Blue Comet SPT Layzner Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Blue Comet SPT Layzner Blu-ray Movie Review

Blue Comet SPT Layzner is a science-fiction adventure series with a fun and exciting high-concept. The series comes from the original concept by Hajime Yatate and original story by Tsunehisa Itō. Created by Ryousuke Takahashi, Blue Comet SPT Layzner features production by Masuo Ueda (City Hunter, Mobile Suit Victory Gundam), Seiichi Ginya (The Rose of Versailles, Treasure Island), and Takahiko Kimoto (Panzer World Galient). The series features animation produced by Sunrise (Cowboy Bebop, Mobile Suit Gundam). Broadcast on the Bandai Channel and Nippon Television Network, Blue Comet SPT Layzner features high-octane fun with vocal performances by a cast including Hideyuki Umezu, Hiroko Emori, Katsumi Toriumi, and Mari Yokoo.

The future is now the past – but at one point in time, the future seemed to be a distant and ominous echo. Set in 1996 – a futuristic cold war has caused issues all the way out in outer-space. There is a large program for developing and creating new methods of space technology and several young students are involved in the program. The UN Research Base is a huge part of the project and it is located out on Mars. After finally arriving on Mars to partake in the program, these students discover a blue and ominous weapon floating above in outer-space.

Within moments, the assault weapon causes a commotion. The entire facility is destroyed in an instant and there are only a few left alive. An overwhelming tragedy, the survivors must fight for the future or die trying. Eiji Asuka (Kazuhiko Inoue) thus reveals himself to be the person who commands over the blue weapon known as the SPT Layzner. An ominous warning to given to those who survive: Earth is possibly going to die and it will be a dangerous mission if the planet Earth is going to survive.

The old-school character designs add a lot of charm to the series. The classic style designs created by Moriyasu Taniguchi (Cinderella Express, Violence Jack) are certainly enjoyable and make the series significantly more impressive as a creation. The designs showcase the aesthetic of the era and the designs reflect the hip styles of the characters.

The animation is beautiful and there is a lot to appreciate about the artistry of the art work. The anime series features noteworthy art direction by Kazuhiro Arai (All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, The Boy Who Saw the Wind) and Osamu Honda (Knights of Ramune, Harlock Saga). The art looks fantastic and creative. There is a nice sense of nostalgia in watching this vintage anime series – the animation is hand-drawn and the level of attention to detail and care in the animation is something that sets it apart.

The team of animators involved on the series certainly brought something special to the table and understood how to highlight the rhythm of the action and the epic qualities of the production. Anyone who appreciates old-school classic anime will find plenty to appreciate and will enjoy the classic style on display with not only the character designs but the background animation and line art. One can sense that the animation team invested a lot of energy and time into making the series come to life and classic anime fans will adore it.

One of the other fun elements of the series are the excellent mecha designs by Kunio Okawara (Armored Trooper Votoms, Mobile Suit Gundam). The mecha designs add a lot to the series. An outstanding sense of detail and cohesion to the mecha suits. This is no surprise when one considers the designer involved. With Okawara on board, one can expect something special in regards to the mecha designs – considering their involvement with the original Mobile Suit Gundam – the most legendary mecha anime ever made.

The cinematography by Housaku Miura (Lupin III: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon, Chie the Brat) and Kazuhiro Furubayashi (City Hunter, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack) is another fun element that adds a lot of charm to the series. The aesthetic is wonderful and one can enjoy the charm of the style. The art style is all the better because of the film source and the style creates an entertaining and nostalgic vibe that is quite enjoyable. Miura is a talented cinematographer who has a lot of experience working with productions like Lupin and some other pre-Ghibli works so the effort here is something commendable.

The score composed by Hiroki Inui (Armored Trooper Votoms, Miss Machiko) is entertaining and a good backdrop for the action and spectacle, too. The music of Inui adds to the series. There is something fun about classic anime scores like this one and the music certainly adds a sense of entertainment value in and of itself. The score is a good backdrop to the mecha elements and it certainly adds to the series.

Written by a staff of screenwriters including Fuyunori Gobu (Armored Trooper Votoms, GaoGaiGar: King of the Braves), Hiroyuki Hoshiyama (Dirty Pair, Urusei Yatsura), Tsunehisa Itō (Manga Sarutobi Sasuke, Sherlock Hound), and Yasushi Hirano (The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird, Captain Tsubasa), Blue Comet SPT Layzner is a series with a fun concept. The series really hits the ground running with a great start to the journey. The characters are tossed into an epic adventure and one with a lot of thrills in store for the ensemble. Fans of science-fiction anime will appreciate it.  

Directed by Ryousuke Takahashi (Gasaraki, Armored Trooper Votoms), Blue Comet SPT Layzner is a fun series and it certainly offers action and adventure. Anime fans who love nostalgic and entertaining fun classic anime series with good animation and hip vibes will find plenty to enjoy about the series. The series certainly feels energized through the directing by Takahashi. Blue Comet SPT Layzner is well worthwhile and classic anime fans might not be able to resist.

Blue Comet SPT Layzner Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Blue Comet SPT Layzner is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. An impressive high-definition presentation that capably showcases the original hand- drawn animation for the classic anime series. The series looks wonderful in high-definition and it is nice to see more of the hand-drawn artistry showcased. The film-based animation looks incredible at times and even with a somewhat vintage aesthetic the animation shines through.

The release benefits by the quality high-definition encoding by Discotek Media. Discotek Media is one of the best boutique labels around – providing a good presentation with solid encoding. It is also worth noting that Blu-ray remains the best way to experience a classic anime series – with superior bit-rates with physical media compared to streaming video platforms (which typically provide series with lower-quality video bit- rates – the presentation is therefore better on physical media and streaming has more compression).

Blue Comet SPT Layzner Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality on the release sounds excellent and there is a lot to appreciate about the audio presentation. Dialogue sounds clear and is well reproduced on the release. The score also impresses and sounds nicely integrated into the sound design on the stereo audio mix. The sound direction by Yasuo Uragami is well reproduced and fans will appreciate that Discotek provides a quality lossless encode, highlighting one of the best strengths of the physical media format. Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio encoding – the presentation is superior on Blu-ray disc.

Blue Comet SPT Layzner Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover features a stunning front image and the key artwork makes a nice impression for the release. The characters are highlighted on the artwork (front and center) and the artwork underneath the slipcover features more compelling art. Certainly, the artwork adds a lot to the package design. Discotek Media continues to excel in this arena and the release will look great in hand and when one displays it on their shelf.

On disc supplements:

Disc 3:

Clean Openings (HD, 3:22)

Clean Endings (HD, 2:02)

Disc 4:

OVA 1-3 – (HD, 2:47:26)

Act I: Eiji 1996

Act II: Le Cain 1999

Act III: Seal 2000

Additional Extras:

OVA Clean Openings (HD, 5:03)

Blue Comet SPT Layzner Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blue Comet SPT Layzner is an entertaining classic science-fiction anime series with a compelling concept and a nice cast of characters. The series has enjoyable old-school anime music and the animation looks incredible. The hand-drawn aesthetic makes a big difference and makes the series all the more fun for audiences. The Blu-ray release features a solid high-definition presentation and lossless audio, too. A selection of supplements rounds out the package. Discotek even made sure to provide the three OVA episodes on the last disc in the box-set. The slipcover is well designed and adds to the collectability of the release, too. Recommended.