Movie:
Black Magic M66 was originally released in 1987. Masamune Shirow and Hiroyuki Kitakubo directed the film, which was made for video. Shirow also wrote the original story, the screenplay and did storyboards, while Kitakubo also did character and production designs.

Sybel is a freelance journalist who comes across an army communication while surfing the airwaves. Sensing a hot story, she sets off and arrives on the scene to discover that two M66 military android assassins are on the loose. With a little detective work, she learns that their target is Ferris, the granddaughter of the inventor of the M66s. Determined to save the girls life, both the army and Sybel try to track her down, but will they get there in time?

Having not seen Black Magic M66 before, I was a bit hesitant to watch it after seeing the case (which has only one screenshot from the film). But I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised: Black Magic M66 is a decent anime film that, even with more than a few similarities to The Terminator, is still very much enjoyable. I'm not sure that it would hold up over repeat viewings, though.

Picture:
Black Magic M66 is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The transfer has a lot of edge enhancement, which is particularly distracting in a few scenes. Colors are vibrant throughout, with accurate flesh tones and decent blacks.

Sound:
Black Magic M66 is presented in English and Japanese 2.0 Stereo and English 5.1 Surround. The 5.1 track features better definition and increased directionality, though the rear surrounds are seldom used. The 2.0 tracks, in comparison, seem a bit muted and the action scenes have less "punch." Dialogue in all three is crisp and clean with no distortion that I detected. Optional English subtitles are included, and though the subtitles and the English dubs are slightly different, nothing major is lost.

Extras:
Extras include five character bios, the Manga Video trailer, the Manga text Catalogue, a list of website links, and a few trailer ads for, among other things, www.sputnik7.com.

Summary:
Manga has provided a great presentation for Black Magic M66, though like most other Manga DVDs, the extras are mostly generic, with the focus on promoting their other releases. Fans of Black Magic M66 may want to consider a purchase, though I recommend a rental for those who haven't seen it, but enjoy action/sci-fi anime. Rent it.