Review by DM

You will get duplicate figures, but they are great to give as gifts, trade with friends, or save as backups. The 12 figures I got are: 4 Potechi changing clothes 3 Potechi wearing a yellow dress 2 Lunch wearing an apron 1 Lunch changing clothes 1 Lunch wearing a blue swimsuit and holding a yellow ball 1 Lunch wearing a white swimsuit and holding a red ball The figures each came with a pink display base. At first I thought pink was not a good color choice, but it actually looks good now that I have the figures on display.

The nice and clear images of sea creatures on this documentary are filmed in widescreen format. I was pleased that the main feature on this DVD has no narration. It is only scenery and music! The interviews and behind the scenes information have been nicely contained as bonus extras. I am very pleased with this DVD!

The music on this CD is performed with piano, drums, and base. It is a mix of fast and slow paced jazz. To be honest, I am not a big fan of jazz, but I do listen to it occasionally. I bought this CD because the fanciful cover image is the same as a picture I had seen a few years ago in an old cabin on a ranch east of the Cascade Mountains in Washington! I read the credits on this CD cover to finally discover who photographed this mysterious picture from my past! The cardboard sleeve of this CD is not as practical as a plastic jewel case, but it looks elegant and stands nicely as a desktop decoration. The CD was carefully packed in a cloth sleeve for extra protection. The music on this CD is performed very well. I am not an expert on jazz, but I think this CD will please most jazz fans.

Note: Because I am not fluent in the Japanese language, I am not able to critique the content of the Japanese lyrics. This album is energetic but still has some nice calm moments. Track 2 and 6 are my favorites! Occasionally the music on this album soars to a similar style as the music of Cusco (another of my favorite music groups). The two studio recordings on the DVD are performed very well. Overall, I am very pleased with the entire album!

I very much like these cute figures of Shiori and Saori! They actually have quite a bit of detail. I think they are beautiful works of art. The figures come nicely painted. Please note: My review is about the figures only! I have never played the Hajimete no Orusuban video game, but I have seen some images from the game. Judging by what I saw, I do not like the game because it does not respect marriage and the true love of soul-mates. It is wrong to treat Shiori and Saori as nothing more than lewd pets! I like romance but not lust. I thought about giving the figures a much lower score in my review because of my disappointment after researching the game, but I decided to judge the figures apart from the game.

This is a single episode prequel to the Seikai no Monsho (Crest of the Stars) series. The episode on this DVD is mainly about Lafiel's parents and the birth of Lafiel. The episode also tells a little of the history of the Abh. I like the funny cover image of young Lafiel with a big grin! I have this episode as a bonus episode on an American release of the Seikai no Senki 2 (Banner of the Stars 2) series, but I think this individual episode DVD about Lafiel's birth is a nice keepsake. This DVD also contains a miniature gallery of three images.

This is a nice medley of compositions by the Alfee and various classical composers. Sometimes energetic and sometimes tranquil, this is a fine album!

This is a relaxing and elegant album with orchestral arrangements of compositions by Katsuhisa Hattori and various other composers. Mr. Hattori and the Tokyo Pops Orchestra are a good combination much like John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra.

I enjoy Cusco's music very much! Most of Cusco's early albums are rare in the USA, so it is nice to have a compilation album dedicated to some of their early works. While some of their more recent music portrays the superstitious side of cultures too innocently (in my opinion), this album is nature themed and contains none of the potential controversies of cultural themes. For those who are not familiar with Cusco: they are a German music group with strong South American influences. Their name comes from the ancient capitol of Peru. Most, if not all, of Cusco's music is instrumental (no lyrics). Their music explores the beauty of nature and the many civilizations founded by our ancestors. Cusco usually performs their own compositions but has occasionally performed traditional or classical music by other composers.

The music on this album is full of adventure, mystery, and awe. I think the theme for a princess who loves insects (track 4) is cute. I am very pleased with this album!

The music is very adventurous, romantic, and mysterious. Joe Hisaishi is a very good composer! I am very pleased with this album.

Note: Because I am not fluent in the Japanese language, I am not able to critique the content of the Japanese lyrics. This album is fabulous! I am very pleased! There are a few lyrics, but much of the album is instrumental only. There are many medleys of music by the Alfee and various classical composers. The medleys blend well but are distinct enough to allow the original compositions to be recognized. This album is both powerful and soothing. I am thoroughly pleased!

Note: Because I am not fluent in the Japanese language, I am not able to critique the content of the Japanese lyrics. I do not have any major complaints about this DVD concert. This is a nice concert! I was introduced to the Alfee by the anime series "Figure 17", so the song "Boy" is very nostalgic to me. Most of the songs of this concert are Alfee originals, but some of the songs were written by others. I try to view "When you wish upon a star" as a poetic way of expressing high hopes and dreams rather than literally praying to a sphere of hydrogen and helium plasma. "The cruel war" is a sad but important reminder of those who have loved ones in war torn regions of the world. "On the Border" is one of my favorite Alfee songs and makes me feel hopeful that grief will someday be overcome by peace. The performance on "Long way to freedom" is a fun way to end this Christmas eve concert.

Technical information: The audio is in English. There is an option for Japanese or English subtitles. The movie is presented in its original widescreen format. The story: I have seen this movie many times over many years. I enjoy the science fiction elements of this movie. Sometimes it almost feels like a documentary, which is a plus in my opinion. The romantic elements of this movie never impressed me though. The love plot of this story seemed too hasty and shallow. Robby is a very likeable character much like R2-D2 and C-3PO on Star Wars. The eerie electronic tonalities by Louis and Bebe Barron work very well as a soundtrack!

Note: Because I am not fluent in the Japanese language, I am not able to critique the content of the Japanese lyrics. The CD of this limited edition only has 3 tracks, while the regular edition has 4 tracks. The only reason I bought this limited edition album is for the DVD, which contains a music video of the title track. I enjoyed the DVD but the album would have been much better if the CD contained all of the songs from the regular edition!

I found most of the music on this album to be gentle yet emotionally charged. It has a nostalgic and loving feel to it. I am very pleased with this soundtrack!

Note: Because I am not fluent in the Japanese language, I am not able to critique the content of the Japanese lyrics. My main complaint is that the first third of this concert has too many boisterous songs! Fortunately, the rest of the concert is fairly balanced and has some excellent songs and performances! The Alfee's crew and backup musicians did a very good job! The Alfee's sense of humor at this concert is very amusing!

Note: Because I am not fluent in the Japanese language, I am not able to critique the content of the Japanese lyrics. I am very pleased with the selection of songs on this collection! There are a nice variety of musical styles on each disc. The bonus track ("Last Stage") on disc 3 is a nice ending song for this 30th anniversary collection.

Note: Because I am not fluent in the Japanese language, I am not able to critique the content of the Japanese lyrics. Overall I found this to be a satisfying concert from beginning to end. Any complaints I have about this concert are minor compared to my compliments. The Alfee's crew and backup musicians did very well! Much work went into making this concert beautiful both audibly and visually. "Last Stage" was a superb choice as an ending song. While there are some songs about bad things in this world, the majority of the concert has a fun, humorous, and pleasant atmosphere of love, justice, and peace.

I am very pleased with this double Metroid soundtrack collection! These soundtracks are very adventurous, eerie, relaxing, and wonderful! Disc 1: Metroid Prime Soundtrack The music is very atmospheric. Sometimes it sounds more like sound effects than music. It is very engaging, but I think the musical compositions are not as detailed and dynamic as the Metroid Fusion soundtrack. The sound quality is very good! Disc 2: Metroid Fusion Soundtrack Because this music (except track 1) was made for a GBA cartridge the sound quality is not as lush as the Metroid Prime soundtrack, however, the compositional strength of the music is very strong! This is a very nice soundtrack!