The Set That Started It All
ONENEO | Buffalo, NY | 05/05/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Believe it or not, The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was the DVD release from BCI that started it all. While it hasn't been said officially, it certainly appears as though the positive reaction of fans of the series led to BCI's continued dedication to bringing each and every single episode of the classic Filmation epic to DVD release.
As I said in my review for the best of She-Ra (also from BCI), 10-best sets are a great idea for many reasons; not only are they typically much more affordable than buying entire series box sets, they are also a great way for a potential fan to discover whether or not that would be interested in the series as a whole. This is especially true in the case of The Best of He-Man as the ten episodes represented (across two discs) are favorites as voted on by fans.
The set breaks down by including the five fan favorites from season 1 on disc 1 and the five best from season 2 on disc 2. The special features are also broken down similarly whereby each disc contains a feature commentary specific to the five episodes included within. These features include commentary by the show's creative staff (writers, directors, artists, animators, and producers).
As far as the content itself is concerned, the 10 episodes included on this set bounce around from some of the very earliest productions and come close to skimming the outer reaches of the second (and final) season.
Included are the following episodes from Season 1:
Evil Seed
Prince Adam No More
Diamond Ray of Disappearance
Teela's Quest
Season 2:
Into the Abyss
Teela's Triumph
To Save Skeletor
The Problem With Power
Origin of the Sorceress
As has become tradition with all of BCI's impressive He-Man and the Masters of the Universe DVD releases (including She-Ra), this collection began the tradition of including a pair of 4x6" art cards, this time by artists Bruce Timm and Adam Hughes.
Many question the value of owning this collection, especially if they own the complete series box sets but BCI wisely spices this set with some documentary bits unavailable elsewhere and the pair of unique art cards. Most importantly, however, is that The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe typically retails for around $15 and does a wonderful job of summarizing the 130 episodes of the series for potential fans."
Definitely worth checking out!
Dennis A. Amith (kndy) | California | 09/04/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Way back in 1983, many of us who watched cartoons grew up with HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. The story about Prince Adam who has a secret which is being the hero known as HE-MAN.
The series focused on the adventures of He-Man as he would go against the enemy hordes led by the evil Skeletor.
The characters for the series were great and with a succesful toyline and a popular spinoff series (She-Ra, He-Man's twin sister) and another animated series which came out nearly a decade later, fans have been waiting for the series to come out on DVD.
With the first season currently out on DVD, I opted for "The Best Of" featuring the top five episodes of season 1 and 2 voted by fans.
It's one thing when you watch an older animated series that has been fully restored but it was even more fulfilling with the 2 new documentary features.
These two documentaries pretty much focus on the show's producer, artists , writers and fans of the series, as they talk about each episode from no. 5 to no. 1 for both season one and two.
What's even more impressive is they actually go into great detail about the episodes which I found fascinating.
Upon watching the episodes, you realize that animation back then (in the U.S.) featured a bit of violence that you really don't see on TV animation these days.
For example, the character of Man-at-War climbing a cliff while being pursuid by Mer-Man's lackey's. Man-at-War uses an exploding device and the lackey's fall down the cliff to their doom and are seen lying on the ground.
The DVD also comes with 2 collectible 4x6 cards by Bruce Timm and Adam Hughes, trivia and fun facts about the creation of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Trailers for upcoming He-Man releases and on DVD-Rom, scripts for the both #1 episodes.
If you enjoyed this series from the past, definitely check out the first season box set.
But if you are low on time and typically too busy to watch a full run of a series, and just want to watch the top five episodes for season 1 and 2 as voted by the fans, you really can't go wrong with this box set. Definitely worth checking out!"