A Sign of Affection: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

A Sign of Affection: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie Review

A Sign of Affection is a creative and moving romantic-drama. Created by Suu Morishita, A Sign of Affection is a well-done anime featuring character designs by Kasumi Sakai. A Sign of Affection features theme song performances by Novelbright (opening) and ChoQMay (ending). A Sign of Affection also has animation production by Ajiado (Yano- kun's Ordinary Days, Zettai Shonen).

Yuki Itose (Sumire Morohoshi) and Itsuomi Nagi (Yū Miyazaki) are two beautiful college students who meet and become close with one another. The duo becomes intertwined with each other and each other’s worlds in a quick manner. The pair find themselves crushing for each other.

A simple and beautiful crush on one another transforms into more meaningful connection. There is a clear kindness between them and the boy’s affection for Japanese sign language is something that brings her a lot of happiness and tranquility. Could the pair be a perfect match for the future?

The supporting cast of characters includes Rin Fujishiro (Kaede Hondo), Ema Nakazono (Nao Tōyama), Kyōya Nagi (Ryōta Ōsaka), Ōshi Ashioki (Takeo Ōtsuka), and Kokoro Iyanagi (Tasuku Hatanaka). The supporting cast adds to the lead protagonists. The supporting characters round out the romantic ensemble fun.

The lead characters are certainly both compelling protagonists. The journeys of Yuki Itose (Sumire Morohoshi) and Itsuomi Nagi (Yū Miyazaki) are worth taking. The lead characters provide some necessary romantic whimsy that is the perfect ingredient for the series genre tropes. These are engaging, lovable, and fun characters to spend time with.

The voice cast does an excellent job with the series. The lead voice actors are both perfect and add so much charm to their respective characters. The supporting cast of characters has a lot of fun with the vocal work in voicing the supporting players, too. The balance between the ensemble is something admirable and that brings out the best in the overall production. An excellent showcase for voice acting.

A Sign of Affection features excellent animation and production values. A Sign of Affection features art direction by Kohei Honda (As Miss Beelzebub likes it., Rumble Garanndoll). The series also features the chief animation direction by Emiko Endo (Ascendance of a Bookworm, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord), Kanako Tsuji (Ascendance of a Bookworm, Brave Beats), Kasumi Sakai (Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie Over the Rainbow, Hula Fulla Dance), Kazue Tamari (Nintama Rantaro, Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream), and Yuki Nishioka (Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess, Tribe Cool Crew). There is a lot worth appreciating in the animation style. The animation itself is beautiful, bold, and creative. There is so much worthwhile about the visual language of the series. The animators have a lot of fun with the production and bring out the best in the artistry.

The cinematography by Teppei Satō (How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord, Izetta: The Last Witch) is enormously beautiful, too. The cinematographic style is one of the great strengths of the series. A beautifully visualized anime series, the cinematography creates evocative and serene images that manage to feel peaceful and inspiring at the same time. The style is something that feels altogether painterly. The result is animation that feels beautiful enough to see displayed in wall frames in an art museum. The lush cinematography plays into that feeling. The results work enormously well.

The score composed by Yukari Hashimoto (The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt, Banished from the Hero's Party) is beautiful and robust. The music is one of the most serene and fun elements of the production. The music is a nice backdrop to the romantic drama. The score finds an element of sophistication and class at the same time. The score works wonders with classy backdrop elements and a nice sense of passion for the characters and their stories. A solid score effort all around.

Written by Yōko Yonaiyama (Skip and Loafer, Ya Boy Kongming!), A Sign of Affection is a beautiful and well-written effort. The scriptwriting is solid and the characterizations are well done. There is a sense through the storytelling that the characters are on a journey that the writers are helping to explore. Characters are brought to life well and have inspired aspects. The writing is fun and provides nice dialogue, too.

Directed by Yūta Murano (Brave Beats, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord), A Sign of Affection is well directed. The filmmaking quality is top-notch and is certainly on another level altogether for a modern romantic drama anime series. A Sign of Affection is certainly something special and fans of modern romantic anime will appreciate the amount of effort given to the production. Murano did create a special series and the results work in spades. Audiences will appreciate the level of attention given to exploring the cast of characters and to showcasing the artistry of the animation team – from the detailed background animation and line art to the creative designs all around.

A Sign of Affection: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, A Sign of Affection is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series has a robust and colorful presentation in high-definition. The high-definition video transfer looks absolutely great – stunning, gorgeous, and crisp throughout. The line artwork and background art are superbly done. Outstanding detail and attention to the production values. The release capably provides wonderful encoding by Crunchyroll.

One of the benefits of the Blu-ray disc format is the higher quality video encoding. Streaming video services often compress the video presentation more. The streaming quality might still be watchable and engaging overall but for those wanting to eek out the best possible presentation with some higher video bit-rates and encoding depth, the physical media format can offer an advantage that not everyone is aware of. The higher quality video option remains a staple of modern physical media.

A Sign of Affection: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding is something that is an enjoyable aspect of the release. The audio presentation capably preserves the sound direction by Hiromi Kikuta (The Deer King, Welcome to the Ballroom).

The lossless encoding is top-notch and one of the most enjoyable aspects of the presentation. The English dub option has a somewhat more expansive sounding sound mix with a 5.1 surround sound option. Meanwhile, the original language version is still limited to 2.0. However, it is difficult to imagine any anime fans being disappointed in the overall. The results work in spades.

One key strength of the Blu-ray disc format is the ability for lossless audio encoding. Lossless audio provides higher bit-rates and lower noise floors so the audio quality is far superior and more fun to listen to. Both audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts appreciate lossless audio encoding and are going to appreciate the efforts made with the release. A terrific effort all around.

A Sign of Affection: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover features unique keywork. After looking at both artwork selections back-to-back, it is obvious that the slip is wonderful as an addition to the collectors release and to the quality of the package. Blu-ray fans will certainly appreciate the quality of the package design.

On disc supplements include:

Mini Anime "Yubisaki Puchi" (HD, 19:16)

Promo Video (HD, 00:55)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Songs (HD, 7:26)

The extras package is more well rounded than it is on many releases. The inclusion of mini anime episodes is a nice bonus. The set could have used other extensive extras like audio commentary tracks, making-of featurettes, interviews, and the like – but there is still plenty worth appreciating on the set, too. A nice assortment overall.

A Sign of Affection: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Sign of Affection is a beautiful and tranquil romantic drama anime. The series has compelling lead characters and a nice visual style. The animation is gorgeous and is reason enough to check out the series. The Blu-ray release features an exceptional high-definition transfer, lossless audio encoding, and a selection of bonus features – including mini anime episodes and a nice package design (with a o-card slipcover featuring additional key artwork). Recommended.