Cyborg 009: Uncut and Unedited

Wasting no time jumping into a mystery, Cyborg 009 opens with a half-Japanese, half-American young man known only as 009 awakening in a strange laboratory, with a) no awareness of how he got there, but b) suddenly possessing super-strength, super-speed, the ability to breathe underwater, and--oh yeah--invincibility. Told by a disembodied voice to run, 009 does precisely that, and meets--over the eight episodes in this collection--eight other similarly gifted cyborgs of different nationalities. Unfortunately, their maker, the Black Ghost Organization, is trying to destroy them, and the cyborgs must find out why and take control of their destiny. An exciting series with echoes of X-Men, suitable for 13-up (the series is also available in U.S. broadcast versions on edited discs, Cyborg 009: The Battle Begins and Cyborg 009: Good vs. Evil, priced at $24.95 each), Cyborg 009: Uncut and Unedited boasts strong animation and a compelling, if a little dark, storyline. Including both English dubbed and Japanese w/English subtitles versions, this collection--presented in anamorphic widescreen--is recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)