Product Details

• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Anime Works
• DVD Release Date: December 12, 2006
• Run Time: 375 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000HC2LRG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,551 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Like Robotech, Voltron is a cut-and-paste combination of unrelated series created for American TV. Part of the early wave of "Japanimation" that helped to build an audience for anime in the U.S., Voltron also contributed to the fad for transforming robot toys. The episodes inCollection Three, the "Green Lion" set, originally aired in October and November of 1984. Four young stalwarts from the Galaxy Alliance, Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge, pilot the lion-mecha that link to form the giant robot Voltron; Princess Allura of the planet Arus took over the fifth lion after Sven was wounded in battle. After being missing in action for some time, Sven (who talks like Wally Walrus) reappears in episode 41, but stays on planet Pollux with Princess Romelle as an ally of the Voltron Force. In each episode, Lotor, the son of King Zarkon, and the evil witch Haggar concoct a new scheme to destroy Voltron and seize control of Arus--only to be defeated by Voltron between the last commercial and the closing theme song. Comprised of re-edited footage from Hyakujuo Go-Lion ("Hundred-Beast King Go-Lion") and Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV ("Armored Fleet Dairugger XV"), the episodes have obviously been assembled like mosaics, with extensive dialogue covering the gaps in the visuals. Like Robotech, Voltron has a special place in the hearts of adults who watched it as kids. For younger otaku, it's an example of how far Japanese animation has developed in the intervening years--and how much more sophisticated its audience has become. (Rated 7 and older: violence) --Charles Solomon

Product Description

The evil Prince Lotor of Planet Doom has come to destroy Planet Arus and take Princess Allura to be his slave. The Voltron Force, Keith, Lance, Pidge and Hunk pilot the Black, Red, Green and Yellow Lions to defend the peacful planet. With Princess Allura in the Blue Lion, they form Voltron and destroy Lotor's robeasts. Frusturated, Lotor targets Planet Pollux, and Allura's cousin Romelle. Can Voltron defend two entire planets at once? And what will happen to the Voltron Force after a poisoned blade leads to Princess Allura's funeral?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

115 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DVD Breakdown!, June 27, 2006

By 

Servo (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Voltron - Defender of the Universe - Collection One: Blue Lion (DVD)

"Voltron: Defender of the Universe - Collection One: Blue Lion" (as newly titled by Media Blasters) is a 3-disc set featuring Lion Force Season One episodes 1-15 digitally "re-assembled frame-by-frame from the best available sources (mostly from original Japanese film negatives), and video and audio imperfections wiped clean wherever possible." The set comes in a "[Blue] Lion's head" special molded tin designed to be stackable with subsequent volumes. Described as "quite the set" by Media Blasters, fans who've been longing to own "Voltron" on DVD are sure to be pleased by all the work put into this set and following volumes. Here are how the discs will be configured, plus a list of extras:

Disc 1:
1. "Space Explorers Captured"
2. "Escape to Another Planet"
3. "A Ghost and Four Keys"
4. "The Missing Key"
5. "The Princess Joins Up"
6. "The Right Arm of Voltron"

Disc 2:
7. "The Lion Has New Claws"
8. "The Stolen Lion"
9. "A Pretty Spy"
10. "Secret of the White Lion"
11. "Surrender"
12. "Bad Birthday Party"

Disc 3:
13. "The Witch Gets a Facelift"
14. "Yurak Gets His Pink Slip"
15. "Give Me Your Princess"


Special Features:
*Original Pilot: "The Voltron Trilogy"
*Staff Interviews
*Making of the DVDs
*New 5.1 surround mix
*Insert: Episode Synopses with Original Air Dates


Voltron - Collection One: Blue Lion
September 26th!

Form Blazing Sword!

70 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Planned Releases for Voltron (English + Japan Versions), June 9, 2006

By 

Jason Dodge (Milaca, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voltron - Defender of the Universe - Collection One: Blue Lion (DVD)

In September 2006, Media Blasters, in conjunction with World Events Productions, is releasing Voltron: Defender of the Universe on a series of Special Edition DVD boxed sets. Each set will contain about 15 episodes, all with a newly remastered 5.1 audio (created just for this release) and remastered video.

In addition to original character sketches, TV ads, and news footage, the DVDs will contain new extras created "with help from the original producers and staff." This will reportedly contain never-before-seen interviews that have been previously created over the years, but never made available to the public before.

In 2007, Media Blasters is also planning to release the original uncut Japanese version of Voltron, under the original translation title "Hundred Beast King GoLion" and the Japan-only sequel series under the translated name "Armored Squadron Dairugger XV" on DVD starting next year. They both will be uncut and subtitled - which is perfect for all of the hardcore anime fans out there. We get the original series they way we remembered it, and the way it appered on Japan TV - with subtitles - plus the official 52 episode sequal series to the original Voltron (which never was released outside of Japan in any form).

Originally, "Hyakujuu Ou Golion" ran in Japan for 52 episodes from 1981-82, but when it was released in the USA as Voltron in 1984, the show's popularity was so immense that World Events Productions commissioned Toei Animation (the original creators) to produce 20 more episodes exclusively for the western audience. I really can't say enough positive coments about Voltron, but it had me memorised as a kid. As popular as Transformers and G.I. Joe was, it was still produced by American companies trying to make money by marketing a toy-line with an inexpensively made cartoon program. I love both of those series, but it really was the more maturely-written anime programs that had stories and animation well beyond what was available in the USA at the time. Robotech might be more fondly rememberd on the websites nowadays, but Voltron will always be what started my love affair with Japanese animation -- even though I didn't even really know what "anime" was back then. I hope the diehard fans enjoy this DVD collection I much as I do. I even hear a new toy-line will make some kind of appearance along with the DVD release, and a possible marketing campain from Cartoon Network themselves (who will also show the series in some form). Also, please don't confuse this release with the rather bad CGI-based 26-episode "Voltron: The Third Dimension" (1998) that was only produced in the USA. The failure of this "new" Voltron franchise brought CGI animation studio Netter Digital to bankruptcy. If you never saw it -- it wasn't the worst thing around, but it was probably for the best.

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Voltron's Legend Continues With Collection Two!, October 8, 2006

By 

Servo (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Voltron - Defender of the Universe - Collection Two (DVD)

Picking up where Voltron - Collection One left off with the next 15 episodes in the series (note the continuing disc and episode numbering), "Voltron: Defender of the Universe - Collection Two: Yellow Lion" is a 3-disc (350 min.) set featuring digitally remastered Lion Force Season One episodes 16-30. The set comes in a "[Yellow] Lion's head" special molded tin; features Full Frame (1.33:1) video, English Dolby 5.1 audio; and is the 2nd of 8 "Voltron" DVDs (5 Lion Force, 3 Vehicle Team) planned for release by Media Blasters. Also of fun note is that at the time Collection Two was first announced, Media Blasters confirmed that the Lion head tins would release in the order in which the lions form Voltron in the show: Blue & Yellow [the feet & legs], Green & Red [the arms & body], and Black lion [the head]. As with the previous collection, fans are sure to be pleased by all the work put into this continuing set. Here are how the discs will be configured, plus a list of extras:

Disc 4:
16. "Bridge Over the River Chozzerai"
17. "My Brother Is A Robeast"
18. "Zarkon is Dying"
19. "The Buried Castle"
20. "Pidge's Home Planet"
21. "It'll Be A Cold Day"

Disc 5:
22. "The Deadly Flowers"
23. "It Takes Real Lions"
24. "Raid of the Alien Mice"
25. "Short Run of the Centipede Express"
26. "The Invisible Robeast"
27. "The Green Medusa"

Disc 6:
28. "The Treasure of Planet Tyrus"
29. "Magnetic Attraction"
30. "The Sleeping Princess"


Special Features:
* Buckethead music video, "Viva Voltron!"
* Exclusive Staff interviews on: The Life & The Legend; The Toys
* TV Ads
* International Voltron: Voltron in different languages
* AnimeWorks Trailers
* Newly remastered picture, 5.1 Surround Sound
* Insert: Episode Synopses with Original Air Dates Booklet


Voltron - Collection Two: Yellow Lion
December 12th!

Go Voltron!