Oh no, the fate of the universe rests solely on the wits and muscles of Japanese teenagers…again. This time around, 100 junior high students are chosen by the Celestial King (who?) to engage in an intergalactic smackdown to ensure that the scheme of things remains intact—until the next anime title, at least. The green haired Ueki is the hero of the fracas, but his personality is borderline vacant and his fighting skills would embarrass the sandbox crowd (why anyone would give him the time of day, let alone entrust him with saving the universe, is—as they say on A&E—a bit of an “unsolved mystery”). Ueki's teacher, Mr. Kobayashi (nicknamed Mr. K. in the annoying English dubbed version on this dual-language disc) seems to think Ueki is something special, but that's clearly a minority opinion. There's plenty of ho-hum hocus-pocus on display in the first four episodes—rated 13-up—compiled here, but tricks such as turning fire into water aren't exactly something to write home about. As a martial arts extravaganza, The Law of Ueki is fairly lame, not to mention one of the least promising new anime franchises to come down the pike in awhile. Not recommended. [Note: The Law of Ueki, Vol. 2 is also available, with Vol. 3 slated for release on Sept. 19, and Vol. 4 debuting on Nov. 21.] Aud: P. (P. Hall)
The Law of Ueki: The Battle Commencement, Vol. 1
(2006) 100 min. DVD: $19.98. Geneon Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. Volume 21, Issue 5
The Law of Ueki: The Battle Commencement, Vol. 1
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