Search - Geneshaft - Ring (Vol. 1) on DVD

Don't judge a DVD by it's cover

Pieter Bezuidenhout | South Africa | 10/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first thing that I noticed about this DVD is the box art. Although not bad, it does not do justice to the excellent level of animation, both CG and hand drawn. The art on the box of the fourth volume, named Mobius, will give you a better idea about the actual art quality. It is simply amazing. The CG and traditional animation blends together seamlessly, much like Full Metal Panic but unlike Blue Submarine No. 6. The music score lends itself well to the mood of the story. The story itself is set in the 23rd century. Humans have gone to the next step of evolution through the use of genetic manipulation. The male-female ratio is 1-9. This is to control the male aggressiveness that can not totally and reliably be manipulated. Each male in power also has a female Register that logs his activities and can possibly intervene if his actions are seen as unfit. Lord Sneak soon proves why this is necessary. Our main protagonist is Mika. She is a hot headed and impulsive second lieutenant whose gene type is still white. This means that her abilities and talents are still unknown, unlike everybody else whose abilities are indicated by their gene type, which is of a certain color after age ten. Yet at age sixteen, Mika's abilities are still unknown. What could this mean? Will she surpass the perfect Lady Mir whose gene type is Royal Blue? Lady Mir does appear to have the superior talent of the two and this leads to conflict. Mika is also in conflict with the captain of the Bilkis. Let's not forget the premise of the story. The giant ring. Who are the aliens that sent it? What are their intentions?The extras include character sketches and an explanation of terms used."