Gatchaman Crowds: Complete Series, Seasons 1+2

This near-unrecognizable 2013 reboot of the venerable Gatchaman series from the 1970s (VL-7/14) takes plot cues from social media. Gatchaman—a semi-secret "sentai" team of superheroes that defends against extraterrestrial threats—recruits bubbly high-schooler Hajime into their diverse ranks, although the effervescent girl only wants to be friends with invading aliens, not kill them. Hajime takes the squad out of the shadows and into the light as celebrities. Perennial villain Berg Katze (here resembling The Joker) lands on Earth with an intent to destroy humanity, endowing a well-intentioned female visionary with the ability to spawn "Crowds"—actually avatars come to life—through cell phone users via a social-media app. Supposedly, human nature will compel Crowds to ultimately commit mayhem and destroy all mankind...or something like that (the action and character interactions are fast and frankly confusing). An equally ADD-addled second-season episode cycle was released separately as Gatchaman Crowds: Insight (VL-3/17) and is included here. Compiling all 25 episodes from 2013-15 in a dual-language Blu-ray edition, rated TV-14, this is a strong optional purchase. (C. Cassady)