Farming Life in Another World: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Farming Life in Another World: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Farming Life in Another World is a fantasy anime series with a spin on the genre. Created by Kinosuke Naito, the series provides a unique take on the “farming” sub-genre with an exploration of heroism. Featuring animation produced by Zero-G (Grand Blue Dreaming, Doreiku The Animation). The fun television theme music is performed by Aya Suzaki (OP), Shino Shimoji (OP), and Yui Hizuki (ED). Featuring original character designs by Yasumo (Banished From The Heroes' Party), Farming Life in Another World is going to appeal to fans of goofy and over-the-top fantasy anime series. Featuring voice-work by Atsushi Abe, Aya Suzaki, Lynn, and Shino Shimoji.

Hiraku Machio (Atsushi Abe) wasn’t living his best life. Things weren’t exactly going his way. Now he is living a brand-new life – reincarnated and living in a fantasy where he is a farmer who is cultivating a brand-new life for himself as a farmer. Hooray! The farming life has arrived.

Things seem simple and more laidback in some respects – in others, Hiraku faces new challenges as a farmer and he encounters new obstacles like dangerous dragons, ginormous and overbearing lizardmen, and other strange creatures unlike any of the things in his previous life. Along the journey, Hiraku does encounter the beautiful angel Tia (Aya Suzaki), the special elf Ria (Lynn), and the magical vampire Ru (Shino Shimoji). Can Hiraku adjust to his reincarnation and living life as a farmer? Time for some plowing, so to say.

With a fantasy series like this one, a need for good characters is essential to the production and to making the series fun. The lead hero is a compelling enough lead and struggles with managing his unexpected duties as a farmer. The tasks at hand are a lot more challenging for Huraku than he originally expected.

Huraku pushes himself to tackle these tasks – including facing off against the unexpected obstacles as they come by. Audiences might find this element relatable, after all – who hasn’t had moments in life where they wonder about how to manage a task and make sure it gets done in time? The sort of things that makes one understand that sometimes one needs to barrel down and push forward to complete something. Thus is the farming life – a life that on the surface might seem simple to some but can sometimes be more challenging – especially when one deals with surprising things like dragons.

The character designs by Yoshiko Saitō (Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible, Comic Girls) are effective for the series and do a solid job of adding to the series charm. While these designs might not seem to be the most original character designs around – there is a sort of simplicity to the designs that is obvious – nonetheless, the designs are charming and effective for the genre of series. The designs also help showcase and reflect the bubbly personalities of the characters and their uplifting spirits. These elements certainly aid the series sense of style.

The animation is bright and colorful. There is obvious charm in the vivid landscapes of the artwork. The key art direction by Hirofumi Sakagami (Record of Grancrest War, Shadows House) and Yumi Okayama (Tsugumomo, Tsugumomo2) impresses. There is plenty to appreciate about the art design style and it makes a big difference for the anime. The chief animation direction by Kiyotaka Nakahara (Tsugumomo, Doki Doki School Hours), Yoshiko Saitō (Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible, Kandagawa Jet Girls), and Yūsuke Isōchi (Go! Princess Precure, One Piece: Episode of Skypiea) adds a lot of fun to the series. Audiences who appreciate lush and colorful animation will find some nice aspects to the art to appreciate.

The cinematography by Nozomu Ōma (Grand Blue Dreaming, My Roommate is a Cat) is another clear highlight of the production. The cinematography showcases the impressive animation style and it is something that works to enhance the visual qualities of the production. Ōma did a great job with emphasizing the colorful art and the work of the animation team.

The score composed by Johannes Nilsson (Re:Monster, Jewelpet: Attack Travel!) and Yasuharu Takanashi (Fairy Tail, Naruto Shippūden) adds to the adventure. For a fantasy farming anime the score adds some nice elements. The series scores provide a touch of charm. While perhaps not top-tier, the music is enjoyable and is does well in adding to the style.

Written by Touko Machida (Ramen Fighter Miki, Tears to Tiara), Farming Life in Another World is a charming anime. The series has a good concept for a fantasy series. It isn’t that original when one compares it to the best anime series but it is fun and a nice diversion for anime fans. The series highlights the characters with the writing and their quirky personalities. It is a laidback type of production and the writing reflects that about the show.

Directed by Ryōichi Kuraya (Tsugumomo, Doreiku The Animation), Farming Life in Another World might not feel like a classic but it does offer some entertainment value for fans of fantasy anime – the series director knows how to handle the concept and bring a light and airy touch to the program. For anime fans seeking a light diversion to enjoy, Farming Life in Another World is that type of series and it has something to offer.

Farming Life in Another World: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Farming Life in Another World is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation on the release looks outstanding. The series animation looks crisp and colorful. The visuals are bright and engrossing. The clean and crisp sheen to the animation is nice: highlighting the artwork in a compelling way. The encode quality on the release is excellent, too.

Distributor Sentai Filmworks did a solid job with the presentation encoding – offering a good viewing option. Fans can rest easy knowing that Blu-ray provides the absolute best possible presentation quality and it is superior to streaming video services – which offer video with some more compression when it is compared to the physical media counterpart. Bit-rates are higher and for fans who want to eek out the absolute best possible presentation, Farming Life in Another World looks wonderful.

Farming Life in Another World: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality on the release sounds impressively well-realized and adds to the experience. The lossless encoding capably highlights the sound direction by Shuhei Abe (Jewelpet: Attack Travel!, Re:Monster). The soundtrack score also stands out and is well implemented into the stereo sound design.

The encoding sounds enjoyably rewarding. Blu-ray fans continue to benefit with the best possible sound presentation – offering superior audio quality compared to streaming video platforms (which provide only lossy- non lossless audio encoding). This is one of the highlights of the physical format. For any diehard fan who wants the best presentation, the physical media option reigns supreme.

Farming Life in Another World: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The one area of the release that could use some improvement is the supplemental package. The release comes in a standard Blu-ray case. The release has no extensive supplemental features – including no audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes, making-of featurettes, and other such extras. This is a bit disappointing and a more robust extras package would have added even more value to collectors.

On disc supplements include:

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Farming Life in Another World: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Farming Life in Another World is a sweet and charming fantasy anime series with a decent concept and nice characters. The animation looks impressive and the animators did a good job with bringing the production to life. The Blu-ray release provides a quality video and audio presentation.

The only drawback to the release is the lackluster supplemental package. Fans of the series may still wish to pick up the release for their collection. Recommended.