Product Details

• Actors: Japanimation
• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
• DVD Release Date: January 11, 2000
• Run Time: 75 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000035Z2F
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,360 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

At a kendo match, 17-year-old high school student Kyoji is stunned when Tate, his coach, momentarily transforms into an exotically armored warrior. Over the next few days, Tate behaves erratically, alarming his students and his fiancée, Yuka. Kyoji discovers he, Tate, and their friends are the reincarnated spirits of Inca warriors. But Kyoji is Bilka and Tate is Yawaru--enemies in a blood feud dating back to the Spanish conquest of Peru. Yuka and Kyoji travel to South America, hoping to find the missing Tate--and figure out what's going on. Their visit leads to more flashback episodes. The Matthew Broderick-esque Kyoji looks particularly incongruous in a trailing feather headdress; his friend Daimon is tricked out in a rig that looks more Arabian than Peruvian. The improbable plot gets a boost from some handsome computer-generated imagery, including an animated version of a Nazca Line figure and a golden fortress modeled after a ceremonial Inca knife. Using the different media to suggest separate worlds works more effectively than the combinations of drawn and computer animation in many Japanese films. But the idea of Japanese high school students as reincarnated Inca warriors seems farfetched, even by anime standards. Contains the first three episodes: 1. "Those Who Awaken," 2. "Reunion in the Andes," 3. Meeting of the Sleeping Souls." Rated 13 and up for violence, profanity, and brief nudity. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nazca-I highly reccommend it for anime fans, January 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Nazca - Blades of Fate (Vol. 1) (DVD)

When it comes to Englsih dubs of anime there are usually two categories, those that stink and those that really stink. Well surprisingly Nazca doesn't fall into either category, I actually liked it, and I can't remember the last time I liked a dub (well maybe Star Blazers when I was young). The English speaking cast was well chosen and their performances were quite believeable. I actually felt that the characters had some depth and dimension to them. As to the plot, it deals with reincarnation and the continuance of an unfufilled past from a previous life. The main characters discover they are the reincarnation of ancient Incas. Their discovery creates major turns in their lives. Friends and lovers now become enemies. While some may feel the story is not so original, I think their take on the story is quite good and well worth watching. While the visuals aren't the most breathtaking, they are far from being as bad as some stuff I've seen in recent months from major anime distributors. My biggest pet peeve is the incorporation of certain C.G. graphics from time to time in certain scenes. I felt the C.G. was rather crude and resembled an old super nintendo video game. While it was a distraction it hardly appears and doesn't really ruin the entire video. As for those who just can't stand watching something dubbed into English, there is good news, the Japanese language version is also great to watch. It's got some great voice talent (including Megumi Hayashibara, who I feel is one of the best Japanese anime voice actresses). The subtitles are very true to the original Japanese dialogue. Technically the DVD was well mastered, the sound was even better on the English version than the Japanese version. The menu screen is an improvement over Pioneer's old style. I only wish they animated it and put some of that great music from the show in the background. In conclusion I will say this is a must have for any anime fan who appreciates a good story and nice animation. I hope the next volume is just as good.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing special., October 25, 2000

By 

B. Crowley (Little Falls, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nazca - Blades of Fate (Vol. 1) (DVD)

This anime isn't one of the best I've ever seen. It's your ordinary person in a fantastic role, forced to become a hero in a good vs. evil struggle. In Nazca, a group of Japanese citizens discover they were Incan warriors in a past life. Sound far-fetched? Their awakening souls start ruling their being, and friends become enemies. Will the good student be able to stop his now evil kendo teacher from unleashing the power of creation on the world?

The creators of this anime thought it would be a good idea to mesh computer generated scenes in with the animation. It wasn't a good idea. The characters look out of place and distorted whenever the CG backgrounds are used.

Nazca is an all right story, but you can pretty much guess how it's going to end. I don't feel it's worth purchasing 4 DVD's to see the entire saga.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good fantasy anime, August 29, 2000

By 

"silo1013" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nazca - Blades of Fate (Vol. 1) (DVD)

This is a well done, intelligent fantasy. I didn't find the plot to be particularly slow-moving at all [of course, I wasn't expecting explosions and battles and naked chicks every five seconds: your definition of "slow plot" may vary]. I didn't care for the CGI/animation mix that was done in certain parts -- it wasn't seamless and I found it to be distracting; the character animation however is quite pleasing and their Incan warrior incarnations I thought especially well-designed [historical innacuracies and all -- this *is* a fantasy, you'll recall]. The opening JS Bach tune by Eccentric Opera is a nice change from the usual j-pop.

Overview: intelligent dialogue and good looking guys fighting each other in nifty costumes.. works for me! :)