Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Crying Freeman: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Crying Freeman is an engaging old-school anime aimed at the action crowd. Based on the hit manga by Kazuo Koike and Ryōichi Ikegami, Crying Freeman features animation production by Toei Animation (Galaxy Express 999, Dragon Ball Z). Produced by Akira Sasaki (Psychic Wars, Samurai Gold), Naoko Takahashi (Doomed Megalopolis, Goku: Midnight Eye), Takehiko Shimazu (Strange Love, Sprite: Between Two Worlds), and Tomiro Kuriyama (New Cutey Honey, A Wind Named Amnesia), Crying Freeman features voice-performances by Toshio Furukawa and Chiharu Kataishi.

Yo Hinomura (Toshio Furukawa) becomes known as the legendary Crying Freeman. In the beginning, Yo lived a simple life and was just a potter. Yet Yo’s life of normalcy is upended when he becomes a deadly assassin working on missions for the group known as 108 Dragons. Yo has fantastic strength and skills. Utilizing his immense power and muscle, Yo fights and maneuvers as one of the top assassins around while gaining his reputation and name due to crying tears after each hit job. Crying Freeman also becomes intertwined with Emu Hino (Chiharu Kataishi). An unexpected romance begins after Emu meets Crying Freeman while he is on a hit job. Rather than kill Emu during his assassination, a passionate love begins.  Yet the journey isn’t over and Crying Freeman has more hit jobs to do as a deadly assassin for hire.

Crying Freeman is a compelling character and someone who draws audiences in. The character is unlike most other deadly assassins in that he manages to feel the loss of the victims lives that he takes. The fact that Crying Freeman sheds his tears for those he assassinates makes the character all the more compelling. Some assassins are entirely cold-blooded and don’t feel any remorse for the victims. Assassins who take the job, the payment, and do the task with a cold precision and no tears. By comparison, Crying Freeman earns his name by shedding tears for the fallen after their lives are gone.  

The character designs for Crying Freeman are by Kōichi Arai (Xanadu Dragonslayer Densetsu, Blue Submarine No.6), Satoshi Urushihara (Legend of Lemnear, Plastic Little), Takaaki Yamashita (The Boy and The Beast, Digimon: Our War Game), and Yoshihiro Kitano. The designs are fantastic and add wonderful creative value to the entire production. The designs work well for the central protagonist and the cast of supporting characters. The characters are certainly well-adapted from the manga to the anime version and the designs add to the series merits.

The animation is exceptional and adds so much to the production. Crying Freeman features art direction by Ken Tokushige (Digimon: Data Squad, Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn), Mitsuki Nakamura (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Kimagure Orange Road), and Noboru Yoshida (From Up On Poppy Hill, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea). The animation direction by Hideki Hamasu (Millennium Actress, Vampire Wars), Kōichi Arai (Napping Princess, The Wonderland), Satoshi Urushihara (Queen's Blade 2: The Evil Eye, Legend of Lemnear), Takaaki Yamashita (Wolf Children, Digimon: The Movie), and Yoshihiro Kitano (Cutey Honey Flash, Sailor Moon Sailor Stars) is top-notch, too.

The animation is one of the essential ingredients of the Crying Freeman production and it adds so much to the aesthetic and vibe of the series. The classic hand-drawn animation style is something that provides Crying Freeman with an undeniably cool energy and aesthetic that is essential to the series working so well as a classic anime. The art style is grittier and more commanding than many other anime productions and it helps the entire series stand out even more than expected. The style is undeniably impressive and the aesthetic is something that brings the best out of the series. The team of animators involved on the production certainly put care and attention to the series and showcased the artistic tapestry of Crying Freeman.

The score composed by Hiroaki Yoshino (Shōgeki Shinsengumi, Shonan Junai-gumi!) is engaging and enjoyable. The score by Yoshino adds something nice to the series fun energy and artistic style. An impressive score for action fans and one that is a nice accompaniment for the gritty hand-drawn animation and the fantastic style of the anime.

Written by Higashi Shimizu (Doraemon, New Cutey Honey), Ryunosuke Ono (Yankī Reppu-tai, Captain Future), and Kohei Okuyama (Ah Harimanada), Crying Freeman has a great concept and the series writers bring the manga to life with a compelling exploration of a different-from-the-rest hitman. Assassins aren’t usually known for shedding tears for the fallen. The concept is compelling and the anime adapts the story and brings it weight for the production.

Directed by Daisuke Nishio (Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone) and Shigeyasu Yamauchi  (Saint Seiya, Digimon: The Golden Digimentals), Crying Freeman is well worthwhile. Crying Freeman has a great aesthetic. The “cool” factor is enormous and there is a lot to appreciate about the filmmaking style. The directing is energetic and fun. Crying Freeman is a cult classic with good reason and fans of well stylized anime classics will be impressed.

Crying Freeman: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Crying Freeman is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The release features an exceptional presentation of the anime series. The hand-drawn animation looks spectacular with a filmic and beautiful transfer that capably reproduces the aesthetic of the series. The presentation shines. Background animation and line art are well detailed and the aesthetic of the hand drawn art is something that makes a terrific impression.

Discotek provides an excellent encode. One of the best qualities of the Blu-ray disc format in the age of streaming is the superior encoding quality. Streaming video services usually provide lower quality with more compression. For home theater enthusiasts who are seeking the best possible presentation, Blu-ray offers a distinct advantage that is undeniable. Not only is the encoding itself superior but the video bit-rates are higher.

Crying Freeman: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release provides lossless Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The Blu-ray release also provides a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 option at 640 kbps and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 option at 256 kbps. The lossless Japanese language option sounds exceptional with clear and detailed audio. A fantastic audio selection with crisp dialogue, soundtrack, and sound effects. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors. The English dub option is not lossless but the 5.1 surround sound mix is still provided with a decent bit-rate for lossy audio with 640pbps being near CD quality. The English 2.0 option isn't quite as impressive with an MP3 quality audio presentation.

Crying Freeman: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a stunning o-card slipcover. The slipcover features fantastic artwork and it looks outstanding in hand. The slipcover also features unique key artwork underneath the slipcover. This is always a nice touch for collectors editions as it makes the release stand out as something special for collectors wanting something extra nice to display on the shelf. Both excellent in hand and when it becomes placed alongside other releases by Discotek Media.

On disc extras include:

US/UK VHS Release Adaptation Guide (SD, 12:59)

US DVD Trailer (SD, 1:33)

UK VHS Promos (SD, 4:17)

Episode 3 Recap (SD, 2:54)

Crying Freeman: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Crying Freeman is a cult favorite and the series has a well-deserved reputation with classic anime fans. Crying Freeman is well stylized and has fantastic animation. The classic hand-drawn animation is top notch and there is so much to appreciate about the style. Crying Freeman shines in spades. For anime fans wanting something a little edgier and more entertaining, Crying Freeman has a lot to offer.

The Blu-ray release features a filmic presentation and lossless Japanese audio. The English dub is also on the release (albeit in lossy Dolby Digital, with near-CD quality for the surround option). The release is well-packaged with a beautiful o-card slipcover (for the first print run) with fantastic cover art and a wonderful alternate art cover underneath the slipcover.