The Great Cleric: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Great Cleric: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie Review

The Great Cleric is a fantasy-adventure genre series. Created by Broccoli Lion, The Great Cleric features animation production by Cloud Hearts (The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World, Whisper Me a Love Song) and Yokohama Animation Lab (Tsuyokute New Saga, Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal). Original character designs by sime add to the production.

The Great Cleric features theme song performances by Nasuo (opening) and Yuki Nakashima (ending). The production features a voice-cast including Reiji Kawashima, Akio Ōtsuka, Daisuke Ono, Eriko Matsui, Hina Tachibana, Manaka Iwami, Mikoi Sasaki, Rika Kinugawa, Showtaro Morikubo, Tomoaki Maeno, and Yōko Hikasa. Fans of the fantasy genre may wish to check it out.

Another day – another reincarnation. Luciel (Reiji Kawashima) was a boring salaryperson in his previous life and then he keeled over dead in the blink of an eye. Now reborn, Luciel finds himself in a strange fantasy world with magic, monsters, and mayhem. Luciel must now try to do anything in his power to survive the new landscape.

The first mission? Joining the Adventurer’s Guild. The Adventurers Guild promises new opportunities for Luciel and a chance to survive in the new world. Exploring the magical realm of Galdardia, Luciel has a new mission in life: no more keeling over dead in the blink of an eye. This go around Luciel has a new chance at life and won’t die until extremely old. As Luciel gains new skills, he also begins to help out others around him and pave a new path forward in the realm of magic.

The characters are a big part of the production. The Great Cleric is a fantasy series with a decent cast of characters. The characters might not be the most original in the genre but they are still noteworthy in working in the realm of magic and fantasy that the series delves into. Luciel is a decent lead character. Exploring the reincarnation of the character, The Great Cleric showcases that side of Luciel and his journey.

The character designs by Guonian Wang (The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World, The New Gate) are worthwhile. The designs fit the respective lead characters. The designs do add to the production style. These efforts add to the overall quality of the anime. Even without being the most memorable and distinct character designs, the decent effort is notable.

The animation is one of the solid aspects of the series. The Great Cleric features art direction by Toshiyuki Tokuda (Mermaid Forest, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches). The animation is impressively vibrant and colorful. The animation style showcases the fantasy elements in an interesting way. The end result is more notable and the animation team helped to deliver something that would be appeal to the fans.

The score composed by Toshihiko Sahashi (Cutey Honey Flash, The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt) is solid and adds to the production values. The music is a decent backdrop. The music provides some energy and pizzaz for the series.

The cinematography by Shinya Kanetake (My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer, Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion) is another worthwhile aspect. The cinematography helps to showcase the animation at its absolute best. The style is engaging and vibrant. The animators work is highlighted better because of the results of cinematographer Kanetake and what is brought to the table.

Written by Keiichirō Ōchi (The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses, The Demon Girl Next Door), The Great Cleric is a fantasy series with some interesting dialogue and ideas. Though not the best anime, the writing is decent enough and the characters add to the fun. Fans of the series will appreciate the reasonably solid writing quality.

Directed by Masato Tamagawa (The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt, Tokyo Revengers), The Great Cleric might not win over all audiences but it does reward loyal fans with adventure and fantasy that checks off some notable boxes fans might be looking for. The Great Cleric is decent entertainment and sometimes that is all an audience wants.

The Great Cleric: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, The Great Cleric 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 presentation is engaging and the animation is impressive looking. The animation certainly has an impressive shine on the release. Colors are vibrant and well reproduced.

One of the strengths of the format is the superior encoding. For videophiles and home theater enthusiasts wanting the best possible presentation, the picture-quality can offer a boost to audiences over streaming services. For enthusiasts seeking the best presentation, there is an advantage for the format. There are variables at play too. Lots of rural areas still don't have access to high-speed internet.

Even in areas with exceptional internet speeds available, the quality can be different based on equipment, carriers, data speeds, and other variables such as how many people are using the internet connection at one time – perhaps one family member is playing an online video game, another family member is streaming music, and another is watching something on a streaming service. These are just some examples of how even these aspects occasionally cause playback issues for some. Besides, it's always nice having a physical copy of a favorite.

The Great Cleric: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The sound direction by Ryōsuke Naya (Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World, The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt) is preserved well on the release. Dialogue sounds crisp and clear. The soundtrack is well reproduced. The English dub does benefit somewhat by providing a 5.1 sound mix while the original Japanese language version is limited to 2.0 stereo. Despite these audio differences, the original language mix sounds clear and impressive overall.

Blu-ray provides an advantage over streaming services. Streaming video services provide lossy (non-lossless) audio compared to the lossless encoding of physical media and the Blu-ray disc format. A worthwhile part of the presentation and something enthusiasts appreciate having. It is always a wonderful feeling to know one has the best possible presentation in hand.

The Great Cleric: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a standard o-card slipcover. The release includes the same standard artwork on the sleeve underneath the slipcover. The release includes some inner art on the opposite side of the cover. The full-color artwork on the back of the front cover is something one will see better if sliding the cover art out of the blue case.

One of the things I would like to see improved in the future is a switch to more clear cases. Having a clear case would make it much easier to see the vibrant full-color artwork on the back side of the cover-art. Even despite some nitpicks, the package looks decent overall and the release looks nice on a shelf.

On disc supplements include:

Next Episode Previews (HD, 3:07)

Promo Videos (HD, 3:28)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:31)

Unfortunately, the supplemental package isn't that impressive and could have been a more well-rounded offering for series fans. The release could have used some audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, making-of documentaries, cast/crew interviews, photo galleries, convention panels, and other similar offerings. Alas, the extras are sparse. Sometimes a nice supplemental package can help sway someone to purchase a box-set on physical media over opting for a one-time view on a streaming service. It is always something potential buyers can and should consider when evaluating their own purchases.

The Great Cleric: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Great Cleric is a decent anime series with some entertainment to be had for fantasy-adventure fans. The Great Cleric has nice animation and the production values are decent overall. The Blu-ray release provides a solid high-definition presentation and lossless audio. The release also comes with an o-card slipcover on the first print run. Slipcover fans might want to take this aspect into consideration because the slipcover is limited to the first print run. The only potential drawback to the box-set is the somewhat average supplemental package. Nonetheless, series fans wanting a permanent copy may wish to add the release to their collection.