Customer Reviews

Voltron - Defender of the Universe - Collection Two

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"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!

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.

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!

Voltron, the mighty robot loved by good, feared by evil returns with the next 15 episodes in the series with Voltron: Defender of the Universe - Collection Three: Green Lion. Picking up where Collection Two left off, Voltron - Collection Three is a 3-disc (375 min.) set featuring digitally remastered Lion Force Season One episodes 31-45. The 3rd of 8 Voltron DVDs planned for release by Media Blasters, Voltron - Collection Three features Full Frame (1.33:1) video, English Dolby 5.1 audio; and comes in a "[Green] Lion's head" special molded tin, confirming the studio's Collection Two announcement that the lion head tins would release in the order in which the lions formed Voltron on the show (Blue, Yellow, Green, Red and Black). Not to mention extras which include an exclusive interview with John Peterson, the man behind the show's memorable music! As with the previous collections, fans will be amazed by all the work put into this continuing set. Keep 'em coming. Here are the episodes contained in this collection, plus a list of extras:

Episodes:
31. "The Sincerest Form of Flattery"
32. "A Transplant for the Blue Lion"
33. "Attack of the Fierce Frogs"
34. "Lotor Traps Pidge"
35. "Doom Boycotts the Space Olympics"
36. "Lotor's Clone"
37. "Lotor's New Hitman"
38. "Raid of the Red Berets"
39. "The Captive Comet"
40. "The Little Prince"
41. "There Will Be A Royal Wedding"
42. "The Sand People"
43. "Voltron Frees the Slaves"
44. "Voltron vs. Voltron"
45. "One Princess To Another"


Special Features:
* New 5.1 Surround Mix
* Interview with rapper Murphy Lee
* 1984 News Reels
* Exclusive Composer Interview
* TV Spots
* Episode synopses with original airdates


Go Voltron!

First of all, my apologies to Amazon...I had this item preordered and then I cancelled my preorder today when I was able to get a copy from a national electronics chain with a price tag for a logo...TWO WEEKS SOONER THAN AMAZON WAS GOING TO GET IT!!

The packaging is great...Just one look at the tin with the head of the blue lion on the front and Princess Allura on the back shows just the surface of what is inside.

The episodes are just about as you remember them, just better looking.

Hardcore fans will notice certain minor things that are different, but they are just minor. One of those items is that the on screen fonts used for scene locations and the end credits are totally different than the original shows...There is a reason for that. If you watch the "making of" DVD feature on disc three, you will see that Media Blasters had to go to Toei Animation in Japan to get a new digital copy of the original animation film since the World Events Productions broadcast copies were to "blurry" to even work with. What this means is that MB recreated each scene frame by frame, matched it up with the audio tracks, and rebuilt each episode practically by hand to give us the best experience ever.

Someone over on the Voltron.com message boards posted side by side comparisons of the new US release and a Aussie DVD release in terms of picture quality, and the US release is hands down the best.

I can't wait for the next volume to come out later this fall as well as the eventual subsequent releases of the rest of the Lion Voltron series, Vehicle Voltron and the Japanese originals of GoLion and Armored Squadron Dairugger XV

If you are a VOLTRON fan, don't wait, get on board now!!

I bought this product because my youngest son loved it when he was a child. So right before he left for his second tour of duty in Iraq, I bought it for him for Christmas.

Even though he is a husband, father, brother, son, soldier, police officer and training Captin for a state prison here, for a moment in time he was the child again. His face lit up and he said my favorite of all times.

I pray he will be home again in time for Christmas. If I can afford it I will be buying more for him. So for all the parents out there who have a son who loved the Voltron cartoon get this and you will see the child once again. I pray for all of our troops over seas.

Sandra Heptinstall

Whispering Winds Book Reviews

Man I have said it once I will say it again; the 1980s was the best time to be a child. We had Voltron, Transformers, GIJOE, M.A.S.K., Thundercats, Battle of the Planets aka G-Force, and many other awsome cartoons. I am glad to see many of my favorite cartoons coming out on DVDs that way I can share it wth my little cousins and my own kids when I have them. Voltron ranks up there with many of the best cartoons of the 1980s and this series is a must for anyone that wants to relive their childhood. GO VOLTRON FORCE!!!

Well Voltron is back! Original Voices, music, animation...and he is totally awesome. First of all let me say Im an 80s child and well, love 70's and 80's Japanese animation (ala Robotech and Mazinger Z). This series look and sound great! Colors and sound come to life like never before! This series was supposedly reconstructed and remastered from the Japanese original series and looks fantastic.

I love this kind of anime and let me say that there has NOT been any good looking TV anime in years here in the U.S. and all the shows are for retards with no plot and ENHANCED (halfazzed) computer help. Voltron is from an era when the real animators were true ARTISTS!I highly recomend this one! I did not even know it came out till I saw it at the store last nite! and wow Im satisfied!
The only drawback on the series (and any other Original Japanese anime) is that some (very few) english speaking parts dont match the animation but is not common here so no biggie. The last CON would be that at least in the origin of Voltron some dialog dont match previous conversations (the only example I noticed was when they trying to find a way to activate Voltron). Again these are minor flaws and hardly noticeable. All in all we waited over 20 years for these great collection...Get IT NOW!
80's children UNITE!!

Voltron was my absolute favorite show when I was growing up. I watched every episode, I collected the toys, and acted out portions of the show in my back yard. To say that I had high expectations for this DVD is an extreme understatement. This begs the question: does Voltron stand up to the test of time and does it measure up to the high expectations of the original fans of the show? Short answer: yes it does.

But there are some aspects of the show that are a bit dated and wear a bit thin. I watched the first few episodes with my roommate. He gave me his unbiased opinion that those episodes, "Suck out loud." I wouldn't put it as harshly as that, but I will say this: the show does take a while to get going. There is a lot of exposition in the first few episodes, so there's a lot of dialogue and not much action. This brings me to the second point where Voltron doesn't quite meet my expectations: the dialoge is much worse than I remember. Of course you have to remember that Voltron is basically a chopped-up edited version of the Japanese show, but still the dialoge is fairly weak and seems to run in circles at times.

But the positives for this show far outweigh the negatives. The action sequences are stunning as ever. Watching it now shows how big of an effect Voltron had on other anime and cartoons in general. Seriously, if you can make it through the exposition in the first few episodes and get to the point where the 5 lions come together to form Voltron, you'll begin to see the magic in this series. I still get the shivers every time I see Voltron form his blazing sword. The strength of this show is the action, and once you hit the 4th or 5th episode, the action really begins to roll.

This collection comes in a great collector's tin and all the packaging and booklets, etc. are just plain great. I haven't found a single thing to complain about as far as the DVD's themselves. There aren't a ton of special features on this set, but the inclusion of the Robot Chicken short was a nice tough. Visually, these episodes look as good as ever. They look better than some of the other cartoons of the day. In all, this is a great show in a great package with a decent set of features. There's really nothing to complain about.

This three-disc box set contains the first fifteen episodes of the Lion Force Voltron series. The first two discs each contain six episodes, while the third disc contains three episodes and the special features.

When I watched this set, I noticed on the second DVD that some of the episodes looked a little fuzzy. This is probably due to the fact that Media Blasters had to use the best masters they could find. While video restoration can clean up some imperfections, it can't completely compensate for a lesser-quality master tape source. However, outside of those episodes on the second disc, the rest of the episodes looked rather decent.

There are five special features included on this set. The first is "Original Pilot: The Voltron Trilogy." This is two different versions of the pilot episode, both of which are different from what ended up being the first episode of Lion Force Voltron. The first version of the pilot is drastically different from the final product. The second version is a lot closer to what ended up becoming the first episode, but there are still some noticeable changes.

There are staff interviews, which help to shed some light on how the dubbing, writing, and production for Voltron was handled. Another feature explains how Media Blasters ended up having to use the original masters from Beast King GoLion in order to put these Voltron sets together. There's also "Robot Chicken: You Got Robo Served," a segment from Robot Chicken that features the Voltron toys.

For fans of Voltron, not only can you get the first fifteen episodes of the Lion Force series on DVD, but you can also gain insight into how the Voltron series came to be. This DVD set should really be in the collection of anyone who is a fan of Voltron.