Chaos;Child: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Chaos;Child: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

The return.

Chaos; Child is a sequel to the Chaos;Head anime. Created by Chiyomaru Shikura, Chaos; Child is based on a video game series. Produced by Genji Kaneko, Hayato Kaneko, Jun Fukuda, Makoto Chiba, Masato Kawanishi, Mitsuhiro Ogata, Noritomo Isogai, Seon Yi Kim, Takashi Watanabe, and Yuki Kurosaki, Chaos; Child combines horror and mystery elements for a shocking entry in the thriller genre. Featuring original animation produced by SILVER LINK. (Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon, Brave Witches: The Great Petersburg Strategy), the series aims squarely at the horror-thriller crowd.

The story picks up after the devasting events of Chaos;Head. Following the massive earthquake which left the city of Shibuya in near total ruin, Takuru Miyashiro (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka), close friend Serika Onoe (Sumire Uesaka), and other classmates in the newspaper club begin investigating a new series of grisly murders occurring all across Japan. As the aftermath of the quake continues to unfold, students are forming psychic abilities allowing them to control the power of pyrokinesis – the ability to control fire.

As Takuru is confronted by his sister Nono Kurusu (Sarah Emi Bridcutt), Takura faces new challenges while investigating the wave of murders in Japan. As the student council President, Nono disagrees with the students investigating the murders themselves. Yet the clock is ticking and the body count continues to rise. Can Takuru put an end to the new wave of murders?

The sequel series doesn’t seem to have the most interesting cast of characters around. The central cast are generic. The main lead isn’t as compelling as one would hope to find on such a production. Rather, the character is simply a “average” lead without much to make audiences feel that invested in the production. The supporting cast fares somewhat better but the overall impression isn’t that good.

The animation is one of the better elements of the production. The animation is usher in by animation director Kazuyuki Yamayoshi (Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei Herz!) and there is something worthwhile about the often grim and gothic art style. The series looks quite dark and foreboding with its approach to the aesthetics of the world the series creates.

The chaos continues.

The Chaos; Child series used character designs by Mutsumi Sasaki and Yukihiro Matsuo. Featuring anime character designs by Kazuyuki Yamayoshi (The Misfit of Demon King Academy, Deep Insanity: The Lost Child), Chaos; Child is a decent looking anime with a unique array of characters in the sequel. These designs certainly fit the tone of the production well. There is a good balance between the lighter tonalities of the production and the darker storytelling aesthetics.

The original score composed by onoken (Accel World, Chaos;Child Silent Sky) and Takeshi Abo (Steins;Gate, Monochrome Factor) is worthwhile. The music provides the anime with an eerie production backdrop. The score imbues the production with some darker elements that fit the storytelling conceptually. The effort is commendable and seems to expand upon the original too.

The cinematography by Daiki Sugiyama (The Asterisk War: The Academy City on the Water, Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club) is one of the most impressive production elements. The series finds some interesting contrast between a dark and grim reality showcased in the visuals with darker and brooding photography with a lighter visual aesthetic which is only occasional on display during the production. These elements are compelling demonstrations of how the cinematography was well implemented on the production.

Written and directed by Masato Jinbo (Restaurant to Another World, Quintessential Quintuplets: the Movie), Chaos; Child is not a perfect sequel and newcomers to the series might find some elements to be confusing. Nonetheless, fans of the series will find it worth checking out for the interesting cast of characters, the compelling animation, and the unique aesthetic of the entire series. The directing is something that showcases the darker elements of the concept and the world in which the story has inhibited.

Chaos;Child: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Chaos; Child is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release has an impressive high-definition presentation. The encoding is solid and the release looks noteworthy. Animation is well reproduced and the colors used on the series are well showcased on the set. Cinematographic efforts shine with the encode demonstrating the balance between light and dark elements. A surprisingly solid effort from Funimation.

Chaos;Child: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless audio sounds reasonably engaging. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The surround sound track on the English dub option provides some more ambiance with some environmental sound staging for the score and sound effects to benefit from. The original Japanese language audio is in standard stereo and manages to convey the material well but without as immersive a soundstage.

Chaos;Child: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:32)

The release also includes trailers (HD, 5:45) promoting releases from distributor Funimation.

Chaos;Child: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chaos; Child is a somewhat average sequel to the Chaos;Head anime. While the follow-up adds more murder mystery fun for audiences to delve in to, the production does lack something in regards to a sense of originality. Nonetheless, the presentation is solid with good video and audio. The set has a somewhat slim supplemental package. The release might have benefited from some more extras (behind the scenes and staff interviews). Fans of the program will still find the presentation is a worthwhile one and may want to indulge themselves with the release.