It would seem that FUNimation and Gonzo go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Lately FUNimation has been picking up the art house's series left and right from Black Cat to Trinity Blood and now Solty Rei. Originally airing in 2005 Solty Rei consists of 24 episodes and is a slower-paced science fiction drama. Come expecting great character development and a rich world with only a few snippets of action and you won't be disappointed.

The show takes place after an event called Blast Fall where an accident occurred with the Aurora Shell and created a massive explosion. Thousands died and in one man's case, so did his daughter. Even since that day Roy Revant has drifted through life bemoaning the loss of his child but with wild determination and a difficulty accepting "reality" he continues to search for her in hopes that she's still alive somewhere. These efforts prove to be futile but one fateful night while he's out hunting a criminal he has a new, artificial daughter land in his lap.

Solty has become a part of his life and Roy slowly begins to accept her for what/who she is. Other characters come in to fill the gaps as well such as Roy's "boss", a woman who hires him out to do some bounty hunter work, her daughter, and a group of underground siblings lead by a blonde named Rose Anderson. She has taken a liking to Solty and has forced her way into Roy's life as well. During the course of the first two volumes the episodic content saw the characters moving closer together to the point that they now live with each other.

The third volume picks up basically where the last one left off with day to day life for Roy and company. Solty and friends begin to plan a celebration for Roy's birthday but some presents arrive that they weren't expecting. A man from Roy's past pops up with a ton of explosives and really lights up the town in a big way. Roy and Solty barely escape with their lives and the guy kidnaps Rose because he figures she's close to Roy.

Throughout it all there is some stuff revealed that changes the scope of the series and the relationship of the characters. If you have been following the series I'm not going to reveal what it is, though I do have to say that it was mildly predictable once it happened. This storyline is handled for the rest of this volume and it leads up to another mini Blast Fall that causes some unexpected things.

I realize that I'm being cryptic but truly, I can't get into many of the details without ruining this volume and series for fans. Let's just leave it at this third volume is amazing and is the best release for Solty Rei to date. The show took some chances with these episodes and so far they seem to be paying off big. It's not often you see a series that takes its characters and changes their relationship in such a drastic way. Because of this Solty Rei stands out as being unique and warrants a serious look by anyone who is a fan of science fiction, great character development, or a good story in general. Check it out and you won't be disappointed.

With the recent production date Solty Rei receives an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The show's production looks stunning when you get right down to it. Vibrant colors and crisp animation absolutely pops from every frame. The first volume featured quite a bit of grain, compression, and aliasing which obviously marred the presentation. The second improved quite a bit and fortunately this installment is equally as pleasing to the eyes. This is a fine looking show!

Three audio tracks make their way to this release of Solty Rei. The original Japanese track is presented with a 2.0 stereo output that is about as limited as you'd expect though there is some slight directionality with sound effects and music. English gets a similarly styled stereo presentation but it also receives a 5.1 track that is much more dynamic. Sound effects, voices, and music is spread across all channels and has a very good presence when you get right down to it. The sense of immersion could have been better but it was still decent enough.

Some trailers and textless animation are to be found in the Extras Menu. There is also an actor commentary with some of the English cast chiming in to talk about the show, themselves, and the episode. They joke around quite a bit and do some play-by-play with what's happening on screen but for the most part it's an entertaining commentary by anime standards. Fans will definitely want to give it a spin to extend the playtime of their disc.

The first two volumes of Solty Rei played with me. They left me brimming with anticipation but there was no real payoff for the character and plot development. Fortunately the third installment picks up many of the pieces and resolves some things and alters others. The scope of the show has been changed and the development this time around is rock solid. This show just went from a regular recommendation to a high one!

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