This is a limited edition DVD box of the Hottarake no Shima -Haruka to Mahou no Kagami-. English title is "Oblivion Island, Haruka and the Magic Mirror." There is also a limited edition Blu-ray box. I'm guessing most people would opt for the Blu-ray box, but I went with the DVD version. Actually, looking at the Amazon.co.jp statistics, the regular (family) edition DVD is #1, followed by the limited edition Blu-ray box, followed by the standard edition Blu-ray, followed by this box. I like being different, I guess. Limited edition comes with a doll/strap of Cotton, an official map of the Island, and two bonus DVDs. Some of the bonus contents are shared with the Blu-ray box, but not all contents are shared. I'm not going to list out what all are on the bonus discs since the internet would do a better job anyway. I don't own the Blu-ray discs, after all.
I don't want to spoil this for anyone, so I'll mostly talk about the technical aspects. But for the impatient, I can sum it up to, Pixar is better.
First of all, the human world design is half-baked. It's not quite anime-like, and it's not realistic enough. I'd prefer one way or the another. I mean, the comic feel of the people in WALL-E worked for me. In the end, most of the story happens in the Island, so this is actually not a big deal. I have no problems with the Island world design.
The story is original... or so I'm told. However, having watched it a few times already, I feel it's been influenced too much by classic science fiction and action films like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. If I were a positive person, I would see it as a homage, but since it's supposed to be a Japanese original, I'm sticking to my negative side. (I thought that's all I had!)
Characters are mostly likeable, and the story is entertaining. I can see a lot of work went into it, too. (4 years in the making!) Really, I'd love to say that it's the greatest CG animation ever created, but I don't want to be a liar.
Having said all that, I really do like Teo (the main Island character). I don't think I'm biased because he's voiced by Sawashiro Miyuki, either. It's an interesting step for the Japanese animation industry, and I can recommend at least the family edition DVD or the standard edition Blu-ray for their relatively low cost. I'm not sure if I can really recommend the expensive box sets.
Lastly, Haruka is occasionally too... sexy. I mean, her legs... stand out too much. The main staff even acknowledges it in the commentary. I will give them credit for keeping the skirt movement natural, even if it leads to a bit of her underwear showing, because it works for that particular action scene. However, there are other scenes that feel unnecessarily..., you know. I suppose it's a Japanese thing. Heck, I should know. Just so there is no misunderstanding, it's not disturbing or anything. It's just a bit distracting. There is a big difference between disturbing and distracting.
There is an airplane in there. It's probably easier to spot in the Blu-ray version.
