In the first episode (episode 6), the Imperial Flower Troop gets two new members: Kohran and Kanna. Kohran is the brainy mechanic who works on the Koubu and explains how the woman warriors must control the armor with their heart in order to function in harmony with it on the battle field. Kanna doesn't explain anything, she just kicks butt.

These episodes are much darker than their predecessors, and much more entertaining. The primary foe here is Setsuna, an evil demon, and his pal, Rasetsu the Lumbering Brute. This towering beast of a man (if you can call him that) can really do some damage. Together with the small magician, they're enough fun to forget that you never really understand who they are or why the mysterious Secret Moon Division is after them. Which is too bad. The undercover aspect of these episodes are fun, but too confusing. I constantly found myself thinking, "That's cool, but it'd be cooler if I knew what was going on."

Once again, most of the development is done off the battle field, which surprisingly, wasn't a bad thing. The girls are planning a big production, and there's a spelling error on the show's programs. This sparks some serious bitching by Sumire, but in the end, she develops a bond with Sakura, her protégé. And although the Maria flashbacks seem a bit forced, they do shed light on her character.

The odd thing about this series is that I can't look back on one specific episode that I enjoyed, but as a whole, the series is at least likable. No one episode solves anything. There's no real beginning and no real end. And although not one fits together with the following episode, they all tie together emotionally. I understand each character a little more after each 20-minute show.

Does this add up to a worthy DVD? Not really. Watching the full 80+ minutes is the only way to go, but I wouldn't say I was pleased with my experience. I wasn't displeased either. Let me put it this way: I have no desires to rewatch these episodes, but I wouldn't say no to an opportunity of watching the remaining volumes.

THE VIDEO
ADV Films presents Sakura Wars TV: Overture in the show's original 4:3 full frame format. I was quite impressed with the transfer. The animation is very sharp with bright, vivid colors. I was particularly pleased by both the muted color scenes (dreams or flashbacks) and the more harsh, night scenes (battles): details remained sharp and smooth in both. Considering the prints probably weren't Hollywood animation quality, this transfer more than does the job. The only real problem arises from the occasional speck and scratch. These are never offensive, but they are noticeable.

THE AUDIO
These four episodes are presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital English sound and 2.0 Japanese. Although I would've liked to enjoy the show in its native language, I couldn't pass up the fairly impressive digital track.

The English version won't rattle the windows, but it does offer a much deeper low end that really amped the action scenes. The front right and left channels are used nicely, but the rears aren't used much at all, just the occasional ambiance effect. But that's probably the only shortcoming. Other than that, the voices come across crisp and the music sounds very sharp.

I must point out my concern about the subtitles. The opening song is not dubbed in English, so the subtitles flash by on screen. However, similar to the first volume, episodes 7 and 9 only offer subtitles in Japanese. Weird. Also, if you listen to the English version with English subtitles, you'll notice that what's being said isn't exactly what is written. Sometimes, the differences are substantial. Die-hard fans of the show will most likely want to get every interpretation possible by watching the shows in Japanese with English subtitles, then again with the English dub.

THE BONUS FEATURES
Not much going on in the extras category I'm afraid. You get clean opening animation and clean closing animation which is no more than the animation without the credits rolling by on screen. You also get 8 trailers for other anime titles.

FINAL THOUGHTS
These four episodes of Sakura Wars TV: Overture are much better than the first five. The action is there, and the storyline is actually going somewhere. That's always a big plus for animation fans. However, the goods don't quite outweigh the bads, and I suggest that those who aren't already fans of the show, should rent this before forking over your hard-earned cash.