Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya Prisma Phantasm Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya Prisma Phantasm Blu-ray Movie Review

A quirky anime side-story in the fan-favorite Fate/stay night franchise

Fate Kaleid liner Prisma Illya – Prisma Phantasm expands on the beloved Fate/stay night franchise by delving into the world of alternate events and happenstance. The quirky anime feature-film goes solo without following any clear course: playing with the fantastical concepts for a off-the-wall comedic side story that doesn't follow the rules. Produced by acclaimed animation studio Silver Link (Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, Mitsuboshi Colors), the film spin-off was released in theaters in June of 2019. Released by Sentai Filmworks in North America, fans of Fate/stay night are in for some quirky shenanigans!

Following a non-linear concept through to the end, Fate Kaleid liner Prisma Illya – Prisma Phantasm features the cast of characters in a number of offbeat situations: showing the characters as they prep building a magical-girl cast of heroes, compete in spicy ramen contests, and engage in spirited (if unexpected) gender reversals! Catch up with Illyasviel von Einzbern (Mai Kadowaki), Chloe Von Einzburn (Chiwa Saito), and Miyu Edelfelt (Kaori Nazuka) as more offbeat hi-jinks ensue from beginning to end.

Fans of the anime looking for something uniquely memorable will find this to be an interesting spin-off in the realm of other re-imagining anime creations like Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu or Attack on Titan: Junior High. The concept takes things in new directions while simply playing with the universe and cast of characters. This is clearly an alternate telling with the classic magical-girl anime trope at the front and center.

"Time to kick some grass!"

One of the strongest elements of the production is the exquisite animation. The character designs by Kazuya Hirata (Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense) are enormously well done: an effective stylistic approach which add to the aesthetics of the production. In addition to the character designs fitting the personalities of the characters well, the overall quality of the animation manages to impress. The colorful and vibrant background artwork is engaging and fun. This is not as dark or dreary as some of the stories in the Fate/stay night universe and is much more upbeat.

Based on the original mange by Hiroshi Hiroyama, the screenplay for Fate Kaleid liner Prisma Illya – Prisma Phantasm was written by Kenji Inoue (Grand Blue) and Hazuki Minase (Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 3rei). The script is zany and incoherent at times while playing with the world and characters. This is not a clear-cut (or streamlined) story. The film bounces around between the environments and concepts while simply attempting to be as silly as can be. This makes for an entertaining film (if not something particularly memorable).

Directed by Shin Inuma, Fate Kaleid liner Prisma Illya – Prisma Phantasm isn't the most ambitious anime production out there. The film simply aims to entertain and divert the attentions of the target audience. A random, offbeat, and quirky experience, the creativity on display is part of the charm but the film doesn't find a way to distinguish itself as well as it could. The end result is something which feels entertaining but never enlightening. Fans of the franchise will have fun but it's unlikely to make viewers outside of the fold take notice.

Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya Prisma Phantasm Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Fate Kaleid liner Prisma Illya – Prisma Phantasm features an altogether impressive 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation quality on the Blu-ray release is downright superb and easily brings viewers into the fantastical story. The animation looks sharp, colorful, and dynamic to behold. The image is crisp, clean, and clear: the style of the animation is decidedly modern and the results are gorgeous. Colors pop with vitality. The encode quality is equally remarkable and is free from egregious banding.

Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya Prisma Phantasm Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented with a Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo audio track. The audio is crystal clear and the dynamics of the presentation are impressive to listen to. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The music score is well implemented and makes a solid impression on the full spectrum of the audio design. The zany antics of the quirky anime film are brought to life with a sense of energy and rhythm that is unmissable. A solid high resolution encode that shines on the format.

Please note that the Blu-ray release has non-removable English subtitles (accompanying the original Japanese language audio version). The release has quality English subtitles (which are free from any egregious spelling and grammatical errors). There is no English dub option provided on the release. Though dub fans might feel a slight pang of grief that a English dub isn't on the release, the original voice-actors are excellent and the clarity of the audio track impresses.

Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya Prisma Phantasm Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Japanese Promos (HD, 6:36)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya – Vow in the Snow (HD, 1:06), Mysteria Friends (HD, 00:42), The Demon Girl Next Door (HD, 1:31), and Domestic Girlfriend (HD, 1:11).

Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya Prisma Phantasm Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though the film is never quite as ambitious as it could be in the end, Fate Kaleid liner Prisma Illya – Prisma Phantasm is nonetheless a reasonably entertaining diversion that will find appeal with anime enthusiasts (especially those already deep in the lore of the franchise). The film has a cast of quirky characters and side-stories to bring these comedic moments to life. The Blu-ray release has a high quality encode and is worth a watch for fans. Recommended.