▪	RELEASED BY:		ADV FILMS
		▪	ASPECT RATIO:		4:3 FULL SCREEN
		▪	AUDIO:		ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0
		▪	RUNNING TIME:		100 MIN
		▪	RATING:		TV 14
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		02/26/2008
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		03/12/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		SCOTT CAMPBELL

Pumpkin Scissors? When you first hear a title like that, you really don’t know what to expect. Right off the bat, we can almost assure you that this new anime from ADV Films has nothing to do with Halloween. Pumpkin Scissors takes place in a war ravaged world much like our own, but set in a period that looks like a mix of Victorian times and the WWII era. Two factions, the Empire and the Republic, have fought a long war against each other for reasons unknown to us at the moment - but then decided to sign a cease-fire agreement since both sides had suffered so much. Pumpkin Scissors mainly takes place in a time three years after this cease-fire had been made. Despite the cease-fire between the two factions, the world is a desolate and violent place. The bloody war between the Empire and the Republic left a deep wound throughout the Empire. In the time after the cease-fire, now known as the “Thin Ice Treaty,” the Empire is still plagued with starvation and disease, while bandits of former soldiers terrorize the populace. The Empire is now fighting another battle to repair the destruction of war. That’s where a special army unit comes in: Imperial Army Intelligence Section III, also know as “Pumpkin Scissors.” The Pumpkin Scissors work together to give war relief to the many people still suffering from the after affects of war. Many ex-soldiers are now bandits that threaten villages and the people that live there. There are also many tyrannical dictators and nobles within the land that use their power to cause suffering. Beyond those threats from other individuals and groups, the people also suffer from low moral and a sense of hopelessness. The Pumpkin Scissors, vigorously led by the easily excitable 2nd Lieutenant  Alice L. Marvin, are a guiding light to the people of their country, and so the story revolves around this military group’s engagements and trials to help keep peace and hope alive in a world in need of some positive action.

Pumpkin Scissors volume three continues the story of Section III with a variety of missions for the people trying to get by after the war, as well as some personal missions completed by individuals from Section III on their own time. The first story revolves around a young woman who had a boyfriend who went off to war 4 years ago and never came back. Somehow in her mind she’s managed to believe that this man is still alive and will come back to her, even though everyone that knows about the situation is almost sure that he in fact died in the war. She is not able to accept this because her boyfriend promised he would come back to her. Only through the careful and personal help of Section III can she begin to understand that he has indeed died, and that he died so that she, and everyone else he loved, could be safe and happy. Once she begins to think of his death in this more positive life, she realizes that she should live life to its fullest and accept this gift from her love. After that things start to get much more serious and personal to the Pumpkin Scissors Section III group themselves. The next few episodes deal with hidden secrets relating to Section III and their involvement in the war relief and their purpose and past. Getting too into the details of those secrets would ruin some pretty huge surprises, so it wouldn’t be fair to touch on them – you’ll just have to see it! Things start getting complicated, let me tell you…

The animation is still fluid and impressive – it really helps to bring out the characters themselves – the quality of this animation makes them seem a lot more real and alive. I can’t help but keep comparing Pumpkin Scissors to Full Metal Alchemist – these too anime have a lot in common when it comes to great characters and quality animation. Fans of Full Metal Alchemist that haven’t given Pumpkin Scissors a try yet should really get on that – you’ll probably really appreciate what it is bringing to the table. One of the best things about this particular disc is the amount of character development we get to witness, and how much more alive and real everyone is becoming as we get to learn more about them. It’s fantastic, and very entertaining. There’s nothing like audience involvement to make an anime feel like something special.

EXTRAS:
Clean Opening Animation, Clean Closing Animation, ADV Credits, and ADV Previews.

IN SUMMARY:
This series gets better with each passing episode – the more you get to know Section III and all of its resident personalities, the more you want to see. It’s well rounded and top quality when it comes down to overall animation and story development. Not one to miss – FMA fans should especially pay attention to this hidden gem.