How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

How I Attended An All-Guy’s Mixer is a charming slice-of-life romantic comedy. Created by Nana Aokawa, How I Attended An All-Guy’s Mixer features animation production by Ashi Productions (365 Days to the Wedding, Cutie Honey Universe). How I Attended An All-Guy’s Mixer includes theme song performances by Nasuo (OP) and ASOBI Doumei (ED). The voice cast includes Shunsuke Takeuchi, Aoi Yūki, Gakuto Kajiwara, Mikako Komatsu, Nao Tōyama, and Shun Horie.

Tokiwa (Shunsuke Takeuchi) is invited to go attend a college mixer party and he and his friends go expecting gorgeous college girls. Instead, the men find themselves greeted by handsome men instead. Yet maybe some of the men are actually women crossdressing as handsome men? The college mixer seems surprising in more ways than one. The handsome men lead the mixer and the party has just gotten started. A start of unexpected friendships begin.

Tokiwa is a compelling lead character for the ensemble. The supporting cast of characters includes Fuji (Aoi Yūki), Hagi (Gakuto Kajiwara), Suo (Mikako Komatsu), Kohaku (Nao Tōyama), and Asagi (Shun Horie). The supporting cast adds a lot of excitement to the slice of life comedy, too. A well-done ensemble cast.

The character designs by Yōko Tanabe (Handyman Saitō in Another World, Record of Ragnarok III) are impressive and work well for the entire cast of characters. The designs work well for the slice of life genre. The character artwork is distinct for each for the main cast members.

The animation is one of the strengths of the production. How I Attended An All-Guy’s Mixer features chief animation direction by Yōko Tanabe (Handyman Saitō in Another World, Record of Ragnarok). The team of animators did something remarkably special with the anime and made something that works well across the board for the cast of characters and the concept. The animation is a perfect match for the storytelling.

The cinematography by Anna Tomisaki (Tower of God: Workshop Battle, Kusunoki's Garden of Gods) is well done, too. The visuals enhance the storytelling in spades. The cinematography highlights the lush and colorful world of the animation. The light and airy elements of the cinematography are certainly well reproduced.

The score composed by TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND (Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn, Trinity Seven) is a highlight. The music is engaging and one of the elements that keeps things engaging. A fun score and one that works well with the wide cast of characters. The score certainly builds on things – adding a lot of fun to the production.

Written by Deko Akao (After the Rain, Arakawa Under the Bridge), How I Attended An All-Guy’s Mixer is a good concept and it is well-executed for the series. The storytelling has a nice cast of characters that were given interesting personalities and a chance to shine with the concept and setting. Akao is an impressive anime screenwriter with some good credits across other series and this is another fun slice-of-life style anime for the screenwriter. How I Attended An All-Guy’s Mixer is all the better because of the laidback sensibilities of the program and the light and airy screenwriting that keeps things fun and entertaining.

Directed by Kazuomi Koga (The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases, The Dreaming Boy Is a Realist), How I Attended An All-Guy’s Mixer is well-done from a filmmaking perspective. The series features solid direction and the filmmaking brings the scripting to life with a good showcase for the cast of characters. Koga did a solid job with the production and with making sure it keeps a consistent tone that establishes the anime as a solid entry in the slice of life genre.

The emphasis is on comedy and drama. The light slice of life comedy element is the emphasis. So as a result the series isn’t action- oriented. Fans of light slice of life comedies and romantic comedies will appreciate the genre sensibilities of the production. The director does a good job handling these elements. The mixer setting is a fun one and allows for some good comedy for the series, too. Audiences who appreciate a more sophisticated and laidback sense of comedy will appreciate this being a element of the series.

How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, How I Attended An All-Guy's Mixer is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition video transfer looks excellent on the release. Colors are great: exceptional looking color reproduction and depth. The colors pop on the release and shine. The presentation benefits from fantastic cinematography which is well reproduced on the release. The clear high-definition visuals are robust and dynamic looking on the release. The mixer setting is brought to life well by the animators with the cinematography showcasing the setting well for the video presentation.

One of the strengths of physical media is the superior video encoding. Streaming video services often have lower video bit-rates compared to streaming video services. For home theater enthusiasts who desire the best possible video presentation possible, the Blu-ray disc format offers an advantage with consistent encoding quality that can be depended upon.

Streaming video has a more inconsistent video quality by comparison and even a subtle fluctuation can cause a dip in quality that otherwise isn't present with physical media. Streaming often has other variables to deal with – from internet connection quality, internet data rate caps, number of connected users, weather issues, and other variables. The bottom line is that physical media can offer and often does offer an improved experience and there is a dependability to Blu-ray that is enjoyable for fans.

How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding is crisp, engaging, and enjoyable. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The series is dialogue heavy so much of the soundtrack is emphasized on conversations between the characters. The series is a slice of life anime so it isn't much action- oriented but the dialogue comes through clean and clear. The English subtitles are well done. The subtitles are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

One of the cool things about Blu-ray is the lossless audio encoding. Blu-ray provides lossless quality – better than any streaming video service. Streaming video services only offer lossy (non-lossless) encoding by comparison. For home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles who want the best possible audio presentation, the physical format has a distinct advantage for collectors.

How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes in a standard Blu-ray case. The standard edition does not include any additional packaging bonuses or additional swag. A steelbook copy would have been a nice addition for the packaging options but at this time there has not been a steelbook option.

On disc supplements include:

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Unfortunately, the release is rather barebones in the supplements. The extras could have been expanded to add some more supplements – such as audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, cast/crew interviews, roundtable discussions, convention panels, art galleries, and other extras. Alas, in the streaming era sometimes fans need extra bonus features or swag when deciding on whether or not to purchase a release for a permanent copy or to do a one-time stream. The extras are lackluster and could have been better.

How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

How I Attended An All-Guy's Mixer is a cute and charming slice-of-life anime series. The anime series has a nice cast of characters. The animation is beautiful and there is a lot to appreciate about the wonderful animation. The series will appeal to those looking for a fun romantic comedy series, too. The series has plenty to offer audiences. The mixer setting is fun and helps the concept of the series unfold. The light comedy element is appreciated and is something that audiences will appreciate for the subtle and fun comedic sensibility.

The Blu-ray release provides an excellent high-definition presentation, lossless audio, and a small selection of bonus features. Unfortunately, the supplemental package is sparse and could have potentially benefited from some more extras. Despite the average extras, fans of the series may want to consider a purchase for their collection. Recommended.