Blast off into interplanetary action-adventure as all 13 episodes from Season 1 of the animated hit Exosquad come to DVD! Under attack by rogue Pirate clans and an artificial humanoid race called the Neosapiens, a heroic group of humans band together to save their homeworlds from evil. Filled with fascinating storylines and stunning animated sequences, it's a thrilling, heart-racing journey into new and exciting worlds!
I consider myself fairly well-versed when it comes to cartoons, yet somehow this one got by me. My interest was piqued by something I hadn't seen before, so I was eager to check it out when the set hit my doorstep. This 2-disc set from Universal includes all 13 episodes from the first season of the series, which ran for 52 episodes:
Disc 1 (2:34:23)
Pirate Scourge (21:39)
Seeds of Deception (22:07)
Hidden Terrors (22:08)
Blitzkrieg (22:08)
Resist! (22:06)
Target: Earth (22:07)
A Traitor Among Us (22:08)
Exosquad premiered in September, 1993, and shows its age a little bit. Most of the show looks pretty good, with decent colors and a crisp picture, but sometimes the clear picture is interrupted by some specks of dust and debris. It's not horrible, but it disturbs an otherwise nice-looking picture. I noticed a couple of scenes that were a bit out of focus; not sure what caused them, but they're few and far between. There's a "play all" option on each disc, and a chapter after the opening of the show (but not after the "previously on" segment).
Audio
There's an English stereo audio track with a ProLogic II mix, but I thought it was very center-channel heavy. I also noticed the audio was a bit quiet, causing me to increase the volume from my normal listening level. There are English subtitles available for the episodes.
I hadn't heard of this show before it was announced, but quite happy to have discovered it. I was surprised by how mature the show was; I expected a bunch of guys running around in funny robotic suits, but that's not the case. The show is riddled with politics and action, results of a previous war, and the ongoing battles of a current one. I was hooked after the first episode, and I appreciated that the story was spread over multiple episodes. Very cool stuff.
Fans of the show may be a bit disappointed there aren't any bonus features, but they'll also be excited that the show is available on DVD.
