Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 27, 2013

Anime has a lot of defining characteristics, even if an astounding amount of different properties are subsumed under one all encompassing category, but one thing that sets many anime apart from other animated fare is their oftentimes totally weird and wacky titles. Many of these titles include Japanese words, of course, but sometimes even the pieces without Japanese words have odd combinations, as is the case with Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero. First of all, the last time I checked aesthetica is not an actual word, at least not in English. The actual word is aesthetic of course, but in a kind of funny piece of investigative journalism I did in preparation for this review, I discovered that “aesthetica” has been coined for any number of day spas and other quasi-medical offices. As “interesting” as Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero may sound, unfortunately it turns out that this anime’s title is about the only distinctive thing this otherwise trite and hackneyed piece has to offer.

The “rogue hero” of this anime’s title is high school kid Akatsuki Ōsawa, who has a secret life as a supercharged fighter in an alternate universe. After his latest showdown in that domain, he returns to his world with Miu in tow, the daughter of the alternate universe’s “Dark Lord”. The two pretend to be siblings and enroll in a school which resembles Hogwart’s, a training academy for kids with special powers. The series is rife with fan service, including Akatsuki’s special talent of removing his female opponents’ underwear, along with the requisite showdowns between various factions, with an added dash of simmering romance between Akatsuki and Miu. There’s truly nothing here that anime fans will not have seen in other, better properties.

Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero's AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 is curiously bland a lot of the time, with pallid color, general softness and inconsistent contrast. Some of the series has been intentionally "distressed" (this seems to be a new trend in recent anime), with added grain and other marks of "age", but there's also some spiking noise in the lower part of the frame in some of the darker sequences. Line detail is decently sharp, but this is a strangely lackluster looking presentation.

Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero features Dolby TrueHD 2.0 mixes in English and Japanese, which are virtually identical in terms of mix, other than voice work. Both of these tracks sound fine, if a bit anemic in the battle sequences. Fidelity is fine, and there's no damage of any kind to report.

Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Videos (1080p; 23:05)


• Promotional Videos (1080p; 4:00)


• Akatsuki Promo Video (1080p; 00:32)


• Haruka Promo Video (1080p; 00:32)


• Miu Promo Video (1080p; 00:32)


• Textless Opening Song "Realization" (1080p; 1:32)


• Textless Closing Song "Ai No Sei De Nemurenai" (1080p; 1:32)


• U.S. Trailer (1080p; 1:05)


• Episode 2 Commentary features Alexis Tipton, Monica Rial and Felecia Angelle.


• Episode 8 Commentary features Joel McDonald, Ryan Reynolds, and Eric Vale.

Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Newcomers to anime who haven't already seen a million shōnen outings that mix in battle sequences may get at least some passing enjoyment out of Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero. Others may want to revisit other, better shows that traffic in the same general plotlines. While there are some decent supplements on this release, my hunch is even fans of this show may be at least marginally disappointed in the video quality on display here.