Arjuna DVD

Juna Ariyoshi is a typical high school girl living in Kobe — archery club, her boyfriend Tokio, and ordinary teenage life fill her days. Then a motorcycle accident kills her. In the moment of her death, she is pulled into a vision of the Earth's dying future, witnessing the planet's suffering made manifest as writhing, worm-like creatures called the Raaja — born from pollution, ecological destruction, and humanity's disconnection from the natural world. A mysterious boy named Chris appears before her and offers her a second chance at life, asking only that she return as the Avatar of Time — the chosen defender of the Earth — to stand against the Raaja before they consume everything. Juna says yes. But coming back to life with the power to see and feel the world's pain turns out to be far harder than fighting monsters, and the greatest battles Juna faces may be the ones inside herself.

Arjuna is one of the most distinctive and daring anime series of the early 2000s — a deeply personal, philosophically dense ecological fantasy created and directed by Shoji Kawamori, the visionary behind Macross and Escaflowne. Inspired by the Bhagavad Gita and Hindu cosmology, the series challenges its protagonist — and its audience — to rethink the relationship between humanity and the natural world in ways that remain relevant and thought-provoking. What elevates it beyond its message is the extraordinary soundtrack by Yoko Kanno, featuring vocals by Maaya Sakamoto and Gabriela Robin, widely considered among Kanno's finest and most personal work. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Shoji Kawamori (Macross, Escaflowne, Arjuna)
Studio: Satelight
Music: Yoko Kanno (Ghost in the Shell: SAC, Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne)
Vocal Performances: Maaya Sakamoto, Gabriela Robin, Chinatsu Yamamoto

Cast:
- Mami Higashiyama as Juna Ariyoshi
- Tomokazu Seki as Tokio Oshima
- Yoko Soumi as Chris Hawken
- Mayumi Shintani as Cindy Klein
- Maaya Sakamoto as Sayuri Shirakawa

DVD Features

- Director's Cut Edition with Additional Footage
- Video Interview with Shoji Kawamori
- Cast Interviews
- Arjuna Dictionary
- Isolated 5.1 Music Score
- Bandai Entertainment Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 地球少女アルジュナ (Chikyū Shōjo Arujuna)
Runtime: ~325 Minutes (Complete Series, 13 Episodes)
Director: Shoji Kawamori
DVD Release Year: 2002–2003 (U.S. Release)
Original Release Date (Japan): January 9 – March 27, 2001
Publisher: Bandai Entertainment
Rating: 13+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Ecological
Themes: Environmentalism, Hindu Mythology, Spiritual Awakening, Nature & Humanity, Coming of Age

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.