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Freedom: Volume 3 (HD DVD)
Bandai Visual USA // Unrated // December 11, 2007 // Region 0
List Price: $39.99 [Buy now and save at Dot-anime]
The first volume of Freedom focused primarily on the culture of underground racing in an Orwellian lunar colony housing the last vestiges of mankind, and the second quietly concentrated on young Takeru's discovery of a conspiracy to withhold the true fate of the planet Earth from the 
carefully shepherded citizens of Eden. As this six episode OVA series hits the halfway mark, Freedom once against shifts gears, this time into hyperkinetic robotic action.
This third installment of Freedom picks up immediately where the previous volume left off: after sidestepping protocol and venturing far outside Eden's protective dome, Takeru discovers that Earth is no longer the scorched wasteland the Citizens Administration Council has long claimed that it is. Why this is such a closely guarded secret has yet to be revealed, but the Council is willing to take the most extreme of measures to continue their deception, and the episode opens with Takeru nearly out of oxygen, careening across the lunar surface while fleeing from a small army of skittering, crab-like war machines. There is no refuge for Takeru on Eden; the Council's machines doggedly pursue the determined teenager and his friends throughout the sprawling metropolis, and his investigation into the series of mysterious photographs he discovered expands far beyond the confines of its lunar dome.
The heightened emphasis on action throughout this latest volume of Freedom keeps the pacing roaring at an even faster clip than before, deftly balancing the pair of elaborately staged chases against the Council's mammoth war machines with an intriguing story that continues to escalate with each installment. Freedom takes care to answer the questions it poses about Eden's totalitarian government and the secrets it wields, but it's quick to layer on another question in its place, making for an engaging, intriguing mystery. While I'm admittedly disappointed that Takeru's compulsion to continually risk life and limb is purely that he thinks the young girl in the mysterious photographs he discovered is drop-dead gorgeous, this doesn't get in the way of any of the other strengths of the series, and the final moments of this episode promise to take Freedom in a drastically different direction. The series frequently ensures that nothing comes easily to Takeru, and his search looks to have dire consequences going forward.
Once again, Bandai Visual has done a tremendous job bringing Freedom to HD DVD, with its stunning 1080p, cel-shaded animation accompanied by a now-familiar but no less striking set of next-generation extras. The effort Bandai Visual is putting into this six-part OVA series comes at a somewhat daunting cost, but anime fans drawn in by the first two volumes of this quest for the truth in a dystopian future will find this most recent release well worth a look as well.
Video: Freedom is again presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded for HD DVD using Microsoft's VC-1 codec. The crisp linework of its cel-shaded animation looks outstanding in high definition, trumping the standard definition presentation on the other layer of this
twin-format disc. Black levels are deep and substantial throughout, and its colors are bright and vivid when appropriate, particularly the eye-popping blues of Earth's seas and skies. There are no flaws of note -- just some faint banding in a kinetic chase through a set of underground tunnels -- and the aliasing I infrequently spotted in the two previous volumes didn't catch my eye at all this time around. An exceptional effort.
Audio: Freedom presents the Japanese audio in two different ways -- the default Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtrack as well as a 2.0 LPCM track. Optional English subtitles are enabled by default.
While this volume's sound design is weighted towards the front speakers, the siege on Freedom and the frenzied chases throughout the episode are nicely reinforced in the surrounds, and there is a strong sense of separation across the front channels. The thunderous clatter of metal against the lunar surface, the series of violent explosions, and the pounding score are bolstered by a tremendous amount of bass as well. The voice acting is also rendered cleanly and clearly throughout.
Extras: As has been the case with the other installments in the series, this third volume of Freedom is being issued as a twin format release. Unlike combo releases -- which have an HD DVD version on one side of the disc and a traditional DVD on the other -- twin format discs are single-sided. This allows for screened artwork and easier handling, and with less than a half hour of material on the disc, the limited capacity of this type of release doesn't result in a hit in quality.
The extras
should sound familiar to fans of the series by now. Picture-in-picture video is a mainstay on many day-and-date HD DVD releases, and Bandai Visual's implementation is easily the most robust of any studio. The 'computer graphics simulation' feature overlays early renders and sketched backgrounds over the high definition video, and the size, opacity, and placement of the picture-in-picture video can be freely adjusted. The "A" and "B" buttons on the remote can also be used to place storyboards and English credits alongside the episode, and Freedom enables viewers to bookmark up to seven of their favorite scenes.
Immediately accessible on the disc is a high-definition preview for volume four of Freedom. A "Freedom Digest" highlight reel -- running a minute and a half and presented in standard definition, despite what the menu claims -- can be unlocked by using the disc's online capabilities. Annoyingly, the download is just to fetch a key to unlock the content already on the disc; it's there solely to tout some sort of online interactivity, no matter how unnecessary it really is. The only true downloadable content as I write this is a 15 second, standard definition TV spot. At 11 megs, there's no reason the tiny footprint this video requires couldn't have fit comfortably on the disc either, although to be fair, additional content could be made available at any time.
This volume of Freedom, like the two releases before it, comes packaged in an oversized super CD jewel case tucked inside a thin cardboard slipcase. It may be worth noting that none of Freedom's extras are available on the DVD layer of the disc.
Conclusion: As much as I've been enjoying Freedom, its colossal sticker price -- $39.99 for just over twenty minutes of material -- makes this HD DVD difficult to recommend to anyone but the most ardent anime enthusiasts. Still, I've watched each of the other volumes in the series several times and have found that they've held up remarkably well to repeat viewings, and the quality of the presentation and its striking set of next-generation extras at least indicate that Bandai Visual is striving to make Freedom a showcase for what HD DVD as a format can offer. Freedom as a series comes enthusiastically recommended, but its daunting price tag leaves it better suited to a rental. Rent It.
Related Reviews: DVD Talk also has reviews of other volumes of Freedom, along with detailed looks at Bandai Visual's other HD DVD and Blu-ray releases.
The images scattered around this review are culled from the DVD layer of the twin format disc and aren't meant to represent the way the episode looks in high definition.
carefully shepherded citizens of Eden. As this six episode OVA series hits the halfway mark, Freedom once against shifts gears, this time into hyperkinetic robotic action. This third installment of Freedom picks up immediately where the previous volume left off: after sidestepping protocol and venturing far outside Eden's protective dome, Takeru discovers that Earth is no longer the scorched wasteland the Citizens Administration Council has long claimed that it is. Why this is such a closely guarded secret has yet to be revealed, but the Council is willing to take the most extreme of measures to continue their deception, and the episode opens with Takeru nearly out of oxygen, careening across the lunar surface while fleeing from a small army of skittering, crab-like war machines. There is no refuge for Takeru on Eden; the Council's machines doggedly pursue the determined teenager and his friends throughout the sprawling metropolis, and his investigation into the series of mysterious photographs he discovered expands far beyond the confines of its lunar dome.
The heightened emphasis on action throughout this latest volume of Freedom keeps the pacing roaring at an even faster clip than before, deftly balancing the pair of elaborately staged chases against the Council's mammoth war machines with an intriguing story that continues to escalate with each installment. Freedom takes care to answer the questions it poses about Eden's totalitarian government and the secrets it wields, but it's quick to layer on another question in its place, making for an engaging, intriguing mystery. While I'm admittedly disappointed that Takeru's compulsion to continually risk life and limb is purely that he thinks the young girl in the mysterious photographs he discovered is drop-dead gorgeous, this doesn't get in the way of any of the other strengths of the series, and the final moments of this episode promise to take Freedom in a drastically different direction. The series frequently ensures that nothing comes easily to Takeru, and his search looks to have dire consequences going forward.
Once again, Bandai Visual has done a tremendous job bringing Freedom to HD DVD, with its stunning 1080p, cel-shaded animation accompanied by a now-familiar but no less striking set of next-generation extras. The effort Bandai Visual is putting into this six-part OVA series comes at a somewhat daunting cost, but anime fans drawn in by the first two volumes of this quest for the truth in a dystopian future will find this most recent release well worth a look as well.
Video: Freedom is again presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded for HD DVD using Microsoft's VC-1 codec. The crisp linework of its cel-shaded animation looks outstanding in high definition, trumping the standard definition presentation on the other layer of this
twin-format disc. Black levels are deep and substantial throughout, and its colors are bright and vivid when appropriate, particularly the eye-popping blues of Earth's seas and skies. There are no flaws of note -- just some faint banding in a kinetic chase through a set of underground tunnels -- and the aliasing I infrequently spotted in the two previous volumes didn't catch my eye at all this time around. An exceptional effort. Audio: Freedom presents the Japanese audio in two different ways -- the default Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtrack as well as a 2.0 LPCM track. Optional English subtitles are enabled by default.
While this volume's sound design is weighted towards the front speakers, the siege on Freedom and the frenzied chases throughout the episode are nicely reinforced in the surrounds, and there is a strong sense of separation across the front channels. The thunderous clatter of metal against the lunar surface, the series of violent explosions, and the pounding score are bolstered by a tremendous amount of bass as well. The voice acting is also rendered cleanly and clearly throughout.
Extras: As has been the case with the other installments in the series, this third volume of Freedom is being issued as a twin format release. Unlike combo releases -- which have an HD DVD version on one side of the disc and a traditional DVD on the other -- twin format discs are single-sided. This allows for screened artwork and easier handling, and with less than a half hour of material on the disc, the limited capacity of this type of release doesn't result in a hit in quality.
The extras
should sound familiar to fans of the series by now. Picture-in-picture video is a mainstay on many day-and-date HD DVD releases, and Bandai Visual's implementation is easily the most robust of any studio. The 'computer graphics simulation' feature overlays early renders and sketched backgrounds over the high definition video, and the size, opacity, and placement of the picture-in-picture video can be freely adjusted. The "A" and "B" buttons on the remote can also be used to place storyboards and English credits alongside the episode, and Freedom enables viewers to bookmark up to seven of their favorite scenes. Immediately accessible on the disc is a high-definition preview for volume four of Freedom. A "Freedom Digest" highlight reel -- running a minute and a half and presented in standard definition, despite what the menu claims -- can be unlocked by using the disc's online capabilities. Annoyingly, the download is just to fetch a key to unlock the content already on the disc; it's there solely to tout some sort of online interactivity, no matter how unnecessary it really is. The only true downloadable content as I write this is a 15 second, standard definition TV spot. At 11 megs, there's no reason the tiny footprint this video requires couldn't have fit comfortably on the disc either, although to be fair, additional content could be made available at any time.
This volume of Freedom, like the two releases before it, comes packaged in an oversized super CD jewel case tucked inside a thin cardboard slipcase. It may be worth noting that none of Freedom's extras are available on the DVD layer of the disc.
Conclusion: As much as I've been enjoying Freedom, its colossal sticker price -- $39.99 for just over twenty minutes of material -- makes this HD DVD difficult to recommend to anyone but the most ardent anime enthusiasts. Still, I've watched each of the other volumes in the series several times and have found that they've held up remarkably well to repeat viewings, and the quality of the presentation and its striking set of next-generation extras at least indicate that Bandai Visual is striving to make Freedom a showcase for what HD DVD as a format can offer. Freedom as a series comes enthusiastically recommended, but its daunting price tag leaves it better suited to a rental. Rent It.
Related Reviews: DVD Talk also has reviews of other volumes of Freedom, along with detailed looks at Bandai Visual's other HD DVD and Blu-ray releases.
The images scattered around this review are culled from the DVD layer of the twin format disc and aren't meant to represent the way the episode looks in high definition.
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