Aldnoah.Zero Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Aldnoah.Zero Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 14, 2015

They say that everything old is (or at least soon will be) new again, and if the recent release of hoary anime like Mobile Suit Gundam: Collection 01 is any indication, older subgenres like mecha show no signs of going the way of the dinosaur, despite their age. It’s to Aldnoah Zero’s credit, then, that it doesn’t merely rehash already done plotlines and so-called character arcs, even as it exploits many of the “same old, same old” mecha tropes that have informed countless previous anime.

There are some interesting if perhaps unintentional subliminal references to live action science fiction outings like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Stargate: The Movie as it details alien high technology which is (successively) discovered by space savvy humans, one piece of which is indeed very like a Stargate, allowing humans to foray further into the reaches of the galaxy. Ultimately a battle between those living on Earth and Mars becomes central to the series, and a young man named Inaho joins the fray, albeit in a mecha which may be hopelessly out of date. Inaho ultimately partners with Asseylum Vers Allusia, a princess of the Martian community who comes to Earth on a peace mission but who soon becomes mired in the overarching conflict, one which soon also includes the third major character of the series, Slaine Troyard, whose motivations are at times somewhat ambiguous. Aldnoah Zero offers a number of unexpected developments in its first season, routinely defying ruts that other mecha outings have tended to fall into.

Aldnoah.Zero Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Aldnoah Zero Volume 1 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Aniplex with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is an often lush looking anime, one which weaves CGI elements artfully into more traditional looking 2D presentation. Colors are bright and very varied, and pop excellently throughout all the episodes included on this two disc set. Line detail is sharp and very precise looking, and aside from some very minor banding in some lighter gradients, there are no compression issues of any note.

Aldnoah.Zero Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Perhaps surprisingly, Aldnoah Zero Volume 1 offers only a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 track for the English dub, though the original Japanese language track in presented in an uncompressed LPCM 2.0 formulation. The lack of any kind of a surround mix may disappoint those who want their action sequences a bit more on the immersive side, but the Japanese track at least offers some really fulsome low end and generally decent stereo imaging. Dialogue is cleanly presented and well prioritized.

Aldnoah.Zero Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Textless Opening - "Heavenly Blue" (1080p; 1;32)


• Trailers:

  01 (1080p; 1:23)

  02 (1080p; 1:35)

• Commercials:

  01 (1080p; 00:17)

  02 (1080p; 00:17)

  03 (1080p; 00:17)

  04 (1080p; 00:17)

  05 (1080p; 00:17)

  06 (1080p; 00:19)

• Count to A/Z (1080i; 23:43)

Note: There are no supplements on the second disc.

Additionally, this is a typical Aniplex Premium Edition, housed in a slipcase which also includes collectible pin up cards and a nicely illustrated booklet done by character designer Takako Shimura.

Aldnoah.Zero Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Aldnoah Zero is quite often an eyeful, with huge vistas in space filled with a number of exciting elements. However, it's the personal story of Inaho that informs most of these initial episodes, and the series does a good job of offering a relatively realistic feeling hero, despite his almost near-autistic demeanor. Technical merits are strong, and though spendy, this deluxe edition comes Recommended.