| Zoids is another one of those kids action
animation shows, big robots, lots of action and very little plot. Or is it?
The robots are there, and they're certainly big. There's a decent amount of
action, but what's most surprising is the lengths gone to with plot
development, or at least it's surprising for the intended market, kids.
Having only seen this disc, and being
number 15th in the first volume, I certainly did get the feeling that I missed
a lot of the back story that had obviously gone on.
The disc only contains 5 episodes, but for
around $10 it's perfect for kids wanting to collect them. The problem with
this disc is that whilst it appears the conflict that goes on throughout the
disc has only just started, it doesn't end on this disc, meaning you will have
to go get the next disc to see what happens. It's especially annoying that
going by the previews of the next disc, the conflict finishes in the first
episode of the next disc.
Speaking of the conflict, it centre's
around the Global Force fighting against an "Evil Madman" named Hillz, who is
in possession of the Death Stinger, an almost indestructible zoid of immense
power, with a charged particle weapon capable of enormous amounts
of damage each shot (I'm guessing those who have followed the show will know
exactly what I'm talking about). None of there Zoids are capable of defeating
the Death Stinger alone, and possibly not even in a force. There only hope is
the Ultrasaurus, an massive zoid, that eclipses everything else. The problem
is that it has never been tested, and as such no-one knows if it will even
work!
There's more than meets the eye (wait,
that's the wrong cartoon...) when it comes to Zoids, just enough more too.
It's aimed at young teenagers, and even those younger than that. Once they get
past about 15 years, they are likely to be more interested in proper Manga,
well that or girls... It's perfect for that audience, but not well suited to
any other group. It's just not a patch on the proper Manga which we know and
love, but it's a good start I guess. A little more plot development (or even a
lot more) would help the series, but essentially the younger audiences are
probably going to love this, just as I loved Samurai Pizza Cats when I was
younger (Don't tell me you didn't too!!!)
The picture is presented in 4x3, which is
perfect for the TV in the bedroom (or your children's TV?). The colours are a
little bit subdued, which is surprising and unfortunate considering how good
animation can look. It's all a bit too dull and lacking in contrast. I'm sure
the problem lies with the source material, but it's still a problem as far as
I'm concerned.
Other than that, the picture is great,
just as animation should be, sharp and detailed. It even has a nice high bit
rate, which just worsens the above problems, it could have looked so much
better.
2.0 channel audio is all you get, but
like the picture it's suited well to the material. The voices are clear, and
don't get overpowered by all the fighting and explosions.
There's not really any extras, all you
get is what is essentially a trailer for the next 5 episodes. It won't really
do anything but make you either want to buy the next collection, or just annoy
you, all depending on what your thoughts of the show are.
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