Panzer World Galient: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Panzer World Galient: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Neil Lumbard December 23, 2024

Panzer World Galient is an action-packed science-fiction mecha anime series. Created by Hajime Yatate and Ryōsuke Takahashi, Panzer World Galient features animation production by Nippon Sunrise (City Hunter, Dirty Pair: Project Eden). Broadcast on the Bandai Channel, Panzer World Galient features theme song performances by EUROX and Hiroshi Nemoto. Produced by Norio Hatsukawa (Dirty Pair, Ninja Robots), Takahiko Kimoto (Blue Comet SPT Layzner), and Toru Hasegawa (Space Runaway Ideon, Armored Trooper Votoms), Panzer World Galient features voice-performances by Hidehiro Kikuchi and Shō Hayami.

The future is somehow linked between the past and the present. Panzer World Galient is set in a Medieval era in space and the surroundings are out-of-this-world. The quest is on to find the big, legendary, and epic space robot Galient. The Panzer Galient robot is unlike any other and it has a mythological quality that is remarkable in its origins. Within the Crescent Galaxy, Earth is known as the 5^th planet in the solar system. The journey includes the epic quest of the Vorder Kingdom.

Things surely intensify as the kingdom struggles for survival and lives are lost. Yet the ultimate stakes are between the army of robots up against the diabolical Marder and his goal to rule over the entire Crescent Galaxy. Can the Crescent Galaxy be saved from a ruthless invader with the help of the remarkable giant robot Panzer Galient?

The anime features impressive mecha designs. Panzer World Galient features mecha designs by Kunio Ōkawara (Blue Comet SPT Layzner, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing) and Yutaka Izubuchi (Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, Patlabor: The Movie). The mecha design elements add to the undeniable cool factor of the production.

Mecha elements are essential to the series. The giant robot mecha suits are important to both the storytelling and the visual sensibilities of the production. There certainly is a lot to commend about the series art style. Fans of giant robot series and other mecha productions will find these elements of the action series essential. There is so much for fans of the genre.

The character designs by Norio Shioyama (Armored Trooper Votoms, Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers) add to the aesthetic and design elements, too. The character designs are a lot of fun. Engaging, creative, and stylistic. The designs certain fulfill a certain retro anime vibe that is quite entertaining and undeniably charming. Fans of old-school classic anime will appreciate the character designs.

The animation is arguably the greatest highlight of the entire production. Panzer World Galient features noteworthy art direction by Mitsuharu Miyamae (All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, Legend of the Mystical Ninja). Panzer World Galient also highlights chief animation direction by Norio Shioyama (Armored Trooper Votoms, Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers). The animation is exquisite and wonderful to behold. The artistry on display is something special.

Classic hand drawn animation evokes an artistic sensibility and style that is rare to see in modern digital anime. The difference is style between classic and modern anime is significant. Fans of traditional hand-drawn animation are compelled by the differences and the cinematic language of anime on celluloid. The lush, evocative, and organic quality of hand-drawn visuals helps to bring one into the world of the anime with greater ease.

The score composed by Tōru Fuyuki (Fang of the Sun Dougram, The Ultraman) is engaging and action- packed. The music is a wonderful highlight of the production. The score is energetic, engaging, and phenomenal. Fuyuki is a talented composer and the composer has a great time with the anime. An action-packed score and one that is well-suited for the mecha genre. The score balances out these mecha themes and the human themes within the genre production. These classic score cues help to expand the language of the old-school anime.

Written by Sōji Yoshikawa (Armored Trooper Votoms, Dino Mech Gaiking), Panzer World Galient features solid storytelling. The action-packed story is something that helps to highlight the fun. Entertaining scripting and dialogue help to highlight the mecha action cues. These aspects are undeniably important to the production and its old-school charms.

Directed by Ryōsuke Takahashi (Armored Trooper Votoms, Blue Comet SPT Layzner), Panzer World Galient is a classic anime for fans of the mecha genre. Mecha anime fans who appreciate genre offerings, action-packed mayhem, and old- school energy will find something worthwhile with Panzer World Galient. Panzer World Galient is a nice showcase for the talents of director Takahashi as well. Takahashi understands the genre roots of Panzer World Galient and builds on the mecha landscape. Genre fans will be intrigued and will want to see the action-adventure.

Panzer World Galient: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Panzer World Galient is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The production features solid high-definition visuals. The traditional and hand-drawn animation is an important part of the presentation. The old-school visuals look great with the celluloid style being essential to the production. The background animation and line art are impressive on the release. A colorful and engaging encode.

One of the strengths of physical media is the superior video encoding. Though streaming video services can offer decent video for sampling something before deciding on a purchase, fans of physical media should appreciate the picture-quality differences. Physical media offers superior encoding bit-rates compared to streaming counterparts. For home theater enthusiasts seeking the best possible presentation quality for their equipment, Sentai provides solid encoding on Panzer World Galient.

Panzer World Galient: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The sound direction by Yasuo Uragami (Armored Trooper Votoms, City Hunter) is well reproduced. Dialogue is clear and engaging on the release. The score is a nice highlight of the release, too. The soundstage capably preserves the series style and original sound effects.

The subtitles are essential to the presentation. The English subtitles are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors. The release does not provide an English dubbed option for dub fans. Despite the lack of an English dubbed option, enthusiasts should be pleased knowing that the original language audio version is intact on the release.

Panzer World Galient: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes in a standard Blu-ray case. The release does not include an o-card slipcover or any additional deluxe packaging. The release does not include any art-cards, pack ins, or bonus physical extras. Some physical content extras would have rounded out the package design a bit more and provided some extra value for collectors who appreciate the extra swag and collectables.

OVA 1: The Terrestrial Chapter (HD, 57:42)

OVA 2: The Celestial Chapter (HD, 58:21)

OVA 3: Iron Crest (HD, 55:07)

The OVAs are the most substantial "extra" included on the release. Though some purchasers might consider the OVA inclusions as simply an extension of the "complete collection" it is nice to see an assortment of OVA episodes provided in addition to the main series. The OVAs round out the set.

Unfortunately, beyond the OVA episodes, the set doesn't include any other on-disc bonus features. The release could have used some audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentaries, making-of featurettes, cast/crew interviews, production roundtables, photo galleries, art galleries, and more. Bonus features often sway potential purchases in the age of streaming. Streaming certainly causes potential purchasers to sometimes opt for a one-time stream instead of a purchase so it's always nice to see emphasis on extras in the streaming era.

Panzer World Galient: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Panzer World Galient is an entertaining and action-packed mecha anime. Panzer World Galient is going to appeal to mecha fans looking for some old-school hand-drawn animation. Fans of action-packed animation and classic celluloid aesthetics will appreciate the artistry of Panzer World Galient. The set is impressive for including the OVA episodes. Unfortunately, no other supplements are provided.

The Blu-ray release provides a nice high-definition presentation. The release also includes lossless audio encoding. Panzer World Galient fans will appreciate owning the entire collection in one box-set. Recommended.