Law of Ueki: The Battle Commences (volume 1)

Reviewed By: Carla Land

Geneon DVD

Review based on volume 1 (episodes 1-4)

Rating 13+

What it’s (basically) all about: Ueki is a junior high school student with one very interesting problem- one of his teachers gave him the power to turn trash into tress.  He is competing in the Battle of Supernatural Powers, and the grand prize is the Talent of Blank- which means any talent he wants he can have, be it the talent to run really fast or the talent to dominate everyone. Of course, there are 99 other junior high school students competing, too, and the competition gets harder with each round. Add that to the fact that anytime Ueki uses his power against a non-Power user, even for good, one of his talents disappears. When they are all gone, so is he.

Nitty Gritty: Mr. K (the teacher who gives Ueki his powers) can’t believe that of all the things Ueki could have chosen from, he decided on turning trash into trees. The reason Mr. K gives him this power is that he is a candidate for Celestial King, and the way you win the throne is if your junior high student wins all the battles. There’s a definite environmental feel to Ueki’s choice of powers. When we first meet him, he’s planting trees in the park.

There’s some fighting in this one, and it can get pretty intense, but it’s not gory or bloody. Some of it is actually quite funny, so the action shouldn’t cause problems for anyone. Language is mild, and the worst of it is in the subbed version (bastard, damn.)

The current Celestial King is a something of a lecherous party animal- the only good comparison I can give is Zaphod Beeblebrox from Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. His interest in meddling with Earthly affairs is positively mythical- he wants to see if kids can change their talents and thereby change their futures.

Ueki is an interesting character. He isn’t at all interested in the Talent of Blank, and he almost seems oblivious to everything. Even when he loses his talents (the talent to study, or be liked by girls for instance) he puts a positive spin on things. He’s almost stoic, and even when he’s upset he still comes across as subdued.

Other characters in the series include Ai, who is a non-Power user and a typical pain in the neck anime girl. She has made it her personal goal to save Ueki from disappearing by keeping him from using all of this talents, and while she’s an irritating pain, she actually helps him a lot by finding out the things Mr. K should have told him in the first place. Mr. K isn’t that bad of a guy- he just wants to make sure someone righteous gets the Talent of Blank. Ueki's opponents aren't all evil bad guys, either. No one is killed or seriously injured, but they do beat up on each other pretty good- especially the kids who fill the "bully" roles.

Extras- clean opening; DVD credits; Geneon previews for Elemental Gelade (some gun action, mostly tame looking), Starship Operators (no worries about the preview, but she show might be a higher rating than advertised), and Viewtiful Joe (nothing to alarm, but…hard to describe.)

Survey says: This is fine for teen sections. The Celestial King is usually crowded with good looking women, but they’re all dressed and only appear briefly. The fighting scenes are the only real concern here, and teens will easily be able to handle them.

Personal Ad: Arrgh! It ended in a cliffhanger! I really liked this show. It was a little silly, but I’m hooked. This would be great to show at anime clubs.