Don Movie Reviews

I saw this film way back when it first aired and loved it. Both leads are perfectly convincing as a charming couple in love.
I highly recommnend this to anyone looking for a sweet classic romantic film.

This Osmond production is one of the best family movies out there. It is a touching story with excellent acting by Marie Osmond and Timothy Bottoms and all the supporting cast as well. I particularly like the friendship between Beth and Mary the servant girl. My teenage niece said there was only one "cheesy" part when the main characters reunite at the end. I prefer to call it touching, lol! :-) The costumes, the story line, EVERYTHING, is extremely well done. It supports Christian and family values, and there is certainly nothing that is in any way offensive. I would highly recommend this one. The Christmas theme also adds a nice touch. I also will mention that the video is closed captioned, although it does not say so on the case. I am glad for that as the two oldest Osmond brothers, who have a hearing loss, can more easily watch their sister in this outstanding film!

The Gift of Love is my most favorite Christmas video! I watch it several times a year. It is a touching and heartwarming story of true love. I enjoy the playful and serious side of Marie Osmond and Timothy Bottoms. The two make a great duo - giving O'Henry's story, character and spice! I especially love the part when 'Marie' walks out the door with Mary to try and find Rudy - hoping it's not too late to catch him as he sets sail. To her dismay, she cannot find him - then Rudy comes to her door, finding that she has left with a "hooligan". They meet at the care center (the musicbox is playing) and they vow to love each other through thick and thin -- and plan to marry on Christmas! What a delightful movie!!!

A child during the era of british cult tv, I was a serious addict. As an adult, most of those shows now seem simply corny. Danger Man/Secret Agent is an exception...it's as good as I remember with nicely choreographed action and fight scenes, lots of attention to detail, intelligent acting, editing and directing, artful background music, and of course McGoohan's unique charisma and wit. No one else ever brought a secret agent character to life as well as McGoohan does in this series. I'm keeping fingers crossed that A&E and Carlton will release the remaining episodes!

Several folks below have complained about the uneven quality of the episodes--and they're right. McGoohan himself has admitted that some are better than others. But when it's good, boy does it put other shows of the same ilk to shame. And even when it's not terribly good, it's always stylish, with a charmingly retro, nostalgic feel.

And if you really, truly want to know why Number Six resigned, watch "Yesterday's Enemies," contained in Set 1.

... I'm the proud owner of set1 of this video which keeps
me glued to the telly whenever the video is played.The theme
music is thrilling and sets the pace for a fast paced episode.
Patrick Mcgoohan aptly fits into the title role.I could only wish
that the full 48 episodes are published and the danger man fans
have a larger collection to play over and over rather than risking damage to their cherished single set.

I've never been a big Nicholson fan but this film did give me some hope. Above all else this is a Hal Ashby film and if you enjoy Harold and Maude or Shampoo you should check this out. The plot centers on two Naval officers who draw duty to escort a third to military prison where he will serve eight years for petty theft. The sentence is a harsh punishment for the crime but in the end all characters are trapped and must concede to the rules of their superiors. Ashby does a great job of portaying the imprisonment of all the characters in their roles which may seem particularly difficult in that this is also a road movie.
Wonderful.

When this film was completed 30 years ago, executives at Columbia Pictures really did not know what to do with it and probably would have allowed it to disappear had Nicholson not received an award as best actor at the Cannes Film Festival. Based on Darryl Ponicscan's novel, it traces the one-week journey of two "lifers" in the U.S. Navy (Nicholson and Young) who are ordered to transport and deliver another seaman (Quaid) who has been convicted of theft and sentenced to eight years in military prison. Brilliantly directed by Hal Ashby in a breakthrough role as "Badass" Buddusky, Nicholson takes pity on Meadows and convinces his associate Mulhall to allow Meadows one last fling before imprisonment. En route north from the naval base in Virginia, they treat him to several rounds of drinks and even arrange for him to spend some time with a prostitute (Carol Kane). Finally, they complete their assignment and the film ends. The energy of the plot (developed within a screenplay by Robert Towne) has much less to do with physical action than with the profane language which correctly indicates Buddusky's subversive attitude toward authority. (Why a maverick such as Buddusky was selected for service as a military policeman is never explained.) When seeing this film for the first time many years ago, my initial reaction was that Buddusky and Mulhall improvise their own version of a "right of passage" for their young charge. I still think so. Of course, Meadows is a willing, indeed eager participant. For me, it is almost impossible to ignore Nicholson whenever he appears on screen and that is especially true of this film (and of several others, notably One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and As Good as It Gets) in which his presence dominates each scene. The relentlessly profane language seems appropriate as Buddusky's confrontational personality energizes their own conversations as well as their encounters with civilians. When the film ends, Meadows begins to serve his eight-year term and presumably Buddusky and Mulhall return to the naval base in Virginia. They will never forget their week together and neither will I.

Directed by Hal Ashby, who made such powerful commentaries on life in America as SHAMPOO, COMING HOME, BEING THERE and the cult-favorite HAROLD AND MAUDE, THE LAST DETAIL offers the story of three U.S. Navy sailors on a toot--and at the time of its 1973 release it was chiefly noted as the most profane film to achieve a mainstream release. The passage of time has dimmed that profanity's bite, but nothing can dim the power of its performances, it's darkly funny story, or the director's bitter vision of both life in the Navy and the urban decay of 1970s America.

Two Navy-lifers (Jack Nicholson and Otis Young) are ordered to escort a young sailor (Randy Quaid) to a military prison, where he will do eight years followed by dishonorable discharge for attempting to steal a charity jar containing forty dollars. Once the trip gets underway, they realize the young sailor is essentially an innocent--and they set out to show him a good time before he is locked away. And their idea of a good time ranges from a bout of hard drinking in a hotel room to a brawl in a men's restroom to an evening with New York hookers. Along the way, Nicholson and Young gradually realize that they are just as much in prison as Quaid will soon be--victims of their own ennui, serving out their sentences in a military that fosts coarseness, frustration, and mindless machisimo as a matter of course.

The performances are excellent throughout. This was the film that launched Nicholson to stardom--but it is also a film that allows us to see what Nicholson could do before he became immured in the trappings of his own fame and collapsed into self-characture: he is every bit as good here as he would be in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST and CHINATOWN. Otis Young, an actor whose career never quite took off, is Nicholson's equal here, balancing Nicholson's excesses with his no less firey but considerably more commonsense role. And Randy Quaid scores an equally memorable performance as the young sailor, while Carol Kane gives a memorable turn as one of the hookers they encounter in their travels. Watch closely and you'll also discover a very young Gilda Radner as a member of a religious cult.

In spite of the noteriety it received upon release, like many of the best films of the 1970s THE LAST DETAIL has fallen through the cracks to become a largely unsung classic. Fashion changed, and with the advent of Ronald Regan, the stock market boom, and two decades of heavy-handed materialism Americans abandoned their cinematic realism and social statement in favor of big budget, special effects heavy, and largely escapist film. But the pendulum inevitably swings back, and now that we face serious issues both at home and abroad such films as THE LAST DETAIL are at last, perhaps, beginning to come into their own. Strongly recommended.

"Mirror, Mirror"

Caught in the beginnings of an ion storm, Kirk, McCoy and Uhura interrupt their negotiations with the Halkans for dilithium crystals, to return to the U.S.S. Enterprise. Scotty beams the landing party aboard as a burst from the storm hits the starship. The transporter short-circuits, sending Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura into a parallel universe. In this world, they soon discover the "Galactic Empire" is maintained by fear and assassination. Now, aboard the parallel version of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the four must find a way to remain undetected until they can return to their own universe.

Meanwhile, the I.S.S. Enterprise versions of Kirk, Scott, McCoy and Uhura have been beamed on board the positive U.S.S. Enterprise. Their behavior is so different from their counterparts that Spock immediately realizes something is wrong. He puts the four in the brig until the transporter could be checked and repaired.

On the I.S.S. Enterprise, the parallel Chekov is foiled in an attempt to assassinate Kirk. When Kirk refuses to give an order to destroy the Halkans, who have refused to give up their dilithium crystals, the bearded Spock becomes suspicious.

The Imperial Starfleet sends a secret message to the bearded Spock, telling him to kill Captain Kirk and assume command of the starship I.S.S. Enterprise. Finding an unexpected ally in the bearded Spock, Kirk continues to stall while his three comrades gather the information needed to send them back to their own universe. Scotty tells Kirk that if the four don't leave in three hours, they will be trapped forever in the mirror universe.

The bearded Spock has no desire to become captain, and therefore a mark for assassination. Along with Lieutenant Marlena Moreau, who wants the parallel Kirk back because she is "the Captain's woman," they help return the four U.S.S. Enterprise officers to their own world. Before he goes, Kirk talks to the bearded Spock, telling him the advantages of a Federation-system over the anarchy of this universe. Spock seems almost convinced that he should in fact get rid of his Kirk, seize control of the I.S.S. Enterprise, and manipulate the Imperial Starfleet into working toward a more civilized universe. With the dimension barrier about ready to collapse and seconds to spare, the small U.S.S. Enterprise crew beam on their own ship. Kirk can only hope that the parallel Kirk will find changes from the bearded Spock.

"The Deadly Years"

On the way to Starbase 10, the U.S.S. Enterprise stops to deliver supplies to the colonists of Gamma Hydra IV. A landing party, consisting of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scott, Lieutenant Galway and Chekov beam to the planet's surface. They find that accelerated aging has taken place, killing most of the colonists. Chekov is terrified when he discovers the first body. The only survivors, an elderly couple who claim to be in their twenties, die shortly after meeting the U.S.S. Enterprise crew. When the landing party returns to the U.S.S. Enterprise, the aging acceleration begins to affect the entire crew ... except Chekov, who remains unaffected. While Kirk wants to remain in orbit around Gamma Hydra IV until a cure can be affected, one of his passengers, Commodore Stocker, wants to proceed to Starbase 10 where he feels the best medical aid can be found.

Each person on the U.S.S. Enterprise begins to show the effects of old age and soon Kirk is unable to command, as are Scotty and Spock. Command falls to Commodore Stocker, who, while an efficient desk officer, has no deep space training. Thinking he will save time, Stocker plots a course through the Romulan Neutral Zone on his way to Starbase 10. The Romulans are waiting and begin an attack.

Stocker, panicked and inexperienced, has no idea what to do. As the U.S.S. Enterprise is surrounded, McCoy comes up with an antidote to the aging sickness ... adrenaline. Chekov, he explains, wasn't affected because his fear at finding the bodies on Gamma Hydra IV had already kicked his natural adrenaline into high gear.

McCoy restores Kirk to normal in time to save the U.S.S. Enterprise by reusing his famous "corbomite" bluff and telling the Romulans that the U.S.S. Enterprise would destroy anything within a 200,000 kilometer radius. McCoy distributes the antidote and restores everyone to their normal state.

Mirror, Mirror-The 'real' alternate universe episode, featuring an evil Enterprise, is a real gem. From the spooky string music accompanying the ion storm at the start to the ensuing more dramatic music and orbit-change, Mirror Mirror has Trek's best teaser. It doesn't let up much thereafter. Drama is maintained throughout, as the good guys try to keep up with the wily machinations of Chekov, Sulu (even Sulu turns in a good performance here!), and just about everybody else. The gorgeous Luna also turns in a nice performance. The episode is very dramatic and threatening, yet by the end a hard-fought optimism has been interjected, thanks to some of Kirk's strongest salesmanship ever (he has to work on both the Harkan council and Spock here). By the end of the episode, I was totally absorbed, and even found myself believing that maybe good can conquer evil (certainly it's hard to imagine the 'evil' Federation ever growing strong in the first place with all that intrigue and double-dealing). It just goes to show how a good story can knock down our cynical defenses. (5 stars)

The Deadly Years-This episode, in which the crew experience accelerated aging, is another winner. The best thing going for this show is the most simple; it's a good story. Add to that the fact that it is developed nicely and at it's own pace, and you have another thoroughly engaging show, in which we actually feel suspense as to how the crew will get out of this jam. The acting performances are also enjoyable from the big 3 in particular. (4 stars)

This edition of the DVD have one of my all time favorite episodes in star trek: Mirror,Mirror. I love that episode and cannot stop watching it ever.

Short Circuit 2 is, without any question, one of the worst sequels ever made. If it were possible for me to rate it zero, I would.
The original Short Circuit was charming and funny. Fisher Stevens' malapropisms were hilarious. The sequel is humorless and mindlessly violent. Johnny Five, the robot who is the sympathetic character in the film, is subjected to incredible cruelty. My young daughter cried when she saw it.
Forget buying it; don't even watch it. It's a brutalizing and a total waste of your time.

This movie has been my favorite movie for years. In the first movie Number 5 or Johnny 5 was viewed more as a prop than a character. I'm not dissing the first movie!... In Short Circuit 2, Johnny 5 knows he is alive, but he struggles throughout the film trying to prove it to the rest of the world.
There are many emotion through out the film. Most of it is just humor!

Short Circuit 2 is a hollywood triumph. The first one was good, but this is one of the rarities in the world of sequels that is not just as good as the original, it's better! It's got everything that every other sequel should;
He comes to New York and starts building miniature models of himself.
Helps his friend/creator guy with his love life by controlling an electronic sign.
Accidentally helps jewel thieves tunnel into a bank.
And is the first hang-gliding robot in movie history.

What's not to like? There will never ever be a movie quite like Short Circuit 2. It's funny, dramatic, action-packed (complete with car chase), and of course, heartwarming...

AS AN AVID LISTENER OF CUBAN MUSIC AND A FAN OF GLORIA AS WELL, WHAT'S THERE NOT TO LOVE? GLORIA DELIVERS THE RICHNESS OF CUBAN MUSIC TO BLEND WITH AMERICAN POP TO CREATE RESULTS AS UNIQUE AND TYPICAL AS THE CUBAN "MOJITO" THAT PERKS UP THE AMERICAN HAMBURGER. FEMALE ARTISTS COME AND GO BUT THE STAYING POWER OF GLORIA 'S
IS DUE TO THE PASSION AND HUMAN QUALITY THAT SHE IS ABLE TO TRANSMIT THROUGH HER MUSIC. I AM PART CUBAN AND FEEL HER MUSIC BUT EVEN MY NON-LATIN FRIENDS LISTEN TO HER CD EVEN WHILE COOKING AND END UP DANCING. IT IS, BY THE WAY, A FABULOUS CD TO GET YOUR EXERCISE WITH.

What a phenominal collection!!!
I have been waiting for a long time to see these videos.
Originally I had the vhs version of this collection but it did not have the same videos as the dvd.
The dvd contains some excerpts from interviews and awards shows with the Latina Diva herself. It also contains behind the scenes on most of her videos. The quality is first rate. The sound is clean and the picture (color included) is fantastic.
But let's get to the meat of this review: the videos.
First of all she contains videos with remixed songs. Those would be Turn The Beat Around (she is even sexy pregnant) and I'm Not Giving You Up (one of my favorites from Gloria). She also includes a few "live" videos (disappointing that they were lip synched-but who cares). They are Don't Stop and Party Time. Also included in this collection is the first release from her multiple platinum, all dance cd GLORIA!: Heaven's What I Feel.
She also has a few of her Spanish videos: Tres Deseos (very cute theme for a video) and the Spanish version of Oye.
Speaking of OYE-what a hot, hot, hot, Ricky Martin has nothing on Gloria, hot, hot video. OYE was probably the only real reason I purchased this dvd. This is unlike the Gloria we have all grown to love. OYE is steamy, sexy and incredible.
If you are truely a Gloria fan, you must own this dvd.

By far one of the sexiest collection of videos I've ever bought. I play it every time I work out. It gives a steady/energetic beat from beginning to end. I have always been a "Gloria" fan and think she is one of the classiest/sexiest entertainers. This collection gives her a whole new dimension in entertainment.
Her video "Oye" is worth the price of the DVD alone with its hot beat and even hotter "sexed-up" Gloria. In it she wears several sexy outfits while "dirty" dancing with both men and women. Very hot!!! Definately cutting-edge Gloria!!!
The other videos are equally pleasing. "I'm not Giving You Up" shows a sexy Gloria sporting varied hair changes (from a long pony tail to a "lioness" hairdo) all making her look stunning. Great steady beat. "Don't Stop" shows Gloria with wild hair wearing eye-pleasing silver leather while pumping out an energetic song. "You'll Be Mine" shows a "wigged-out" Gloria with another of her sexy tunes being sung while she dances with power.
A great buy you will play over and over. Great for play while on a treadmill or doing situps!!!

This movie is not really about monkeys but a story about a young boy growing up and out of selfishness. It's wonderful to watch this boy take a big step to becoming a man by the things he experiences one eventful summer. I was satisfied to have my children watch a film with such a great message.It was also nice to watch a film with clean language. You won't be sorry you watched it.
A Concerned Christian Mom

During the storm scene while Jay and Daisy's Ma was reading the scripture from the bible Daisy was clinging on too her Pa Jay was praying and there Pa was holding onto Daisy so tight .They made it through the horrid storm without breaking a single bone or without getting hurt even though the storm wrecked there house they were just glad God blessed them with a miracle .Like it said on the ad a story with laughter and faith.

This is a good movie based on the book, which I have not read yet. This movie is a touching story of a 12 year old boy (played by a now 15 or 16 yr old hott Corey Sevier from the new lassie series) Who dreams of buying a horse, but needs to earn the money, so he goes out to the "Bottoms" searching for some lost circus moneys for a reward, just the amount he needs to get the horse, see what happens next!...

Arena-This strong episode sees Kirk locked in a life and death struggle with the lizard-like Gorn. The episode commences with the kind of in-the-trenches warfare rarely seen on TV. The brutality of the killing brings out bloodlust in Kirk, who seems ready to exact revenge until control is taken out of his hands. A rather innovative take is then applied to the battle, one which forces Kirk to rely on his wits and keep a level head. It is one of the trademarks of Trek that Kirk eventually shows mercy. Here that mercy is rewarded; if only it were so simple in the real world. (4 stars)

The Alternative Factor-This episode, in which a loner travels between universes in a small ship, just never comes together. Despite the fact that nothing short of the universe is at stake, the episode feels trivial. While Robert Brown certainly has a tough assignment here as the two Laseruses (Laserii?), he seems torn between trying to make each of them 'real' while still being sufficiently different that the viewer will not become confused. Unfortunately he does not succeed in either regard, and the seemingly haphazard storyline doesn't assist the viewer any either. The team also seems to struggle to fill up the episode's allotted hour, but the main problem is the story is presented in a way that doesn't make sense; everything feels arbitrary and desultory. The self-flagellation between universes, while memorable, is not particularly effective either. About the best thing about this episode is the end-the disturbing idea of someone spending eternity battling a madman. (2 stars)

Being an ORIGINAL trekkie (I care not for johnnie-come-lately Trekkors who have no clue what this series meant in '66), I have strong memories of watching Kirk and Spock every week. When the reruns began to be aired locally (some years after the rest of the country, apparently), I got to see stuff I did not remember. The Alternative Factor became my personal favorite because of the struggles: 1. Kirk and Spock not understanding the nature of the situation 2. Lazarus dealing with his opposite self's actions after they swap universes 3. Stopping anihilation successfully.
The state of budgets and special effects somewhat hurt the visual storytelling, but the rest of the show I find heroic in a very classical sense. I was always blown away by the magnitude of the sacrifice of the rational Lasarus, and Kirk's words at the end chill me even today. Maybe having a friend who looked like, and whose intellect was on the order of Spock's, gives me a different perspective toward this tale. I always felt like Kirk to his Spock, but without a ship to command (Boy, did we need one). Hey, If networks today would pay attention to what Gene and the guys were up to, we'd have shows like...like...like...Enterprise today. Hey, we do! Trek Lives! Long Live Treckkiedom!
This is story telling at it's peak, galactic in scope, human at it's heart, and gut wrenching in it's conclusion. They don't come better than this, even with bigger budgets. This is the stuff that inspires kids to be great achievers, and grown-ups to think about why we do what we do. Great stuff, if you pay attention.

"Arena" - Episode 19 - This episode features a duel between our Capt. Kirk and the Gorn. An interesting plot, surreal music, location and the Gorn character give this episode a wonderful campy feeling. Great episode to watch at pitch black night!!

"Alternative Factor" - Episode 20 - An excellent episode that deals with the orignal crew being thrown into unfamilar territory. A man named Lazarus is thrown into an odd state of flux where him and his counterpart switch between a positive and negative universe. An insane Lazarus on one of the sides is bent on destroying both universes. They both eventually meet to fight in the gap between universes eternally. Great epsiode that explores a more complex concept of the universe than the crew usually deals with!!

This video is the first installment of the NADIA series,
an anime take on Jules Verne, and it gets off to a fair
start. Young Jean, an adolescent inventor, goes to Paris
with his inventor uncle to demonstrate their flying
machine. While in Paris, Jean runs into a circus gymnast
named Nadia, a pretty dark-skinned girl who by the looks
of her is from India or thereabouts, and her pet baby
lion.

Nadia wears a mysterious jewel, called the "Blue Water",
and a sinister redheaded woman and her two gangster
flunkies are after her for it. Jean helps Nadia escape,
and this launches them on a series of adventures that
take them ultimately to the amazing submarine, the
Nautilus, and its mysterious Captain Nemo.

Now this sounds like a reasonable premise for an anime
series, and it doesn't start out badly at all in the
first few installments, promising a world of marvelous
inventions and globe-spanning adventures, something
like Hayao Miyazaki (KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE) might do.

Of course, at the outset it's obvious the production
quality is much more to the norm for anime than Miyazaki's
work, but it would be a bit much to expect otherwise
given the fact that Miyazaki's work is top-of-the-line.

However, that turns out only to be the first thing that
the viewer has to swallow. After a few episodes, the
plot slowly descends into what amounts to predictable
anime hokum -- to be sure, I can't say I actually *mind*
that the storyline takes a jog to get an attractive
femme character into a skimpy swimsuit, but this does
suggest that the scriptwriters were not exactly putting in
mental overtime, either.

After a time the whole thing loses the viewer's "willing
suspension of disbelief" and becomes basically silly. Even
*that* wouldn't be such a bad thing if it were *admittedly*
silly, but it seems to lurch back and forth between being
silly and trying, absurdly, to be serious. Worst of all,
NADIA occasionally drops to a level of violence that, while
maybe tame for any typical work of action-adventure fiction,
is simply unworkable in what would sensibly be a work of
light entertainment.

I think I got to about episode eight before I bogged down and
gave up. The last straw was the fact that Nadia not only
spends much of her time in a snit, but she's also a militant
vegetarian. "Not only am I being treated to gratuitous
violence, I have to listen to someone gratuitously posturing
about it."

NADIA was something of a good opportunity wasted. I
would have had great fun watching Jean and Nadia travel the
world and have fantastic adventures in marvelous machines,
but the scriptwriters simply weren't up to the challenge.

* As a footnote to this review, in the spring of 2003 Hayao
Miyazaki's CASTLE IN THE SKY was released in the US on DVD
and I picked it up. Watching through it, I realized that
CASTLE IN THE SKY *is* a really fun story about fantastic
adventures in marvelous machines and it's a good bet that
NADIA takes its cue from it. So I would recommend ignoring
NADIA, the low-budget imitation, and picking up CASTLE IN
THE SKY, the real thing.

The Series: "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water" is a lot of fun, but not without its flaws. The animation is very well executed, but also obviously done on a tight budget, with a lot of scans and loops. The characters are lovable, but tend to bicker amongst themselves too much. The story is interesting, but the writing occasionally goes south, especially in the dismal Lincoln Island episodes. All and all, though, it's a wonderful, innocent adventure, and it makes me very happy. While, at 36 episodes on ten discs, it's a serious investment in time and money, it will richly reward those who stick with it. The ending is one of the best I've seen in an Anime series, and there are a lot of wonderful moments along the way. It will also interest fans of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "His and Her Circumstances", since this is the first series Hideaki Anno directed, and it's interesting to see the themes that will show up in his later work evolving here.

This Disc: The series gets off to a good start. Jean, a young French inventor, meets Nadia, a beautiful but temperamental circus acrobat with a pet lion cub and a necklace with a blue jewel (the titular Blue Water) that glows when she's in danger. Jean rescues Nadia from a gang of jewel thieves who want Blue Water with the help of a series of fantastic, if slightyl anachronistic, vehicles. These episodes aren't the best in the series, and the scale is a lot smaller and the stakes a lot lower than they will be later on, but they introduce most of the 'good guy' characters, have a lot of great moments, and give a pretty good feel for what the rest of the rest of the series will be like.

..., suffice to say this is the best cartoon/anime series I have seen so far. I am new to anime having only viewed Sailor Moon, Saint Tail, The Castle of Cagliostro and Cardcaptor Sakura before this. I have just finished the final volume and can only compare the story arc (being primarily a huge sci-fi fan) to Babylon 5's. Not in plot elements but in the way the story unfolds. It is a kids show and has some wacky moments to cater for them, however the story line which starts from the simple plot of a young circus girl pursued by jewel thieves unfolds into something incredible by the final volume. You end up actually really caring what happens to the main characters, Nadia & Jean and the rest of the cast. By the way, I loved the music and the "new" voices mentioned previously (having never heard the original), all were perfect to me with the exception of Grandis ... and Gargoyle's was brilliant, the sheer arrogance and belief in his own superiority shines through. A sequel series - please !!!