Search - Desert Punk, Vol. 1 - Into the Desert on DVD

Fan-Service and Fowl Mouths

Antonio D. Paolucci | Beaver Falls, PA | 03/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Desert Punk is one of those anime that just really isn't needed, but is hilarious nonetheless. Filled with plenty of over-the-top fan-service (the kind meant to draw laughs more than to titillate) and a very liberal translation from Japanese to English, it takes ridiculousness to new levels. Besides simple hilarity, though, it has some great moments of action and a unique style of animation, hinting at classical but keeping with the more modern standards.

The story follows a young bounty hunter known as the Desert Punk--or Kanta--as he sifts through The Great Kanto Desert in the attempt to find his bounty. Though the world is destroyed (like in a lot of anime) Desert Punk is perfectly suited to the harsh weather as he wears plenty of special gear and carries with him enough weaponry to start a war. But what he isn't prepared for is the occasionally beautiful woman, and he will often dive into things he would normally leave alone all in an attempt to impress the ladies. In this volume, he meets two such women, as well as a couple of skilled bounty hunters out to claim the prize of Desert Punk.

Now for the DVD. Funimation is the king of special features, as they don't just settle for text-less openings and closings (though in this case, this is actually a good special feature since the opening and closing are funny and informative). This DVD contains the original Japanese extras, as well as a few American produced extra features including cast auditions, character profiles, and an edited version of Desert Punk that's actually kind of funny. Beyond that, the limited edition version has a camo hat for those of you interested in anime memorabilia.

Because the fan-service in this series can be a bit extreme at times, and the language goes just to the fringe of the "f" word without saying it, I can't really recommend this to a younger audience. But if you enjoy anime like New Cutey Honey, Mezzo, or Golden Boy, then Desert Punk is definitely something you might want to check out. Also, if you're a GONZO collector, then I'd recommend Desert Punk to you as well."

Fun, hilarious, and irreverent

Edward Swing | Laurel, MD USA | 06/01/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Desert Punk has a style which is somewhat unique, both visually and audially. The visual style fits the desert environment and the bleakness well. Weapons are realistic, and there are enough harsh sunlight scenes to make you feel like you're in the desert too.

The characters are fun too. The Desert Punk is an adolescent boy who has earned his rep as Demon of the Desert, but is easily distracted by beautiful women. Junko, the siren with massive bounciness, provides both fan-service and a distraction/rivalry for the Punk. Then there's Rain Spider, an ominous debt-collector. Each character is a fun character without being too stereotypical.

The audio tracks were hilarious. Since most characters didn't have visible lips, it allowed the voice actors to be more liberal in their translations. The English-dubbing crew must have had a blast, particularly Desert Punk's actor. Listen to his lines while distracted by Junko, and you'll bust a gut too. Just don't let kids watch this one.

The extras on the disc are also good. They include voice-actor auditions, a making-of short about the live-action title sequence, and even a short segment from Mr. Stain.

There were a few drawbacks on the disk, though not with the story. The first one is apparent as soon as you start up the disk - previews that you cannot skip or fast-forward through. The voice actor auditions were a nice touch, but it would have been nice to see something aside from the logo for the entire set of auditions.

Overall, a good disk, and a lot of fun."

This is awesome and should be given a chance

A. Chapdelaine | california | 03/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i bought this dvd only seeing a trailer for it on my samurai 7 collection. let me tell you it was well worth the risk and the dollar. this is a very dark comedy style of anime. it stars a young hero (in a sense) forging his way through life in a desolate desert. his only companion is his trusty shotgun and bag of tricks. don't be fooled though he also encounters other forms of life that spark his lustful interests and his undying thirst for money. i will say this about the desert punk he is quite perverted so if you don't like anime with bouncing breasts every 5 minutes this probably isn't for you. there's also a big piece of the description of desert punk that i'm leaving out but that's for you to find out. it's very suprising. i highly recommend this for any adult anime collector."

No regret from Gonzo production

L. K. Lam | 03/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is really funny. Well, it might seem foul in the language and behavior sometimes. However, I do not find it offensive. Besides the action, gun firing, jumping and fighting, it tells us something really insidious. The background is actually quite horrifying. I cannot imagine the great Kanto desert is a future representative image of the nowadays Tokyo and the nearby cities. The story does not actually says the deserted land is our Tokyo, etc at present. But it gives me an impression of such...People fight consistently in obtaining the goods and money. Because I have not watched the series to the end so I cannot affirm what kind of thought which is hidden in this anime. Surely, I will keep watching to the end of it."