On September 25th Media Blasters is releasing the four-DVD box set of the popular 1980s cartoon series Voltron: Defender of the Universe.  Voltron Set 4: Red Lion (MSRP $39.98) contains episodes 46 through 59 along with numerous extra features including a featurette on the American production of the Voltron series, a 1984 stills gallery, episode synopses along with original air dates, interviews with the voice actors, and nostalgia-laden man-on-street interviews of favorite Voltron memories.

 

Media Blasters' Voltron DVDs have sold very well (see 'Voltron Blows Away Invader Zim') riding the same wave of nostalgia  for Reagan-era cartoons that has inspired the live action film version of Transformers that is debuting this July, as well as similar projects based on G.I. Joe, He-Man (see 'Silver Pushes He-Man Movie'), and even Voltron itself (see 'Voltron Optioned'), to say nothing about the CGI animated feature film of the Thundercats announced by Warner Bros. yesterday (see 'The Thundercats Pounce Again').

 

Like the 1980s Robotech series Voltron was based on a combination of Japanese anime series. GoLion and Dairugger XV were the two anime series that were cobbled together to make the Voltron cartoons, though much of the violence in the original anime series was toned down or eliminated altogether so that Voltron could air pass FCC muster as children's programming here in the States.  Media Blasters has indicated that it does plan to release the original GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV anime series though no formal dates have been set as of yet.