Customer Reviews

Clamp Double Feature: Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and xxxHOLiC [Blu-ray]

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Amazon.com
The popular continuities from the all-female Clamp studio are linked by the formidable character of Yuko, the Dimensional Witch. Just 35 minutes long, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle: The Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage (2005) plays like an extended episode of the series with lavish art-nouveau backgrounds. Syaoran, Sakura, Fay, Kurogane, and Mokona visit the Land of the Birdcage, where people lead apparently peaceful lives with their bird-familiars. A boy named Koruri and Princess Tomoyo join the regular cast to battle an evil king who wants use the power of one of Sakura's feathers to plunge the realm into eternal darkness. Syaoran's battle with the King features striking special effects and effective camera work. In A Midsummer Night's Dream (2005), eternally put-upon Watanuki follows Yuko and his friend Domeki to a party at an eerie mansion. The owner of the mansion has assembled noted collectors from around the country for a party that's really an elaborate game of cat and mouse. The filmmakers use CG to create such interesting effects as a maze of tatami mats and an endless hallway covered with cases of butterfly antennae. Director Tsutomu Mizushima's handling of the transitions between fantasy and reality pales beside Satoshi Kon's haunting Paprika, but the film will please the many fans of xxxHolic and Clamp. (Rated TV PG: violence, grotesque imagery, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Product Description
From the sweeping universe of CLAMP.

Two journeys run parallel, yet intersect. As two souls seek the mystery of truth, worlds collide where the dimensional witch waits. There is no coincidence, only the inevitable...

Oh yes and the Bluray Quality is Excellent ,It looks fine on my 70inch JVC


CLAMP Double Feature contains over two hours of bonus features!

If you're a fan of CLAMPS popular series' "Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle" and "xXxHoLic" then you'll want to own this 2-disc DVD set. The case and interior art is well done and looks very professional.

Both movies for both series are featured in the set though on separate discs. Each disc features special features such as Japanese and US commercials, stills and background cells along with videos from the premiers of the movies in Japan.

The "Tsubasa" film is mediocre compared to the series. The storyline is interesting but short lived and while you meet new characters (such as a new reincarnation of Princess Tomoyo) and see a new world there isn't a whole lot more than that. The villain is well done (down to his voice actor) and the new world is beautiful and unique, however the storyline is a little on the weak side.

The "xXxHoLic" film was much more impressive. The film itself is longer and the storyline is stronger. The main characters featured are Yuuko, Watanuki and Doumeki. The new setting is very interesting and the animation is well done. It's obvious why the film was nominated for an award. The films come together at the very end for a couple of minutes and it's fun to see the characters featured in the opposite storyline.

I'm not going to go into the plot of these two movies from the xxxHolic and Tsubasa series, other sites have that covered, but here is the deal, Funimation has yet again releases another upscaled piece of garbage.

This Blu-ray set has a number of issues with the video. The images are blurry, the lines are fuzzy, colors washed out, there is noticeable gradient banding, and artifacting during many scenes. If you own the DVDs, stick with them as they are the best quality available.

If you want a HD version of this anime wait for the official release from the studio, not some cheap Funimation weekend project. I ended up returning this because I am not going to pay for this horrible mess of a release.

I added some screenshots to the images section to show how bad this release is. Make sure to look at it full size, as it naturally looks better at a smaller size. Also the screenshot was not altered in any way from the Blu-ray source.