Pumpkin Scissors Volume 1 DVD Review

By sothis Published: September 23, 2007

PACKAGING AND MENU

9 / 10

Out of all of the ADV DVDs I’ve seen, Pumpkin Scissors V1 is one of the top 5 releases in my book for packaging and menu. First of all, the front cover is perfection. A shot of Alice and Randel is overlaid atop a bright orange and black background. As Alice’s clothing is orange and Randel’s is a deep forest green, this contrast is gorgeous in a simple and effective way. The logo is clean and attractive, and the episode title is perfectly located in a small font at the bottom of the image. The spine is just as pleasing, with a small shot of Alice, the white title (with the cute pumpkin and scissors logo), and volume text. The DVD itself has the same pumpkin logo, which made me smile.

The menu is also fantastic. Each scene is composed of a number of file folders with bullets scattered nearby and other items. Simple, effective, and completely usable. Background music accompanies each screen.

There are two items that lowered the score, though; and both involve the back cover. First of all, the design is nothing to write home about. The cover is split vertically by a catch line and the text flows in the opposite direction (you have to turn the DVD to read it). While this text is very readable and catchy (white over a solid orange background), the screenshots on the other half are too colorful and varied to fit well with such a vibrant orange. The overall result is a busy look. Second, the synopsis of the volume, in my opinion, is pretty spoiler-heavy. Specifically, it gives specifics about one of the characters that aren’t revealed until (basically) the final episode on the disc. Even so, they don’t reveal a lot; so even after seeing all four episodes I feel things have been spoiled for me.

FEATURES

1 / 10

This release is void of any special features except a clean opening and closing. It’s unfortunate, as even an information section on the military terms or background in the series would have been fantastic. Political/military-based anime generally are good fodder for that type of a special feature. I’m also a big fan of dub outtakes – why are those never included anymore? At minimum, that sort of a thing could be added to releases that have nothing.

VIDEO

9 / 10

With the exception of a general (but very very mild) grainy look in the occasional solid patch of color, the video quality looks outstanding. Keep in mind I watch DVDs on a 40 inch LCD, so there’ s bound to be minor imperfections that others won’t notice.

AUDIO

8 / 10

The English 5.1 track is perfectly fine. The back channels aren’t used much except for background sounds and sound effects (or things like the crowd yelling from behind the backs of the characters). The dub, as well, is one of ADV’s better attempts. Even secondary characters sound good, and no one sounds scripted or fake. The one exception is Alice’s voice actress, who seems to be trying a little too hard. Her voice goes up and down (often in mid-word) way too much – something that seems to plague new voice actors (or, really, most English voice actors). For example (pardon the poor example), in one scene she says “Guess I don’t have the CHOice but to get you new clOthes” (the capital letters indicate raising the voice).

CONTENT

7 / 10

I have to admit, I’ve been curious about Pumpkin Scissors since its release in Japan. I remember people saying it was almost impossible to make recommendations for, and now I understand why. Though it has Full Metal Alchemist-type undertones (minus the comedy and general awesomeness), it stands alone as being one of the more unique wartime titles I’ve seen – well, in the sense that there are barely any wartime titles.

The world PS takes place in is bleak and hopeless. A war has ended, and pretty much no one is happy. Citizens are being exploited by mercenaries and nobility alike, the army is hated by the populace, and people are starving in the streets. Alice is part of a group known, hilariously enough, as Pumpkin Scissors; their decree is to provide war relief to the masses. Unfortunately, her dedication doesn’t always pay off, as people are untrusting of the military.

In general, I found the first three episodes to be mildly entertaining, but nothing exceptional. Each episode so far has revolved around going to a new town and helping out with a new problem. I think a good amount of character development and introduction first would have been good, though. The one compelling piece is the introduction of Randel, a huge fellow who has more to him than meets to eye. It is him alone, however, that upped my score from a perfectly acceptable 6 to a better 7. Why? Because the more that is revealed about him, the more I come to think he’s flat out awesome. I won’t spoil by going into specifics, but his transformations (and even the creepy lantern he carries around) intrigue me. Due to these new developments, I’d definitely be interested in watching future episodes, and I think you probably will, too.

Story aside, the music is the part of Pumpkin Scissors that stood out the most for me. The intro song, “Aoki Flamme”, is outstanding. Rarely does an intro song catch my attention (notable ones that did include the tracks from Stellvia, Bokurano, and Ergo Proxy), and this song definitely did just that. In-series audio is also amazing, with nonstop tracks that I enjoyed. Animation is also good, though the colors (as if to match the mood of the citizens) are a bit bland and uninteresting. 3D sequences (such as the tanks moving) are thrown in on a regular basis, but the contrast between the normal animation and the 3D is fairly noticeable.

All in all, due to the things that are revealed about Randel and his behavior, I’d say this is a recommended viewing. However, unless you enjoy wartime stories, you might not enjoy this as much. Pumpkin Scissors so far is intriguing enough to continue, though it definitely seems like it will ultimately have a niche target audience.