Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Burn the Witch Blu-ray Movie Review

Burn the Witch is an entertaining and exciting action-packed anime with a fantasy element. The production streamed on Crunchyroll and was distributed by Viz Media (via Crunchyroll) in North America. Created by Tite Kubo, Burn the Witch features animation production by Studio Colorido (Penguin Highway, Typhoon Noruda) and newcomer studio team Yamahitsuji.

The anime production features an opening theme song performed by NiL, as arranged by Shuhei Mutsuki and with lyrics written by Genki Mizuno. Burn the Witch was executive produced by Kenji Hamada (Moriarty the Patriot, One Punch Man), Kōji Yamamoto (Isekai Cheat Magician, Angels of Death), and Makoto Ooyoshi (Dr. Stone: Stone Wars, Jujutsu Kaisen 0). The series is also produced by Naokado Fujiyama (Vinland Saga), Genta Arai, and Takamitsu Sueyoshi (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind). Burn the Witch offers a blend of fantasy and adventure and audiences will enjoy the short, sweet, and fun ride.

Ninny Spangcole (Asami Tano) and Noel Niihashi (Yuina Yamada) are special agents working as part of the protection agency Wing Bind (WB). Wing Bind is a top-organization helping to tackle the growing problem of dragon conservation. Dragons have become a big issue in the realm of Reverse London.

Despite some wanting nothing to do with dragons, others are determined to help the dragons. As dragons now make up 72% of all fatalities in London, the citizens are wary – but select few with enormous skills and special training work to help protect these powerful dragons (and the people worrisome about them, too). Can Wing Bing save the dragons and stop the frenzy of dragon fear?

Burn the Witch has a fun cast of characters and this is an essential component of the anime. The main characters are essential to the production. Ninny Spangcole and Noel Niihashi are both terrific leads – carrying the tale forward. The voice-performances by their respective voice-actors are impressive as well. With great vocal talent by Asami Tano and Yuina Yamada, Burn the Witch highlights the vocal casting in a compelling way. This is an essential element of the film and why it worked so well.

The animation is enormously impressive and one of the best components of the production. The film has excellent animation and it makes a big impression. The art style is extremely colorful and fluid looking. The art helps to enhance the experience and make it all the more compelling.

Under art direction by Kunihiko Inaba (Giovanni's Island, Puella Magi Madoka Magica), Burn the Witch is a compelling production with a keen artistic sensibility. Chief animation director Natsuki Yamada (who also handled the character design duties) brought forth great work from the team of animators who were involved with the production. There is a lot worth appreciating about the art style and how it becomes a part of the tapestry presented by the animators.

The cinematography by Kasumi Tōgō (Blue Giant, Dropkick on My Devil!) is an excellent element of the filmmaking, too. The cinematographic style by Tōgō is one that is invigorating and creatively stylized. The film has a colorful and crisp aesthetic that the cinematography highlights well.

The score composed by Keiji Inai (Alderamin on the Sky, One Piece Special – Adventure of Nebulandia) is exciting and adds to the fun. The music is a charming element of the film and it adds to the sense of adventure that carries on throughout the film. The score has a good balance of drama and action-oriented energy and the results are all the more impressive as a result.

Written by Chika Suzumura (Time Bokan: The Villains Strike Back, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel - Northern War), Burn the Witch is an enjoyable film and it has a decent script. The script might arguably be one of the weakest elements of the production in that the writing isn’t as compelling in certain respects yet the core concept is an interesting one. The storytelling seems a bit less unique compared to some of the best anime films (and obviously can’t compare as well to Ghibli and other highly respected filmmakers outputs).

Directed by Tatsurō Kawano (Kiitaro's yokai picture diary), Burn the Witch is a good showcase for the filmmaker and their potential. Burn the Witch is a compelling action-adventure with some energetic sequences that highlight the robust animation. Kawano is especially talented in bringing forth such excellent work from the entire animation team and the creative style of filmmaking is never a bore. Burn the Witch is compelling entertainment – perhaps not without some flaws but highly enjoyable all the same.

Burn the Witch Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from VIZ Media, Burn the Witch is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation on the release is quite impressive. The video presents a native high-definition presentation. The animation looks crisp and colorful. The vibrant aesthetic of the production is well reproduced with the encode from VIZ Media. The presentation is enormously pleasing throughout the film presentation and there are only some slight hints of banding in a few scenes.

The transfer looks excellent and audiences will be pleased with the results. The release also benefits from a healthy bit-rate and this is an example of how the encode quality makes a nice difference. Blu-ray remains superior in video presentations to streaming alternative options with higher encode rates and superior clarity – and all without one needing to worry about their internet speed or the changing variables of a streaming platform.

Burn the Witch Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The lossless audio encoding on the release is an impressive aspect of the release. Dialogue reproduction is excellent and the track sounds crisp, engaging, and well-encoded. The score composed by Keiji Inai is well reproduced and highlighted on the release as well.

The soundstage is good and the stereo audio doesn't disappoint. Regardless of if one opts for the original Japanese language version or the English dub, a quality presentation awaits. The English subtitles provided to accompany the Japanese language version are excellent as well (and are free from any notable spelling or grammatical errors).

The lossless encoding is an example of how the Blu-ray format remains superior to streaming services – which currently only offer presentations with lossy audio quality (in a compressed format that doesn't match the quality of output provided by the Blu-ray format). A good aspect of the release. A nice effort from VIZ Media.

Burn the Witch Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The disc includes two viewing options for the release: Individual Episodes (1 to 3) or Movie Mode (which combines the three episodes together for a short feature-film presentation). The release comes with an o-card slipcover on the first print run release. Unfortunately, the release does not provide much in the way of extensive supplemental features – the package could have benefited from a making-of feature alongside an audio commentary track.

On disc supplements include:

Clean Ending (HD, 1:32)

More from VIZ (HD, 1:17)

Burn the Witch Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Burn the Witch is an enjoyable and exciting action-adventure with a nice spin of the world of dragons. The story has a fun concept and the production benefits from great animation and solid filmmaking. Though the film isn't a total home run and the scripting could have been improved somewhat, the results are largely impressive and there is more to appreciate about the film than to deride. A fun experience and one that anime fans with an interest in the genre will enjoy. A nice showcase for animation producers Studio Colorido (Penguin Highway) and the new studio team Yamahitsuji.

The Blu-ray release of Burn the Witch features an excellent video and audio presentation. The transfer appears sharp and colorful and the video encoding is excellent on the release. VIZ Media did a good job handling this Crunchyroll production. The lossless audio is enormously pleasing and is provided in either English or the original Japanese. The first print run release comes with a nice o-card slipcover as well. Recommended.