*** Note: This DVD is completely uncut! Not one second of the movie is missing ***
The Packaging:
First impressions of any dvd begin with the cover and I have to say, I quite like it. Its minimalist in its design, its not overloaded with flashy colours and too many annoying "quotes". The front cover is predominantly greyscale with red, a cropped version of the class photo and the BR logo. The X's over the faces of Kuninobu, Kanai and Kotohiki are a bit much though. That could have been done without. The back cover has a silver finish, with some nice promo pics and a brief description of the plot. So far, I'm pleased with the disc. I take it out of the case, pop it in the drawer of my dvd player, cross my fingers and hope for the best...

The Video:
The Toei logo hits the screen and immediately I'm disappointed by the print. From the outset, we get a very dark and in places scratchy picture. It also suffers from gate-judder, with cigarette burns present during the reel-changes. The colours can a bit look too saturated aswell. This is definitely not in the same league as the Japanese NTSC transfer. However, it is a perfectly acceptable way of viewing BR, so don't let it put you off buying it. I'll give Tartan credit for presenting us with a 1.85:1 anamorphic print (which wasn't present on the Universe release). At least that's a plus!

For a comparison of the VCD, Japanese R2 DVD and Tartan R0 DVD, Click here

Compare the following screencaps with scans from the Japanese DVD:

The Audio:
Japanese 2.0 Surround
2.0 is the only audio choice you're going to get on the disc. Its a little clunky and echoes in parts. For some reason also, theres some fuzzy sound present throughout the movie.

The Subtitles:
Burnt-In subs... tragic. But they are much easier to read than the ones present in Tartans release of "Ring" or even "Audition". English subs are the only ones present.

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