5/5 Exceptional anime.
  by Chad J. Webb
Ok, first of all, to discount this product simply b/c of it's lack of a English dub is absolutely ludicrous.

If you purchased this thinking it would be dubbed, then yea, I can see how that would suck, however, this was never advertised as such here on amazon, nor was it promoted as such in the months leading to it's release. When you consider this project was nearly axed and delayed once already, I'm glad to finally have this in my hands.

The state of anime is pretty dire right now. Companies that have been around for decades now have either consolidated, or completely vanished :(ADV, Geneon, etc.) Part of the reason is the down economic situation in the world, but it's also my belief that the anime market is suffering due to a lack of quality anime. There haven't been any breakout hits in the last several years, at least since 2007, IMO.

Sola is one of those rare exceptions. Would I have prefered a dub, sure. I watched this on [...] when it originally aired a few years back, but purchasing this dvd, subtitle and all, has enhanced the experience for me, not taken away from it. The likelihood of a dub being released is minimal and to pass on this series for that sole purpose is pretty close minded.

This series is a rare great that will top my personal favorites list for a very long time to come.

For more info and episodic reviews etc, I recommend these sites:
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5/5 An excellent story worth looking into...
  by Diego A. Arzate
This was one of those animes I bought that I didn't have high expectations for, I was shocked. This is easily one of the most entertaining and touching anime movies I have had the privilege to watch. I won't provide a summary because you can always read it somewhere but I will say this is hands down an anime worth owning. The animation and music are all excellent and the story is very touching and leaves a good impact. The characters are all lovable and contribute to the over all greatness of this story. In short I would recommend this to anybody seeking a touching story involving romance and fantasy.

5/5 a stellar anime...
  by G Bequer
Somebody gave a negative 1-star review here (because of dubbing, not the quality of the art) to one of the best animes you might not have heard about so I thought I would counteract the review.

This is a five-star anime, no doubt about that.

Yes there is no dubbing here, but Bandai has gotten a show that might not otherwise have made it to the US market at a great price, so lets not complain too much. You like to read don't you? Plus you get to hear the inflection of the original seiyuus (japanese voice actresses) like the original director intended.

In Japan this was voted as the best anime in 2007 which is something to think about. I think they know anime over there : )

Sola is not your typical robots-explosions-mecha-madness anime nor is it a fan-service romp. It is an exploration of metaphysical forces and the mystery of our emotions as they become embodied in supernatural beings. It is deliberately paced, so if you are in a hurry for some action, then this is not for you.

In a way it reminds me of Haibane Renmei, which is high praise indeed. It has that same type of pensive and curious take on the supernatural order of things.

SPOILERS (MILD) AHEAD...

Plotwise, Sola is about a young artistic (photographer) boy, Yorito, who meets a girl, Matsuri, who has mysterious powers and who turns out to be the "Calamity of the Night." She is basically a being (a Yaka) who is the embodiment of human agony and pain and as such she is meant to always be alone in the universe. Yorito doesn't buy that and befriends her. The rest of the anime revolves around their relationship. It is complicated by the fact that there are forces out hunting for Matsuri.

So, this is an anime that is a little different but of extraordinary quality throughout. The pacing is excellent, the art and music are stellar and the overall show is of the highest quality. take a chance and you will be pleasantly surprised.

1/5 Hey Bandai would love to support your products...
  by M. Gaudet (A Galaxy Far Far Away)
But ever since you guys went subtitles only i stopped buying your dvd's. Sorry no dub=no sale.

A dub requires just that little extra effort and money and adds value to a product. Its not like you are selling this in japan, this is the usa where peoples main language is english.

Its like not having enough faith in your product to try and sell it to mainstream America but a small niche group of sub only people.

I would have loved a Bang zoom dub like on haruhi.

Its nice that you are putting out a product for cheap for those who don't already have the region 2 dvd's. But for those who already own the series and have watched it multiple times in raw form, will they pay for the same product twice just for a sub script?