Assemble: Insert (DVD)

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---

Another difficulty with this disc is that nearly all of the humor relies on the viewer being familiar with the "magical girl" genre of anime and Japan´s obsession with idol singers. If you haven´t watched a couple of different magical-girl shows like "Sailor Moon", "Nurse Angel Ririko SOS", and so on, then you won´t find "Assemble Insert" to be very funny. (Unless of course, you find a girl with super-strength to be inherently humorous, that is.) On top of that, you´ll need to be familiar with the idol singer industry in Japan, which could be most easily likened to "American Idol" taken to the tenth degree. There really are obsessive fan clubs that try to profile every behavioral quirk of their chosen idol, be it shyness, clumsiness, manners, likes, dislikes, ad nauseum.

There are plenty of other anime in-jokes packed into "Assemble Insert", from some older anime shows hinted at in a museum to various jokes based on mecha stereotypes, mad professors, and so on. These gags aren´t essential to enjoying the show, but they help get you through the slower moments.

I don´t think "Assemble Insert" is a good choice for people who haven´t at least watched a variety of anime programs. If you can pick it up on the cheep, either for yourself or an anime-watching friend, go for it. It´s funny enough to be worth watching at least once, but it´s not going to make my all-time favorite list either.

Back to Eddie Again:
Video:
"Assemble Insert" arrives on DVD with a 1.33:1 video ratio (keeping its original 4:3 TV broadcast ratio). This one is a little hard to judge because the animation is of average quality. The nature of the visual material doesn't challenge your DVD player or display monitor much--not that many flashy explosions, a limited color palette, character motion only when necessary, etc. Still the image is stable, edge-enhancement has been kept to a minimum (unlike the "Bubblegum Crisis" discs from Multimedia 2000/AnimEigo), and artifacting is non-existent.

Audio:
You can choose either the Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo Japanese track or the Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo English dub. While limited in scope, there are quality directionality effects, and the music comes through nicely. The lively, humorous dialogue jumps out at the viewer. Being such a recent creation, the above-average performance of the audio is to be expected.

Optional English subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
The live-action commercial for the vitamin/power drink that plays in each episode is set aside as an extra in the "Bonus" section of the disc, and you get to look at the English language and DVD production credits as well.

--Miscellaneous--
A glossy fold-out booklet provides notes on Japanese animation, notes on the show itself, notes on the characters in "Assemble Insert", and song lyrics.

Film Value:
"Assemble Insert" is a laugh riot. Granted, some familiarity with anime and Japanese pop culture will help, but the cute spirit of the story and characters will charm you. This is the best parody/light-hearted tribute that I've seen in a while.

Those of you who bought "Assemble Insert" when it was first released will have to think hard about buying the DVD again. The contents on the disc itself remain the same, though the new keepcase art is better-looking than the old one. Also, the glossy booklet is a nice addition to the package. If you've never seen "Assemble Insert", then now is a good time to try out a cute lark of a send-off.

---

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---