7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Ichigo Kurosaki try to find and rescue Rukia, a girl who has had her memory erased by strange intruders.
Starring: Masakazu Morita, Fumiko Orikasa, Aya Hirano, Hiroshi Kamiya, Mitsuaki MadonoAnime | 100% |
Foreign | 89% |
Action | 54% |
Adventure | 40% |
Supernatural | 20% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The genre of anime might be thought of as defined largely by its stylistic elements, but there’s certainly a case to be
made
that it’s content at least as much as style that helps categorize any given offering as an anime. For better or worse,
there
seems to be a fairly finite set of ideas and subject matters that at least most animes tend to deal with, even though of
course various animes are split into subgenres like shonen or mecha or any number of various other
descriptors. Take the case of Bleach as a fairly salient example. Putting aside for a moment whether any of the
following franchises came before or after the Bleach mangas, animes and OVAs, one can assemble a pretty
heady
list of other offerings that feature several elements that are also on display in Bleach. Among these (and this is
only a partial list) are: Yu
Yu Hakusho, Xam'd: Lost Memories, Soul Eater, Gungrave, and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Bleach is yet another anime outing that features a group of characters who have transmigrated to the “other
side,” or in the inimitable words of none other than Monty Python’s Flying Circus, “aren’t quite dead yet.” The
chief story arc of Bleach concerns a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki who transfers some of her powers to a
teenager named Ichigo Kurasaki during a battle with a demon where Rukia can’t quite summon enough energy to
defeat the beast. That unfortunately breaks one of the cardinal rules of the Soul Society, a kind of anime Valhalla
where spirits have gone to regroup before reincarnating. The Soul Society therefore punishes Rukia with an initial
sentence of death (wait a minute—isn’t she kind of dead anyway?), which spurs Ichigo into action, whereby he storms
the gates of the Soul Society, uncovering a labyrinthine conspiracy that leads to one of the main conflicts that make up
large swaths of both the anime and the manga (this review will refrain from posting too much material so that those
who want to check out the back story won’t have their experiences marred by spoilers).
Bleach Movie 3: Fade to Black is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Viz Media with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Bleach the series isn't known for its outstanding animation, so fans of the series may well be pleasantly surprised by both the care the animation has received on this film (for the most part, anyway), as well as how nicely and clearly it pops in high definition. The bulk of this outing offers very crisp line detail, nicely saturated color and a generally excellent level of sharpness. There are a couple of things viewers should be aware of, neither of which are directly related to the transfer itself. First of all, several long sequences play out in various characters' memories, and those are overlaid with an intentionally gauzy look to differentiate them from the "current" sequences. Also, Rukia finds herself in a fog and mist enshrouded environment, which also lends a deliberately hazy look to a lot of her sequences. Those items aside, this is a very nice looking transfer that should easily please the franchise's fans.
Bleach Movie 3: Fade to Black offers both the original Japanese language track in a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix, as well as a very good English dub, similarly in a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. (It should be noted that it is impossible to toggle between the audio options, or in fact to access subtitles, via the appropriate remote buttons. All choices in those regards need to be made directly from the Setup Menu and remain in force until you exit and access the Setup Menu again to make a different choice). Both language tracks are virtually identical in terms of mix and surround placement. The Japanese language track sounds a bit "younger" (for want of a better term), though the English language track boasts some very fine voice work as well. Both tracks feature some decent LFE in some action sequences and there is some excellent immersion in many sequences, notably some of the segues to Soul Society, when sound effects wash through the surrounds from rear to front channels as the characters descend into new territory. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range is also very good on both of these well done audio options.
It's hard if not impossible to come right out and recommend Bleach Movie 3: Fade to Black as a discrete, individual title, because a great deal of what goes on in the film requires some grounding in the back stories of most of the characters featured in this outing. Those with at least some semblance of knowledge of the Bleach universe will probably be pleasantly surprised by this film's very nice looking animation, and will be able to put up with some of the sillier aspects of the plotline. Those with little to no knowledge of Bleach may at least enjoy the visuals and the well rendered audio, but are probably going to be scratching their heads at the convoluted storyline, which barely makes much sense even with some understanding of the long Bleach saga. For non-fans who are curious, it's probably best to try to rent this first, or at least to get a handle on the Bleach series before jumping into this enterprise. For Bleach fans, this is a great looking and sounding film which may not exactly set the bar incredibly high in terms of story (not to mention comprehensibility), but which is a kind of fun and entertaining "alternate universe" for Rukia and Ichigo to spend an hour and a half or so in. For fans at least, this release comes Recommended.
2010
2006
2007
2008
Episodes 84-111
2006-2007
2009
2007
2010
2007
劇場版 NARUTO-ナルト- ブラッド・プリズン / Gekijôban Naruto: Buraddo purizun
2011
Gekijōban Naruto Daikatsugeki! Yukihime Ninpōchō dattebayo!!
2004
2010-2011
2012-2013
2018
2017
2017
Evangerion shin gekijôban: Ha
2009
ソウルイーター
2008-2009
2012
2019