It’s time again for this week’s DVD Tuesday, where I cover the latest DVD releases that I will be buying this week, and, by extension, that you also need to buy. This week’s theme: animation!
Forget about The Last Samurai…Samurai Jack is the only samurai you need! This television show is brilliant, with lots of Japanese influences on the pacing and storylines. It is unlike any cartoon you have ever seen: There are long periods with no dialog that serve to set the mood, and there are other lightning-quick action sequences with a very cinematic feel. And it is all wrapped up in some of the most beautiful artwork ever to grace the small screen. Visually, it is like a storybook come to life. For around $20 at Amazon, this set is definitely worth getting.
At long last, season 4 of ReBoot arrives on DVD! The structure of Season 4 was a little different than previous seasons; basically, the season was comprised of two movies, Daemon Rising and My Two Bobs. The format works well, and allows the writers to come up with more-epic plotlines. While nothing could match the glorious wonder that is ReBoot Season 3 (which you should pick up on DVD if you haven’t already), Season 4 is a welcome addition to the ReBoot pantheon. Check out Season 3, then settle in and enjoy an evening of Season 4. You’ll thank me.
And because I’m so excited about it, here is the one major release for next week:
I never thought that Invader Zim would be available on DVD. Honestly, I’m amazed that it even aired on television in the first place, much less on Nickelodeon. I have to say that this is the finest animated series ever to air on television, period. Of course, Nickelodeon did their best to kill the show by moving it around a lot, preempting episodes, showing reruns instead of new episodes, and never giving it a chance to gain a mainstream audience. They eventually cancelled it, even though the rabid fan base cried out in anger.
Let me give you a taste of the genius of Invader Zim by providing a plot summary of one of the episodes, Dark Harvest. The main character, Zim, is an alien who is sent to Earth in disguise to infiltrate and eventually subjugate the planet. Posing as an ordinary grade-school student, he is under suspicion by his classmate, Dib. In Dark Harvest, Zim is sent to the school nurse, and realizes that if he is x-rayed, he will be discovered, since his species does not have any internal organs. So he starts stealing organs from other people in the school. He steals one boy’s heart, and replaces it with a little noisemaker that goes “moo.” He steals another person’s brain, and replaces it with a can of soda. And so it goes, with Dib growing more and more suspicious, while Zim grows larger and larger, brimming with organs….
This show may be the most important purchase you make this year. Go out and buy ten copies (Deep Discount DVD has the best price), then send them to all of your friends. Experience the joy of Dark Harvest. Bask in the beauty and elegance of Rise of the Zitboy. Enjoy the hilarity of Bad Bad Rubber Piggy. Gasp at the profundity of A Room with a Moose. Then come back here and thank me profusely. I’ll be waiting.
