Saber Marionette J has always been a controversial subject among anime fans. Many love the adventures of Otaru and the marionettes, while many others hate it just as much. Critics often malign the series due to its large amount of 'filler' episodes that, if removed, could reduce the series to a mere thirteen episodes. Of course, the series is praised just the same because of its moving story that defines the essence of what it means to be truly human. After stellar sales on the VHS format, Bandai has finally brought this fun and unique series to DVD in three collections, with collection one containing the first nine episodes over two discs.

Saber Marionette J is the heartwarming tale of Otaru Mamiya and his three "saber marionettes". However, the story begins much earlier, when an accident forces six males to the planet of Terra II after an interstellar accident. Because there are no females, the males apparently resort to cloning to procreate, making a planet of males. Flash forward three hundred years. Otaru Mamiya is a simple fish salesman who makes his living "the man's way", or by his own hands, while many others enlist the aid of emotionless female androids, known as marionettes. After an incident involving Otaru's "friend" Hanagata, Otaru is swept away to the Japoness pioneer museum where he stumbles upon a hidden room. In the hidden room, Otaru finds a strange capsule, where he finds Lime: a mysterious marionette that acts like a real human. From that moment on, Otaru's and Lime's lives are forever changed as they are charged with the salvation of Japoness and the rest of Terra II.

Contentwise, the first collection is very composed, and contains none of the infamous "filler episodes." This collection is entirely composed of the first story arc, which has little room for filler content. Actually, the only "filler" episode on the discs holds a purpose, and introduces yet another character into the cast. The storyline is very well-done, moving from plot point to plot point smoothly and with excellent execution. Many of the common complaints are nonexistent as Otaru begins to learn of his true destiny. On the whole, the content is well-handled and enjoyable to watch.

Lime-chan's mixture of genki and kawaii boils over from time to time.	Kawaii mascots always attract the wrong kinds of attention.

The folks at Bandai deserve much praise for their work on the visual authoring of the first collection. Although there is slight color bleed from time to time, it is not noticeable, especially when viewed on the whole with the rest of the scene. The discs suffer from a slight case of pixellation, but most of this is contained to the very few scenes in which the night sky acts as a backdrop. The discs do not suffer from the always-feared "rainbows" that tend to plague lesser quality discs. There are no jagged lines, which is a definite advantage, as it helps to retain the show's warmer "feel". The colors are vibrant, but never to the point where they start to bleed, nor does the display ever look washed out. Also, there are no layer change problems at all, since Bandai was wise enough not to place an episode on the median point. Grain is almost nonexistent, as is video delay (there is a slight halt between episodes, but that is more of a nitpick than anything). Overall, the staff at Bandai have given another fine visual offering that is worthy of their high standard of quality.

For the review, this writer listened to the three audio tracks available. On the technical side, the discs are of fine quality. The audio was clear for two of the tracks, though the Spanish track sounded slightly muffled. None of the tracks exhibited dropouts or distortion, which can hinder the enjoyment of a disc greatly. The direction on the disc is very nice, using both channels effectively to help the setting. In regards to acting, the level of quality is a very mixed bag. The Japanese audio is simply stellar however, casting legends of the booth Megumi Hayashibara as Lime, Yuri Shiratori as Cherry, and and Yuka Imai as Otaru, as well as many other stellar seiyuu. The acting is very natural, and sounds more like an actual conversation, rather than just a group of people reading from a script. The characters onscreen are not just the names behind them, rather they are the personas that the actors have taken. Lime is indeed Lime, and nobody else. The quality takes a step down on the Spanish audio, although it is still quite enjoyable, and one of the better Spanish dubs on the market. The audio hits rock bottom, however, on the English track. Quite honestly, the English track is one of the lowest points in Bandai's dubbing career. The actors all sound quite forced, and it is obvious that they are reading from a script. Instead of coming off as cute, sad, or even funny, the English track simply seems obnoxious, making this author long for the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard rather than have to listen to the English track once again.

Bandai indeed went the extra mile in presenting this collection. The cover art consists of a lovely picture of Lime, who is striking a pose in front of an integrated circuit-esque background. The back cover is slightly more appealing, with a description of the storyline and the extras on the disc. This back cover takes a yellowish hue, featuring pictures of Lime, Otaru, and the other marionettes. The menus are very nice, looking like a maiden circuit. navigation from menu to menu is quick, intercut with short pieces of animation. Unfortunately, there is a small glitch that can hinder most DVD players. On the second disc, the "setup" menu locks up on most makes of DVD players, forcing the user to restart the disc. This is easily remedied by using the remote to select the language and subtitle rather than the menu. It is not a crippling issue, although it is quite bothersome.

The extras on this disc are interesting, if minimal. The disc offers four options in terms of extras: Trailers, Character Databank, Credits, and Music Video. The music video is the best of them all, though, with the song Successful Mission playing along with clips from the show that feature the marionette, Lime. VJ Lord Richard deserves quite a bit of praise for such excellent work on such a high-quality video. The character database is pretty much what one would expect: a gallery on three of the main characters. The mini-bios themselves are very good, though, offering both the characters' physical statistics and a brief insight to the characters themselves, while keeping the section interesting with screencaps for each slide. And onto the final option, the Trailers section is a collecton of trailers for several Bandai productions including Outlaw Star, Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, and Angel Links. Even though there isn't much as far as extras go, Bandai fortunately seems to think quality over quantity in this category.

Saber Marionette J is a wonderful series that is only helped by its release in affordable, high-quality mini-collections. The only regret that one may have for the series may be that Bandai decided to dub the entire run using what must be the most inexperienced actors heard on an English track. Other than that minor qualm, everything is excellent. Bandai has brought yet another winner over to this side of the pond with Saber Marionette J, an enchanting series that will uplift any anime fan's spirits on that proverbial rainy day.

Distributor: Bandai
Creator: Sunrise
Released: 1996

Video Quality: B+
Audio Quality: B
Presentation: B+
Content: A
Overall: B+