Product Details

• Actors: Chisa Yokoyama, Michie Tomizawa, Urara Takano, Kumiko Nishihara, Yuriko Fuchizaki
• Directors: Hideki Takayama, Mitsuru Hongo, Toshiya Shinohara, Yorifusa Yamaguchi
• Writers: Mitsuru Hongo, Hiroyuki Nishimura, Nobuhisa Terado, Ohji Horoi
• Format: Animated, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Section 23
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1998
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000ID1C
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #431,544 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I actually liked this title...., February 26, 2003

By 

Amber (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sakura Wars (DVD)

This is a pretty cute show. It has excellent animation, a good story, and good music. My beef with it is that the show ends after a couple of episodes--it just stops.

This is an OVA, and the Sakura Wars TV series comes after it. And both come after the game.

I think I should have had a little knowledge of the games before I watched this, since it just picked up with the Demons. It didn't give ANY background on the Demons at all, which had me lost for the first episode or two. But as it went along I stopped worrying about how and why the Demons existed/were there and focused on the show itself.

The dubbing in both versions is top notch. I personally prefer the English version. Since the girls are from various countries, not just Japan, they cannot be expected to speak Japanese all that well, and without an accent.But in the English, we get to hear the girls in their "native" tongues and with "native" accents. What I mean is this: The French girl *sounds* French (and she even speaks in French when we first meet her). The Russian Maria has a definitive Russian accent, which comes across very well even though we never get to hear her speak in Russian. And the Chinese teenager talks with a Chinese accent, and also speaks in Chinese.

So, watch this. You won't regret doing so, but you might want to watch the TV series just to get a little better idea of what is going on. Or get (or at least see) the games.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb soundtrack adds great value to this wonderful video., February 12, 2000

By 

Jim Parshall (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sakura Wars (DVD)

I have heard the negatives of Sakura Wars and I have heard the positives. I for one think it is a wonderful video. The soundtrack by Kouhei Tanaka is one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of hearing and I have a most extensive collection of over 150. After ordering the soundtrack CD from Japan and listening to it at length I find I enjoy this DVD more than ever. Without a doubt it sports one of the best opening songs ever (at least as far as the get you up and going factor) and the track used for the big ending battle in the 4th chapter is truly a work of art. It is a great piece that is woven expertly into the fight. An excellent arrangement which brings home the strength and power of the series. I recommend the soundtrack most highly as well as the DVD. That battle in the 4th chapter would make an excellent demo of an audio video system as well. The story is also great. Granted it is not always the smoothest thing going and yes it does have its silly moments as well, but it is a compelling story which is presented well. One caution though-do NOT listen to the English dub! It is horrific and changes what are decent lines and sometimes really good lines into fodder for toddlers. Here is an example from the 4th chapter, "Let's get those evil nasty Demons. They are bad." Ugh! Bear with the subtitles and you will be much happier for it. It is sad that companies feel they have to dumb things down for American audiences. I love Anime and it physically hurts me to see such great movies like Mononoke and Windaria as well as this one ripped from the guts by English lines that are infantile or delivered with the enthusiasm of a rock. Passion is an ingredient in many Anime movies and it is one often removed in the English edit-not always (Grave of the Fireflies) but often. As long as you don't listen to the sometimes insultingly bad English dialog this will pan out to be a wonderful movie to watch. Get it! I love it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful animation, not enough storyline, November 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sakura Wars (DVD)

The anime, Sakura Wars, is based off a game for sega saturn (I think, I could be wrong). I've never actually played the game before I bought the anime, so I'm not sure how true the anime stays to the plot of the game.

With that out of the way, I might as well start listing the pros and cons of this anime. Pros: beautiful animation, bright colors, cute characters, light humor sprinkled throughout the 4 episodes. The humor in this anime is not hentai, and there are no hentai scenes whatsoever in this, so if you are a hentai fan, stay away! Cons: IT'S NOT LONG ENOUGH! Four episodes aren't nearly enough for this story. The first two episodes start out slowly, which isn't bad because the information given provides a base for the rest of the episodes. However, right when the enemy of the story is revealed (during the fourth episode), the episodes end! It's a disappointment.... it leaves the viewer craving for more.

Other information to mention: This is an action anime with a cast of mainly girls. If you prefer an anime with guys as the main characters... well, at least give this a chance. There are a few main guy characters, after all, and the Sakura Wars cast is a wonderful mix... the characters grow on you.

I gave this anime 3 stars only because the story is compressed into four episodes. Although the animation is lovely, this could have been so much better than it is.