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Wild Arms - Sheyenne's Last Stand (Vol. 5)

ADV Films // Unrated // July 8, 2003
List Price: $29.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]

Review by Don Houston | posted September 10, 2003 | E-mail the Author
Movie: Anime that's based on videogames is usually a pretty lame attempt to cash in on the popularity of the game. Sometimes, however, it's not bad. In the case of the series Wild Arms, the Japanese television show is actually better than the Playstation game from which it was (loosely) based. While I didn't see the first three volumes of the dvd release, in Wild Arms 4: Lie, Cheat & Steal, I noticed that there was a lot of humor (the episode titles themselves are based on various movies and other pop-culture references) and quirky actions by non-traditional characters. That led me to think the series as a whole may well be worth checking out. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the final chapter of the dvd release, Wild Arms 5: Sheyenne's Last Stand, was pretty solid as a stand-alone set. I think it was worth a rating of Recommended as such but here's the details of the show.

The show supposedly centers on a guy, Sheyenne, who has his body stolen and replaced with that of a child. He's in search of his original body in a world that is a mix between a Western and a fantasy novel. Along the road, he picks up a group of wacky companions that all have major quirks, to say the least. The show seemed designed to cater to the tastes of a younger audience but I think older fans of anime may also get some laughs from this comedy. Each character has an agenda and most of the time, a questionable morality. Here's a short description of the episodes:

18. The Days Of The Bacchus:
Sheyenne, Kiel, and Isaac continue their quest to find Sheyenne's body. They luck out and find the key to it's location by finding Laila, although she's suffering amnesia and is hurt in a battle. As another group who's looking for her catches up, a lot of secrets are unearthed, including her real identity.

19. Gone With The Smoke:
The guys arrive in town with a huge bounty on their head of $5,000,000,000, which is enough that their frequent traveling companions, Loretta, Mirabelle, and Jerusha, ponder the idea of turning them in for the dough. One of the band turns the rest in and all of them find their lives imperiled

20. Faluna Stuck:
Sheyenne, depressed over the betrayal by one of his friends, attempts to understand the whirlwind of events that are taking place around him. The Goddess makes her first public appearance in 10,000 years at a political rally for the new commander (who's been trying to capture the lead characters). Sheyenne recognizes his body that's now in possession of a long dead God, Keannu). The two fight it out…

21. Once Upon A Time In Fargaia:
Sheyenne and Keannu continue their fight, using the ARMS weapons they each possess. More secrets are unveiled about the rest of the cast, and the origins of the planet itself, as the cast plays out their hand.

22. The Last Of Sheyenne:
Most of the major threads are tied up and a surprise ending is in store, ending the saga.

This wasn't the most detailed series and lacking the knowledge of the first 13 episodes didn't help my understanding of the series as a whole but it was pretty good from the point of view of the last two volumes. Yeah, it was a bit too directed towards kids for my tastes but worth checking out.

Picture: The picture was presented in 1.33:1 ratio full frame color. It was colorful but had some grain in the darker parts of the show. Most of the time, the anime style was fairly limited too; probably made quickly on a low budget.

Sound: The sound was presented in Dolby Digital stereo with a choice of either English or Japanese (with optional English subtitles). The Japanese vocals were the better of the two but kids will probably appreciate the dubbed track more. The music was fairly well recorded with the sole exception of the ending credit music that was loud, distorted and lame.

Extras: There was a music video, some model sheets of the characters, some trailers, some bloopers, and a paper insert with the chapters listed.

Final Thoughts: There was some fun with the mix of the comedy, westerns, and fantasy genres and for all it's limitations, was worth renting and maybe even buying, depending on your personal tastes. With a bit of judicious editing, I think the show would've been a good couple of stand-alone movies. In any case, watch it from the beginning to get the most out of it.

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