As you read all the many positive reviews here, you'll see why I chose this item as my first Amazon review, it deserves it! This set is simply fantastic (AND WORTH EVERY PENNY!). This review really goes out to the producers of the set, Shout! Factory. You can instantly tell that this set was manufactured with the utmost care and detail for the fans and I'm not talking about just the fancy packaging. I'm talking about the video quality/clarity, the sharp/clear sound, the way its all organized/presented and all the wonderful extras included, which have some really touching moments, especially seeing the ensemble of voice talents together and seeing how they genuinely loved and miss working on the series. You truly get an understanding for why the GI Joe animated series has endured as long as it has with us BIG kids (and hopefully our generation of kids, because Rise of Cobra is s&*t!) I just hope that if you're on the fence (like I was) with purchasing it, you just go for it, because the guys at Shout! who put this together deserve the recognition and praise for compiling such a wonderful set for all us fans of JOE!
DISCLOSURE: While I am interested in purchasing this, and will more than likely do so, despite the flaws listed by others, I DO NOT currently own this at this time.
Now that that's out of the way, let me get to why I am on here. I have seen two big, in-depth reviews of this product and they have been more helpful and insightful than anyone can imagine. In fact, it should be mine and everyone else's wish that more people write reviews like these so that others know just exactly what they are getting when they purchase said product.
Yes, packaging is very important when making a big purchase. Would you buy this if it was made out of cardstock, or regular untreated cardboard, or manilla folders?
And yes, the quality of print transfers definitely matter. If you are spending the time to make something this big, do it right. Although, I am a fan of tv to dvds being made as they aired, political incorrectness, flaws and all. Does something as trivial as two seconds of credits really matter, as someone asked? YES! In terms of music and video, especially animation, two seconds is a lot. I have refused to buy official LP to CD releases because of such known omissions. And I would do the same for dvds. And censorship? You betcha! Why can't things be released as they were made, language, images, and all. Popeye The Sailor, Vol. One has disclaimers, so should Johnny Quest (1964) (Hint, hint!)
And for the people that get on here and make rude comments about said reviewers, take a long look at yourself before coming on here to try to insult people who write heartfelt reviews of products. Without them we would be a nation of pansies, too scared to buy anything or we would have a s-ton of less than stellar products clogging up our houses.
Let me start off by saying this is one of my favorite shows that has ever aired on TV. Avatar the Last Airbender has been a great show from start to finish, and the producers knew when to end it and not continue after. The first season introduces us to the world of Avatar and its main characters, and is suggested for people new to Avatar to start with book one. I could go on praising the TV show, but plenty of other people have done that.
Now on to the collector's edition of this box set. Truthfully, theres not much more that the collectors edition offers over the original box set. The extra DVD is a very nice feature (worth a watch at least once) and the preview art book is also nice, but not worth the extra purchase if you already have book one on dvd.
Some people have complained about the packaging and the quality of it. I have to say that I love the newer packaging, its how I originally imagined the box sets to look like (They are called book 1,2,3). No, it doesn't look ugly (but it did take me a few minutes to become accustomed to it for some reason), and I love how it looks like a book. The packaging is what really sets this apart from the standard edition (still, not worth an additional purchase if you already own the standard edition, unless you like spending money).
Up until now I had held off buying Avatar box sets, not because I didn't like Avatar, but because they were expensive and I had other series that I wanted to complete the collection. Needless to say, I bought this collector's edition immediately once I found out it existed.
Buying this collector's edition leaves me worried however. I love how the box looks on my dvd shelf, but I want to complete the collection. I want seasons 2 and 3 in collector's edition, just so the boxes look nice together. I want to buy those seasons soon, but not if nickelodeon will be releasing collectors edition.
In short, a great TV show, a great dvd package, but not worth it unless you're a huge Avatar fan or have held off on buying the seasons. And if you do buy it, hope for collector's editions of seasons 2 and 3.
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