Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, Motion Comic [Blu-Ray]

Overlooking the obvious issue of having voice actors take on the entire Buffy-verse without the same sense of comic timing or wit-fuelled sarcasm, along with the fact that motion comics can be frustrating, given their limitations, the big question about this Eighth Season assemblage of the first 19 Buffy comic books published back in 2007/'08 is that of respectability and purpose. Does this animated extension feel like a consistent continuation of the much-beloved series and are the stories as uniquely compelling, mixing heart, comedy and action with such specific aplomb? I would argue yes. With a legion of slayers out in the world and the First defeated, the question becomes that of a world without evil, filled with powerful, young girls that feel above the law. Xander and Buffy are looking after a batch of them, as is Andrew over in Italy – Vi, Robin and Giles have their own sites as well – but some exist without routine and guidance (or Buffy's inspirational speeches), creating problems the world over. Giles enlists Faith to do the dirty work of killing a potentially evil slayer, giving her personal sense of morality a swift kick in the ass, while Buffy works with an increasingly powerful Willow to maintain order and fight government efforts to take down her presumed terrorist organization in Scotland. They also have problems with this season's big bad, the mysterious, masked and marked Twilight, whose aim is that of destroying Buffy's moral certainty, which he does with the help of a skinless Warren Mears and "rat girl" witch Amy. With referential humour targeting Xander's weight gain, Dawn's propensity to whine and Andrew's tendency to flirt with our favourite one-eyed Scooby, there's a sense of continuity in dialogue and tone. Thematically, the internal struggles of the characters come off as sincere as well, with Willow expressing quiet resentment towards Buffy for indirectly putting Tara in the path of danger and the Buffster realizing that even in world littered with slayers, she still has to lead alone. What is most notably different about this animated universe is scope. Since they're not limited to a television budget, they play with globetrotting and large concepts (quite literally), such as Dawn turning into a centaur and travelling to the future with flying cars. They don't overdo it, keeping everything within the natural trajectory of the series, but it's interesting to see where Joss Whedon and crew go when their imaginations aren't limited by budget and sets. The Blu-Ray is light on supplements, having a brief Comic-Con interview with Jane Espenson and Morgan Spurlock (randomly), along with a test pilot and a trivia game that pops up throughout the entire 19-episode run.