02.06
Closing into Christmas in the middle of the busiest shopping week of the year, I think it’s time for AR to reflect on the best releases of the year, and give you recommendations on what to check out for your loved ones, as well as yourselves, in easy to navigate catagories for each type of person you’re shopping for.
Action Lovers:
Black Lagoon Season 1 box set + Season 2 Individual Volumes
If you find this scene kickass and want more, disregard anything else and buy everything Black Lagoon you can get your hands on. If you think it looks cool, but want to hear more about it before making your mind, read Foggle’s review here. Hell yes, am I right?
Order The Second Barrage’s Singles from these links
DC Universe Ultimate Collection
Are you missing the DCAU? Need a Timm fix? That’s what you should be able to get with Warner’s latest animated films based off their classic DC super heroes. With fist-pumping action(prevalent in Superman: Doomsday), adult-themed story telling(your best stop being Justice League: The New Frontier), or just need a change of pace(Batman: Gotham Knight sure is something else), these are your go-to places. And now that the first three special editions are available together in one set, you can play catch-up or watch the movies again as many times as you want to prepare yourself for the upcoming Wonder Woman and Green Lantern films, as well as the possibly-finally-coming Teen Titans: The Judas Contract release. Even then, these movies are worth watching, and this set makes collecting them even easier.
Order it here at Best Buy.com.
Cowboy Bebop Remix
Do I even need to explain why this one is a must buy for the Holidays? Cowboy Bebop, as I’m sure just about anyone who would call themselves an anime fan, as well as many who aren’t even fans of anime, know, is a combination of just about all of the stuff that makes an anime awesome in the first place. No, scratch that, its basically what makes quality entertainment. Its episodic nature definitely sets it apart from a good deal of the norm, but it also has its fair share of meat episodes which progress the main character’s (Spike) story line. In addition to that, its hard to not like any of the other memorable individuals who join the Bebop Crew (and yes, that includes Ein, the dog). -by ensatsu-ken
Comedic Masterminds:
Ouran High School Host Club Volume 1
Girls love it since it’s an adorable show in every sense of the word, from Honey-sempai’s charm to the pairings set up for the audience to hope for to make it through. Guys won’t admit that they love it because Ouran actually breaks down the typical Shojo wall, spoofing it’s various normalcy’s, and some how comes to trump anything else in the way. But the best of the fanbase, however, love it for both these reasons, and for even more. For what, though, is up to you to see.
Home Movies The Complete Series
One of television’s greatest inventions, Home Movies is possibly one of the few times in history when a series was saved from cancellation and it’s post-humus episodes greatly surpass it’s original order. What started out as a show about an aspiring young movie director who’s films reflect his real-life situations has grown a life of it’s own, with a hardcore fanbase, a never-ending supply of repeats on [adult swim], and hours upon hours of classic material for everyone who enjoys good humor to find entertaining. For around $100, you can get the entire brilliant 52-episode-run in one collectible box set with a bonus canvas bag and clapboard. If you haven’t seen this cult classic by now, or have yet to get it’s previously-released season sets, take this chance now, so you can preserve it for the future to behold.
Metalocalypse Season 2
If you love gore, metal, and dark comedy in general, this is for you. Brendon Small’s other series may not top Home Movies, but he sure was able to make a memorable second season of his quasi-mockumentary series in the style of Spinal Tap, combining real-world events with a strong cast of characters that interact well with each other. If the top items don’t interest you, well, just go back to riding horses or practice french kissing or whatever you sit-downs do, since this right here is guys night in entertainment at it’s most awesome form.
Tiny Toon Adventures Season 1, Volume 1/Freakazoid! Season 1
Two totally awesome cartoons back when Tom Ruegger and Warner Bros had a good relationship with each other, both great for similar but different reasons. Daemon wrote a piece on Tiny Toon‘s set, and while I had to cancel my Freakazoid! review, I can certainly tell you that my money was well-spent. Imagine The Flash with Daffy’s antics and Animaniacs‘ sharp tongue and keen sense of the past, with sauce of randomness spread all over it.
Order Tiny Toons here, and Freakazoid! here.
American Dad! Volume 3
When American Dad! debuted all the way back in 2005, most first-time viewers proclaimed it to just repeat the Family Guy formula and not worth their time. If only they can look now. After the initial first few episodes, Dad! has been able to develop itself into not only a whole other show than Seth’s original, but an overall better one. Cutaways are none-existent, pop culture spoofs actually make sense, and characters actually develop. Season 3’s run is next-to-flawless, the set’s only major blight being missing the brilliant Holiday ep “The Most Adequate Christmas Ever”, which aired in this order. Otherwise, for those who missed out on all that the show had to offer after the average pilot, it’s not too late to change that. Just don’t let Stan find out that you don’t find him funny.
Family Favs:
The Flintstones The Complete Series
Back in the day, all you needed was a good Brontosarus burger and a break from peddling around town to be entertained, and what better way to do so than watching The Flintstones, America’s greatest stone-age family. Breaking records and entertaining millions worldwide even to this day, The Flinstones still remains arguably Hanna-Barbera’s most successful show and one of the most successful animated series in general. Without it, it’s very possible that Fox would of never let Matt Groening get a chance to bring his “Our Favorite Family” shorts into an animated sitcom, and there would be less animated series aimed for adults on the air. Even though Flinstones is fairly tame by today’s standards, it’s sly adult references and jazzy atmosphere still shine today, and still continue to impress kids and adults alike.
Now all six seasons and 166 episodes of the fabled classic are available in one box set, alongside an extra disc of bonus content. If you love humor, or need to find a last-minute-gift for your favorite family, there’s no better way to surprise them than through the courtesy of Fred’s two feet.
Sleeping Beauty
I told myself I’d only count 1 Disney classic for this list. While it really was a pain to choose any of the films that Disney finally put out on DVD this year, I have to go with Sleeping Beauty for my highest recommendation. Initially breaking the bank for Disney at the time of it’s release(mainly due to it’s high-production cost), it’s now considered a classic to the masses, and rightfully so. Experimenting with the new Technirama 70mm projection process, the film moved majestically in wide screen, and any thing that inspired the great Guillermo Del Toro like Beauty‘s colors have is surely worthy of importance. Alongside the way the film looks, of course, the story is classic Disney, with a lively cast of characters. Aurora may admittingly be flat by today’s “empowered princesses” standards, but her fairy guardian’s chemistry with each other and Maleficent’s dark presence occuring as the ultimate scene-stealer, thansk to Eleanor Audley’s brilliant performance. Her transformation sequence is still what nightmares are made of.
I’m going with the Blu-Ray release in favor of the DVD for two reasons. One, even if you don’t have a Blu-Ray player yet but intend to convert, this is the perfect starter disc for you, since it comes with a DVD of the movie for now, so even if you don’t intend to get a player for a little while, you can still enjoy the film at it’s fullest without having to get the BR disc later. Two, even if you planned just to stick it with DVD, look above, at a shot of the BR disc. Only a tiny little sample, at that, of what the future can hand you.
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6
Already went into decent length on this release here, but even then, do you need to be told to buy this? It’s Looney Tunes, these are classic cartoons, you get some great bonus features, yadda yadda yadda.
WALL*E
Okay, I’ll be the first to admit it; I’m not a big Pixar fan. Their movies offer good ideas, but they typically come out as flat, generic, and the general animation fanbase overrates their movies to no end. That said, even I had to admit that WALL*E is a great movie, and worthy of being in your collection. Just about everything here screams movie magic, from the dialogue-less first half hour, to WALL*E and Eve’s growing relationship with each other, to the disgusting portrayal of our eventual future, there’s just so much to talk and think about of this movie, as well as it’s special features, that help highlight it’s movie magic.
Not only that, but it’d make a great first Blu-Ray. Just imagine how stunning it’d look in hi-def.
Order it’s Special Edition DVD here or it’s Blu-Ray here
Holiday Cheer:
Peanuts Holiday Collection
In this set of Warner’s brilliant rereleases of Charlie Brown & co’s classic specials, you get not only his animation debut in his Christmas episode, but you’ll also the equally-classic Halloween and Thanksgiving shorts, with new bonus features and even some bonus specials, as well as iTunes codes to download songs from their soundtracks. I shouldn’t have to explain why you need to get these specials to own, just that your collection would likely be incomplete without them.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The perfect Halloween movie? Yes. The perfect Christmas movie? Yes. The perfect movie? This reviewer thinks so, but that’s up to you, really.
Blending beautiful stop-motion animation with typical Tim Burton-dark visuals and a brilliant soundtrack from Danny Elfman, Henry Selick lovingly crafted Burton’s original holiday poem, which he also produced and did the character designs of the film, into the hoilday sensation and Hot Topic darling that it is today. Alongside one great movie and a great restoration, the bonus features are what sell the deal, which celebrate both the movie and Burton’s work. You even get some art work on his Frankenweenie remake, which you get to see before watching the short film.
If this movie has touched you in anyway possible, this new release or it’s first Blu-Ray release are a true must-buy, as well as a must-watch every Halloween AND Christmas.
Order it’s DVD here, it’s Blu-Ray here, or, if you’re really hardcore, it’s ultimate edition here
Just Buy It, Damnit:
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry) Volumes 1-6
As much as I’d love to say my piece on how much I love this show, Foggle will always do it best. Once you start one episode, you gotta finish the rest of the disc.
Order each single currently available here
Batman: TAS The Complete Series
I already own volumes 1-3 of this show, but I hate myself for doing so now. If I were to of seen this release was to of came out when I started collecting it last year, I would of waited. For less than 2 of the originally available sets, you have all 85 episodes of the original Batman: The Animated Series, considered by many, this reviewer included, to be the pinnacle of action-adventure animation, as well as it’s 24-episode criminally underrated continuation The New Batman Adventures, as well as a new bonus disc, all together in one brilliant packaging. Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, and Eric Radomski’s baby, B:TAS was epic storytelling in the making from start-to-finish, giving villains depth and adding to the Bat-mytho(if it wasn’t for this show, Mr.Freeze would of been just another stock villain and Harley Quinn would of never existed), the world owes a lot of graduate to TAS, as do I, being one of my most rewatched TV series of all. Nothing I could possibly say could give the show enough credit, so I end this now telling you to buy this set.
The Real Ghostbusters: The Complete Series
It’s a freaking miracle, I tell you. Finally, one of the best animated series of the 80’s get’s it’s dues on DVD. Thanks to the help of J.Michael Straczynski’s razor-sharp writing and Lorenzo Music’s lazy Peter Venkman, The Real Ghostbusters ended up a better Ghostbusters experience than the classic movie it was based off of, and a gem in the less-than-beautiful mid-80’s animation scene. Straczynski was able to write rather dark pieces along with clever retorts and pop-culture spoofs, and as more-or-less able to keep it up for seven seasons. Now alognside a beautiful recreation of the Ghostbuster’s firehouse and layers upon layers of bonus features highlighting the show’s adult fanbase, now you can own the full Ghostbusters experience the way you should.
Yu Yu Hakusho Seasons 1-3
Let me just say that this is ensatsu-ken’s favorite anything ever. Daemon’s, too. And Foggle likes it quite a bit, too. I can certainly see why, as well, as in my eyes, Yu Yu Hakusho is the pinnacle of Shonen anime, and one of the greatest television series to of been made, period, as well. I love it so much, I had to drop out of my season 3 review because I was afraid I couldn’t give the Chapter Black arc enough justice. EK was able to write a brilliant Dark Tournament review, on the other hand, and that’s only the beginning of what can possibly be said. For $25-$35 a piece for each of the first three seasons, and season 4 coming in January, though, you need to pick up at least two copies of each season; one for the action lovers you need to buy for, and another just for youself.
Order each set here, and pre-order season 4 here
Persepolis
After being royally snubbed at the Oscars earlier this year, now is your chance to see how wrong the Academy was for giving Ratatouille the award. Based on Marjane Satrapi’s incredible graphic novels about her life as an Iranian during the Islamic revolution, Satrapi gives us a lovable lead in herself, as we follow her as a young girl through adulthood, as we see the difficulties of growing up in her country at this time, as noly she can. Only over a year old, this is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I hope you will take the time to see why.
Originally posted on Monday, December 22, 2008.