The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

Believe it or not, The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was the DVD release from BCI that started it all. While it hasn't been said officially, it certainly appears as though the positive reaction of fans of the series led to BCI's continued dedication to bringing each and every single episode of the classic Filmation epic to DVD release.

As I said in my review for the best of She-Ra (also from BCI), 10-best sets are a great idea for many reasons; not only are they typically much more affordable than buying entire series box sets, they are also a great way for a potential fan to discover whether or not that would be interested in the series as a whole. This is especially true in the case of The Best of He-Man as the ten episodes represented (across two discs) are favorites as voted on by fans.

The set breaks down by including the five fan favorites from season 1 on disc 1 and the five best from season 2 on disc 2. The special features are also broken down similarly whereby each disc contains a feature commentary specific to the five episodes included within. These features include commentary by the show's creative staff (writers, directors, artists, animators, and producers).

As far as the content itself is concerned, the 10 episodes included on this set bounce around from some of the very earliest productions and come close to skimming the outer reaches of the second (and final) season.

Included are the following episodes from Season 1:

Evil Seed
Prince Adam No More
Diamond Ray of Disappearance
Teela's Quest

Season 2:

Into the Abyss
Teela's Triumph
To Save Skeletor
The Problem With Power
Origin of the Sorceress

As has become tradition with all of BCI's impressive He-Man and the Masters of the Universe DVD releases (including She-Ra), this collection began the tradition of including a pair of 4x6" art cards, this time by artists Bruce Timm and Adam Hughes.

Many question the value of owning this collection, especially if they own the complete series box sets but BCI wisely spices this set with some documentary bits unavailable elsewhere and the pair of unique art cards. Most importantly, however, is that The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe typically retails for around $15 and does a wonderful job of summarizing the 130 episodes of the series for potential fans.