Blue Seed - Prelude to Sacrifice (Vol. 3)

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The battle against the Aragami (plant-monsters) intensifies, as does the romance between Momiji (the 15-year-old Princess Kushinada) and her dashing protector Kusanagi. The increasingly powerful Aragami attacks are inspired by the reborn god Susano-Oh, who is being raised by Murakomo and Kaede, Momiji's twin sister (who died in the first episode). The adventures and romance are played against an overt ecological message--large numbers of trees are dying, indicating that the islands of Japan are suffering. But the message is wrapped in right-wing rhetoric that recalls the ultraconservative cabal in Gasaraki, rather than the pleas for ecological sanity in the films of Miyazaki: contemporary Japanese culture is damned as "barren," "dead," and "cannibalistic." But fans of Blue Seed are probably watching for the fantastic designs of the Aragami and magical-girl romance, rather than the political messages or Shinto references. Suggested for ages 12 and up: violence, minor profanity, brief nudity, and violence against women. --Charles Solomon

Description

Beset on all sides by the monstrous Aragami of Japanese legend, the TAC finds itself on the defensive. And, as attacks gain in both frequency and intensity, the public is becoming increasingly aware that all is not right. However, the members of the TAC have gained a powerful new ally in Sakura Yamazaki, a most unusual Shinto Princess from America. She's bold, brash and supremely confident, but will her presence be enough to turn the tide of battle? Especially since a new soldier has appeared on the third side of the battle as well, an addition whose identity will throw the TAC into a confusion that just may be fatal. Don't miss the third exciting collection of Blue Seed: Prelude to Sacrifice!

Customer Reviews:

A Change in Mood.......2003-04-08

Gradually, as these six episodes progress, the silliness of the first two DVDs fades. After all, Susano-oh has been reborn, and is being used to create a heaven on earth for the monster Arigami. Getting rid of humanity at the same time, of course. Kaede, Momiji's twin sister is no longer missing, but the original Kushinada is no longer on the side of the angels. In fact, she is now Susano-oh's surrogate mother.

All this turmoil has sweeping effects on the TAC team, as plant life seems to go insane throughout Japan, first trees seem to be dying, and then there is a sudden wave of cherry blossom blooms. Momiji has fallen in love with Kusanagi in a big way, but she seems preternaturally incapable of getting him to notice her as something other than a tool to control the Arigami. Kusanagi's is distracted by Kaede's reappearance, as well as his inability to stop the plans of Murakomo.

This sounds a bit more confusing than it actually is. The plot has been fractured for so long that it is something of a shock to have to change gears. But, with humanity's future and the Kushinada's life in the balance, the writers have begun to prune out the distractions. In addition, Japanese legends begin to play more of a part, giving the story some roots. Do not expect any great transformation of approach, but now the story is beginning to meet its original expectations. Although Momiji remains a klutz no matter how serious the narrative.

Whether this change is soon enough remains to be seen. Character development is still like pulling teeth. Of all the characters, Sakura Yamazaki (the self-centered spiritualist) receives the most introspective attention. Momiji lacks the dignity to be a truly tragic or dramatic figure, and gradually, the TAC team has been reduced to being bystanders, as inexplicable events multiply and only sheer luck or Kusanagi keep the world from ending prematurely.

The story remains entertaining, and the development of a serious thread promises a strong ending. As I noted in the beginning, us folks in the United States are privileged to see anime of a very high level. The truth is the 'The Blue Seed' is not bad at all; it simply falls far short of 'Evangelion' or 'Escaflowne.' But pulp fiction certainly has its place in literature, and 'The Blue Seed' fills this role admirably.

Omake, Omake, YAY!!!.......2002-06-12

This is an absoletely wonderful series!! I got into it when I first saw it on the Action channel a few months ago, it got promoted to my 2nd favorite anime!! Of course, like other moonies out there, my all time favorite anime is Sailor Moon. That brings Blue seed to my second. The most important highlights of this movie, are the Omake theaters. They are sometimes serious < > and downright hilarious < >. But, this movie is getting the viewer prepared for the 4th volume, Nightfall. (And, Momiji FINALLY proclaims her love to Kusinagi) I totally recommend this series to any serious Anime fan. I also know that most of the stars from Neon Genises Evangelion are in this < >. But, no matter, BUY THIS MOVIE!!!

Great Value!.......2002-05-09

Any fan of the Blue Series should definately get the DVD over the VHS. This volume contains the episodes 15-20 and includes both the Japanese w/ subtitle and English Dubbed versions of the show! Considering single episodes on VHS are the same price, you just can't do wrong with the Blue Seed DVD.

Blue Seed - Prelude to Sacrifice.......2002-02-16

This review is not only about the last DVD release in the series, but also as a review of the entire series. I have never really been into Anime like most people, but this one caught my attention. Blue Seed is about a young girl who finds out that her humdrum life is not all it seems. Taking its cues from japanese mythology as well as other world religions, the story involves the coming of the auragami, a race of spirits who exist in the form of a 'blue seed', or mitama, and must possess a host in order to Take over Japan and the world. The only known way to stop them is to sacriface a female virgin from the Kushinada family. It turns out that, like all living things, certain energies are released that put the auragami to sleep. Momiji, age 15, must be sacrificed in order to save the world.
Luckily she has friends that want to find an alternative to killing a young girl. The fight for the world begins when the auragami try to kill Momiji while keeping her safely inside a Ceramic field, thus removing any threat to their existance. A team of scientists and military types known as the TAC Rescue Momiji, but not before An auragami nearly kills the girl outside the field. Without giving away too many details, Momiji winds up with a BLUE SEED implanted on her chest! Nuff sed.

I now have the entire series on DVD. It can be had on four discs, 26 episodes, With both english and japanese languages, as well as spanish! The clarity of the DVD format really shows here, not because the original material is so good, but because you can see the grain in the film, which in a strange way adds to the overall look of the series. The discs also include the now infamous "Omake Theatres", little humorous 'outtakes' if you will, some racy and some downright side splitting.

Another thing to mention about this series is the english voice acting. In the past, I have often hated the english dubbing of any movie, and in the first few episodes of Blue Seed the acting is at times not very good. But as the series goes on, it improves dramatically, and by the time I got to the last two discs I found that I prefered it over the original japanese. By the time you reach the last episode, the emotional quality of the dubbing is just dead on right, and at times you thing that maybe the series was made with english in mind.

This is the only Anime that I have ever cared enough about to own. As a total package of dvds, this cant be missed.

5 Omake theatres!!!!!!!!!!.......2001-10-05

Fans of Blue Seed will not be disapointed by this DVD. The action heats up and the story is coming together very nicely.
One of the highlights to buying this is that there are 5 omake theaters. For those of you that have never seen one before ,I suggest that you watch them in order and laugh your arse off, one in particular I think is hilarious,(jong jong majong)
Well here are some quick points to ponder, Anybody who is a fan of Evangelion will (or should) notice that there are ALOT of the same voice actors from Evangelion, Tiffany Grant, Spike Spencer, etc. Also I happened to notice that Mr. Perfect soul himself, Mara Kumo, looks and sounds alot like this guy from Sailor Moon named Nephlite, coincidence? I think not.....

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