ADV Films presents

Power Stone #6: The Last Battlefield (1999)

"This is gonna finish it!"- Falcon (Robert Tinkler)

Stars: Robert Tinkler, William Colgate, Stephanie Morgenstern
Other Stars: Robert Smith, Damon D'Oliveira, Maurice Dean Wint
Director: Takamiro Oomori

Manufacturer: DVXX
MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (mild animated violence)
Run Time: 01h:40m:00s
Release Date: 2002-07-02
Genre: anime

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
C-	C-	B	B-	D-

 

DVD Review

[Note: This review contains spoilers.]

I am not a happy camper. After watching—perhaps enduring—Power Stone from the beginning, to be honest, it has frustrated me a great deal. At the end of the previous volume, the incredibly galling plot point introduced was that Falcon's father (whom he's been looking for all along) is actually back home. So, a giant U-turn is taken, and Falcon winds up back at the beginning. All along, the show has basically been about Falcon collecting Power Stones while on his quest, then dealing with the villains who try to steal them (especially Kraken). The final 5 episodes basically rehash the concept behind the entire show by having all the currently possessed Power Stones stolen and then have to be found again.

As if desperately searching for ways to end, Power Stone goes into a downward spiral of searching, fighting, and, in my opinion, pointless plot twists. In his search for the fiend stealing the Power Stones, Falcon discovers (*major spoiler that will surprise no-one*) Valgas is indeed the central figure behind the evil plot. So, the last few episodes are a flurry of super-powers, mystical fighting moves, and all sorts of butt-kicking. At the very least, there's some payoff for this normally stagnant program, as we finally see some real action. The slapstick is toned down a bit, too. A darker tone is introduced, but it feels a bit too late to create such a serious mood to a show that has been kind of goofy.

Thankfully, this is the end of Power Stone. Normally, I get a bit sentimental bidding farewell to a series, but in this case, there's little to reminisce about. Though based on a video game, Power Stone should be considered its own entity. It has nothing to do with the game, really, and sets off to be a lighthearted adventure. That, in itself, could have been enough, except the show never takes off. The creators never aim higher than a modest Pokemon clone where the situations are continually the same. It's one big block of filler with no real emotional ties to the characters or storylines that engage the viewer. I suppose some might think these goals are too lofty for a simple show like this, but as a tremendous fan of the games, I'm biased to expect something more.

Rating for Style: C-
Rating for Substance: C-

 

Image Transfer

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

Image Transfer Review: Power Stone looks good, as usual, representing the cel animation very well. The colorful and fast animation never runs into any serious issues, despite a bit of grain on the source print. The transfer runs at a solid bitrate and has no compression issues.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: The audio is, as usual, pretty basic. A few sound effects get jazzed up with stereo atmosphere, but in general, there's little in the way of major events that push your audio system. The dialogue and other important effects are produced cleanly and there are no problems.

Audio Transfer Grade: B- 

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 24 cues and remote access
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extras Review: There are no features except direct access to the episodes (chapter stops are present there's no menu). I've often heard vocal complaints from people in stores and such that it's hard to tell which volume is which in some of these ADV series where the number is not printed on the cover. As a piece of advice: always look at the bottom of the spine. The serial number will usually be a 3-digit code that you tell you the volume number (001, 002, etc.).

Extras Grade: D-
 

Final Comments

Power Stone marks yet another failure at interpreting a video game into a successful and exciting anime. As something to watch casually, Power Stone works, but it's hard to get into and keep up with because it lacks any real cohesion. The fun parts are often ruined by a slow pace and mediocre action. Now that it's over, I feel relieved.

Dan Lopez 2002-10-03