Product Details

• Actors: Alaina Burnett, Tomokazu Seki, Richard Newman, Nicole Oliver, Andrew Francis
• Directors: Shôji Kawamori
• Format: Anamorphic, Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0), Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Bandai
• DVD Release Date: December 3, 2002
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006LPAW
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #102,805 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
As this hokey adventure continues, Arjuna needs to be "cleansed" to develop her untapped powers. She travels to the mountains with Tokio and meets an old man who preaches a clichéd philosophy of ecologically wholesome living--while smoking. Under his tutelage, Arjuna sees visions of agribusiness and how food has become tainted with pesticides, preservatives, etc. Back in the city, Tokio eats a fast-food hamburger and is stricken with a mysterious illness linked to the Raaja demons. In a singularly tasteless sequence, Arjuna battles the monsters inside Tokio's intestines. After he recovers, she gets more lessons in fortune-cookie philosophy from their sullen math teacher. When Arjuna has to save Chris from yet another Raaja, Tokio, who has been more than patient, grows angry and confused--and so may the viewer. The visuals are marred by numerous electronic artifacts and glitches. (Rated 13 and older: violence, nudity, grotesque imagery, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Environmental Science Fiction Takes a Step Beyond, February 17, 2003

By	Robert Clay (Richmond, VA, United States) - See all my reviews

In the Arjuna universe, the creatures known as the Raaja have an unearthly, translucent quality and seem to be "poisonous" to touch, reminiscent of the beasts in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Also similar to the Final Fantasy movie, the concept of the Earth Spirit permeates the Arjuna series and Juna is forced to examine her motivations for fighting the Raaja. Are they part of the Earth or an enemy to be eliminated? The cryptic directions of her mentor Chris and the S.E.E.D. agency do not offer clear answers, but only create new questions. Juna must discover meaning herself as she develops in her role as the "Avatar of Time."

Juna experiences the epiphanies of a city girl suddenly immersed in the wildlife of the Japan Alps. The typical elements of a Buddhist belief system are easily identified, as she confronts the need to unlearn the categories of good and evil while cultivating an attunement with nature. The music of Yoko Kanno provides an ethereal acoustic backdrop for Juna's explorations and interweaves the unique rhythmic style found in the Cowboy Bebop sessions.

Overt environmental themes are forced at times and do not always flow from scene to scene. Detailed explanations of modern crop production, including the destructive impact of fertilizers and pesticides abound. The technique of blending actual film footage of farm machinery and pollution is also typical. These vignettes are combined with quoted environmental statistics, giving the story a directed message about man's sloth as it relates to the mass production of food. References to popular fast foods also appear, including a close-up of the pink, fatty insides of a "Meriken Burger," promptly followed by a montage of emaciated cattle, steroid capsules and automated meat presses. Even a popular Japanese health drink "Appare Genki" does not fare better and the virtues of pure organic farming are solidly promoted.

In spite of the forced aspect of some of the plot threads, the characters make the story enjoyable and unique. Juna is a very likeable "girl next door" and reacts understandably to the exotic new realm in which she lives. Tokio Oshima, Juna's devoted boyfriend, often plays the role of skeptic, but works hard to deepen their relationship and accept Juna's new identity. Juna's romance with Tokio is strained by her agonizing visions of the Earth's destruction. Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she must balance a wildly fantastic, mystical role with the everyday struggles of a modern teen.

Juna's interactions with Chris twist her environment further as only she and Chris can directly see the Raaja without specialized equipment. Cindy, the sarcastic and precocious interpreter of Chris, would certainly meet J.D. Salinger's approval and reveals a little more about her past before S.E.E.D.

The character drawings are realistically proportioned and are believable. Vivid computer animation effects are also utilized, producing some innovative layered texture effects and also the Raaja animation. Overall, Arjuna - Journey (Volume 2) is a solid anime that contains enough artistic detail, character development and exotic content to interest the majority of Western anime viewers. Those who enjoy Escaflowne and Evangelion should not miss this release!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visually and musically breathtaking anime with a plot!, April 30, 2003

By	paper tears (Aurora, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arjuna - Rebirth (Vol. 1) (DVD)

First, "Arjuna" was created by Shoji Kawamori of "Escaflowne" and "Macross" fame. This series is definitely on par with those two masterpieces. Animation, character designs, voices (even the dub), music (two words: Yoko Kanno!) and story are all as amazing as Kawamori's other work, but that is where the comparison ends for the most part. Further, Arjuna's story is unique, with a intricate, yet not convuluted depth rare in anime. In short, it makes you really think about the subject matter it explores. Rather than just throwing out abstract ideals, Arjuna really examines a less common point-of-view about nature, as well as human nature. Finally, the perspective is offered from a 15-year-old girl as she searches for her identity and faces a lot of very normal stuff along with the supernatural, magical-girl adventure.

I recommend this series for fans of Kawamori, those who love beautiful animation, those who like great character relationship development or anyone who wants to really stop and think about the man vs. nature conflict. Its not a stereotypical shoujo, magical-girl, mushy plot at all, in fact, its a refreshing mix of top-notch animation and music with introspection. The DVD release is well done with nice extras and very good A/V. The soundtrack is a typical Kanno masterpiece too!

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Avatar of Time, August 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Arjuna - Rebirth (Vol. 1) (DVD)

It starts out with this ordinary highschool archery student named Juna, and her boyfriend Tokio. At the start of the movie, Juna is feeling bumed that she didn't do well in the archery contest, buckling under pressure. Her boyfriend decides to cheer her up, and wishes to take her to "a real coast," to see the sunset.
What is meant by "a real coast" is due to the fact, that where they live, the ocean water is so unhealthy and dirty. So Tokio takes her on his bike to the ocean. But this is where things take a turn for the worst. The bike hits some distortion in the road, and Juna is flung off the bike and begins fighting for her life.
She sees herself dying on a hospital bed, and her boyfriend praying that she lives.
It it at this point she recieves a vision, where she becomes the sole witness to the destruction of earth, and everything on it, by this evil life form called the Rajah. It is here that Juna is given a second chance at life, under the condition that she becomes the Avatar of Time, and wields the powers of the Earth.