Customer Reviews

Superbook Volume #1

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Good video/audio quality, none of the episodes appear to be edited, and the menus, while not flashy, present the show well in both English and Spanish.

Ok, that's the boring technical stuff. YAAAAAY!!!! Superbook!!!! on DVD!!!! It is great to have this quirky, Japanese-animated, time-travel, Bible-story show released on DVD. The show often had interesting angles on important Biblical events (did you know a robot from the future tried to stop Eve from committing "original sin"? :) ) while still sticking to the important message.

Apparently they plan to release both seasons, since Volume 2 says "2 of 13," there are 4 eps per disc, 13 * 4 = 52, and each season had 26 episodes...

I'm hoping that either the "last" DVD in each set has special features (though Spanish-language versions are more special than you'd think), or they're going to plan for a deluxe version later on. Either way, this is a must, for families and churches alike...dive into Superbook!

...and I have mixed feelings. I grew up watching Superbook on TV, so it was great to see Chris and Joy getting into Bible adventures again. The animation is pretty good for a show that came out in 1982. And naturally, I'd rather my kids watch something that's teaching them about God than something trashy. There are lots of good moral lessons here.

But at times I cringed watching this show with my kids because:

1. It shows Cain beating on his brother Abel, and then cruelly turning on Chris and smacking him in the face so that he falls to the ground unconscious. My son's jaw dropped and he got the idea that he'd go beat on his sister. My son's pretty impressionable. If your kids copy everything they see then maybe Superbook probably isn't the safest choice.

2. The stories liberally add major subplots that aren't in the Biblical account. For example, in Superbook, Cain is mad at Abel because he was lazy and forgot to water his crops, and then he overwatered the plants, and he blames Abel for it. This leads to the story's lesson about doing your very best. It's a good lesson and one that kids need to learn, but I'm not sure twisting the story of Cain and Abel is the right way to teach that particular lesson. It's not the lesson you'd naturally get from a reading of the Genesis account. Then there's the bit where the serpent uses a mind meld to talk to Eve in the Garden. A small detail, but Biblical purists will question the necessity of making up all this stuff.

3. The way Chris talks to his father is extremely sassy most of the time and the dad is portrayed as a sniveling idiot. In almost every episode Chris and his dad start out as enemies, yelling and bickering. The dad is unreasonable and overbearing, and I understand there are some parents like that in real life. It just would have been nice if the dad wasn't always the bad guy in these shows.

So there you have it. Just be aware of what you're getting into before you blindly purchase these Superbook DVDs. It's great to have some good Bible DVDs for the kids, but maybe the Focus on the Family ones would be safer for your family: McGee and Me, Adventures in Odyssey, etc.

Just as Chris and Joy are transported back in time each episode, I too am taken back to my impressionable youth and realize that a lot of my Biblical framework as an adult was outlined by these very shows.

With two preschoolers and no TV, we watch a lot of DVDs. The Veggies have made a large part of the rotation, but when I got them Superbook Vols 1-3 this Christmas, I'm realizing how important it is to see more literal interpretations of the Bible. The Veggies are incredibly creative and parent-watchable, but rather abstract in their connection to the Bible.

There's obviously a good bit of creative license taken with having two twentieth century kids and a robot involved. Yes, a few stories are a bit off in the details, but getting kids immersed into that world is still a great thing. There could never be a video that you can just set your kids down with and let them soak up without any further clarification. This is true of any subject matter.

I have yet to see a successor in creative effective biblical storytelling. The kids love it and I love sharing it with them!

I'm really glad they decided to release these television episodes on DVD, I only wish they'd start to release the rest of the episodes and make a complete series. My kids love watching them! While they are no replacement for an actual bible and a family worship time, they are great for families that are looking for decent television shows that avoid the godless shows you see on TV today.

Only complaint, there is no babysitter "play all" on the main screen, so someone is going to have to start each individual episode.

Kids love the dvd and their getting to know the stories of the bible at the same time...

My children enjoyed these stories when they were small. Now they are on DVD and I bought them for my grandchildren. They are VERY entertaining, but very clearly give the Bible truth while they travel on their adventures. The Bible is full of exciting adventures and this animated account is great for the children before they learn to read the Bible for themselves.

I have been looking for this show on DVD for a long time, and am very happy it has finally been released. I remember watching this show as a 4 year old and really loved it. The animation really dates the show now, but the plot lines are still good and the accuracy to the Bible is pretty good. I plan on buying all of the rest of them and getting flying house as well. I love that they actually show the full credits for the show with the song and images from "In the beginning." Keep bringing them out! I only wish they were able to fit more episodes per dvd, 4 is kind of skimpy.

I've waited a long time to see these shows again. I grew up watching them and learned much of the bible from them. They have transfered to DVD with good picture and sound quality. I believe children can learn of these great bible stories for years to come from SuperBook.

This may have been initiated by an American company, but it was made for a Japanese audience... I want to see THAT superbook, not the Americanized version, even if both versions are technicaly official. I wish CBN would release an unaltered version of Anime Oyako Gekijo. They'd get a whole new audience for that (the hardcore anime fans who probably started their fandom on Superbook)

I find the lack of the orignal language track to be quite disrespectful to the original.