REVIEW: Adventure Time – The Enchiridion DVD

Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time: The Enchiridion DVD is out now, and the question is as always whether it’s worth the asking price. There’s no doubt that the content, which consists of 16 episodes that total 173 minutes of mathematical fun, command a price but what makes the DVD worth purchasing over just streaming or getting digital copies of the episodes, especially since four of the episodes were already released in home video via the Adventure Time: The Complete Fifth Season release?

One of the main reasons why you should get the Enchiridion DVD is if you want a collection focused entirely on The Enchiridion story arc, which centers around an ancient book with codes of conduct, guidelines, and other useful information for heroes. It’s one of the crazier quests in a series full of already zany adventures, with Princess Bubblegum, Jake, Finn, and a whole host of characters getting tangled in a huge hunt for the famed Enchiridion. Do they make it? If you don’t know the answer yet – the DVD is a great way to find out in one sitting. Just make sure you prepare a huge bowl of popcorn.

For the more tangible aspects of the release, it is not surprising that the packaging is more straightforward, as they usually reserve the bells and whistles for full season releases. For what it’s worth, the cover design looks spiffy and features Jake, Finn, and fan favorite Marceline along with the eponymous ancient book. The use of bright pastel colors as a background is par for the course, and the artwork extends to the spine so it looks spiffy even when shelved.

There’s also no bonus content, which is again understandable because this is a stopgap release inbetween their full season home video releases. Thankfully, the price reflects this and you can fully expect to get a product that justifies the asking price ($19.82). Get this if you are a completist, want another quality addition to your Adventure Time home video collection, and if you want something more tangible than a Netflix queue. If you just want to collect all the episodes of the series in home video format, it might serve you better to wait for the next full season release.