Another downside of the DVD, at least for the die-hard anime fans, is that there's no Japanese language track. Not surprising considering this was mostly made for American and European audiences (the main source of the “Highlander” franchise's fanbase), but it would've been interesting to hear what some of these characters would've sounded like with Japanese voice actors. The sound quality on the DVD is pretty impressive, especially in 5.1 surround sound, which really brings out the musical score and sound effects if you crank up the volume. And the voice cast sports some familiars to anime fans, such as Janyse Jaud as Kyala, Marcus' sexy femme fatale companion and the film's resident female Immortal, and Kathleen Barr as Moya. There's even a couple “Highlander” alumni amongst the cast. Veteran voice actor Scott McNeil, who voices Amergan, MacLeod Clan leader Gregor and Marcus' chief scientist, had a couple of guest appearances on the TV series, as a street punk in Season 1 and as Duncan MacLeod's cousin Robert in Season 4. But the best is Jim Byrnes, who played Watcher Joe Dawson in the TV series, and returns here to voice a couple characters: resistance members Rudy, who runs a bar (Joe ran a bar in the TV series) and the Doc. Not quite the references and connections some fans were hoping for, but close enough.
Now you can't have a DVD without bonus material. “Search for Vengeance” doesn't have much, but what it does have is rather interesting. “East Meets West: Filmmakers Crossing Borders” is a short interview with the crew of the film (including writer David Abramowitz, producers Peter Davis and William Panzer, and director Kawajiri) discussing how the project came about and the difficulties in adapting a Western franchise into an anime. “A Talk With Kawajiri” is just that, a short interview with the director regarding his desire to make a good movie and do his own thing with this project while staying true to the franchise. An interesting thing about this is that, while Kawajiri is speaking in Japanese, rather than subtitles, an English translator talks over the director's words. The English is louder so you can focus on it, but one has to wonder why not use subtitles? “Stills, Drawings and Studies” is gallery of design and production art, as well as photos of the animation studio and crew, stills from the anime movie and also stills from the original “Highlander” film. After that we get the original teaser trailer that made the rounds when the project was first announced, the official trailer that premiered prior to the DVD's release, and some trailers for other Manga Entertainment releases. Like I said, not much, but enough to satisfy those who like some extras with their DVDs.
All in all, “Highlander: The Search for Vengeance” is a must have for both anime fans who want some killer sword-swinging action and the “Highlander” fans who want a great movie from this franchise. Since it may be awhile before we get another half-decent “Highlander” film, this is sure to wet a lot of whistles.
