Mirage Queen Prefers Circus Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Mirage Queen Prefers Circus Blu-ray Movie Review

Mirage Queen Prefers Circus adapts the Japanese children’s novel by creator Kaoru Hayamine. A theatrical release feature- film, Mirage Queen Prefers Circus is a fantasy-adventure drama with animation produced by East Fish Studio (Fragtime, Ten Count). Distributed by Pony Canyon for the theatrical release in Japan, the theatrical-feature streams on HIDIVE and was licensed for home media release by Sentai Filmworks in North America. The theme song is performed by Little Black Dress. The Mirage Queen Prefers Circus feature-film will appeal to children and young adults who want a fantasy film with circus elements.

Queen (Yūga Yamato) has gained a legendary reputation as one of the best thieves around. Queen is so renowned as a thief that some regard Queen as the Master Thief. The mysterious Queen is so uniquely mysterious that most do not even know the gender.

Queen has decided to steal the precious gem referred to as the Rose of Linden. Yet those thieving plans have been thwarted by others with a determination to steal the same exact gem. Who will ultimately steal the rare gem and walk away the victor?

As the spectacular heist unfolds, a Joker (Kazuki Katō) manages to enter the equation. A joker might actually be more than just a sinister clown. Will the Joker reign supreme?

The character designs by Kumiko Kawashima (Fantasista Stella) are somewhat simplistic looking but the designs still manage to work well enough for the characters. The designs certainly seem to be targeted at younger anime fans. The character designs are decent but not as complex as some productions. A round design element impacted the simplistic designs.

The animation is decent if unspectacular in the production. Mirage Queen Prefers Circus doesn’t seem to stand out as well as some anime productions. The background animation is fairly simple and there isn’t much going on in the foreground during most of the scenes. The focus is mostly on the characters and background settings seem like an afterthought.

The score composed by Moe Hyūga (The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess, O Maidens in Your Savage) is one of the better aspects of the film. The music has some nice charm and provides an interesting and soft score that works well enough for the fantasy elements. A decent effort by Hyūga.

Written by Mariko Kunisawa (Ascendance of a Bookworm, Zenmai Zamurai), Mirage Queen Prefers Circus isn’t the most compelling anime story-wise. The script is decent at best. The writing isn’t as interesting as it could have been. The story feels aimed at younger audiences and might not be as appealing for older audiences.

Directed by Saori Den (Pokémon Horizons: The Series, Sword Art Online: Alicization), Mirage Queen Prefers Circus is a watchable and decent effort. Nonetheless, Mirage Queen Prefers Circus isn’t an especially impressive film. Mirage Queen Prefers Circus may appeal to especially young viewers. However, Mirage Queen Prefers Circus is unlikely to appeal to those outside of the target viewer demographic.

Mirage Queen Prefers Circus Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Mirage Queen Prefers Circus is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The video quality on the release is impressive on the whole. The animation looks colorful and bold on the Blu-ray release. The video presentation capably handles the animation style. The encode is free from egregious banding issues. The film has simplistic animation but it is well-preserved by the encode. A good effort by distributor Sentai Filmworks.

Mirage Queen Prefers Circus Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release has worthwhile lossless audio encoding. Dialogue is clear and is well reproduced. The sound direction by Toshiki Kameyama (Non Non Biyori, Tokyo Mew Mew New) is a highlight of the encode. There is no English dubbed option on the release. The English subtitles for the Japanese language version are noteworthy and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

Mirage Queen Prefers Circus Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no extras included on the release.

Mirage Queen Prefers Circus Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mirage Queen Prefers Circus is a decent anime film with a fantasy-adventure element. The circus aspect of the film is a highlight of the production. The animation is simple but it works well for the storyline. Directed by Saori Den (Pokémon Horizons: The Series), Mirage Queen Prefers Circus is a production aimed at young audiences and might not appeal as much to older anime fans. The Blu-ray release has a solid video and audio presentation. The release does not include any bonus features at all. RENT IT.