Bucky O' Hare (Box Set) [DVD]

This DVD set contains all 13 episodes of the show, along with a few basic extras, but then after 15 years, who cares if they don't have a lot of extras?

The picture is excellent, as is the sound, neither of which show any signs to indicate their age.

Great entertainment for people who remember the show, great for children of today, and I guarantee by the 13th episode you'll be singing along to the theme song!

The basic synopsis is the classic lone do-gooder (Bucky) versus the megalomanic evil empire (the Toads) plot. Bucky is not alone however, and is assisted by his crew and Willy - a human from our universe.

Bucky O'Hare did borrow many aspects from other examples in this genre, but adapted it beautifully for a younger target audience. The cartoon was developed and expanded from the original graphic novel, which is why it has such inherent style and visual strength.

The characters are instantly appealing and have good variety and depth.

Bucky - The cartoon's namesake captain rabbit. A brave and courageous leader. His blind selflessness and want to help all others often hamper his good intentions, but his leadership and gung-ho attitude bind the crew together to win the day.

Jenny - Psychic cat with magical telepathic powers. Mysterious and operates secret missions whilst the others are away.

Dead Eye - Ex-space pirate duck with the best shot in the galaxy and a calavier ego to boot. My favourite character!

Blinky - A sweet informative android who proves size is no object when compared to intelligence.

Bruiser - Giant baboon with a penchant for stomping toads.

Willy Du Witt - A human from our universe. His adventures in the Aniverse often present a parallel dilemma he has to overcome at school which both have a common solution.

The Toads - Evil, hair-brained, scheming, vicious, cowardly and above all plain funny.

The spaceships are unique in their own right when compared to the generic craft in the genre - only the Enterprise and Millennium Falcon come as close in terms of design.

The Righteous Indignation is the rugged agile dog-fighting frigate.

The Toad croaker makes for a cute and fun run-about a bit like a star wars speeder.

The Double Bubble makes for a unique spin on the Tie-fighter.

The warty Toad Mother Ships look decidedly menacing yet still fallible by that one do-gooder attack ship!

The action, adventure, laughs, and strong plot design really set this cartoon apart from its peers. What really appealed to me as was the wide number of topics for children covered at the same time. Bullying, pollution, the changing climate, commercialism, and diplomacy amongst other themes addressed in each of the episodes.

The only flaw I guess is some of the language which is a little wordy and 'techie' for some but it is very faithful to the comics and doesn't detract from the fun.

I do wonder what extras will be included. A 'making of featurette' may be wishful thinking, but I hope some of the fantastic original artwork is included. Some deleted scenes or alternative endings wouldn't go amiss!

Forget the Star Wars Trilogy this October - Bucky O'Hare is the must have sci-fi space DVD!

Content: All 12 episodes! Which is exactly what the UK has needed for years since some of the videos weren't for sale over here. As for the extras you do get the scripts and character profiles, but that's all. But a lot of this can be put down to the fact that they didn't have much else, commentaries? Well none of the staff have worked on Bucky for 10+ years and so i'm not sure they could add that much really. Artwork? well for the expense it's worth locating people and getting the rights it's not cost effective really. Interviews? documentaries? Well see commentaries for your answer.

But overall, for providing a solid digital collection 9/10

Sound: Well no problem i can hear from viewing the first 5 episodes, everything is clear and concise and that's all that's needed.

Presentation: Nicely done with scrolling shots of all the action, intercut with random snippets of stuff going boom! Plus the good box artwork but i think there's too much reliance on the main music theme though. 8/10.

So overall i think it comes away with a solid 9, but add one point for the sheer courage of the makers at Metrodome who have taken a cartoon series which most people unfortunately have forgotten, and put it out on the marketplace well represented and manufactured without having legions of fans that Futurama and family guy can rely on, just for the few fans that really are thankful for this job just tells you something about the company.

10/10