The episodes:

1. "Zipang Initiation"- The Mirai crew gets a much needed shore leave, while Kusaka is up to no good.

2. "The Reunion"- As Kusaka flees, the Mirai's crew is threatened when Lt. Taki alerts the American soldiers about the mysterious battleship.

3. "The Other Staff Headquarters"- Kusaka discusses his plans for Zipang while the USS Wasp receives information about the Mirai.

4. "Submarine I-21"- Kadomatsu is kidnapped by the crew of I-21 and the USS Wasp begins its attack of the Mirai.

To doze off or not to dooze off... that is the question that continually went through my mind. Instead of captivating the audiences, the writers of this show drag on conversations and create moronic scenarios. For instance, up to this point, the crew of the Mirai has managed to reveal the outcome of the war to just about everyone and they even used advanced weaponry that created suspicion. How careless can the crew of the Mirai be? I realize the writers want to create conflict and tension amongst the characters, but this is flat out ridiculous.

Another ongoing and irritating thorn in my side is the character of Kusaka. If Kusaka wants to change fate and destiny and therefore change the future, why doesn't somebody kill him? The Mirai crew knows he is a dangerous man and have had several opportunities to whack him, yet they stand by and do nothing. Again, the writers are keeping this character around as the show is about his vision of Zipang, but that is besides the point. By keeping Kusaka alive, the Mirai shipmates show how idiotic they truly are.

The DVD

Video:
The 16:9 Anamorphic video picture is "shiny" to quote Captain Malcolm Reynolds.

Sound: English Dolby Digital 2.0 track. The audio tracks on all Geneon disks thus far has been impressive.

Extras: A Geneon disk can mean only one thing- Geneon previews, DVD credits, English dub or English subtitles, and opening and closing credits! I think Geneon should start putting more of an effort into extras.

Final Thoughts:
The "Zipang" writer's continue to drop the ball on this series. Not enough time is spent on developing characters and storylines. I can't recommend checking this fifth volume out.

Film and television enthusiast Nick Lyons recently had his first book published titled "Attack of the Sci-Fi Trivia." It is available on Amazon.com.