Episodes:
28-31
Length:
100 Minutes
Features:
English and Japanese Language, Subtitles,
Scene Access
Extras:
Linear Notes, Outtakes, Creditless Ending,
Original Epilouge, Trailers
Rated:
13+
Luckily,
Shadow of the Wolf lives up to the hype
fans of Rurouni Kenshin have given the
series. This volume starts off the famous
Kyoto Arc, and includes what many call
one of the best animated fights in the
series, Kenshin vs. Saitou. Like
always, Media Blasters delivers a great
Rurouni Kenshin DVD.
Like
previous volumes, audio and video are
great for episodes aired nearly five
years ago in Japan. The Japanese track
is at the same level of quality as the
English track. The video is very good.
In episodes twenty-nine and thirty,
half of the episodes take place in a
rather dark scenario. It's good to see
that everything was visible during the
entire time.
Besides
the starting of an arc with this seventh
volume, Media Blasters have also started
using different menus for their Rurouni
Kenshin DVDs. The DVD opens up with
Kenshin charging for Saitou and letting
a battlecry. Immediately afterwards,
the logo, now titled Rurouni Kenshin:
Legend of Kyoto, rather than Wandering
Samurai, pops up. To bring up the main
menu, Kenshin and Saitou vertically
slash past each other. Both scenes were
taken from episode thirty.
The main
menu has changed from previous volumes.
It's still easy to navigate, but now
there's an image in the center of the
menu instead of on the side. Submenus
have that Japanese scroll type of look
to it. For the main menu, the choice
of music is "Destiny's Wheels -
Prolouge to Kyoto". For the setup,
"Fallen Angel - Grey Angel"
is played in the background, while "Departure
(Master Mix)" is heard in the extras.
All other menus remain silent.
There
are a few good extras in the Shadow
of the Wolf DVD. Linear notes are always
a good read, especially this edition
of them. It explains more in-depth of
who exactly Toshimichi Okubo is and
gives some information on other various
events. The outtakes are back yet again,
(the guy who plays Okubo's dubbed voice
really messes up a lot), and it's good
to see a creditless ending for "Heart
of Sword". As for the original
epilouge, it's just the Japanese text
of the epilouge at the end of episode
thirty.
+ Video
+ Audio
+ Creditless Ending
+ Linear Notes
- Constant Mispronounciation of Shishio
by English Voice Actors
Grade:
A-
Images:
Menu, Scene
Access, Set-Up,
Extras,
Linear Notes
