Desert Punk - DVD

Nuclear catastrophe has turned Japan into a vast desert. Scattered survivors eke out a living in the sand, forming small communities and hiring mercenaries to handle problems that need solving. Kanta Mizuno — known throughout the Great Kanto Desert as Desert Punk or "The Demon of the Desert" — is the best mercenary available. He never fails a job. He is short, perverted, mercenary to the bone, and possessed of a tactical genius that consistently exceeds all reasonable expectation from someone with his personality. His one weakness is large-breasted women, a fact that the voluptuous and ruthlessly manipulative Junko Asagiri exploits with surgical precision every time their paths cross. His apprentice Kosuna provides a ground-level view of what it actually takes to survive in this world. The series runs from individual jobs through a longer arc involving political factions, a sinister government force called the Government Army, and a conflict that forces Desert Punk to make choices that cannot be undone.

Desert Punk is a 24-episode series produced by Gonzo — the studio behind Vandread, Gate Keepers, Burst Angel, Witchblade, and Chrono Crusade — directed by Takayuki Inagaki, written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, and scored by Kohei Tanaka, whose credits in this catalog include Dragon Half, Bastard!!, Battle Athletes, Sakura Wars, Angelic Layer, and One Piece. Based on Masatoshi Usune's manga serialized in Comic Beam from 1997 to 2020 across 22 volumes. The series aired on MBS in Japan and later ran on Starz Edge and the Funimation Channel in the United States.

The Viridian Collection complete series set collects all 6 individual volumes (24 episodes) in a cardboard slipcase. Bonus features across the set include original Japanese extras (Making of the Live Action Opening, studio interviews, campaign caravan footage, survival game footage, a side story, radio show taping footage, and video treasure vault), the Desert Parody (original Japanese DVD artwork), main character cast auditions, character profiles, TV edit episodes, U.S. actor and director commentaries, bloopers, Punkisms, textless songs, and trailers. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Takayuki Inagaki
Series Composition: Hiroshi Yamaguchi (Gate Keepers original game creator, Comic Party)
Original Manga: Masatoshi Usune (serialized in Comic Beam, Enterbrain, 1997–2020, 22 volumes)
Character Design: Takahiro Yoshimatsu
Studio: Gonzo (Vandread, Gate Keepers, Burst Angel, Witchblade, Chrono Crusade, Last Exile)
Music: Kohei Tanaka (Dragon Half, Bastard!!, Battle Athletes, Getter Robo Armageddon, Sakura Wars, Angelic Layer, One Piece)
Opening Theme: "All the Way" by JAM Project
Ending Theme: "Nails" by Ichirou Mizuki

Japanese Cast:
- Takuma Suzuki as Kanta Mizuno / Desert Punk
- Akemi Kanda as Kosuna
- Yuko Sumitomo as Junko Asagiri
- Hiroshi Kamiya as Rain Spider / Kaito (Maid Sama! — Hinata)
- Kenji Utsumi as Mekki (DBZ Lord Slug, Ghost Sweeper Mikami)
- Unsho Ishizuka as Noriyuki Nishino (éX-Driver, Z.O.E. Dolores I, Mahoromatic, Ghost in the Shell: SAC, Berserk The Advent, Gundam SEED)

English Dub Cast (FUNimation — Texas):
- Jeremy Inman as Kanta Mizuno / Desert Punk
- Zach Bolton as Narrator / additional cast
- Callie Young as Junko Asagiri
- Trina Nishimura as Kosuna (El Cazador de la Bruja, Dragon Ball Super — Mikasa in AoT)
- Eric Vale as Rain Spider (Fruits Basket — Kyo, Dragon Ball Super — Future Trunks)

DVD Features (Viridian Collection Complete Series, 6 Discs)

- All 24 Episodes on 6 Discs in cardboard slipcase
- Original Japanese Extras: Making of the Live Action Opening, Interview with Singer Takatori Hideaki, Scenes from the Studio, Desert Punk Campaign Caravan, Survival Game Footage (Parts 1 & 2), Desert Punk Side Story, Tokyo Animator College, Yuka Special Interview, Desert Punk Radio Final Show Public Taping Footage, Desert Punk Video Treasure Vault
- Desert Parody (Original Japanese DVD Artwork)
- Main Character Cast Auditions
- Life in the Desert — Character Profiles
- As Seen on TV — Episodes 1 & 16 (Japanese broadcast version)
- U.S. Actor Commentary
- U.S. Director Commentary
- Bloopers & Punkisms
- Textless Opening & Closing Songs
- Trailers
- FUNimation Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 砂ぼうず (Sunabōzu / Desert Punk)
Runtime: ~600 Minutes (Complete Series, 24 Episodes, 6 Discs)
Director: Takayuki Inagaki
DVD Release Year: 2006–2007 (original individual volumes); Viridian Collection Complete Series 6-disc set July 1, 2008 — FUNimation Entertainment
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): October 4, 2004 – March 28, 2005 (MBS)
Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
Rating: 15+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Note: Viridian Collection cardboard slipcase edition. Tin artbox edition also available (July 10, 2007, includes art book with original Japanese parody DVD covers). JAM Project performs opening theme.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Science Fiction
Themes: Fanservice, Mercenaries, Post-Apocalyptic

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.