Gekijoban Pokemon (Pocket Monsters) Pikachu the Movie Box 1998-2002 [Limited Release]

For Pokemon fans, many only are familiar with the english adaptions of the famed Movie series. The first five movies, for example, are love it-hate it experiences, as dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment. The movies have been released in the U.S. in theatres, yes. But on DVD, they were transfered into 4:3 aspect ratio, English-audio only, and sometimes picture-quality issues. Now, there's this Pikachu the Movie Box Set (discontinued since, sadly.) In this deluxe package are the first five Pocket Monsters Movies, unaltered and uncut. They include their 16:9 picture, original audio, and even content missing from their western counterparts. Also included are the first three Pikachu mini-movies, also unaltered. As a bonus, perhaps, the first three features and their shorts include the English audio. On top of all this, the set includes replicas of each film's pamphlet originally handed out in Japanese theatres! Along with it's second box set counterpart (films 6-9), this is the must-have DVD release of the year!

The following refers to the individual discs, not the actual box set contents! Currently, I own all the titles contained in this box set and I'm not satisfied. The video quality of these movies is subpar at best as a DVD is capable of delivering a whole lot more. Some of the discs suffer from interlace artifacts while others exhibit some serious color accuracy/exposure issues. Far from top quality, overall. I am not sure whether this box set contains new film transfers of the movies, however, I would like to inform customers that they may not get what they're expecting. I was very disappointed when I got the individual discs. Also, I suspect the movies are going to be released in High Definition eventually, which will make this box set simply obsolete. The only thing that makes this box set attractive to die-hard Pocket Monsters fans already owning the individual discs is the included bonus material.