Blade of the Immortal Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Blade of the Immortal Blu-ray Movie Review

Dark, grim, and disturbing. Not for everyone.

Blade of the Immortal is a violent samurai action anime. Produced by Katsuji Morishita (Dead Leaves, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror), Noboru Yamada (Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch, Tokyo Mew Mew), Takuya Matsushita (Nisemonogatari, xxxHOLiC), and Tetsuya Kinoshita (Attack on Titan, The Rolling Girls), Blade of the Immortal is a psychologically dark series which is not for the faint of heart. An intense and gritty series.

The adaptation of Blade of the Immortal comes from the original manga series by Hiroaki Samura. The series opening theme song is "Akai Usagi (赤井ウサギ)" by Makura no Sōshi and the ending theme is "Wants" by GRAPEVINE. The music swells and audiences are in for an intense trip from the beginning of Blade of the Immortal.

Manji (Kenjiro Tsuda) walks the Earth as a ghost haunted by violent carnage. A fallen samurai who murdered countless people, Manji wishes to regain mortality and become human once more. The opportunity to come back to life awaits if Manji can slaughter 1,000 evil human beings to counter the countless lives of innocent people Manji murdered while alive.

Determined to walk the Earth as a living soul once more, Manji goes on a blood-bath of killings – taking out one evil-doer at a time. Manji meets a companion on his quest, Rin Asano (Ayane Sakura). Rin is a young girl who has decided to avenge her fallen family and friends (who were brutally murdered by ruthless samurai). Can Manji come back to life by killing 1,000 evil men and helping Rin achieve revenge?

Blade of the Immortal features solid animation. The series art direction is by Yoshimi Umino (Madlax, Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold). The animation is grim and reflects a dark reality: the series doesn't sugar coat anything for viewers and the animation won't give anyone a feeling of being “warm and fuzzy” inside. Instead, Blade of the Immortal is decidedly dark, disturbing, and gruesome with regards to animation: an adrenaline-pumping rush of swords and blood. The animation does a solid job of reflecting the aesthetic goals of the production team but audiences should keep all of this in mind. Blade of the Immortal has animation that isn't always easy to digest: the series isn't going to be for everyone.

A blade in action.

The character designs by Yoshimitsu Yamashita (Samurai Flamenco, Murder Princess) are compelling as well. The designs for the central protagonists and make the art work stand out from the crowd. The results work well and help enhance the production aesthetic. Yamashita did a solid job with these designs.

The cinematography by Hitoshi Saito (Ninja Scroll, Noir) and Shinichi Igarashi (The Princess and the Pilot, Star Ocean EX) helps the shadows coalesce as well. The visual component of the production finds a dark tone that is difficult to shake off. The anime takes an almost Gothic approach at times. There is a darkness within the entire cinematographic field.

One of the best elements of Blade of the Immortal is the original score. The music was composed by Kou Otani (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Daphne in the Brilliant Blue). The music is impressive and manages to help the storytelling unfold and come to life. The characters on the production have thematic relevance in the score. The action-scenes have dramatic weight as well. Otani is a gifted composer and the efforts on Blade of the Immortal are noteworthy.

Written by Hiroyuki Kawasaki (Sorcerer Hunters, Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE), Blade of the Immortal is one of the more grim anime series produced as-of-late. The storytelling isn't as easy to explore as a samurai epic like Samurai Champloo. Yet audiences looking to explore a dark, gritty, disturbing world... will find the landscape of storytelling on Blade of the Immortal satisfying.

Directed by Kōichi Mashimo (Sorcerer Hunters, Madlax), Blade of the Immortal is a showcase for the filmmaker's visual style. Mashimo has often made dark and grim anime worlds. Noir is perhaps the greatest effort from the director (and Blade of the Immortal clearly takes inspiration from film noir itself). Nonetheless, Blade of the Immortal is harder to explore if one isn't prepared for the sheer breadth of the violence. Blade of the Immortal is an extremely graphic anime series (with lots of bloodshed).

Blade of the Immortal Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Blade of the Immortal is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. Considering the dark atmosphere of the production, the animation is similarly showcasing a much more oblique side of animation. The animation is well-reproduced. The dark color palette of the series is well represented. The encode is solid and doesn't struggle to showcase the action sequences.

Blade of the Immortal Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes multiple audio options: the original Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. The high-resolution audio sounds crisp on the release. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The music score is well integrated. The sound mix is reasonably good as a stereo audio presentation.

Blade of the Immortal Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Japanese Promos (HD, 2:03)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from Sentai Filmworks: Ajin: Demi Human (HD, 1:33), 7Seeds (HD, 1:37), Venus Wars (HD, 1:11), and Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit (HD, 1:31).

Blade of the Immortal Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blade of the Immortal is an intense and violent anime. The storytelling is not for the faint of heart and neither is the animation. Blade of the Immortal explores the darkness of samurai and the storytelling goes to dark depths that not all audiences will be prepared for. The action is intense. Extremely graphic and violent, Blade of the Immortal isn't for everyone. For those seeking a decidedly "dark" experience, Blade of the Immortal may be worth checking out. Recommended.