Iria Zeiram: The Animation Master Collection

Wow. Did I really write my original review of this anime 12 years ago? A lot has changed since then, but some things never change. I've already bought this anime twice. The first release looks like crud but was the only option for a while. The second release looks better but has some aliasing and smudging that makes it look like you're watching through a layer of petroleum jelly. So how does this release compare? Well I'll talk about that in my revised review, but I think in honor of this amazing anime I'll make a "Special Edition" of my own review. Onward to the action!What happens when an unstoppable bounty hunter fights an unkillable monster? You hold onto your chair.I might be mistaken, but I think this is the holy grail of anime sci-fi action. But what makes for a good sci-fi action show? To me it has always seemed to be a combination of a likable character, excellent fight choreography, a sweet soundtrack, cool weapons, atmosphere, suspense, and action, action, action. Whether set in ancient China ala Forbidden Kingdom and Crouching Tiger, the modern day as in White House Down or Aliens, or the future as in The 5th Element, The Matrix, or the latest Star Wars flick, you need a nice balance of humor to keep it from getting too serious, pacing that keeps you engaged, music and film techniques that build tension, and suspense action sequences that make you laugh with glee at the awesome and unexpected.Iria is a Defining Action AnimeFirst of all, this OVA has some of the slickest presentation I've ever seen in an anime. The opening, the closing, the music, the way the shots are composed...10 out of 10. The animation and artwork are also absolutely top-notch. Looking at the backgrounds in this show made me think of some of the concept art we sometimes see in the opening or closing of a show or film but almost never in the actual show. How to describe the style? It's a bit like the very best art in Outlaw Star, but kicked up a notch or three. Everything has a kind of oriental/Star Wars: A New Hope style to it (from people wearing old battle armor with cloaks over them to cities and transportation that looks like it's made of stuff found in a futuristic junk-yard).As far as characters go, the main one in this show is really likable and mighty cool. Iria wears ceramic body armor and carries more futuristic implements of war than you can shake a light-saber at. And that's in addition to the speeder-type transports that can jump into hyper-space, personal energy shields, and the holographic fighting simulators (and we're just getting started). Cool stuff.The fights in this show are so good you have to see them for yourself to understand why they stand out from the rest of the genre. Some people might get tired of seeing our hero fight the same villain for hours (between various other confrontations and escapes), but personally I love it. The fights just get more and more intense as the story progresses. The creepy indestructible creature called Zeiram simply refuses to die. During her fights with the monster, Iria will do all kinds of martial-arts moves, fire weapons until they run out of ammo and grab another one only to keep blasting, dodging, running, and doing all kinds acrobatics to hold her own with the monster. Very slick.Of course Iria is also an extremely likable person, and as we slowly learn more and more about her and how she came to be a hunter we come to care about her and sympathize with her revenge. Iria may be tough-as-nails, and cool-as-ice, but in the end she's still a girl with a little bit of growing up to do, and she's not out to prove anything or hurt anyone, just to destroy the monster that threatens to kill everyone it comes close to and save her brother. Iria is one of my favorite anime heroes and one of the best female protagonists I can recall from anything.The pacing of this anime is fantastic. It starts out at fast, and the tension just keeps building until by the end of the final episode we just know that either Iria or the monster is going to die. The desperation in the battle is palpable, and the viewer is on the edge of their seat. I love this anime. If you like action, you probably will too. But how, you ask, does this release fair compared to the previous releases?The second release of Iria had surround sound, but I have no idea how it sounded in comparison to the original stereo mix. This new release is just straight-up stereo sound in English and Japanese, and the sound is very clean to my ears. I haven't dove into the Special Features because for whatever reason I didn't find the interviews all that interesting the first-time around. It's the OVA that interests me, and the reason I bought this release was a hope that the picture would be superior to the lackluster transfer in the last two releases.Fortunately this release is quite obviously based off a high definition master used in a Japanese Blu Ray. This release looks like it was animated yesterday. The gorgeous artwork and animation is absolutely crystal clear. Quite frankly it looks like this is a Blu Ray itself. I bought the original DVD release and the second release and yes, this release is most definitely worth the cost for improved picture alone. There's also some new subtitles that I like better than the original. These have less swearing and they seem to be reworked to aid audience understanding rather than erring on the side of literal translation (like the new subtitles on the Blu Ray of The Seven Samurai). Overall I like them better than the 2nd release and MUCH better than the original. If you like lots of swearing in your Japanese translations I suppose the new subs might be a downside to you.In addition, the drab artwork on the case has been replaced with a beautiful slip-cover and a reversible inner cover with some beautiful artwork. Discotek was in charge of this release and it shows. It's the definitive release of this anime by far.My recommendation? If you like action anime and have never seen Iria before, buy this release immediately. If you love Iria and have bought the previous releases, buy it immediately.

From the great hand-drawn anime era, a very unique story I stumbled across. It's hard sci-fi, with a different cultural perspective that creates a truly alien universe. A bounty hunter's sister joins in battle across the stars, where they discover someone's plot to use an uncontrollable entity as a one-man army. She uses all her skills to track down and face the monster known as Zeiram.*Standard format, not widescreen, as was the format of the time period. The opening theme song was a chill surprise. There are a few audio differences between English and Japanese voice actors, but this includes both options, enjoyable either language.Also- bullet proof plants and hovercars.

This is a classic anime, and one of two shows that got me started on what has become a lifelong passion.Iria is a junior bounty hunter, who tags along with her mentor and older brother, Gren, on a dangerous mission in space. Nothing goes as planned and Iria ends up seeking revenge while holding onto hope for her brother. With a powerful company trying to cover up its actions, a complacent government, and an ancient evil from the nether corners of space Iria has her work cut out for her.The one issue I had was with the packaging which was best described as a construction paper ravioli. See the attached pictures.

Good story and fun to watch

A really fun anime that feels forgotten Iknow it's a prequel to a live action film but since its has some inconsistencies I wish it could become it's own universe/series that differs from the movies.

Although short, this series was fantastic. It was a great nostalgia trip and a fun ride all the way though. Iria is a great character, and the supporting cast holds their own as well. The music and additional extras are also a plus. This is a great pick up for anyone looking for a classic anime that's under a lot of people's radar.

Perfect condition, VERY happy about that. Been wanting to get my hands on a physical copy for a while, now I don't need the Prime Video app just to watch this masterpiece!

This was excellent . Everything previous reviewers said was true . It measures up to todays standards so it must have been ground breaking for it's time . Thoroughly enjoyed it . The colours were so vivid . Great purchase . Would recommend this as a valuable addition to your anime collection .

Es grandioso cuando una empresa se interesa en relanzar series que pueden llegar a ser de culto, un buen ejemplo es esta animación, Discotek Media se encargó de hacer un excelente trabajo de remasterización de esta serie que consta de 6 capítulos, relatando la historia de Iria en su etapa de aprendiz y su lucha contra el temible monstruo Zeiram

イリアのアニメでした。中々ストーリーも良く実写も名作ですが、この作品も良い。

Simply a wonderful classic, really fun to watch due to its good story full of action and adventure. Great job from Masakazu Katsura and the project's animation team.

商品パッケージと各ディスクには《リージョン1とNTSC》の印が有るだけなのですが、一般的な国内プレイヤーで再生出来ました（私の再生環境は数年前のSONYの最廉価プレイヤー『BDR-S1200』）。リージョン2も含まれているという事なのでしょう。日本語音声を選択すると英語字幕付きになりますが、本編が始まってからリモコンで字幕を《切》にすると消す事が出来ます（映像特典は日本語＆強制字幕）。Disc1に1～3話。Disc2に4～6話＆色々特典（コメンタリーやノンクレジットOP＆ED等）。雨宮監督の実写版『ゼイラム』のブルーレイボックスが販売され、ゼイラム関係をアレコレ調べていたら、国内版プレイヤーで鑑賞出来るアニメーション版ゼイラム『イリア』を発見しました。マニアックな『ゼイラム』（今ではそこそこ有名ですが）から派生した、更にマニアックなアニメーション版なので、今まで購入する勇気がありませんでしたが、北米版のこのお値段ならば文句無しです。物語としては、実写版の『ゼイラム』の前日譚的なものに当たると思います（イリアが仮免なので）。色々と実写版のネタ（実写版のAIのオリジナルが誰か、虫パック食糧等）が含まれているので、『ゼイラム』ファンならば、コレクション的にも買いと言える一品です。