Battle Athletes Victory, Vol. 1: Training

Starring:Battle Athletes Victory
Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
Product Type: DVD

Description

Its the University Satellite entrance exams! Akari Kanzaki must beat the competition in order to make it to the Great University Satellite, where all the best athletes train to have a chance to become the next Cosmic Beauty! Fortunately, good friends and constant practice are a sure remedy for bizarre plots and insane athletic competitions! Contains Episodes 1-4.

Customer Reviews:

Very Entertaining!.......2005-10-19

I didn't know exactly what to expect when I picked up this title. I've heard bits and pieces about it from various sources but I didn't have a clear picture of what it would be like. I'm happy to say this is one of the most entertaining series I've had the pleasure to watch in a while. It has a good mix of action and comedy which had me chuckling out loud quite often. The only thing I didn't like was the opening song which was too cheesy for me, but after that it was all great. The animation is decent and the background music for the action scenes were good enough. It's only the beginning but I'm definitely looking forward to what will happen next!

The start to one of the great classics of anime.......2005-01-05

In my opinion this is the greatest series Pioneer Animation ever released in America. In the spirit of Gunbuster (perhaps the greatest creation in the history of GAINAX) the series focuses on one Akari Kanzaki and the trials and tribulations that she must endure on the path to the Cosmo Beauty competition at University Satellite (the equivalent of the olympics for young women only). Don't expect realism. Don't expect kids stuff. DO expect one of the great classics of anime.

The action starts out about as over-the-top as can be imagined (running down shear cliff walls with a a roller-device that looks to weigh a few tons? Biking through a roller-coaster?). The characters seem rather stereotyped and silly. And the whole thing has a generally goofy feel. But just wait till the second disc.

Really this show caught me by surprise when I first checked it out. The beginning and ending of this show are silly and rediculous (to say the least). But the in-between is absolutely incredible. Those stereotypes turn into amazingly fleshed-out charcacters with depth and emotion to spare. The silly action gives way to action fueled by fierce inner stuggle. And the drama REALLY kicks into high gear. Just wait till the second disc.

On a side note, I wouldn't recommend this one to kids (target audience teens). The dub DOES have a whole heck of a lot more swearing than the subtitled track, and it DOES feel a bit out of place. As for the romantic overtones... I too wish they had been dropped completely. That doesn't change the fact that this is a VERY good show, though. And I too can't understand why all the episodes were lumped together and all the previews moved to the end of the disc (except maybe that this was when anime was new to dvd and someone might have felt that the whole thing flowed better if seen as a movie).

Battle Athletes Victory feautres some fo the greatest voice-acting, greatest character drama, and most inspiring stories I have ever seen or heard (and I am a huge anime fan who owns over 80 anime dvds). For serious anime fans it is definitely not to be missed.

You don't need to like sports to enjoy this one.......2003-01-30

I was skeptical about this series because I'm not in the least bit interested in sports shows. However, I soon found that this story has a lot of depth, and focuses on friendship and personal growth rather than sports. Actually, the many strange competitions do not even resemble real sports, so much as provide comic relief during crucial moments.

The comparitively low price of these DVDs make this series a value as well. The only thing I should point out is that there are some noticeable compression artifacts during certain episodes, and that the chapter stops are a bit awkward. Overall though, the quality is pretty high for a series that was released when the DVD format was brand new.

This series should also be appropriate for most kids, as the subject matter is pretty mild. However, I should point out that there is some innuendo between a couple of the girls later in the series (tame enough that most kids might not notice though). Also, some of the cultural stereotyping (meant for the sake of comedy) might require some explanation--being somewhat unusual compared to the typical politically-correct American cartoons.

Surprisingly Good.......2001-10-31

I wasn't expecting much out of this series. It looks like a show for little girls, but some of the cursing means I wouldn't let an 8 year old watch it. There is a lot of depth in this series, especially in later discs. I was actually quite impressed with the subjects the series raised and how the series dealt with these issues. Also, its very funny and the pacing is excellent. I never felt like I was slogging through any sections, even though Akari can get a little annoying in these early episodes.

This series is so underrated and definitely a steal for the DVD price.

The start of a great, yet underrated show.......2001-07-01

I picked up this DVD on a whim, remembering seeing an episode several years. And even though it didn't catch my attention when I first saw it, I decided I might as well watch the first volume. What I found was one of the most original and well-made anime series I had ever watched.

Set around three thousand years in the future, Battle Athletes Victory follows several athletes from earth training to become the coveted Cosmo Beauty, the greatest athlete in the universe. Quite a silly premise at first glance, but when you look deeper you will find much, much more: Excellent character development, a smile on your face (or a tear in your eye) at the end of each episode, and a strong plot of friendship and the will to succeed.

The main focus of Battle Athletes Victory is 15-year-old Akari Kanzaki, the daughter of the most famous Cosmo Beauty ever to hold the title, the late Tomoe Midoh. Akari longs to hold the same title her mother did, but unfortunately it doesn't look as if she inherited the skill from her. She's dead last in all the events, which causes her to be depressed whenever she's not competing, hiding in a cardboard box she marked "Akari House". Other main characters include Akari's best friend, Ichino; Tanya, a young girl from Africa who just wants to have a good time; Jessie Gurtland, a determined blond American who wants to follow in Tomoe Midoh's footsteps herself, and thinks that Akari doesn't deserve to; The tomboyish Russian, Ayla Veferascca who is in direct competition with Jessie; and Wong Ling-Pha, the crazy Chinese girl just thrown in for comic relief.

The first volume focuses more on introducing the secondary characters and developing their personalities rather than Akari's, which is a nice change in pace from most anime series where secondary characters are all but ignored. During all this, Akari pretty much stays depressed, which while keeps her quite one-dimensional for now, allows for some great interaction between her and other characters.

Once I bought this first DVD, I couldn't wait for the other volumes to arrive, and I'm sure you'll feel the same way about it if you just give it a chance.

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