Dai-Shogun: Great Revolution - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Dai-Shogun: Great Revolution - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Swing for action.

Dai Shogun! Great Revolution is a feudal era action-packed series with some steamy tricks up its sleeve. The series is produced by Jun'ichirō Tamura, Takashi Tachizaki, and Yuji Matsukura. Featuring original animation produced by A.C.G.T (Duel Masters, Edens Zero) and J.C. Staff (Angels of Death, Aria the Scarlet Ammo), Dai Shogun! Great Revolution is a new approach to an old era of Japan.

Keiichirō Tokugawa (Tetsuya Kakihara) wishes for nothing more than to bring unity between the separate areas of Japan. Having grown up in a Japan where giant mecha robots protected the civilians from dangerous threats, Keiichirō is used to a different tale of Japanese history. Japan is still divided into several feudal factions and only Keiichirō is stubborn enough to try and unite them.

Yet to unite the people, Keiichirō must seek out a woman to call his own– the only problem is he can’t even find it in himself to talk to women at all (given his sheepish and awkward mannerisms). Keiichirō is surrounded by hot babes at every turn but with nothing more than bulged eyes and a growing rash, can Keiichirō ever find it in himself to unite the country? The journey to babe-town takes many detours and will put the stamina of Keiichirō to the test!

The series doesn’t have the most compelling cast. The central lead on Dai Shogun! Great Revolution is somewhat sub- standard as a lead protagonist and only seems to service the general concept of the series and its action. The supporting cast doesn’t help matters and there isn’t a sense of this being something particularly noteworthy from a character-development standpoint. Disappointing.

The animation is reasonably effective and makes a solid impression. The series is ushered in under the art direction of Chikako Shibata (Azumanga Daioh, Gunparade March). The art style capably evokes a feudal era period in Japan. The art style seems to walk the line between traditional and a new and polished approach to the era. The results are reasonably good all things considered.  

"Fight on!"

The original character designs by Shunya Yamashita fit the material reasonably well on the whole (and that is something to celebrate). The anime character designs by Hiroya Iijima (Afro Samurai, Chronos Ruler) fit the tone and aesthetic of the entire production. While the characters aren’t as unique looking or memorable as the best anime or manga creations, the results are still decent enough and don’t leave audiences wanting.

The mecha designs by Makoto Ishiwata (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, Valvrave the Liberator) are reasonably impressive and bring a more epic scope to the tale. The CG direction by Yoshikazu Kon (My-Otome Zwei, A Certain Scientific Railgun) aids this component of the production as well. Certainly not perfection but far from awful.

The cinematography by Yoshio Ookouchi (A Certain Scientific Railgun, Sweet Blue Flowers) provides the series with an aesthetic that showcases the grim qualities of the feudal era while providing some more vivid moments for the more erotic moments. The efforts are worthwhile and Ookouchi did a solid job. Certainly, a decent approach to the material.

Written by Dai Sato (Space Dandy, Ergo Proxy), Dai Shogun! Great Revolution is not what one might expect. The series does have a mix of dark elements but it still explores these qualities in a unique fashion. Sato has done better before but this is still a decent enough effort. Not perfect but not exactly awful, either.

Directed by Takashi Watanabe (Aria the Scarlet Ammo, Boogiepop Phantom), Dai Shogun! Great Revolution isn’t a new anime classic but it does offer action-anime fans (who also hope for some steaminess) a reasonable time. The series doesn’t reach for perfection but it at least excels at its (admittedly modest) goals. Fans of the action genre with an interest in Japanese culture should take note.  

Dai-Shogun: Great Revolution - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Dai Shogun! Great Revolution is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release is reasonably impressive and has a strong video encode. The high-definition presentation showcases a vivid color landscape with a solid footing for reproducing the cinematographic style. The encoding certainly doesn't disappoint. Sentai Filmworks has done another excellent job with the release. The action scenes are well handled by the encode and the bit-rate capably handles the style of animation.

Dai-Shogun: Great Revolution - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The release does not provide an English dub option. While it is understandable that some anime fans might feel the loss of an English dub, the presentation provided for the Japanese language audio is certainly still as satisfactory as one can come to expect from Sentai. Dialogue is clear and well-integrated in to the stereo sound. The sound effects and music score are similarly well implemented and provide the series with an immersive soundstage.

Dai-Shogun: Great Revolution - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Amnesia (HD, 1:32), Vinland Saga (HD, 1:32), Dororo (HD, 1:32), and Getter Robo Arc (HD, 1:31).

Dai-Shogun: Great Revolution - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dai Shogun! Great Revolution is a decent enough anime series. While it isn't a total home run, action anime fans will find it has enough merit to explore. The Blu-ray release features a strong video and audio presentation. The release has a small selection of bonus features. While the series itself isn't the best and newcomers may want to rent it first, dedicated fans of the series should consider this release a worthwhile one with a solid presentation.