DVD Corner

Shin Chan Season 3 Part 2 and Fruits Basket- The Complete Series DVD Reviews

“Shin Chan” season 3 part 2 is even better than season 3 part 1.

“Fruits Basket” is a unique anime series.

Shin Chan Season 3 Part 2:

Do you want to see 13 more adventures with Shin (and his family) as well as Shin’s friends, classmates, and teachers? Well, you’re in luck. In the season 3 part 2 DVD set, you can expect to see stories involving: Shin and Georgie’s friendship, a TV studio tour, Flamer building a fire army, Shin’s grandpa, Bitzi, Pandas, baby Shin (and other character flashbacks), an alien spaceship, an outing with Shin and his father and grandpa, a safety assembly for kids and parents, bunnies, the Principal, bath time, swimming, shopping, the Inferno Olympics, Hiro on a job trip, a snow day, neighborhood watch, birds, Shin walking a dog, donuts, a farming contest, Shin wanting to be an astronaut, vibrating chairs, Shin lost an amusement park, and a Kappa.

For those fans who were underwhelmed by season 3 part 1, I think it’s safe to say that you will enjoy season 3 part 2. These 13 episodes have everything that makes “Shin Chan” such a hilarious show. Pop culture references about Bruce Springsteen, “Grizzly Man,” Christian Bale’s “Batman” voice, and “Glee”? Check. Goofy sex, poop and fart jokes? Check. Characters from the past returning in episode(s)? Check. More narrator hilarity including an actual cameo by the narrator in an episode? Check.

Aside from the things I mentioned above, what really makes this set shine are some truly classic episodes. My personal favorites include the gut-busting flashbacks to a baby Shin Chan and a bath time episode that had me laughing nearly non-stop. No matter what age he is, Shin always seems to be able to make you laugh with random phrases and clever, but dumb one-liners.

Summary: “Shin Chan” season 3 part 2 is well worth owning. Hopefully, a season 4 is on the horizon.

Video/Audio:

As with past DVD releases, don’t expect high quality animation here. It’s very basic looking animation and that’s part of the charm of the show.

The English Dolby Digital track is a winner. This is hands down one of the best (if not the best) English dub around because the voice actors and actresses make the show their own essentially.

The only extras are trailers for “Sgt. Frog,” “Baka And Test,” “Shin Chan Season 3 Parts 1 and 2,” “Bamboo Blade,” “Strike Witches,” “Kenichi,” “One Piece,” “Negima!?,” “Dragon Ball Z,” “Dance In The Vampire Bund,” and Funimation.com.

Fruits Basket- The Complete Series:

The plot: After Tohru’s parents pass away, she decides to live on her own in a tent. She meets Yuki and Shigure and soon discovers that they can turn into a rat and dog respectively after being hugged by a member of the opposite sex. She then learns that they come from the Sohma family whose 13 members can transform into Chinese Zodiac animals. Throughout the course of the 26 episode series, we learn more about the history of the Sohma family as well as the family members such as Kagura (who can turn into a boar)  Momiji (rabbit), Hatori (dragon), Hatsuharu (ox), Ayame (snake), Kisa (tiger), Hiro (sheep), Ritsu (monkey), and Akito (the head of the family). Other plots in the show involve Tohru’s friends Arisa and Saki. School cultural festival, New Year’s Day celebration, a hot springs trip (a common plot for anime), family quarrels, Yuki fan club, illness and Kyo’s curse.

Throughout my time of reviewing anime series, I have seen a lot of shows that resemble one another. “Fruits Basket” is not one of those shows. This is a sincere, unique, fast paced anime that delicately balances goofy sight gag comedy and deep drama (mainly involving Tohru’s parents and Ritsu’s depression). It’s the type of series that actually has something to say about real world themes like kindness, acceptance, selflessness, behavior, memories, courage and love. All of these are wonderfully presented through the eyes of Tohru who is the audience’s window into the life of the Sohma family.

The only real downside to the series is the story involving Kyo. I don’t want to get into spoilers because his story plays heavily into the end of the show, but it felt a bit out of place to me tonally.  However, it’s really just a minor complaint in the overall show.

Summary: If you’re looking for an anime series that offers more than mindless action and T&A, check out “Fruits Basket”.

Video/Audio:

The fullscreen picture quality looks decent considering the series is 10 years old.

The set contains English and Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks. The  English dub is better than average. The show has a different vibe to it with the Japanese track, but it’s still a great track regardless.

Extras:
* Trailers for “Baka And Test,” “Chobits,” “RideBack,” “Sgt. Frog,” “Black Butler,” “One Piece,” “Hetalia Axis Powers,” “Soul Eater,” “Spice And Wolf,” “Ouran High School Host Club,” “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” and Funimation.com.
* Textless opening and closing songs.
* A booklet containing character profiles and making of information.
* Voice actress Yu Horie hosts 2 featurette on eye-catches and ka-ching wipes throughout the episodes.
* Illustration picture gallery.
* English dub outtakes, auditions, and an English version of the closing theme.
* An interview of sorts with the English voice director as well as the voice actors and actresses. This is far better than the usual pointless commentaries.
* Interview with “Fruits Basket” director Akitaroh Daichi. He talks about English dubs, fans, the Manga, etc.
* A behind-the-scenes featurette that essentially sells and describes the series and gives viewers a look at the various work being done in studios.
* Fruits Basket Room #1-3- Sit down chats between voice actress Yui Horie and guests Aya Hisakawa, Tomokazu Seki, and Ryotaro Okiayu (who also voice characters).

* Episode 24 commentary with the English dub crew. Skip it.

January 4, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Fruits Basket- The Complete Series DVD Review, Funimation, Shin Chan Season 3 Part 2 DVD Review