, which seems backwards. Just be forwarned, as it is on all ADV discs, that English with no subtitles is the default, so you'll need to change these if you want the original language.

The trailer collection includes New Cutey Honey, Soul Taker, Sorcerer on the Rocks, Gasaraki, Evangelion, and Dai-Guard.

The spine art police are back, though the niggling on this one is the font size for the disc title. Most people won't notice this, as it's not as glaring as some, but why the specs have to change remains a mystery...

Extras Grade: B-
 

Final Comments

I wouldn't recommend viewing this right before going to bed, as the adrenaline gets pumping from the opening credits. Fast-paced, packed with graphic violence, Getter Robo is non-stop action from start to finish. This disc features a huge battle in what remains of New York City, so those who may be sensitive to the World Trade Towers be forwarned. Armageddon is coming!

Jeff Ulmer 2001-10-24