For some, Gackt requires no introduction. He's a Japanese idol who is gifted with talent in music and in singing. He also looks really good when you put him in ridiculously elaborate clothing and makeup. Gackt has shown up in everything from commercials to videogames, but his main calling is music. And pretty, pretty clothes. Gackt: The Greatest Filmography Red is a collection of music videos from his career during the period of 1999 through 2006.

Between this and Gackt Blue, this is definitely the more visually impressive collection. This DVD shows off a wide range of Gackt "looks" from cornrows and ringlet curls (yes, together) Gackt, to biker Gackt, to fancy aristocrat Gackt. The music selection has some popular and catchy songs from his repertoire. Many are love ballads, but a couple have more esoteric lyrics and different subject matter. "Mizerable," "Metamorphoze," and "Vanilla" videos are a few of the best, both for the originality of the songs and the videos. Gackt seems to perform better when there isn't an elaborate story to tell in his videos. For example, in "Metamorphoze," Gackt is dressed in a futuristic set of armor, in the cockpit of what we are to assume is a Gundam-style mech. He's gives a dramatic look, manipulates some mysterious controls, and just mesmerizes in short bursts. The video alternates between shots of him fighting a battle in the cockpit and shots of him wounded, drifting off alone in space. It's not much of a story, true, but it's great eye candy. Put him in a video where he's got to play out a love story, however, and all you'll get from Gackt is a lot of wistful looks and sad staring. Whatever's your cup of tea, I suppose.

Speaking of the "Metamorphoze" video with the Gundam references, you'll see a lot of similarities between Gackt's videos and anime, especially in Gackt Red. I can't tell you if the influence doesn't go both ways, but you'll see some camera work combined with Gackt's expressions that have the look of an anime sequence.

You're probably a Gackt fan or know a person who is one if you're considering the purchase of Gackt Red or Gackt Blue. Between the two, it's easy to recommend Gackt Red for the songs and visual entertainment. Unfortunately there aren't any extras for the fans here. You get the 12 music videos and that's it. Though it's not listed as a bonus, you do get access to the original Japanese lyrics by using the alternate camera angle function of your DVD player. Those expecting some easy to read romaji will be disappointed. The text is in full Japanese with kanji and sometimes is impossible to read against light backgrounds in the videos. English subtitles accompany the videos otherwise, though you can turn them off if you want a clean version.