Akiba Maid War: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Akiba Maid War: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Akiba Maid War is an action-packed anime series with a bundle of blitz. The anime balances action and comedy for its action extravaganza. The series features animation production by P.A. Works. The series was licensed for release in North America by Sentai Filmworks. The series was originally broadcast in Japan on television network Tokyo MX.

The series original run was between October 7^th, 2022 and December 23^rd, 2022. Featuring the voices of Reina Kondo as Nagomi Wahira and Rina Satō as Ranko Mannen. Co-starring the voices of Aya Hirano, Ayahi Takagaki, Jenya, Minami Tanaka, and Tomoyo Kurosawa.

The Maid District was supposed to be fun and offer nothing more than a good time to everyone in the district. Instead, Akihabara has become a district known for rampant crime and corruption – and the maids can’t even keep up with cleaning it all up! The otaku of Akihabara might want to just enjoy a simple life but the land is rife with dangerous villains and as such the maids have a lot more to do: tackling much more than any of the maids ever expected.

The Maid Cafes are still a big part of the foundation of the district and the new maids wear sexy uniforms while performing their usual waitressing duties. Yet there is more to the picture, too. The maids have a darker side to their business: guns out and action aplenty. Who can survive the spectacle to follow? The Oinky Doink Café has a lot of exciting events coming up and the maids will do what they can to try and rule the world in Akihabara.

The zany cast of characters is a big part of the production. The girls-with-guns element is a big part of the showbiz scenario. The characters are action heroes who find themselves fighting big battles as seductive maids. The cast of characters is over-the-top and delves into the genre roots of the production. The character designs by Manabu Nii are a big part of that aesthetic, too.

The animation is one of the most impressive qualities of the production. The art style is compelling and has a feisty style that is a bit sexy and fun. The animation features art direction by Kohei Honda and chief animation direction by Manabu Nii. The animators did great work with the series and add an abundance of creativity to the series. The aesthetic remembers to showcase the big action: the enormous spectacle at the core of the series.

One of the areas in which the animation is displayed well is the action – the action scenes are fluid, exciting, and intense. The action builds and allows for moments for the characters to shine. These elements are vital to the action genre. Without a sense of girl-power and kick-ass action at the backdrop, the series wouldn’t have worked as well for the genre.

The cinematography is a highlight of Akiba Maid War as well. The visuals play a big role in why the series excels in the genre. The cinematography by Rumi Ishiguro makes a notable impression. There is a sleek aesthetic to the production and it certainly helps to round out the series style.

This is a series that can find balance between a darker and grittier style and the more serene elements out of anime comedies. This is perhaps unsurprising to see with the cinematography given the blend of genres. It adds to the charm.

The score composed by Yoshihiro Ike offers decent background music for the adrenaline-packed action scenes. Ike is a decent composer. The music might not be the best of the action genre but it is decent and effective for the series style. A reasonably good score and one that fits the material well.

Written by Yoshihiro Hiki, Akiba Maid War is an over-the-top concept. The concept itself might be enough to make audiences check it out. The maids in action style adds something fun even if it is a ridiculously over-the-top idea, too.

Directed by Sōichi Masui, Akiba Maid War isn’t groundbreaking but it is something fun and with some good action. Masui handles the action choreography well and showcases the maids in action-mode – battling it out with foes. For audiences seeking some light anime fun this might be a good ticket to consider.

Akiba Maid War: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Akiba Maid War is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series has an impressive presentation. The high-definition video looks exceptional and the animation is certainly enormously beautiful to look at.

The animators did great work with the production and the video presentation capably reproduces the art and manages to bring out the best in the video. This is a decidedly crisp and rewarding encode. Sentai Filmworks delivers something solid for fans of the production to appreciate. It helps with showcasing the background animation and line art. Given the aesthetic of the Oinky Doink Café, the animation appears more immersive on the release due to the effort by Sentai.

Blu-ray is superior to streaming video services and continues to reward audiences with even greater video quality. The video quality provides superior bit-rates compared to streaming video services. Streaming video services tend to offer video with more compression and it not as compressed on Blu-ray disc. For video enthusiasts seeking the absolute best possible picture-quality that is obtained, the physical media format remains superior for presentation quality.

Akiba Maid War: 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 quality capably reproduces the sound direction of Satoki Iida. The lossless audio capably reproduces the soundstage.

The dialogue sounds crisp and clear on the release. The score is well reproduced and has great sound qualities on the release. The soundstage is well handled as well. Audiophiles will be particularly happy with the release. Akiba Maid War certainly benefits by including lossless audio. The audio helps the series action scenes to sound more robust. Even dialogue-focused scenes are a bit better sounding comparatively. The LFE might be modest at times but the clarity of the action moments adds a lot, providing a more immersive soundstage for the production.

Blu-ray continues to reward with lossless audio encoding – something that is one of the biggest differences between streaming video services and physical media. Streaming video platforms only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio encoding quality. For home theater enthusiasts with the best possible sound gear, it can make an especially noteworthy difference.  Sometimes the difference is subtle and sometimes it is profound. Either way, it is nice knowing you have the best of the best.

Akiba Maid War: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release has a nicely designed cover-art. The cover art certainly looks noteworthy and adds to the package design. One thing that is not provided and I would like to perhaps be included in the future: slipcovers. Even the first print run of the release does not include a collectable o-card slipcover.

Japanese Promos (HD, 2:37)

Web Previews (HD, 6:02)

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 3:04)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 3:04)

The release could have benefited by providing a more expansive supplemental package. The release could have provided some more value to fans of the series with audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes, and making-of featurettes. Cast and crew interviews would also have been something appreciable. Even art galleries would have helped to round out the package with sketches.

Akiba Maid War: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Akiba Maid War is a decent action-anime series with a compelling concept. The series has a sense of adrenaline-infused mayhem in the storyline and the characters bring that mayhem to life while in uniform – maid-style. The animation is one of the highlights of the series, too. The animators on Akiba Maid War certainly have fun exploring the over-the-top style of the production.

The Blu-ray release provides an excellent video and audio presentation. Supplements on the release are on the weak side and do not offer much extra value to the package. Even so, die-hard fans who want to own the series on physical media with the best possible video and audio quality may wish to consider a pick-up.