SUMMARY
In the distant future,
human beings have reached the pinnacle of genetic perfection. At the USSN Antarctica
School, a group of high school girls compete for the title of "Cosmo Beauty".
Coming from all over the world, they are the only hope for the Earth in the
great competition.
One student is Akari, daughter of one of the most famous Cosmo Beauties. Unfortunately,
Akari doesn't seem likely to follow in her famous mother's foot steps. Stupid,
klutzy, and annoying to everyone , even her roommate Itchino is two steps from
killing her. Rivals Jessie and Ayla don't give her the time of day and the entire
school thinks Akari is a joke.
However, you can't judge a book by its cover. Is Akari the biggest failure in
the history of USSN or is she a true Cosmo Beauty? It is a race is on and Akari's
biggest competition will be with herself!
DVD VISION TEST
VIDEO: Video from Pioneer is always
well done. So it was a surprise when we noticed some wrinkles and some digital
garbage on some of the episodes. You only really notice it if you get close
up.
You also notice some scratches and spots from the source print as well, but
they really don't detract much from the overall picture.
AUDIO: The audio on both versions is decent with some surround sound elements.
Most of the dialogue is center speaker based, with music and sound effects from
the sides.
EDITS: Each episode has had the episode title replaced. The opening and closing
use the clean versions.
EXTRAS: What extras? There are none.
WIDESCREEN REVIEW
STORY: The story is a
different take on the "Awkward High School Girl" story that has existed in Japan
for years. With a large staff of writers, some episodes have a different feel
than others. Still, there is plenty of comedy, and characterizations are done
well enough.
ACTING: Pretty good on both sides. I much prefer the English actors. Their voices
are not as annoying as most of the high pitched Japanese actors. Ai Orasaka
(Ryoko of Tenchi Muyo) has the best voice of all the females in this series
as the super sexy nurse.
FAN SERVICE: Plenty of the girls in tights leotards and some decent panty shots.
If your expecting a lot of shower scenes, you may be disappointed.
CONCLUSION
Battle Athletes Victory has been a fan favorite for a long time.
I didn't know why until I put this disc in the player. While not original, this
is one series that will work it's way into your heart and a steady rotation
in your DVD player.
The story of Akari is told in hundreds of sports manga and anime that fill the
shelves in Japanese stores. The future setting is just window dressing. What
draws you in is the extreme level of competition. Hundreds of girls running
with giant steamroller wheels, each trying to kill and not be killed as the
race progresses. In the middle of this battle for supremacy, we're introduced
to Akari. Annoying at first, you find yourself starting to root for Akari and,
as the series progresses, even liking her!.
The series is helped by nice character designs and the futuristic settings.
In the hands of another company, this would have seemed contrived or strained,
but with Aic it works. A lot of people like to play "spot the design" and many
a Tenchi/El Hazard fan will find a somewhat familiar characters. However, don't
let this distract you. This is much more interesting than say "Arc The Lad".
While I am not a big fan of sports anime, I did find Battle Athletes Victory
entertaining. With the decent acting, good video, and a cast that grows on you,
this is decent entertainment for a day when all that's on ESPN is golf.
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