Blue Seed Beyond
DVD Review by schally
- Released 9/23/03
- Eps. 1 - 3 + omake
- 1 Disc
QUALITY: 4/5
Great quality, great sound. Much better than those RAW .avis we've all been hoarding for the past few years. (Don't deny it, you know you have!)
MENUS: 5/5
Hello, Matsudaria's desktop! As usual, ADV's menus are stylish and easy to navigate. The desktop theme, featuring clips from the episodes in one of the windows with the menu itself alongside, was a creative touch.
EXTRAS: 3/5
As with the other BS DVDs, the extras are skimpy. Clean opening animation and ADV previews are standard fare (and I wouldn't exactly call previews an "extra"). I'm surprised that they didn't take the opportunity to make a character bio for Valencia. BSB loses points for only having two languages (English and Japanese) and only English subtitles. It gains points, however, for including the Dance Little Love Omake, which originally came with BS 1.5. They didn't have to include the omake, but they did, and I laud them for it.
PACKAGING: 4/5
Finally, ADV has learned how to package their DVDs! Compared to the bland packaging of the other Blue Seed DVDs, Blue Seed Beyond's presentation is akin to a Picasso. The DVD, the insert, and the case (both inside and out) are plastered with variations of the original Japanese cover design. This is definitely a step up from ADV's usual presentation. The only way they could have possibly improved the packaging, in my opinion, would have been to add more substance to the insert--a small booklet with tidbits about the series or about BS2 itself would have been nice. But I'm very satisfied with BSB's look.
OVERALL: 5/5
After years of waiting for BS2's domestic release, I can say that I'm very satisfied with the final outcome. The DVD is well packaged, it comes with an extra Omake, and it retails for a reasonable price.