Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've loved Pokémon since I was ten years old. And I just graduated college. I was very excited to hear that Viz would be releasing the Orange Islands episodes on one compact boxed set right after my graduation. My pokédar went off, with bells a ringing and those bells tolled "Graduation Present! =D"
Excitedly I visited my local retailer to pick it up this morning and returned home with excited vigor. I tore open the packaging, which was actually more slimline than the recently released DVD boxed sets of the Indigo League seasons. This is good, more green friendly and space saving on the shelf and all that.
I popped the first DVD into my player and was appalled at what I saw. A simple still shot of Ash and party riding Lapras. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the fact that the image itself looked as if it had been hacked together in five minutes by a first-time Photoshop user. The edges of the image were very poorly done, in fact, parts of the image were cut off--namely Togepi's head and Pikachu's ear. They also felt it necessary to plop a Goldeen in there, which didn't even match the rest of the image.
"Ok," I thought, "Calm Down. Its just the menu."
No, it wasn't just the menu. The first three episodes of the first DVD were originally a part of the Indigo League seasons, and thus had the original Pokémon opening song attached to them. Most unfortunately, Viz felt it necessary to put the Orange Island opening song before the FIRST episode only, and then leaving the original opening transition screens intact with the first song. After those three episodes, the intros matched.
Then we come to the way that the menus on the DVD are actually set up. Selecting "Play All" from the DVD menu typically means that all episodes run in continuous sequence. Nay. Not this DVD set. Every time an episode comes to its end and this is the weird thing, ONLY after the third episode on the disk, the viewer is forced to select to play the next episode to start it.
Then we have the lack of intro and ending songs at each episode. My thought on this is that they cut the opening and ending songs at the beginning and end of each episode because they were trying to address the video compression quality issues that many people had complained about in past boxed sets.
The video quality is quite nice in this set (Note: being viewed on a 42 inch Sharp Aquos HDTV.), But I do miss the openings and endings. My only qualm (and it is being anal, I know but STILL) I wish they had matched the proper opening song to the proper episodes by including both opening and ending songs on the DVD.
One other thing I noticed that was different (not in that good way)is the disk art is exactly the same on every disk, except it says Disc 2 and 3 to differentiate.
Disk 2 so far is faring much better than the first disk. The menu image is MUCH better and looks slightly more like a professional DVD than a pathetic attempt at a Fan-made DVD. I mean, I've made DVD menus before and MINE looked more professional than the first disk's menu. That's pretty pathetic when you can say that about an official product. The issue that the first disk had seems to have been eliminated. Users are free to skip between episodes without being forced back to the episode selection menu. The Play All function works PERFECTLY, the opening and ending songs play at the beginning and ending songs play in their proper places in EVERY episode, and the video (while only SLIGHTLY compromised) looks pretty crisp and clean. Whoever did the second disk did a WAY better job than the hacks who did the first one.
This would have been a 5 star product had it not been for the shoddy DVD menu production and episode setup on the first disk, and as always, the complete and total lack of Japanese language tracks (We're still waiting, Viz.)
If you're trying like me to get Pokémon on DVD in its entirety, pick this up. It's got all 36 episodes of the Orange Islands arc, and the video is good. If weird DVD operations and menu organization on one of the disks and aesthetic properties don't bother you, 5 stars, pick it up NOW. You won't regret it. Its a good solid set, and you'll be that much closer to having all your Pokémon episodes on DVD. Enjoy, all! =)
PS--Because every good Boxed set review includes:
*trumpet fanfare*
An EPISODE LIST! =D
Disk 1:
Episode 80: Pallet Party Panic
Episode 81: A Scare In The Air
Episode 82: Poké Ball Peril
Episode 83: The Lost Lapras
Episode 84: Fit To Be Tide
Episode 85: Pikachu Re-Volts
Episode 86: The Crystal Onix
Episode 87: In The Pink
Episode 88: Shell Shock!
Episode 89: Stage Fight!
Episode 90: Bye Bye Psyduck
Episode 91: The Joy of Pokémon
Disk 2:
Episode 92: Navel Maneuvers
Episode 93: Snack Attack
Episode 94: A Shipful of Shivers
Episode 95: Meowth Rules!
Episode 96: Tracey Gets Bugged
Episode 97: A Way Off Day Off
Episode 98: The Mandarin Island Miss Match
Episode 99: Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon?
Episode 100: Git Along, Little Pokémon
Episode 101: The Mystery Menace
Episode 102: Misty Meets Her Match
Episode 103: Bound For Trouble
Disk 3:
Episode 104: Charizard Chills
Episode 105: The Pokémon Water War
Episode 106: Pokémon Food Fight!
Episode 107: Pokémon Double Trouble
Episode 108: The Wacky Watcher!
Episode 109: The Stun Spore Detour
Episode 110: Hello, Pummelo!
Episode 111: Enter The Dragonite
Episode 112: Viva Las Lapras
Episode 113: The Underground Round-Up
Episode 114: A Tent Situation
Episode 115: The Rivalry Revival
Click Here to see more reviews about: Pokemon - Adventures on the Orange Islands Box Set
After a stop in Pallet Town, Ash, Misty and Brock set out to find a rare and mysterious Pokéball for Professor Oak. Their quest leads them to the Orange Islands, where Ash decides to battle in the Orange League Tournament. With new friends to meet, new Pokémon to discover, and tough new trainers to challenge them, the adventures never end for Ash and his friends!Includes 36 episodes of Pokémon fun and adventure!
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