Aoharu x Machinegun: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Aoharu x Machinegun: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Aoharu x Machinegun is an action-adventure anime exploring a world of sports. The series features animation production by Brain's Base (Anonymous Noise, The Boy Who Saw the Wind). Created by Naoe, Aoharu x Machinegun features vocal-performances by Mikako Komatsu, Tomoaki Maeno, and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka.

Hotaru Tachibana (Mikako Komatsu) is a smart-minded and confident girl with a passion for what she believes in. Hotaru finds herself frequently being outright mistaken as a boy because of her boyish looks. When Hotaru recognizes a fellow student in trouble, Hotaru decides to do her best to step in and help. It seems like a great opportunity to be her best and help others – and yet she gets into some trouble as she engages in an air pellet gun battle.

Soon after, Hotaru is given a massive bill of her destruction, causing things to get more complicated. Yet Hotaru is given an invite by Masamune Matsuoka (Tomoaki Maeno) to now join an air pellet airsoft team. Despite the invite, only boys are allowed into the club – no women allowed. Using her boyish looks to go undercover as a boy, Hotaru pretends to be a guy in order to be part of the club. Can Hotaru pay off her debt and rise to the top of the air pellet team despite the sexism and gender discrimination of the club?

The characters add to the charm of the series. The lead character especially finds a curious role in the series – exploring the gender dynamics with playing a sports game that is considered to be mostly a sport for men on the series. The character designs by Junko Yamanaka (Case Closed, Ninja Girl & Samurai Master) are compelling and well done. The designs help the production.

The animation is solid. The art direction by Masaki Mayuzumi (The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior, The Dangers in My Heart) is reasonably good and has some interesting visuals. This is certainly not a top-tier anime in terms of animation but it does have some decent animation still. The chief animation direction by Junko Yamanaka (Scarlet Nexus, The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior) could be a bit more refined and creative but there are some interesting visuals on the series nonetheless.

The cinematography by Shigeki Asakawa (Saiyuki Reload Blast, Wanna Be the Strongest in the World) is an impressive and creative part of the production. The cinematography highlights the animation and certainly adds to the series style. The colorful and bright cinematography highlights the sport.

The score composed by Asami Tachibana (Between the Sky and Sea, DARLING in the FRANXX) is decent background music. The score isn’t great but it does provide adequate background music for the series. The score helps to enhance the action beats of the production.

The action animation directed by Yasuhiro Saiki (Devils' Line, I'm in Love with the Villainess) isn’t that impressive. The action scenes could certainly have been better and more creative. The action feels a little stale and lackluster compared to better action anime series. This is a bit unfortunate.

Written by Kenji Konuta (The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior, Saiyuki Reload Blast), the series has a decent concept and some good elements on display. Though not the best written series, the writing is decent enough for the production. A solid concept with okay execution makes for an okay production.

Directed by Hideaki Nakano (Saiyuki Reload Blast, Devils' Line), Aoharu x Machinegun feels a bit mixed and could be better than it is. The directing is decent but it also feels somewhat uninspired. The anime doesn’t feel as creative as it could be. Still, anime fans looking for a decent enough sports anime may be intrigued.

Aoharu x Machinegun: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Aoharu x Machinegun is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation is crisp and engaging. The detail and line art look impressive on the release. Colors impress and the encoding is capable of showcasing the series animation. The series certainly benefits from solid encoding by Sentai Filmworks.

Aoharu x Machinegun: 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 is crisp and engaging. Dialogue is well reproduced. The score is also well highlighted on the release. A solid audio presentation.

Aoharu x Machinegun: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation

Clean Closing Animations

Japanese Preview

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Girls und Panzer das Finale (HD, 1:02), Saiyuki Gaiden (HD, 00:57), Peter Grill and the Philosopher's Time (HD, 1:34), and Seitokai Yakuindomo the Movie 2 (HD, 00:32).

Aoharu x Machinegun: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Aoharu x Machinegun is a decent anime with a solid concept but it could be better and a bit more imaginative. The concept is great but the execution wasn't as interesting as some might hope for. Audiences will still appreciate it if sports anime is of particular interest. The Blu- ray release has an impressive high-definition presentation with quality video and lossless audio. The release lacks any meaningful supplements. Fans may still wish to consider a purchase.