Before We Begin...
Before we go and start the review of the series let's get a few ground rules out of the way, eh? Okay. Here's the rules (only a few).

Rule #1
This is the "Director's Cut" version I'm reviewing so there's stuff here that you might not have on the regular version. Then again I don't know if there's a "regular" version to begin with, especially since I don't remember seeing a non-Director's Cut version.
But, just to be on the safe side, this is the "Director's Cut" version I'm reviewing. Okay? Okay.

Rule #2
There will be two parts to each episode overview.
One part will, of course, be the episode review.
The second part will cover the "Intermissions" and the discussions in those intermissions.
Huh? Are the intermissions so important? Apparently they are as you'll see.
We'll go over what you see in these and talk about them a little bit in comparison to the episodes.

Rule #3
This particular review comes from a few viewings of said series.
Now why is that important? Because when you watch Arjuna, then come back and watchit again and again you keep picking up and seeing new things you might have missed before.
That's important to note because it makes for great replay value.

Ok. That's it. Short and sweet. Let's get this review underway.

Oh. One more thing. I have to admit that I have not seen DVD Vol. 1 (containing Episodes 1 to 3) so the reviews are brief overviews of said episodes.

Episode 1 : The Drop of Time
"I want to see the sea ...."
Uh-huh. Now there's a stirring beginning of the journey of one who will hold the fate of humanity in her hands. Still, with that thought, Juna and her companion Tokio (who stays that way, her companion, for a long time past this DVD) travel the highway to the Sea of Japan. However, a tragic motorbike collision leaves Juna dying on the hospital bed ... (well, A hospital bed).

Juna "resurrects" (though to resurrect is to be brought back to life--- and this is more than likely an out of body spiritual experience) above her still body, and almost immediately (not counting the obligatory "Hey! I'm floating above my body!" scene probably), disturbing visions envelope her. She foresees Earth's annihilation by formless mystical creatures called the Raaja.

What, you may ask, is the "Raaja"?
The Raaja, it seems, represents mankind's relentless yet unsustainable push across the planet's surface (and perhaps more as we go through the DVDs).
However it looks like mankind's path might be swayed by the bearer of the Drop of Time.
What's that? Watch on for more on that.

Episode 2 : The Blue Light
Arjuna now knows she is Earth's new Avatar of Time, a human reincarnation that can see across the Millennia. But then what comes next?

How about her first real test in the form of her first "trial by fire"?

Her first trial by fire comes when a Raaja swoops down on a massive nuclear power plant in Japan.
While Teresa and the other S.E.E.D. secret agency members try to fend off the Maurauder, Juna is dropped unceremoniously in the midst of the battle to shift the balance against the Raaja.

However, and S.E.E.D. should have anticipated this from the start, her inexperience shows with potentially deadly consequences!

What kind of consequences? Let's see... hint - S.E.E.D. might have wanted to pony up the yen for some basic training for her before dropping her into a cataclysmic battle at the heart of a massive nuclear power plant -- just a thought of course but still...

Episode 3 : Tears of the Forest
After the costly toll of the nuclear power plant battle (which is S.E.E.D.'s fault if you think about it for dropping such a neophyte into such a terrible and dangerous battle), Arjuna's mentor Chris tells Juna that her body had become filthy and that she must be purified. Uh-huh. Right. This coming from a creepy guy like Chris. Right. I'd like one order of Restraining Order, please, with extra fries.

So, to this end, S.E.E.D. deposits her in the middle of the heavily forested Japanese Alps, far from the rest of humanity... Japan has alps...? Uh... sorry, mind wandered. So it looks like Juna has to survive alone in this wilderness to prove her worth as Earth's new Avatar of Time.

Yeah. Are they sure it's just not to save S.E.E.D. some money on training costs for her?
Chris, the former Avatar of Time, decides that the fate of Earth is worth the possible sacrifice of one girl .... Right. Now before you ask why though, take a look at Chris in DVD 2. He's falling apart, bed ridden, and won't eat anything (but you'll see why he's like that later also) so I'm wondering about Chris, but you'll learn more about him from the show and abit from the Shoji Kawamori interviews as well.

As for S.E.E.D.? Same thing, keep watching to learn about them (but at a slower pace than Chris).

Episode 4 : Transmigration
It's a wonder Arjuna got to this episode alive and in one piece! After being ditched up in the Japanese Alps by Chris, her "mentor", and experiencing the funnier side of being ignorant in nature? It looks like nothing can keep her down, even a near miss with second death (this time via food poisoning)!

Yeah. Apparently S.E.E.D. didn't give her their latest wilderness survival guide when they dropped her off since she managed to eat poison mushrooms, nearly killing herself in the progress! Though, on the bright side, it was inspired inspiration for FOX's next reality show "When Wild Mushrooms Attack"!
Good thing Tokio shows up and spirits her out of there.

As this episode opens she's traveling with Tokio (the ever present, he doesn't seem to leave her alone much) back to the city -- which leads to a "chance" encounter (don't think anything in these situations happens by "chance") with an old man who gives Juna a safer (and yet awkward and embarrassing at times) 4-1-1 on nature. Yeah. He's great and quite informative when he's not being senile.

They'll learn a lot, and both Juna and even Tokio will get a little closer to nature -- maybe even each other -- though for the record it's only Juna's getting closer to nature that's important for now.

Tokio however is told by the old guy to keep an eye on her, which turns out to be good advice because she runs off after a Raaja and transforms to blast it away -- only to be shaken out of it by Tokio to realize she was about to shoot at a cropdusting helicopter.

After all she learned she has become more attuned to life and the planet -- and you'll have to watch the episode because it's a great deal of information to absorb that can't go into this review.

However, and this is something I have a feeling we'll touch back on again in the future, why did she see that helicopter as an enemy? The Raaja, as noted above, is supposed to be a representation of mankind's relentless and unsustainable push across the planetary ecosphere -- yet she saw this helicopter as the enemy itself. Now, was it actually "piloted" by the enemy -- or was it an illusion of the living ecosystem screaming for protection from what it perceives as an enemy, clouding Juna's judgment? This might be important because if Juna doesn't figure this out fast she might end up killing the wrong enemy!

Intermission the 4th
First Intermission review since this is the first episode I saw.
This intermission sums up everything you learn in Episode 4 ecologically and gives you a round-up and additional information about it.

However, as some of my associates have pointed out, it neither gives you answers to these problems, nor does it connect to the episode at hand. It merely tells you what you learned and adds onto that.
So is this really informative or is it just preaching? You decide.
For my two credits on the topic? Perhaps it's not preaching, because it is in context with what you just saw. However this intermission doesn't really tie into

the episode all that much so maybe it is preaching...

For instance...
There's no speculation as to why Juna saw an enemy creature and chased after it only to find herself chasing a cropdusting helicopter. Also there's no practical answers to any of the questions brought up... maybe that's because it's to say that answers to these sort of heavy duty problems can't be summed up and put forth in a short easily digestible sound bite like this intermission can provide.

Or maybe the answers are there if one looks hard enough. In either case several epilogues (intermissions) go back to this topic on this intermission over and over again (in one form or another) as the series progresses.

Episode 5 : The Small Voices
Even with the reunion with school friend Sayuri and Juna's mom? This episode is bad news.
The duo of Juna and Tokio finally return to town and Juna learns one bad thing about her powers -- it is a double edged blade. While she can feel the reassuring energy that comes from nature, she can also feel the violating and dark tinged energy that comes from processed foods when she tries to eat a burger at a fast food place.

As for Chris? We catch up with him (in flesh and blood) and he's lying debilitated in bed while he's being cared for by a girl named Cindy -- more on her later -- eh. Guess it's an enormous strain on him to be so darn creepy.

Meanwhile, that burgers the gang were eating? Turned out it carried a nasty little bug which turns out to be a bacterial Raaja which infects Tokio, and later Juna upon contact with him. She takes Tokio to her mom where they collapse (Tokio first, then Juna when she touches him).

Mom calls the hospital but the call gets intercepted by S.E.E.D. who send their own people to work on Juna and Tokio. As for what's happening? Juna takes her own journey into "Innerspace". First in Tokio's body, then her own.

In the end she manages, with Chris's help, to defeat then Raaja inside of her and cure herself and Tokio (but the exciting stuff is how she does it so you should see this for yourself).

Oh, note that Juna's sister, Kaine, is mentioned in this episode. Why is this so important? This is important because she'll have some major life changing things happen to her as this series goes on. You'll see as we review, promise!

Intermission the 5th
It's a booster to Episode 4's Intermission, and fills in more information (and a few possible solutions as well if you fill in the blanks yourself).

Episode 6 : The First One
That virus from last episode? Traced to Brazil (a full explanation given at the beginning of this episode). Meanwhile it looks like Juna just wants to get back to her life, and eat city food again.

Too bad a different kind of problem, a non-Raaja problem, is about to rear it's head in Juna's list.
It's one day before school starts and she runs into her father (separated from their mother) and she gets angry at him for "running away" from them and him wanting things to be easier. Yeah. That's just no good, eh?

The crux of this episode however is their math teacher and Juna wanting to hear his "true voice". Say what? True voice? Not to paraphrase Gary Coleman here but... "whatchu talkin' 'bout Juna!"(!)
Well, apparently it may be that her new "job" is stressing her out in a major way, so now she's beginning to channel the helping powers of ABC Afterschool Specials... or something.

And to think this whole episode started off with Juna wanting to know what's up with the teacher because Chris says he's evil.

That leads to a discussion (when it comes down to it after he invites her into his home) about nothing but convenience and what makes things simple. There's more, but your going to have to see it for yourself. They talk and while it helps Juna understand her problem with her father? It also just ends all of a sudden as Juna and Tokio leave and nothing really comes of this chance encounter other than Juna reflecting on her father and their talk. What?!? That's it?? What about him?!

Uh? What about him? Nothing. Absolutely positively nothing. Unless he appears in the finale of the series it looks like his impact on Juna and the series is nothing special to talk of, and that is a waste in my opinion.

Intermission the 6th
Nothing. And that's a shame because the teacher above talks a bit about "The Golden Ratio" (which is probably tied into the whole "voice" thing Juna is hot on for a short time). And, for me at least, a discussion of that would have made for one highly interesting intermission.

Huh? What is the "Golden Ratio" you ask? Well, in basic the "Golden Ratio" (if I remember from pure memory and no cheating by looking at the dictionary on the DVD) is, in basic, a theory that everything in nature (expanding to the universe itself) can be summed up and broken down into a mathematical equation.

Now that is if I remember right. Please reference the dictionary section of either Arjuna DVD Vol. 2 or the Arjuna Collector's Edition (collecting all 13 episodes) more details on "The Golden Rule".

Episode 7 : The Invisible Words
Chris may be dying, which is no major surprise considering he's looked like he's well on his way to becoming a TV sweeps week audience attention grabber in a certain way, if you know what I mean.
Well, while S.E.E.D. works to save him (the first before Juna), Cindy gets it into her head to have Juna save him. Considering how she feels about it it wasn't a large leap of deducation to think she'll become desperate to save him.

Meanwhile it looks like Juna is having her own troubles because she sees a vision of Tokio giving her a ring and she's disturbed by it. Well, let's face it, he's not a major prize but he's a nice guy! No need to be that freaked by the ring! Gimme a break you non-commitial overtly conscious about the environment person!

Then, of all things, she gets jealous because she thinks he's going to give the ring to Sayuri. Sheesh. Oh, and today? After 4-7 sodas and a lot of nervous jibber we find out the topic is -- WORDS! Yup! Words now come flying at Juna like physical objects. Zoom! Zip! Wham! Flyin' "words"! Damn! And I was perfectly sober too when I first reviewed this!

Ah. Words. Words from Tokio -- oh, wait, there's Cindy (and she has her own powers to boot) and she puts a quick end to this scene by whisking Juna and Tokio to a secret S.E.E.D. base where Chris is being cared for (uses her powers as a free pass to get them in also).

The problem? Seems Chris might have been the "impure" one (and he's one to talk earlier in the series) because he's got a Raaja inside of him! The battle is hard, espeically since it ties into the theme of the day with words ending up flying like weapons all over the place because today it's "Make Words Real" day it seems... but Juna finally overcomes the Raaja and saves Chris.

Then she breaks Tokio's heart and gives him his ring back. Yeah. Smart, girl, smart.
Yes, it turns out her dream was dead on right as he did give her a ring after all! Problem, however, is that she has become all paranoid about him being hurt and all that. Uh-huh. Then the next episode previews come and she looks cuddly with him again. Yeah, so much for pushing him away eh? Make up your mind!!

Intermission the 7th
More on words, and you'll have to see it to get the gist of it. It's a lot to absorb.
Hope your mind is like a roll of Extra Strength Bounty though... you could use lots of absorbency power to swallow all this in one

doseage! Sorry.

Episode 8 : The Distant Rain
So Chris' life might be saved, but Juna/Tokio's relationship might as well be DOA right now. Oh, bother.
So in a nutshell more or less this whole episode is in basic two things.
One is Juna/Tokio trying to muddle through their relationship.
Two being S.E.E.D. trying to muddle through the days as they realize they can't take on what's going on by themselves.

Worst, it seems they lost faith in Juna and that's bad because they're growing weaker and weaker and failing to make any headway against the Raaja at each turn.

But don't worry! The stuff about Juna/Tokio is just sweet, especially one scene... well, that is until Juna once again begins to think that Tokio is going to start going after Sayuri. Oh, and we see more of Kaine in this episode... so we're giving up an episode of S.E.E.D. coming to grips with their need to have faith in Arjuna so Juna can screw her lovelife up even more. Great. Just great... phht!

Intermission the 8th
Another lesson that goes back to Episode 4, only it's a different tangent of that lesson.

Episode 9 : Before Birth
It looks like as the sun is beginning to set on Juna/Tokio's relationship she finds she can suddenly hear the thoughts of as yet born babies (still in the womb).... Thankfully they didn't come off sounding like Roseanne or Bruce Willis, and they don't seem to have opinions on how she can get back with Tokio.

Yes, if you think about it you'd figure out that this episode is going to become partially an anti-abortion episode! In this episode quite a few topics about births and the yet born are spoken of, but I don't want you to be weighted down by that just yet. To this end I'm going to walk you step-by-step through the content of this episode, because I want you to know what's coming and settle into it without it being a shock to you.

Is this a problem? Not really. While the content is the strongest yet, we're going to go through it step by step. Okay? That way it isn't going to be so daunting once you face it.
Alright then, let's get to it.

The Walkthrough of "Before Birth"
Point #1
The original purpose of Juna pulling the Sixth Sense "I hear babies before they're born" stint is to clue you in to her sister Kaine being pregnant. Of course they can't just stop at that revelation, oh no, they also point out how the baby doesn't like Kaine's smoking habit. And strictly speaking as a crossing guard who has way too much exposure to smoke from cars and people? I don't blame the baby for being cranky about Kaine's ciggy habits. It's not a good thing.

Point #2
While Juna is moping on about Tokio (who, yes, she is STILL having relationship problems with as of this episode) she has a surprise visit by Cindy, who tells her how she had her powers since the womb.
So, then, is there more to it? Yes. Seem that her having power since before birth wasn't a very nice thing since her mother sorta had many many sexual encounters with men and she could feel it all as it happened. Oh, yeah. Not a nice thing she had to go through.

Point #3
Juna takes a visit to a hospital (spirit wise) and watches a early delivery of a baby (she's not too happy about that early delivery either). Then she later witnesses a different kind of birth which is more peaceful and calming (natural birth if I remember right).

Point #4
Juna tries (like a blunt instrument similar to a hammer) to tell her sister to not have an abortion. Sadly she'll need a few more episodes to work on her delivery because it doesn't seem to work. But maybe she got her sister thinking? Maybe... ah, forget about it!

Before we move on, one word of warning.
If the content of this episode makes you feel the slightest uneasy? Feel free to skip the episode over the first few times. I want you to settle into it, and when you're ready? Watch it.
Remember you have the remote control (unless you lost it then I suggest looking under couch cushions and beneath furniture for it) so if you feel the need to skip ahead do so. When you're good and ready you'll be able to tackle this episode. It's strong, and it's hefty on content, but it has a weird ending.

As for Juna/Tokio? For once it seems that talking about your emotions and showing a lot about pregnancies can lead to quality "sack" time... eh?
What about Cindy's frank sex talk? It couldn't just be to clue you in on her less than perfect childhood, eh? Guess not because it seems that Cindy brought up the sex thing because she wanted to know if Juna/Tokio had sex. Which, yes, DOES lead to an attempt at sex.

What? An "attempt" at sex? An attempt?!? In the end the two kiss, touch lovingly, cuddle and carress with such beauty... oh they're so cute... holding and touching... and he... and she... and he BLOWS it... no, no, not that way. They try, and try, and he screws up. Well, before it's over I'm sure they'll consummate--- unless the world ends or something and Juna is killed... again.
Still Tokio, it's not like YOU have to save the world so can't you at least do that right??
(How the hell CAN you screw up sex anyway?!? EXPLAIN THAT TO ME!!)

Intermission the 9th
None this time... just as well. Tokio? You ARE the weakest link... put your pants on and get lost.

Episode 10 : The Flickering Genes
Juna/Tokio are finally mending their relationship... sex needs work though.
Now all Juna has to do is help Tokio mend the relationship with his father. Too bad he's stubborn as all heck and it's going to be a hard time to get them back together again.
Worst, it seems he works at a chemical plant that'll be the next target of the Raaja.

In the end, despite the violence and the attack she mends them and brings father/son together again as she defeats the Raaja.

Not. Looks like the Raaja's remains has flown into the ocean and merged with the single cell life in the ocean. This might bring an unstoppable army of 10,000 or more Raaja to the surface, or one really big Raaja! One or the other -- or both!
And no Riders of Rohan to come to the aid this time!

Intermission the 10th
Move along, all hell might break loose at any second.

Episode 11 : The Day of no Return
I won't go on because it seems what happens next may throw the entire rulebook out and change everything. Not to mention throw the entire environmental plot out for a cliché ending which isn't a good thing.

Worst, it seems Juna is being sent to America to deal with something there, which leaves Japan open to attack! Somehow I don't think that's a good thing, isn't it.

I see a cliché coming up.

Episode 12 : The Death of a Nation
Episode 13 : The Here & Now

Yeah. Now there's a cheery way to start an episode.
The Death of a Nation. Peachy.

Apparently that bacteria released in Episode 10 (end) has combined with the Raaja to form a super creature that is attacking Japan, destroying all petroleum-based products (plastics, textiles, computers, etc.) plunging Japan into a new dark age.
Just as the people who made this anime throw the entire eco-storyline out the window and plunge you into a cataclysmic end of the world thing.

What about Chris? Well - he's no longer up to the challenge. Remember now, SEED has been leaning on him far too much and he's worn out. He can't do this alone. Now, mind you, hopefully this doesn't set the stage for a very very bad ending but I'll give it a chance before I condemn it as guilty.

As for Juna? She's stuck in New York (and neither New York traffic nor a desire to see Rent have anything to do

with her problems getting home), as SEED finally tips its hand and reveals they're not helping Japan.
That's when Juna lashes out (don't blame her). But the problem remains how can she escape from SEED in New York and make it all the way back to Japan to save everyone before it's too late? Oh-kay. It's not that hard. All Juna has to do is huff it from New York (America), all the way back to Japan which is under full-scale attack by this "Super Raaja" thing that is wiping out oil-based products and leaving Japan in the state of the dark ages - and she has to save Japan once she gets back (including the ones she loves the most) - oh, her awakening as the Avatar of Time might help also (might make the trip home quicker).

I'm a tad hesistant to post the ending because then - well - where's your compulsion to buy? We came this far - go with me the extra mile and finish this journey with me.

So, with that said and done, we're saving the ending for a surprise (and some of the details also because you should be surprised) let's head to the optional extras which is loaded for bear on this Volume.

Arjuna Breakdown
What's Hot? - Mixed bag here. Let's start with the look of the series.
The animation is solid, not to mention groundbreaking and visually stunning.
But, well, let's face it -- the series cannot live by animation alone.

The story is good, and parts of it just touch you in the right way (no not THAT way!)
It's a solid title, and it's worth your time if your looking for something new and different for your collection. Now, if you want something that is both visually stunning, and has a strong story to it which is more than just action but makes you think as well then you should give Arjuna a try in your collection. It's recommended.

What's Not? - The story, however? It might not be for everyone.
The reason? The environmental messages are a start, but "Before Birth" is another. Episode wise "Before Birth" is extremely strong content that you might not be ready to see yet.

OK. Straight up for all of you. For me? When it comes to those messages I'd have to say that occasionally I felt like a deer in headlights watching the messages come right at me and I couldn't move. In this state I can't say I'm going to be able to either get out of the way or to embrace it. I just had to endure it.

After all there is the conflict. Half of you want to hear the strong messages, but half of you wants to get out of the way and you can't.

"Before Birth" is a good example of this kind of strong episode. It's hefty content and it's strong, and honestly a few times I felt like I wanted to shut this off, but I didn't. In the end I saw it through to the end.

This by no means invalidates the series as being worth your time and effort to check out, which it is. But this is fair warning. It's got a hefty and serious message that goes along for the ride with this show, and it can't be ignored. Some of it is downright beautiful and just grabs you in a special way. Some of it wrenches your gut and grabs you in a completely different way. It's strong content, but it's worth seeing.

Now, if you have doubt after reading this? I suggest a good rental of Arjuna so you can experience it for yourself and make that judgment call.

For me? I'm going to keep reviewing it as long as the series runs, and tell you why it works for me on some levels but maybe not in others.

Moments to Remember?
There's stuff to remember alright, so it's again abit much to talk about here and list it all down. Give it a spin and find out what you remember best about Arjuna DVD Vol. 1-4.
Or what you remember about the Collected Edition, depending on which you buy.

What to Ignore?
For god's sake! Is that a parody commercial of that drink Tokio gave Juna (which she rejects) in Episode 7?!? Complete with the same jingle he warbled out to her while she was considering whether or not to open it? EYAAH!! AND they repeat it in Episode 8?!?
Please ignore it and let's move on. Thank you. No more of this commercial!!

Oh, and ignore Tokio's inability to bring it "home"... you know what I mean, so nuff said already!

Overall?
When it comes to the animation? The animation is great and lively with its groundbreaking style (the use of computer animation is wonderful and visually stunning which makes for a wondrous treat to watch). However stuff like this cannot live by animation alone, and that's where the story comes in.

Beautiful yet stark, strong and maybe too strong at times, it's something that will make an impression on you and make you occasionally think deep thoughts. It's got some excitement, and it's a nicely done plot though there's the thing about it occasionally resembling a train wreck (too stark and intense that you might want to not look, but too gripping to look away. "Before Birth" being one example.)
And then there's the end which seems to come dangerously close to throwing away all the progress of the first 11 episodes for an ending that just doesn't make sense... or does it? Only you can say if the end holds tight, or falls off the Lemmings cliff of bad endings.

Regardless of how it ends, though, I have to say that the overall message of Arjuna is strong.
Is it propaganda? Is it solid and not preachy? I think that, despite what some of my associates have said about it, the messages are not propaganda. They tell you things straight up and solid so it seems to me it's not propaganda, HOWEVER they also only deliver a singular vision of things with zero counter argument so I can see where the debate over this being a singular view comes into focus.
Well it IS Mr. Kawamori's right to do this. It's his series, after all, and the message(s) delivered in the series plays a strong role in Juna's guardian role in the series.

I guess I'm saying that my only problem past the strength which takes a too strong hold on you (again, "Before Birth" is a good example) and there's the fact that some "intermissions" were missed.
For instance, we heard a lot about the stuff behind Episode 4 (the environmental message), but why nothing on Episode 6 and "The Golden Ratio"?
For my two bits on it? If it was me I would think that because that message was scientific in nature (the Golden Ratio, where all things in nature (and a greater extent all things that make up the universe itself) could be broken down, in theory, into a mathematical equation) then the "message" didn't get as much focus time as the "green" type messages. And, yeah, that just seemed so wrong to me.

Oh, and then there's the thing about the ending possibly being nothing more than a cop out to wrap the series up as "neatly" as possible without much muss or fuss... damn.

This is, without a doubt, a judgment call. See this, watch it, and make a choice. There's a lot of stuff from BANDAI so again if this might not suit you, you won't be remised with things you can get if you're not into Arjuna. Still, despite it's strong content which can be as much a strength as a weakness, I still think it's worth your time to give it a shot.

I say it'll make a nice addition to your collection despite the content at times and the way it wraps up, but again that's a call you'll have to make. Still, give it a shot, and if you watch it with an informed mind you'll get a lot out of it.