Amnesia: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Amnesia: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Amnesia is an action-thriller anime with elements of science-fiction and mystery. Produced by Asuka Yamazaki (Yona of the Dawn, Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom), Atsushi Iwasaki (Children Who Chase Lost Voices, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou), Fumiki Yamazaki (A Lull in the Sea, Mitsuboshi Colors), Gorō Shinjuku (Wanna Be the Strongest in the World, My Wife is the Student Council President), Keitarō Sunohara, and Youhei Hayashi (Yuki Yuna Is a Hero, Girls und Panzer), Amnesia has a compelling concept with a blend of science-fiction terror. Featuring original animation produced by Brain's Base (Anonymous Noise, Baccano!), Amnesia offers solid entertainment for genre fans seeking something mysterious and complex.

Heroine (Kaori Nazuka) has no idea who she is or what her past was. Imagine being unable to identify yourself – unable to know who you are and what your past represents. This is exactly the environment for Heroine. Heroine wakes up day after day reliving her life on August 1^st. Stuck in a strange time loop, Heroine has a lot of unanswered mysteries to solve.

With no real name and no real past to call her own, Heroine has a lot to figure out. Seeing a strange ghost called Orion, Heroine finds a thin line between her world and a nightmare landscape. Given an ominous message by Orion to not trust anyone, Heroine has some difficult choices to make ahead. Can Heroine ever break out of the time look and wake up with her own identity back?

The series poses some interesting questions about identity. Heroine is a character who doesn’t have a complete grasp on her reality – either her past or her present. This element is something that adds an element of mystery to the character. The character development stems for this element of the series: from concept to execution.

Maho Yoshikawa (Assassins Pride, Yona of the Dawn) handled the chief animation direction as well as the main character designs. The character designs by Yoshikawa are an impressive element of the series production. The design elements certainly add some distinct style to the production. This element works well for the supporting cast of characters as well. The art style suits the material well.

The aesthetic of the series is enhanced as a result. Expanding on the original character designs by Mai Hanamura, the anime designs fit the material well. Yoshikawa did a great job in this arena and the animation direction capably brings the production to life.

The background animation is impressive and adds some distinct flavor the series as well. With art direction by Jirou Kouno (Castle Town Dandelion, Strawberry Eggs) the series manages to have a dark aesthetic in certain regards and the genre elements make a bigger impression as a result. Though this anime series manages to have a grittier and darker aesthetic for part of the production, Amnesia also has a more upbeat vibe at times (especially given the concept of the series). The animation finds a nice balance between these styles. The end result is something that is more creative.

The score composed by Yoshiaki Dewa (Flying Witch, A Lull in the Sea) is one of the highlights of the production. Dewa is a solid composer and the music for the series is certainly entertaining and enjoyable. There is a lot to appreciate about the music of Dewa and this is another solid effort from the composer.

Written by Touko Machida (Is This a Zombie?, Wake Up, Girls!), Amnesia has plenty of intriguing elements at play for audiences. The series concept is interesting and though some might find it reminiscent of a Groundhog Day type scenario it adds some unique elements with the central protagonist as well. Machida did a good job here – the writing is solid.

Directed by Yoshimitsu Ohashi (Sacred Seven, Witchblade), Amnesia might not break ground as an innovative anime series but it does have some entertaining filmmaking. Director Ohashi has fun exploring the concept and providing viewers with some exciting energy. Fans of mystery anime productions will find there are some compelling elements at play with the series.

Amnesia: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Amnesia is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series has an impressive looking high definition encode with excellent color reproduction. Detail is well reproduced on the release.

Sentai Filmworks does an impressive job with handling the animation and the distinctive production art style. The series is crisp and there are few issues with banding. This is a worthwhile presentation from Sentai.

The encode showcases both the darker aesthetic elements of the presentation and the lighter colors present during the series. The image is remarkably sharp and this is one of the best strengths. Some anime productions tend to have some inherent softness in the animation that is source related.

Amnesia is naturally sharp looking and this element of the presentation certainly enhances the overall quality of the encode. One of the reasons this works so well is because the animation is in native high definition. The encode is not sourced from a lower quality standard definition presentation (as some anime sets are upscaled to high definition and can't achieve as impressive an aesthetic).

Amnesia: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). Lossless audio is one of the best-selling points of the Blu-ray disc format in an increasingly digital and streaming era. The lossless encoding has significantly higher bit-rates and a lower noise floor. The release does not include a surround sound option utilizing all channels as on some productions but the stereo audio retains the original sound design and capably preserves the stereo sound imaging.

Dialogue sounds crisp and clear. Dynamics are enhanced by the encoding. Depth is enhanced by the encoding. Sentai does a good job presenting the series with lossless audio encoding. Anyone with a quality sound system will appreciate the sound quality difference provided.

Amnesia: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The one area of the release that could have used the most improvement is in regards to the supplements. The release is close to barebones and could have used a more extensive supplemental package. It would have been nice to see some art scans including character art, design work, and other production sketches included on the release. The set also could have benefited from some additional behind the scenes material.

On disc extras are as follows:

Lost Diary Entries (HD, 2:44)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Non Non Biyori Nonstop (HD, 1:32), Short Peace (HD, 00:54), Kakegurui (HD, 1:40), and Alice in Borderland (HD, 1:32).

Amnesia: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Amnesia is an interesting and creative anime. The concept is one of the highlights of the series. This is certainly a series with an element of science-fiction and genre fans will appreciate that aspect of the production. The story explores the events of a lone heroine as she struggles to remember who she actually is. The heroine of the tale continues to relive the same day over and over again. This is an interesting Groundhog Day style concept and one that provides a solid foundation for mystery.

The Blu-ray release from Sentai Filmworks includes an impressive high-definition presentation. The video encode is generally excellent and the lossless audio is available in English and Japanese. The presentation is certainly an excellent selling point for the release.

The release does have a rather lackluster supplemental package, though. Fans picking up the release for the extras will find the supplemental package to be underwhelming. Nonetheless, fans looking to own the series with the best quality available, will be pleased to pick up the release and add it to their collection. Recommended.