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It's still an awesome anime, even with the technical errors, uneven writing, and okay extras.

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Blue Submarine No. 6

Special Edition

Review by Matthew Anderson

5 Episode OVA series

Company: Bandai ent

Running Time: 150 minutes (4 episodes)

Region: 1

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, partial nudity and Adult situations)

EXTERNAL EXAM

In the near future, a scientist named Zorndyke has melted the polar ice caps, causing worldwide flooding. He has created an army of half human, half aquatic mutants to wage war on the survivors.

The Blues fleet, originally a peacekeeping force, has been fighting Zorndyke, with little success. The need for skilled pilots and submariners is crucial. With out them, there is little hope the United Nations can enact their last ditch plan to stop Zorndyke.

Hayami is a freelance salvager based in Tokyo Bay. Before he is to ship out, Lieutenant Kino of the Blues Fleet pays him a visit. She tells him that Captain Iga of Blue Sub 6 wants him to pilot the Grampus (a combat mini-sub). He refuses, citing that there is nothing left in the world to save.

When the Zorndyke forces attack Tokyo Bay, Hayami decides to join up with the Blue fleet once again. This decision will not only affect him, but could determine the destiny of the whole world!

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: Watching Blue Sub 6 on DVD is the only way to watch it. No matter how good it looked on VHS or Laser Disc, the DVD is light years ahead. There are no technical errors to be found. The colors are solid, with no bleeding. You can make out even the tiniest detail, no matter what size of TV you have.

AUDIO: The English 2.0, it is very well done. The voices, music, and special effects are blended well, and while sound travels from left to right, there isn’t a lot of subtlety coming from the rear speakers.

The Japanese 5.1 is a lot louder than the 2.0, and, for the most part, is very well done. The soundstage gets a good workout, with the voices coming from the center speaker, the music from the sides, and the SFX from the back. There are times where the music overpowers the dialogue, but with so much going on, you get used to it.

There is a major problem with the 5.1 track on episode 1. It seems that Bandai has failed to correct the sound drops that plagued the individual release. During the combat sequences, whenever an explosion happens, the sound will drop real low. Then, it starts to rise up, just in time for the next explosion, where it drops again. Wanting to make sure it wasn’t my Apex 2001, I tried volume one in a Pioneer DV-525, Samsung DVD-V3500 and my Dell Dementia computer with built in DVD-ROM and Dolby Digital Sound. The sound dropped on every single device. Why other reviews fail to mention this error is a mystery.

EDITS: Japanese text on the opening and closing were replaced with English on some episodes. No edits to individual episodes were noted.

EXTRAS: There are no extras on the first three DVD's. The extras on Episode four consist of an interview with director Maeda and a 1-3 episode recap, presumably used on the Toonami broadcast of Blue Sub 6.

The extras disc is a mixed bag. While some of the segments are interesting, other feels like they are there to “pad” the disc.

First up is Blue Submarine No. 6 Digital Plus. Originally a separate DVD release in Japan, this feature concentrates on the Blue Sub 6: Antarctica Playstaton game released in Japan. Majority of this 40-minute feature consists of interviews with the game designers, the director, and music group “The Thrill”, with some new character and mechanical designs thrown in. They also included the new animated sequences used in the game. While they look great, there is not a lot of action, and it’s mostly just inane plot advancement. The only action sequence is “Terrifying Cuttlefish”, and it is over before it really gets going.

Next is the Digital Files. These are static text and pictures that cover the history of blue sub 6, weapons and crews of both Zorndyke and Blues forces, some articles and picture gallery.

They also threw in the Toonami trailers, and Bandai Blue Sub 6 trailers.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: The screenplay by Hiroshi Yamaguchi is a by the numbers action yarn. You have a reluctant hero, an over-eager partner, stoic captain, and strange creatures all fighting a battle that will determine the future of both races. What makes this series interesting isn't the story (and it certainly isn't the dialogue), it's the animation and the acting.

ACTING: The Japanese actors are top notch. Hozumi Goda gives a perfect reading as the troubled and bitter Hayami. Yukana Nogami plays Kino just like a pissed off cupie doll should. It's annoying with out being irritating.

The entire Japanese cast is fantastic. Through them, we feel the raw emotions each of the characters have.

The English cast on the other hand didn't impress me much. This is strange, considering that it was Costal Carolina that did the dub. I found the voices were not quite right for the characters. The acting was a little flat at times, and I really didn't feel their emotions. I'm sad to say that Pam Weidner is totally wrong for Kino. Her voice is just too cute for the seething mess that is Kino.

FAN SERVICE: Well, if you are into looking at the tiny breasts of mermaid girls, then Blue Sub 6 is your anime. If not, well....the ships are cool!

FINAL EXAM

In the 1960’s, manga author Satoru Ozawa created a story about a crew of Japanese submariners who manned the most powerful submarine in the United Nations fleet. The sub was called Blue 6, and while it was moderately successful, no one knew that 30 years later it would become one of the most popular anime of all time.

Fledgling company Gonzo had found success in digital animation for video games. Deciding to ply their trade in the very traditional world of anime, they chose to bring Blue Sub 6 to life. Thanks to the talents of director Mahiro Maeda, mechanical designs by Shoji Kawamori (Macross Plus), writer Hiroshi Yamaguchi, and musical group “The Thrill”, this series became a major event on both sides of the Pacific. It proved so popular, that a re-release of the manga soon followed.

While a break through in CG aided animation, the writing leaves something to be desired. The story is nothing that we haven't seen before. The tone of the series is very uneven. In the first two episodes, action was the name of the game. In episode three, things slowed waaaay down. I was bored off my ass thanks to a pretty un-important philosophical discussion about the war. It really sets a poor tone for the final battle, which also gets bogged down in more philosophical discussions. While there is some action, it takes a back seat to the true meaning of humanity. A rather disappointing ending to a series that started with a bang.

While the writing didn't "thrill" me, the directing sure did. Mahiro Maeda knows how do animate kick ass battle scenes. The first episode alone is worth the price of the set. "Blues" has no less than four no holds bared fights in it's 30 minute run time. Even when the series slows down, Maeda's visuals will help keep your interest. There is a reason he was chosen for "The Animatrix", and you can see it in Blue Sub 6.

Another thing that thrilled me was "The Thrill". Their music is awesome. You wouldn't think a jazz/rock fusion soundtrack would work with a serious movie like this, but it does. The energy or intensity of their music helps convey the emotion of the scene. The ending theme "Mina Soko Ni Nemure" is fantastic thanks to their smooth groves, and the sultry vocals of songstress Yukarie. This is one soundtrack you need to get.

When Bandai came on the DVD scene in the US, they released Blue Sub 6 in four volumes at $19.95 each. It was pretty hard to buy thanks to the audio dropouts on volume one, the 30 minute run time per disc, and lack of extras. When Bandai released the Special Edition, we wondered if this would be any better. Well, yes and no.

In spite of the repackaging, the presentation of the series is exactly the same as the original release. The lack of extras, the audio drop out in episode 1, it's all there. The video is top notch, but there is no remastering of any of the audio tracks.

The "extras disc" really didn't "thrill" me. Most of the extra materials were related to the "Blue Sub 6: Antarctica" game, and not the OVA. I was really disappointed with the game cut scenes. If they were not going to have lots of cool action scenes, why bother to do them?

Conspicuously missing are the original Japanese promos for this series. Don't get me wrong, I love the "Cartoon Network" promos. The Japanese ones were pretty cool, and showcased the awesome work of "The Thrill".

If you already spent $80 on the original series, don't waste your money on the "Blue Sub 6 Special Edition". It's the same damn thing, and the extras disc isn't worth it. If you were like me, and waited, then by all means pick it up. It's still an awesome anime, even with the technical errors, uneven writing, and okay extras. Just remember to "hold your breath"!

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