Reviews & Columns |
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
DVD Talk Forum |
|
Resources |
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
Columns
|
|
Orphen 2:Revenge Vol 3
I'm only vaguely familiar with the first season but the premise was that Orphen, a sorcerer in training, set out to save a friend that had bad luck with a spell. The spell transformed her into a creature and Orphen's master set out to hunt her down. Orphen, on the other hand, tried to get to her first, in order to reverse the spell and protect her. Only in this third DVD of the second season does any of this truly come into play with Flame Soul finally making an appearance in order to call out Orphen.
Needless to say, Orphen also has other enemies and must call upon his powers to fight off a variety of beasts and demons, as well as more mundane threats. The crew, on the other hand, has all the usual inter-personal conflicts with one another, to the point that they are usually more troublesome to each other than most of the enemies they encounter. As the second half of this DVD finishes, it becomes readily apparent that things are about to change, hopefully becoming more interesting for viewers. Here's a list of the four included episodes for you:
Episode Nine: The Lady At The Speed Of Sound:
After suffering from nightmares about getting his hair cut, Orphen has to save the day when Lycoris is tricked by the two little trolls into buying a box of junk. What does he need to save her from? Well, one of the objects in the box possesses magical powers that cause an innkeeper to run very fast, so fast that she is a danger to everyone (and the responsibility of the team). Flame Soul plots his next attempt on Orphen.
Episode Ten: The Phantom Mountain Of Snow:
Orphen and Lycoris, as well as the two trolls, get stuck in a magic trap that simulates a snow globe. With no way out and a horde of abominable snow monsters attacking them, will Orphen figure out a way to stop the madness and save the day or will he become the next victim of an elaborate scheme by Flame Soul.
Episode Eleven: The Crab And The Boy:
Orphen gives in and sets out with the team to make a proper refusal of Lycoris' order after they attempt a stake out of a magic fountain. Hartia and Eris, both dressed up in their costumes, act as though they are the saviors of the universe, leading to a number of problems. Flame Soul, brother of the Flame Heart that Orphen dispatched in the first season, appears in order to fight Orphen.
Episode Twelve: The Big Courtroom Of Revenge:
Orphen and the team fight Flame Soul and his minions as he (Flame Soul) unleashes a massive attack on the town. Orphen, struck down by exhaustion as much as anything else, is left at the mercy of a new player, one with his own agenda.
The generic nature of this release left me even colder than the previous volumes until the second half of the DVD kicked in. Even then, there was only the hope that things would get better so I'm rating this one as a Rent It. The video and audio quality aside, the extras were minimal and the show itself lacking in any serious entertainment value. As such, I think my rating may well be a bit on the generous side but I can't discount the possibility of better things to come, as evidenced by the fourth episode here.
Picture: The picture was presented in the usual 1.33:1 aspect ratio full frame color, the current industry standard. The picture was pretty good but there was some grain, some edge enhancement, and minor pattern noise at times. The anime style itself was somewhat limited, using various cost saving techniques (limited movement of the cells, static backgrounds, etc.), but about what you'd expect for a follow up series. I didn't see any artifacts or other major problems with the DVD transfer.
Sound: The audio was presented with a choice of either the original Japanese track with English subtitles or an English dub, both in 2.0 Dolby Digital. I didn't notice any real separation between the channels (I experimented with turning off my center channel) but the vocals were clear enough and the music okay for a budget release. The subtitles were not dub-titles in that they did not mirror what the English track said but most of the time, they followed it fairly closely.
Extras: There was a couple seconds of audio outtakes, trailers, clean opening and closing, and a paper insert that didn't have a lot of detail (it wasn't the companies top of the line style insert).
Final Thoughts: This isn't the worst anime release I've seen lately but it sure wasn't the best. I like the concept far more than the execution of it and fans of Volume Two might like this one more than I did, especially considering the limited stand alone value of the DVD.
|
Popular Reviews |
Sponsored Links |
|
Sponsored Links |
|
Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices
|