Bibliophile Princess: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Bibliophile Princess: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Bibliophile Princess is a romantic-drama series with a lot to offer fans of the genre. Created by Yui, Bibliophile Princess features original character designs by Satsuki Shiina and Yui Kikuta. The series animation is produced by Madhouse (Cardcaptor Sakura, Trigun). Executive produced by Akira Kubota (The Eminence in Shadow, RPG Real Estate), Asuka Yamazaki (The Eminence in Shadow, Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory), Etsushi Ogawa, Hirotaka Kaneko (Cells at Work! Code Black, Muteking the Dancing Hero), Sanae Tashiro (Overlord IV), and Shō Tanaka (The Eminence in Shadow, Redo of Healer), Bibliophile Princess is a series with a lot to offer romance fans.

Produced by Hajime Maruyama (Demon King Daimao, The Eminence in Shadow), Katsuma Itakura, Nao Matsumura (Dark Gathering, Skip and Loafer), Shuka Nishimae (The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess, Slow Loop), Takashi Jinguuji (The Melody of Oblivion, My Senpai Is Annoying), Yuka Nemoto (RPG Real Estate, Selection Project), and Yuki Yoshida (Alderamin on the Sky, Prince of Stride: Alternative), Bibliophile Princess brings together an impressive vocal cast including Reina Ueda and Ryohei Kimura. The theme music is performed by Yuka Iguchi (opening) and Kashitarō Itō (ending). An anime for bibliophiles – and who doesn’t love a good book?

Elianna Bernstein (Reina Ueda) is obsessed with books and she loves nothing more than to hold a treasured book in her own hands. It’s a family treasure. Bernstein grew up in a household of those who love books and the knowledge and adventure contained within them. Bernstein has mountains of books piled high everywhere and she is enchanted by the sky-high library – making her a true bibliophile.

Yet simply marveling at a wall of books takes a twist of fate when Elianna changes her tune from being a politically neutral individual to becoming more political with the pretend engagement to the heir to the entire kingdom. Yet Elianna becomes confused when she notices that Prince Christopher Selkirk Ashelard (Ryohei Kimura) seems to be interested in a different woman. Was there some sort of confusion? Can the romance be true?

The characters are essential to the series. Without the charming cast of characters, the series wouldn’t be as compelling an entry in the romantic series genre. The series handles the balance of the romance alongside the character journey while showcasing the characters in a fun way. The character designs by Mizuka Takahashi add a lot of charm to the series aesthetic style.

The animation is superb and is easily one of the greatest attributes of the anime series. The series features stunning art direction by Hitomi Yoshida (The Vampire Dies in No Time, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun) alongside the chief animation direction by Junko Abe (Saint Tail, Watashi to Watashi: Futari no Lotte), Mizuka Takahashi (Persona 3 the Movie #1 Spring of Birth, Zoids Wild), and Shinichi Yoshikawa (Game World Reincarnation, The Ambition of Oda Nobuna). The animation style has an intensely bold and creative vibe and the art adds a lot to the sense of depth to the production. Outstanding merits for the animation and a good showcase for the artistry of the team of animators who were involved on the production.

The cinematography by Junko Sakai (Astra Lost in Space, The Diary of Ochibi-san) adds a great deal of depth to the series, too. The cinematography by Sakai is colorful, invigorating, and full of warmth. An impressive cinematographic approach and something that certainly feels right at home for the anime series. The visual style of the cinematography works wonders for the romantic underpinnings of the production and Sakai certainly lends a compelling voice to the series style.

The score composed by Tomotaka Ohsumi (Chio's School Road, Handyman Saitō in Another World), Yūko Fukushima (Dinosaur King, Tank Knights Portriss) is charming and delightful. The music adds some fun serenity to the production. The score has an elegance that feels right at home for the romantic genre underpinnings of the series. The music certainly helps to enhance these moments and provides the dramatic aspect fans are looking to find.

Written by Mitsutaka Hirota (Digimon Adventure tri.: Reunion, Rent-A-Girlfriend), Bibliophile Princess is an impressive concept and one that will strike a chord with those who love books. Those who consider themselves book worms and are always mesmerized by reading a book or seeing a giant stack of books at a library – or a sky-high room full of books – will find something to appreciate about the bibliophile aspect of the series alongside the romantic aspect.

Directed by Tarou Iwasaki (Fullmetal Alchemist, One Week Friends), Bibliophile Princess is an effective romantic-drama series that finds the right note for fans of the genre. Audiences looking for a series which is sweet, romantic, and full of charm will find something to enjoy here. The series aims itself squarely at romantics with a passion for books. For that audience, one should certainly check it out.

Bibliophile Princess: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Bibliophile Princess is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. An impressive encode with good clarity and detail. The line art and background animation look great during the presentation. The animation is colorful and robust with the aesthetic well reproduced in spades. The animation certainly benefits from the quality of the presentation provided by Sentai Filmworks. This is a crisp and modern looking anime production and not a paltry looking upscaled presentation. The robust style adds a lot to the series. The Blu-ray release provides impressive bit-rates and it is worth noting the presentation provides a better encode compared to streaming video services (which typically offer up series with lower video bit-rates compared to the Blu-ray format). For videophiles wanting to see the presentation of Bibliophile Princess in the best quality possible, the release succeeds at those goals.

Bibliophile Princess: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding on the release capably handles the sound effects by Yuji Furuya (Fruits Basket, The irregular at magic high school). The set also features solid encoding of the sound direction by Satoshi Motoyama (One Week Friends, Haibane Renmei). The sound design is well preserved. The presentation sounds crisp and engaging. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The soundtrack is well reproduced on the release. One of the best qualities of the Blu-ray disc format in the streaming era is that it provides lossless audio – whereas streaming video services only provide series with lossy (non lossless) audio quality. For audiophiles seeking the best possible audio presentation with their expensive home theater gear, the release provides the best quality obtainable.

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

The one area of the release that could have been improved more is the supplemental package. The set would have been better with some more in- depth supplements – such as behind-the-scenes about the creation and development of the series, audio commentaries, and cast & crew interviews. The set also could have used an assortment of photo galleries and art galleries. These kinds of supplements would have added a significant amount of interest to the supplemental package but these types of bonus features are unfortunately not provided on the release.

On disc supplements include:

Bonus Episodes (HD, 1:25:29)

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

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

Bibliophile Princess is a fun and charming romantic-drama series for all of the bibliophiles out there. Those who love books and adore them – can't put a book down, collect books, and adore libraries overflowing with books – this is the bibliophile series for you. The romantic-drama aspect adds a compelling element to the production. The release also provides a strong video and lossless audio presentation. The only area of the release that could have been improved is the supplemental package (which was a bit underwhelming but does still include some bonus episodes). Fans of the series who are looking to own a physical copy with the best video and audio quality possible should consider adding the release to their collection. Recommended.