Product Details

• Actors: Jared Padalecki, Andrew Farrar
• Format: AC-3, Animated, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Japanese (Stereo)
• Subtitles: French, English, Thai, Spanish
• Dubbed: Japanese
• Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: July 26, 2011
• Run Time: 484 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B004VLLWA6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,867 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Supernatural: The Anime Series" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The OAV Supernatural: The Anime Series (2011) is an anime first: an American live-action show reworked as a Japanese animation series. (The original Supernatural debuted in 2005 on the WB, and continues on the CW.) Sam and Dean Winchester are Hunters--licensed officers who tool around the United States in a classic black Chevy Impala, pursuing demons, ghosts, vampires, and other evil spirits. They're also looking for their father, a Hunter who's chasing the evil entity that killed their mother. Almost all the specters strike attractive young women, and the series soon devolves into a damsel-in-distress formula, with Sam and Dean arriving in the nick of time to dispatch the threat with silver bullets, salt, and fire. Some of the episodes are reworked from the original program; others are new story lines for the characters. But too many of them play like a mash-up of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Hardy Boys. Supernatural: The Anime Series recalls old live-action-based Saturday morning shows like The Karate Kid and Fonz and the Happy Days Gang. The designs for the characters are stiff, and the animation remains minimal, with still drawings accompanying voice-over dialogue. Although there are occasional interesting special effects, the series doesn't really make use of the potential that animation offers. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles repeat their roles as Sam and Dean, and appear in tight T-shirts to introduce each episode. (Not rated; suitable for ages 14 and older: graphic violence, violence against women and children, grotesque imagery, animal cruelty, alcohol use, potentially offensive religious imagery) --Charles Solomon

(1. The Alter Ego, 2. Roadkill, 3. Home, 4. Ghost on the Highway, 5. Savage Blood, 6. Till Death Do Us Part, 7. Temptation of the Demon, 8. Everlasting Love, 9. The Spirit of Vegas, 10. Moonlight, 11. Nightmare, 12. Darkness Calling, 13. What Lives in the Lake, 14. Reunion, 15. Devil's Trap, 16. In My Time of Dying, 17. Rising Son, 18. Crossroad, 19. Loser, 20. What Is and What Should Never Be, 21. All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 1, 22. All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2)

Product Description

The otherworldly TV phenomenon that is Supernatural makes history entering another world: as the first-ever live-action television show to be reimagined as an animé series. The internationally acclaimed animation powerhouse Madhouse Studios produces the show with the blessing of original series creator Eric Kripke. With storylines mirroring Supernatural’s first two seasons plus supplemental tales derived from prequels and spinoffs, this 3-Disc, 22-Episode Collection expands the dimensions of the familiar Winchester mythology. Journey down the backroads of America with brothers Sam and Dean as they search for clues to their father’s disappearance, hunt down the supernatural in all its unearthly forms and enter into the unexpected mystery of their destinies – in vibrant, exciting animé.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Hunters on the road June 8, 2011

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

I must confess, I've only seen two episodes of "Supernatural." But when I heard they were making an anime based on the first couple seasons, my interest was piqued -- and the resulting series is a dark, eerie one with golden-eyed demons, splatters of blood, and supernatural mysteries aplenty. The one major downside: at times it feels like you need to have seen the live series to understand what's going on.

Sam and Dean Winchester wander through the U.S., searching for their father and/or supernatural incidents that they can deal with (preferably before anyone gets hurt). Also, they're searching for whatever killed their mother and Sam's first love, Jessica.

Among the things they investigate: a lake monster, a murderous shapeshifter, a girl who may be a werewolf, a troubled young boy with a strange father, a bad luck demon, killer ghosts on a country road, mysterious fires at the old Winchester home, flashbacks to an encounter with "Bloody Mary," the serial-killings of blonde women, an abused boy with a strange power, and others.

But they soon discover that a devil -- a golden-eyed demon -- is following them, and he is linked to Sam and others with similar powers. When they reunite with their estranged father, they discover that there is only one thing that can stop that demon.

"Supernatural: The Anime Series" is a very dark series: lots of blood, graphic violence, and quite frequently the Winchester boys aren't able to save the people who need it most. Even the lighter episodes -- such as the lake monster episode, or the bad-luck-in-Vegas story -- have some dark undertones, and we never forget that the Winchesters are being faced with demonic evil.

It's even animated darkly -- the sleek, realistic animation is painted in bleak greys, dusty reds and browns, with lots of shadows. The color that sticks out the most is a vibrant red, whether it's blood or something blood-colored.

And while this series was made in Japan, the people who produced it really grasped the dusty, wild feel of the western half of the U.S., but weaved in a lot of eerie supernatural happenings that are genuinely scary (like the black-hole eyes on possessed people). The biggest problem is that sometimes I felt like I was missing something because I hadn't watched the live-action series.

A lot of the character development is lavished on Sam, his angst over the loss of Jessica, his burgeoning psychic powers, and his importance to the golden-eyed demon. Comparatively, Dean's character development is mostly that he's a goofy flirt/buttkicking warrior, and that he promised to take care of his baby brother long ago. As for the voice acting, it's a little clumsy in the first episode, but Jared Padalecki and... whoever plays Dean settle nicely into their roles.

I can't compare it very much to the original series, but "Supernatural: The Anime Series" stands pretty well on its own feet. Dark, eerie and beautifully-produced.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad, but Not Essential July 25, 2011

By T. Thompson

Format:DVD

My first ever review, and I'm writing this as if the reader is already familiar with Supernatural, so...

Yeah, I would only recommend the anime series to a diehard SPN fan, someone who wants to collect every significant scrap of lore. The show isn't bad, just not necessary.

The show does have some obvious advantages. They can draw the boys in any locale instead of trying to 'build' it in Vancouver, they can do childhood flashbacks and bring John & Mary into the story as much as they're willing to draw it. And being anime, the action is more graphic, the gore is bloodier and the monsters are far less human in appearance.

The animated episodes based on certain live-action episodes are all written a little differently to keep you guessing, but really they just remind me how much better the live-action episodes were. Even some of the cartoon's original scripts feel like retreads of the live-action series. I think it says something that to me the best episode by far is one that doesn't even feature the brothers: John tracks down another psychic kid and comes face to face with the YED. That episode more than any other left me feeling like I'd learned something new about this family.

The most irritating part by far is the voice work. Jared voices Sam, but Jensen doesn't show up to voice Dean until the final two episodes. The primary voice, Andrew Farrar, isn't bad, but it's a little jarring to hear Jared's voice dialoging with someone who's obviously not Jensen.

If you expect this show to fill in some blanks, or take the brothers' story to places the live-action show didn't or couldn't go, you'll probably be disappointed. However, if you want to see another version of this fandom brought to life because you just love all things Winchester, then maybe you should check this out.

P.S.: Jared & Jensen personally introduce each episode, and there are bonus feature interviews with both them and Kripke.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth adding to your Supernatural collection July 29, 2011

By Joyce Edwards

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a 61 year old fan of the live action Supernatural TV series. Before now, I've never watched anything other than a few bits of anime so I bought this series with a little trepidation. However, it was well worth the money. If you aren't familiar with anime it is similar to watching comic book scenes in a 3D format (very simplistic description). However, this anime was so much more. It is stylized and artistic, with both bold and subtle uses of hard lines, color, and especially shadows. The characters are also fully developed. I haven't watched all of the episodes yet, but the ones that I have seen were very well done, artistic, yet easy to watch, and with very good writing. The episodes based on the live action series do not follow exactly along the same lines, which should keep the fan of the live action series watching and guessing. Each episode is about 30 minutes long. The new episodes seem to be well written, are in keeping with the original series even expanding on some of the characters we are already familiar with, and they also introduce some new monsters. With anime, there is more blood and obvious violence and the monsters are much more pronounced and for lack of a better description, monster-like.

The special features are also well worth watching. I found the two segments on making of the anime to be fascinating. I had expected most of the anime work to be done on the computer but was surprised at how much of the initial scene development was drawn and edited using pencil and paper. Some of the feature interviews are a little hard to follow since you have to read the English subtitles, but I thought it was worth the effort, and occasionally J&J or Eric Kripke will add a comment. There are also extensive interviews (with answers in English, no subtitles) with Eric, Jensen and Jared together, and then each separately. Even with some repetition in those interviews, they were interesting and worth watching. J&J also introduce each episode, but don't expect a lot, each intro is only a few seconds long.

The only disconcerting thing for me was the voice over work. Since Jensen only voiced a couple of episodes (the last two), it is a little weird at first to hear the familar voice of Sam, without the familiar voice of Dean. After watching a couple of episodes though you get used to it.