Cagaster of an Insect Cage: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Cagaster of an Insect Cage: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

A solid presentation from Sentai Filmworks.

Cagaster of an Insect Cage is a science-fiction action series created by Kachō Hashimoto. The series features original animation produced by Studio KAI (Skeleton Knight in Another World, The Prince of Tennis II Hyotei vs Rikkai Game of Future). The production utilizes a CG style of animation which is not the norm some might expect to find.

Kidō (Yoshimasa Hosoya) fights for the future of humanity as he dukes it out with gigantic over-sized bugs with wicked skills. The entire stakes of the human race rest in the determination of a select group of fighters battling it out with the alien-like creatures. These “exterminators” (so to speak) fight down baddie bugs.

Can humanity be saved by hero Kido? As the journey unfolds, Kido comes across the young Ilie (Kana Hanazawa) and becomes tasked with saving her life. The stakes raise and new perils await. What is around the bend?

The series animation isn’t as traditional in approach and uses a blend of CG animation. The art style was not exactly my cup of tea and could have been better approached. The movement is not as smooth or organic as I would have liked to see on such a production. There is certainly a difference that is clear. Unfortunately, the art style simply isn’t as much to my liking – though it may appeal to those who actually prefer modern animation techniques to more traditional methods.

One thing that particularly bothered me about the integration of CG animation on this production is the manner in which the computer- generated effects impacted action sequences. These scenes are far less organic than hand-drawn animation and it is clear the art style is rendered using computers. This may possible be due to the budget being lower than on huge scale CG animations but it nonetheless is an undeniable deterrent to the production and its overall effectiveness.

The action sequences are reasonably engaging though it is disappointing that the fluidity of the animation suffers from the CG. The art of hand drawn animation would have handled the action sequences all the better. Yet the scale and scope of these scenes enhances the goals of the series: providing a more pulse-pounding atmosphere for the science-fiction concept. Nonetheless, not a top tier action series.

The character designs by Akihiko Yamashita (Mary and The Witch's Flower, The Secret World of Arrietty) are effective, though. The designs fit the central characters and contribute something noteworthy to the series. Kido is a well-designed central protagonist and there is certainly a sense that the character makes a distinctive lead character. Though perhaps not in the same league of the other productions Yamashita has been involved with, the efforts are commendable nonetheless.

The original music by Hitomi Kuroishi (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East) is one of the best elements of the production. The score adds a sense of energy and makes everything a bit more fun. Composer Kuroishi is a solid composer with an understanding of music produced for anime series and the results here demonstrate the solid foundations and all of the ingredients necessary for success.

The series is written by Shuuichi Kouyama (Black Cat, Pumpkin Scissors). Cagaster of an Insect Cage is a storyline that resembles many other anime series with a giant-bug alien invasion style of storyline and there’s certainly a sense that the series is less original than it could be. The concept provides quite the sense of “déjà vu” and been-here done-that for anime fans. The writing is decent yet it certainly isn’t exceptional.

Directed by Koichi Chigira (Full Metal Panic!, Luck & Logic), Cagaster of an Insect Cage is a series that sounds better on paper than in execution. The use of CG animation for the production was an odd decision and one that makes the series seem less refined and organic than it could have been if traditional animation techniques had been employed for the series. (CG animation can be great if effectively used but with a smaller budget it seems painfully inadequate compared to hand-drawn methods).

Cagaster of an Insect Cage: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Cagaster of an Insect Cage is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The picture quality on the release is impressive and capably handles the animation. The encode quality is excellent and is certainly adequate at preserving the original animation. The action scenes are well encoded and compression looks solid on the release. Colors are superb and are well presented.

Cagaster of an Insect Cage: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding sounds excellent. Dialogue is clear and is easy to understand. The score is well reproduced and sounds crystal clear. The sound effects are well represented by the stereo sound imaging. A solid effort from Sentai.

Cagaster of an Insect Cage: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:28)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: 7Seeds (HD, 1:37), Assassins Pride (HD, 00:45), Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul (HD, 1:12), and Venus Wars (HD, 1:11).

Cagaster of an Insect Cage: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cagaster of an Insect Cage could have been a significantly better series with a bigger budget and a more complex CG animation style. The integration of CG in the animation isn't as effective as it should be. The concept and execution leaves something to be desired. The release does sport a solid video and audio presentation. The release has a slim selection of extras. Fans of the series might consider it worth picking up for the solid presentation by Sentai but newcomers may wish to rent it beforehand.