Unboxing [US]: FREEDOM - Complete Series: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)

A long time ago I acquired the UK release that Manga UK put out, and it turned out to be a inferior version compared to the Beez/Bandai Visual/Honneamise/Japanese release.

Now I have finally acquired the Bandai Visual/Honneamise release, an English translated replica of the Japanese release. Let's see what it has to offer.

FREEDOM, also known as the Freedom Project, is a 2006 original video animation series from studio Sunrise, director Shuhei Morita, character designer Katsuhiro Otomo, and published by Bandai Visual. The anime span across seven episodes and is essentially part of a promotional campaign by Nissin Cup Noodles to celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2006. Regardless the anime is pretty solid and it even features theme songs sung by Utada Hikaru (whom many would know for Evangelion and Kingdom Hearts).

So as I mentioned back in May 2013, I bought the UK Collector's Edition release of the series that was released by Manga Entertainment UK. The set was a simple Blu-ray & DVD combo pack with a couple artcards and a slipcover. The issues surrounding the release included weaker video quality, out-of-sync subtitles, having to manually switch subs on for the prologue episode when starting with the dub (as the prologue wasn't dubbed), and overall it was a poor authoring mess which back then was fairly common for the distributor.

Fast-forward to December 2017, I finally acquired the Bandai Visual/Honneamise release of the series. This set is technically out of print but the distributor printed so many units that there are a fair amount left lounging around on the internet. As mentioned above (again), the release is a replica of the Japanese Blu-ray Disc Box. What I mean is that the packaging and disc contents are identical, with the sole difference being the added English translation for both the info wrap-around sheet surrounding the box and the booklet, similarly to the Gunbuster vs Diebuster: Aim for the Top! GATTAI!! boxset also released by the same distributor.

The limited edition set contains all seven episodes, the prologue and a ton of bonus extra content spread across four Blu-ray discs in four different Blu-ray-sized cases, all inside a cardboard box with a slipcover box. Also included is a manga booklet which is translated in English and has both the Japanese & French languages on the side of each page. The discs are entirely region free and audio-wise features both English, French & Japanese with English & French subtitles. The subtitles are unlockable as well. The reason it offers French support is because of the partnership Bandai Visual had with Beez Entertainment which at the time supported both the UK & France for anime, which also explains the BBFC PG logo on the discs.

Just an added note, the Prologue was never dubbed however the discs are set up so that English dub viewers will have subtitles displayed during the segment, which is handy as the Manga UK release never offered this.

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages: Japanese, English, French

Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 [Japanese, English, French]

Video: 1080p HD Native 16:9

Region: A B C

Subtitles: English, French [For Japanese audio & Song/Signs]

Subtitles Locked: No

Discs: 4

Plot Synopsis (via Back cover):

In the 23rd Century, mankind has fled earth and emigrated to the moon. The last outpost of civilization is the Lunar Republic of Eden, where the omnipresent Citizens Administration Council grants residents everything they need... except their freedom.

On-Disc Extra Content:

Since this is a rare release now, I decided to tweak the usual listings for the on-disc extra content by noting down what each disc offers, so here we go:

Disc 1:
Prologue
Introduction Trailer
FREEDOM 1 Digest
FREEDOM 2 Digest
Another Vehicle Race
Talking about FREEDOM Session 1
Nissin Cup Noodle TV Commercial Digest

Disc 2:
FREEDOM 3 Digest
FREEDOM 4 Digest
Talking about FREEDOM Session 2

Disc 3:
FREEDOM 5 Digest
FREEDOM 6 Digest
FREEDOM in the USA: Part 1
FREEDOM in the USA: Part 2

Disc 7:
FREEDOM SEVEN Digest
FREEDOM: The Hope

Next Episode Trailers

FLY ME TO THE MOON: The Apollo's Journey
FLY ME TO THE MOON: From the Apollo to Freedom

Messages from Characters

Limited Edition Extras:

Cardboard Artbox: Clean Art, Logo on Spine, Blu-ray-sized Cases for Discs, Transparent Slipcover, Info Wrap-around for other info/specs

Manga Booklet from the Japanese version of this release with English/French translations

FREEDOM is no longer available in print by Bandai Visual/Honneamise, however the series was rescued by Discotek Media and is available as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack.