The Movie
Osamu Tezuka created Japanese animation. Go Nagai decided to create giant robots and gave us "Mazinger Z". Yoshiyuki Tomino wanted serious giant robots, and there was "Mobile Suit Gundam". But they must look really neat, so Izutaka Yohbuchi gave us "Aura Battler Dunbine" and Mamoru Nagano gave us "Five Star Stories". Hideako Anno felt there must be a feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression, so he created "Evangelion". Finally, Noriaki Okamura said, "Let's put it into a video game." and "Zone of the Enders" (ZOE) was born.

The broadcast series "Zone of the Enders Dolores - Countdown to Destiny" (2001) was released with the OAV "Zone of the Enders: I Dolo" and the PlayStation2 game on which they're based.

Continued from the setting in "I Dolo", it is now 2172 and the planets are on the brink of war. On his way to Mars, a hard-working, excessive-drinking, American cargo hauler James Links in unwillingly drawn into a setting of interplanetary intrigue when he's attacked while transporting cargo aboard his ship "The Ender." When the cargo, an Orbital Frame called Dolores (a robot war machine a' la Gundam), saves his life, the entire Links clan is flung head first into the impending interplanetary conflict. Earth wants her. Mars wants her. Everyone wants Dolores except the one man who has her, being more interested in reviving his marriage with his wife, who we find later is named Dolores and the scientist who created the Frame during the struggle first introduced in "ZOE: I Dolo." A shadow is cast over his family, now that he is a fugitive, and forces them to flee as well. This is volume 1 of a multi-part story to be continued in the future.

The "Zone of the Enders" titles come from the studio of A.D. Vision. In 1992, ADV began to forge the international market for Japanese animation ("anime") by combining unique titles, outstanding production values and efficient large-scale distribution. Today, ADV is the #1 producer/distributor of Japanese animation to the North American market, with the firm's holdings including such premier titles as "Spriggan", "Sailor Moon," "Samurai X," "Medabots," "Robotech," "Gasaraki" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion." ADV has reached out to other audiences by acquiring the hit live-action sci-fi titles of "Farscape," "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda" and classics such as "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe." Further, ADV has spread out to mainstream comic book fans by producing an animated adaptation of Chaos! Comics' "Lady Death", and by fostering relationships with other leading companies.

ADV recently announced the launch of "The Anime Network™", a digital cable offering running 24 hours a day. The model is structured around four categorized content areas: Action Zone, Sci-Fi, Comedy Incorrect, and Horror/Martial Arts. These categories are designed to include virtually the entire spectrum of quality anime, while contextualizing content for new viewers unfamiliar with specific titles. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, USA, with additional offices in Europe and Japan, and distribution on four continents, ADV is fast becoming an international entertainment powerhouse.

DVD
Region 1. Original aspect of 1.33:1, non-anamorphic, 125 minutes, single-side, single layer.

Video
Free of artifacts. The animation is crisp and clean and what you have come to expect from A.D. Studios. Strong color, solid transfer.

Audio
English 5.1.
English 2.0.
Japanese 2.0 With English Subtitles.
Differing with ZOE: IDolo, the English dub is not as good as the Japanese and seems artificial overall. The music is just as good as its predecessor and really pumps up the action scenes.

Menus
Static menus with music.
Play Feature.
Scenes: Access Interactive Menus.
Languages: Subtitles/Captions.
Extras.

Extras
ADR Session footage with Japanese voice actors Mitsuru Miyamoto (Leon) & Narumi Hidaka (Noel).
Clean opening animation.
Clean closing animation.
Production sketches.
Conceptual artwork.
A.D. Studio previews.

Final Thoughts
This one is much tougher to follow than its predecessor IDolo. It contains episodes 1-5 of the original TV series. Facts are sketchy and events are largely unrelated at this point. I would imagine the story will come together as the series progresses, but it's a tough view at this point, especially for persons not familiar with the ZOE story line. Orbital Frames aren't really defined, which might leave some hanging trying to figure out the relationship of things. Again there is a copious amount of violence and alcohol use. I'm not sure why the ZOE series leans so heavily on having a character that is an alcoholic, and could easily be left out of them. But, it is a must have for fans of the PS2 game or those partial to Evangelion/Gundam Mechs.