DICE Volume 1: Adventures in Space (DVD) - Anime Reviews


	Number of Episodes 5 Language Options English Released by Bandai Entertainment Extras - Promo for DICE game
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DICE Volume 1: Adventures in Space (DVD)

The Sarbyllion Galaxy can be a dangerous and troubling place. But when people get into trouble, there’s one name they know to call – DICE! This heroic organization will dispatch a highly-trained team to solve any problem. One such group is the F-99 Fortress. Captain Tak, along with ace pilots Marco, Robert, and the fiery Jet, will take on any task, no matter how dangerous. Working with their incredible transformable Dinobreakers, they can do anything! Saving trapped workers, battling space pirates, and even fighting the forces of nature – it’s all in a day’s work for DICE!

Join Jet and the rest of the members of DICE Fortress F-99 on their adventures throughout the galaxy!

There’s something scary about the an action series that uses children as a rapid response team, and when the voice acting is more over the top than the imported cartoons in the 80s - it’s not a good sign. Combining a sentai-theme with some pretty sharp digital animation you end up with a show that looks great but sounds annoying.

Episode 01: SOS From Planet Saffaron

The Planet Saffaron is trying to finish a program to reverse the desertification that the planet is suffering from. But when it is initiated, wide-spread earthquakes not only threaten the entire planet but the crew in the plant. So an emergency call goes out to DICE, and the team from Fortress F-99 is sent in to help. Their priority is to get to the plant as all conventional routes to it have been blocked, and to prevent the plant from exploding and causing severe damage to the planet.

As DICE deploys, Jet and company rush to the plant and assess the condition of the facility. Realizing that the crew cannot shut down the facility, Jet heads into the control area to help with his suit. Saving both the crew and stopping any potential damage to the planet, DICE is able to save the remaining team as the plant collapses on itself.

Episode 02: The Pirate Planet

A series of pirate attacks on local shipping has been terrorizing the area, and insurance companies have been paying out for the extensive damage. Trying to stop the damage to the area, the insurance company hires DICE to try and capture the

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pirates, however, the pirates are hiding in an asteroid field and so no one has the authority to arrest them there. So DICE plans to move their base out into the neutral zone and then arrest them for their crimes. So the plan is to infiltrate the base inside the cargo of a shipping vessel, cripple the base, then move it out of the asteroid field.

When his part of the mission is completed, Jet decides to do some exploring and see if there

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is anything else to do. He comes across an interesting member of the crew, a masked man who also uses a Dinobreaker and a confrontation ends quickly. Jet is left defeated and the masked man introduces himself as the Phantom Knight and leaves Jet in a pile. The rest of the team is able to overthrow the pirate leadership and move the station out of the asteroid field, but there is no sign of the Phantom Knight amongst the captured crew.

Episode 03: Race Through the Plasma Blizzard

A terra-formed colony on an ice-planet is continually rocked by dangerous blizzard conditions frequently which traps its citizens in shelter for stretches of time. In one of the residential areas, a little boy is suffering from an illness that threatens to kill him in less than 24 hours if he cannot receive the vaccine. Because of the current blizzard conditions, no travel is possible and the vaccine cannot be transported to the site.

DICE responds to the situation, and Captain Tak wants to wait 12 hours before trying to transport the vaccine out of concern about traveling safety, but Jet does not want to wait and instead grabs the vaccine and starts to make the run without permission. Tak orders Robert to go and stop Jet, but the high winds cause him to crash quickly. Jet renders aid to his friend, but the blizzard has them pinned down, and they are unsure if the path is clear any more. After getting an update from headquarters, Jet is able to continue towards the residential area, and comes across the Phantom Knight again. The Knight taunts Jet mercilessly and is trying to get the young boy to battle. When the confrontation turns into a game of chicken, Jet jumps his opponent and unintentionally clears a giant ravine at the same time. So was the challenge to stop or help? Now a clear shot to the residential area, Jet delivers the vaccine in time to save the child.

Episode 04: Countdown to Impact

A planet is being threatened by a potential comet impact as it has come too close to the body and is now in a degrading orbit before a collision. The DICE team is deployed and their plan of action is to blow up the asteroid into smaller pieces before it gets too close to the planet. The B-DICE team has also made another appearance trying to pass themselves off as DICE and they are trying to take the work for themselves. The mission is proceeding nicely until an emergency call comes in from the B-Dice team who has trapped themselves in a cave-in. Marco goes to render aid but with a delay, they miss their extraction window and are trapped on the comet that is due to explode soon. Thinking quickly, the DICE team sets up all of the remaining explosives on an open cave and use the blast to power the comet out of a collision with the planet.

Episode 05: The Monster of Lupis Sea

The Cleomyra is being prepared for its first launching – this new ship design incorporates spaceship technology into traditional ship design to create a giant transport that travels just above the water at high speed. The Cleomyra is listed as a cargo transport, but in actuality, it is a weapon platform that carries a missile payload. During the test, the launching goes successfully but once the crew tries to shift control over to the computer system, it takes direct control of the ship and will not relinquish it. The Naval Command is concerned about the potential danger that the Cleomyra could cause especially if that technology gets out and is considering sinking her, but one group contacts DICE to try and save the crew. After finding a way to track the ship, the DICE teams draws the Cleomyra towards the Fortress then sends out a group to try and board her. The automated defenses prove difficult to overcome as they keep the team off balance and make any approaches tough. Once the trapped crew is able to disable the computer, the DICE team is able to get on board and save both the ship and the crew.

DICE is a definite spiritual throwback to the import shows like Transformers that we enjoyed in the 80’s. That’s not necessarily a good thing as it has been done better by other series. A very difficult show for anime fans to watch, but perfectly fine for younger kids.

- Tazman

(July 28, 2005)

"Chocolate ice cream goes in the freezer."

- Tardy the Turtle (Greg the Bunny)