6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A hiveminded alien force reengages war with Tatsumiya Island years after Kazuki led a team of mech pilots to destroy them. In an explosive battle over the fate of humankind, the young warriors risk everything to save their only home from assimilation.
Starring: Makoto Ishii, Ryohei Kimura, Marika Matsumoto, Sanae Kobayashi, Nozomu SasakiAnime | 100% |
Foreign | 96% |
Sci-Fi | 22% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Is Fafner a franchise built almost solely upon arcane terminology? Maybe not, but you’d be hard pressed to make a case otherwise if you came uninitiated into either Fafner: Complete Series (the original television anime series) or this later feature film. Both the television show and Fafner: Heaven and Earth are among the talkiest anime ever, and a lot of that talk deals with the sort of techno-babble that is supposed to give a franchise like this some semblance of “scientific” verisimilitude, but which just as often sounds like a bunch of gibberish being spouted by a bunch of talking heads. Adding to this questionable verbosity is the fact that Fafner, as discussed in the review of the television series, culls a lot of its terminology from Der Ring des Nibelungen, as if that instantly gave the enterprise some sort of cultural cachet. Anyone coming to Fafner: Heaven and Earth without a solid foundation in the television show is going to be at least momentarily confused, and maybe even more than that, as this film rushes headlong into furthering some story elements left dangling at the series’ conclusion while never really offering much context or back story for newcomers to find an entrée into the often laboriously tortured dialogue and anachronistic use of terms like Nibelungen, Fafner and Valhalla. The funny thing is, though, Fafner: Heaven and Earth is probably overall a more satisfying experience than the series was. It has a certain emotional depth that the series often lacked, and it also attempts (not always successfully) to make some cogent comments about human nature and the seemingly eternal need for conflict, even when conflict is avoidable. But Fafner: Heaven and Earth also suffers from the pretentiousness that hobbled the series, and even mecha lovers may not find enough in this outing to warrant sitting through the endless “high tech” discussions, even if they have enjoyed the Fafner anime series.
Fafner: Heaven and Earth is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This high definition presentation is at times as frustrating as the story itself. As fans of Fafner know, the series combines both CGI (especially with regard to the Festum and the Fafner units) with more traditional hand drawn cel animation. A lot of the CGI looks very good indeed, but at other times it's really weirdly soft (take a look at some of the screenshots of the Festum for some good examples). This same inconsistency carries over to the hand drawn elements, where at times line detail is very strong, colors are vivid and the image is nicely sharp. At other times, though, things look distressingly soft and ill defined. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for this, and is perhaps simply due to the choices made by the animating team, but it gives Fafner: Heaven and Earth a weirdly imbalanced feeling that is hard to get used to.
There's absolutely no ambiguity about Fafner: Heaven and Earth's two Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes, one in the original Japanese and the other an English dub. These are both highly effective mixes featuring expert voice work (see the Supplements section below for some information on the dub cast) and some extremely well done immersion, especially in the battle scenes. Huge clashing sound effects spill through the surrounds in many of these sequences, with some good old fashioned floorboard rattling LFE regularly in evidence. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented and both mixes are very well prioritized.
I'm seriously conflicted about Fafner: Heaven and Earth for the simple reason that on a fundamental level this feature film is better crafted and certainly more compelling than the original series, which often seemed like a none too successful knockoff of other, better mecha franchises (even if Fafner predated at least some of them). But there is simply so much useless verbiage in this film that it's hard to be very enthusiastic about it. The best element here is no doubt the Kazuki – Kurusu – Soushi storyline, which actually manages to work up some unexpected emotional heft by the film's climax and denouement. But a lot of the other supporting stories are left sadly underdeveloped and when every few minutes we get scientists launching into another round of "tech-speak", it can almost make someone wish the Festum would attack, if only to put everyone out of their misery. Rabid Fafner fans will probably want to check this out, if only to find out about Soushi, but others may want to explore other mecha franchises first.
(Still not reliable for this title)
蒼穹のファフナー
2004
ハーモニー / Project Itoh: Harmony
2015
Eve no jikan
2010
1994-1995
機動戦士ガンダム0080 ポケットの中の戦争 / Kidō Senshi Gundam 0080: Pocket no Naka no Sensō
1989
2015
プラネテス / Puranetesu / πλάνητες
2003-2004
Steins;Gate the Movie: Loading Area of Déja vu / 劇場版 STEINS;GATE 負荷領域のデジャヴ
2013
ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン
2018
コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ / コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュR2
2006-2008
虐殺器官 / Project Itoh: Genocidal Organ
2017
Limited Edition
2011
ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス
2018
Haru
2013
トップをねらえ! 劇場版
2006
Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku
1999-2000
S.A.V.E.
2006
2016
ショート・ピース
2013
Classics / エルゴプラクシー
2006