The cover artwork may say “52 Pokemon Adventures on 5 DVDs!” but there are in fact 6 DVD disks in this collection which makes this even better value for money. All 52 episodes from the Pokemon anime series’ fourth season are present and each episode contains the opening, closing, and commercial bumper footage that aired during their original television broadcast.
Unfortunately, the short musical clips that used to play at the end of the episodes are completely absent but this isn’t necessarily a problem with this specific release. It’s something that’s affected all of the recent Pokemon season sets by VIZ Media. There has been no reason given for their removal but it likely has something to do with making space on the DVDs for all of the episodes to minimise compression and keep costs down. Still, it is a shame they’re not included.
The image quality of the Pokemon anime episodes on these disks are fairly good for a series this old, especially when considering that there has been no digital remastering of any kind performed for this release. The episodes may not be as clean and sharp as modern animated releases but the quality isn’t necessarily bad either and will likely match the quality of the TV broadcast.
Did You Know?
While the Kanto region featured in the first season of the Pokemon anime is based on the real-life Kanto prefecture in Japan (which contains Tokyo), The Johto region was likely inspired by the Kansai prefecture which lies further south of Kanto and features several remarkably similar locations and features. Goldenrod City bears a striking resemblance to Osaka for example, while Olivine City represents Kobe.
As is typical with a DVD release containing this many episodes and selling for such an affordable price, there are no special features at all. It is a shame there are no extras for the hardcore Pokemon fans. It would have been nice to have at least some commercials or trailers for the other Pokemon TV seasons and movies. With a franchise that’s over 20 years old, even small clips have historical significance.
First printings of Pokemon Johto League Champions come within a thin cardboard slipcase. The design on the front and back is practically identical to the plastic DVD cover but with the mention of 5 DVDs removed from the top. Perhaps someone caught the error before the slipcase was printed.
Overall Thoughts on Pokemon Johto League Champions
This re-release of Pokemon Johto League Champions is incredible value for money and a no-brainer purchase for Pokemon fans who grew up in the 90s watching these earlier episodes on TV. There may be no special features to speak of but the episodes are the true star here and it’s great to have them packaged so conveniently in a 6-disk pack that measures the width of a single DVD release. Recommended.
Region 1 DVD Available From: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca
Region 4 DVD Available From: FishPond.com.au
Disclosure: The DVD featured in this review is the Region 1 DVD release by VIZ Media. Alternate releases are available in other regions. A review copy was provided by VIZ Media.
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