Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon Blu-ray Movie Review

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon is an action-adventure fantasy created by Tōki Yanagimi. The series features original animation produced by studio SILVER LINK. (Alice in Borderland, Dusk maiden of Amnesia). Produced by Chika Takagi (Sky Wizards Academy) and Jun'ichirō Tamura (The Rising of The Shield Hero), Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon is a bewitching series for fans of the genre.

Takeru Kusanagi (Yoshimasa Hosoya) serves as the Captain leading the 35^th platoon. The leader of the platoon, Takeru is determined to help protect civilians from a host of dangerous witches (who are using the power of witchcraft to “spell” trouble – pun intended). The platoon changes shape when the sniper Ōka Ōtori (Reina Ueda) joins the team. As Takeru, Oka, Usagi Saionji (Rumi Okubo), and Ikaruga Suginami (Ryoko Shiraishi) work together, can the witches be stopped in their tracks?

The series has an interesting ensemble of characters. The production certainly benefits from having more diversity in the characters. The 35^th platoon has some zany and eccentric characters and this benefits the story. Featuring original character designs by Kippu and designs by Kōsuke Kawamura (OniAi, Classroom For Heroes), Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon is a nice showcase for Kawamura’s artistic designs.

The animation stands out as one of the best elements of the anime. The series features art direction by Shigemi Ikeda (Inuyasha, My Hero Academia) and Yukiko Maruyama (Macross Delta, One Punch Man). The production has a visual style consistent with science-fiction/fantasy series and this works well for the framework of the anime. Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon also showcases some good mecha designs by Mika Akitaka (City Hunter, Date A Live).

The cinematography by Atsushi Satō (The Girl in Twilight, Restaurant to Another World) has a clean and crisp aesthetic. The visual component of the anime series highlights the mecha designs, characters, and fantasy world in a compelling way. The series has a good use of lighting as well (helping the art work on the series stand out more).

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon features action directed by Tomohiro Kamitani. The series is certainly not a top-tier action series but the production still has some compelling sequences which are reasonably engaging and well-constructed by Kamitani. While Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon won’t ever join the ranks of action classics like My Hero Academia or Yu Yu Hakusho, Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon still finds a nice balance between action and fantasy-adventure.

The score by a-bee (Brave Beats) is one of the less effective elements and unfortunately isn’t something that stands out much. The score seems to serve as adequate-at-best background music and doesn’t expand on the production in surprising ways. Unfortunately, Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon doesn’t have a stellar original score but only a serviceable one.

Written by Kento Shimoyama (The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Good Luck Girl!), Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon explores a dysfunctional unit working to serve. The story is a bit silly and over-the-top but entertaining. A decent effort by Shimoyama and one that will appeal to action-fantasy fans.

Directed by Tomoyuki Kawamura (Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, Mitsuboshi Colors), Anti- Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon is going to please action fans looking for another diversion to mundane existence. The anime is reasonably entertaining and the directing highlights the action.

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Anime Limited, Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The animation looks colorful and vibrant on the release. The art style is well replicated and looks impressive. The encoding is solid with good detail. A pleasing high definition presentation. The release is sourced from the same master provided by Discotek Media.

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The release does not include an English dub option. The lossless audio quality sounds crisp and clear on the release. Dialogue is well reproduced and vocals are nice and clear. The soundtrack is well integrated in to the soundstage and is well mixed. The stereo audio imaging is better than expected. A solid effort on the sound design.

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

On disc supplements:

Premiere Event (HD, 32:21)

Promos (HD, 6:20)

TV Commercials (HD, 1:40)

Clean Ending (HD, 1:27)

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35^th Test Platoon is a reasonably entertaining anime with action-adventure and fantasy. Fans of supernatural anime series (with a unique spin) will enjoy the antics of the anime series. The animation is impressive. The Blu-ray release features a solid video/audio presentation and a selection of supplements. The release is sourced from the same master used to create the North America release from distributor Discotek Media and the encode/master was licensed for distribution by Anime Limited for anime fans in the United Kingdom. Fans should certainly indulge in the set (and uber-fans may want to opt for the deluxe set).