An aquatic epic that dazzles visually while laying the foundation for a moving story about the shortcomings of mankind.

The first episode only partially fills in the templates of highly textured characters. But it immerses those characters in a frenetic action through which images of an organic enemy emerge, as if the protagonists' foe is nature herself.

Evocative character designs and some incredible computer animation succeed despite the jarring fusion of traditional and digital techniques.

Another consistently good Bandai-produced dub, maintaining the same foreboding sense of doom in which the script indulges, "Blue Submarine No. 6" trounces the inferior subtitles which eschews the nuances of human behavior.

The trademark Bandai trailer option serves up a glance at new releases, but otherwise the DVD extras amount to very little. And for a thirty minute episode, the DVD does very little to justify the cost.

Some strong language and violence.

That 333-meter landmark which houses 9 TV and 5 radio stations is hardly ever excluded in a panoramic sweep of a disaster-torn Tokyo.

This title has been held by New York for years as super vigilante stories from DC and Marvel, and movies of mass destruction, usually unfold in the Big Apple. For a brief spell it seemed Los Angeles would snatch the title with "Speed" and "Heat." However, anime has grown too large, thereby allowing Tokyo to emerge as the center of the world.