Flower and Asura: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Flower and Asura: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Flower and Asura comes from executive producers Gō Nakanishi (I'm in Love with the Villainess, Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night), Hiroko Ōsawa (Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc.), and Yan Jie Pei (Sorairo Utility). Produced by Dong Hui Ji (Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk, Aharen-san wa Hakarenai) and Takahiro Fujii (Plus-Sized Elf, I'm in Love with the Villainess). From original creator Ayano Takeda and Musshu.

Hana Haruyama has a love of writing and a passion for storytelling. Hana now attends Sumomogaoka High. Hana meets and befriends Mizuki Usurai, a student in her second year who helps encourage Hana to join the school broadcasting club. Mizuki also helps encourage her to study the craft of voice-acting as well as interpretive reading. The school club opens up new opportunities for Hana as she enjoys the school activities.

The score by Masaru Yokoyama (Arakawa Under the Bridge, Classroom of the Elite) is lush and beautiful. The music adds a nice layer of wonder to the production. There are a lot of quality aspects to the score and it builds a nice sense of charm for the production.

The character design by Kou Aine (Flower and Asura, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man) are well- done and certainly impress in spades. Aine is a talented character designer and provides a nice sense of wonder in each of the designs. Aine is a gifted artist and the work certainly adds to the charms of the anime.

One of the especially nice aspects of the series is the slice-of-life element. The slice-of-life aspect is engaging and provides the series with a wonderful sense of charm. The inherent charms of the production are essential to the storytelling and the vibrancy of the series. Slice of life anime are beautiful and layered with classical storytelling. The anime is one that is well worth enjoying and there certainly are a lot of compelling elements on display throughout the series.

The art direction by Kanako Shirai and Shinobu Yamaguchi (Record of Ragnarok) is one of the most impressive qualities of the production. The art direction impresses in spades. There are a lot of wonderful aspects to it and it certainly adds to the charms of the production. The team of animators are enormously gifted and do great work with their artistry. The background art and line artwork add quality elements to the production.

The director of photography is Kōhei Tanada (Casshern Sins, Classroom For Heroes) and is a gifted cinematographer. The cinematographer adds wonderful elements to the production. There are outstanding aspects to the visuals and cinematography throughout the animation.

The series is written by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (The Banished Court Magician Aims to Become the Strongest, Black Clover) and Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Black Clover, By the Grace of the Gods) alongside Naoto Taniuchi  (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II, Ruri Rocks). The writing is well-done and adds to the quality of the series production. The scripting offers rewarding dialogue and storytelling. There are a lot of good elements to the script and what it brings to the table.

Directed by Ayumu Uwano (The Summer Hikaru Died, Wandering Witch - The Journey of Elaina), Flower and Asura is a beautiful production. There are a lot of wonderful aspects to the animation. The art style is gorgeous and one of the most stunning aspects of the series. The background animation is lush in spades and adds a lot of wonderment to the production.

Director Uwano is a gifted talent and does a lot of creative things with the animation. The directing style is certainly one of the highlights of the production. There is plenty to appreciate and enjoy with the series. Uwano understands the craft and how to bring out the best in the series – from subtle and impressive details to some of the more wonderful creative aspects.

Flower and Asura: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Flower and Asura is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation has impressive colors in spades. The animation is beautiful and looks wonderful throughout the series presentation.

There are crisp details and beautiful line artwork. The encoding is well done on the release. The lush visuals are colorful throughout and add plenty of charm to the presentation. The crisp animation and artistry are all the better in high-definition. The visuals are one of the best aspects of the series.

One of the best qualities of Blu-ray is the encoding quality. Physical media provides superior video encoding compared to streaming services. The superior video encoding offers higher video bit-rates compared to streaming video services. The bit-rates allow for more breathable room on the discs and more spacious encoding. The physical media format offers many advantages in regards to the video presentation and there is plenty worth appreciating throughout the encode. Streaming can be less consistent on occasion due to technical variables such as internet connection speeds, buffering issues, weather issues, number of connected users, and other elements.

Flower and Asura: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The lossless audio impresses in spades. A wonderful and robust lossless audio presentation. The audio presentation is robust and clear. The dynamics are well managed on the release. Dialogue is clear and crisp on the release. The English subtitles are well done and add to the quality of the package. The soundtrack is also robust and adds plenty to the presentation quality – bringing out the best in the score selections.

One of the great aspects of Blu-ray and physical media is the lossless audio encoding. The lossless audio encoding provides higher audio bit-rates and greater bit-depth. The result is a more pleasing and dynamic audio presentation. The dynamics are robust and pleasing throughout. There is plenty to appreciate about the audio dynamics.

Flower and Asura: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 3:04)

Unfortunately, the release has a rather small selection of bonus features. The bonus features are not in-depth and there could have been a lot more effort put into the supplements on the release. The release could have provided a lot more extras – audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes, making-of material, interviews, and much more. One of the great aspects of physical media is always the bonus features – the element of getting supplemental materials with a robust selection of behind-the-scenes details. In the era of streaming, physical media and the bonus features assortments often add extra incentive to make a purchase compared to a one-time stream. Therefore, it is always better to see a more impressive assortment of extras as it adds extra brownie points for selling the package. Streaming certainly offers a good "one time view" option for many but those wanting supplements will be encouraged by sets with a more robust package of extras.

Flower and Asura: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Flower and Asura is a gorgeous anime. There are many wonderful qualities to the anime series. The gorgeous animation is one of the most wonderful aspects of the production. The series is a gem of slice-of-life anime. The storytelling is robust and engaging throughout. There is plenty to appreciate throughout – from the characters to the animation and robust storytelling. The production is well managed and there is a sense of creative joy to the series. The series has a wonderful creative style and the artistry is apparent in spades.

The Blu-ray release features a stunning high-definition presentation and lossless audio presentation. The release includes a small selection of bonus features. The release is well worthwhile and worth adding to any anime collection. Fans of slice of life anime will find it an especially compelling package to add to an anime collection. The Blu-ray release makes for a nice complete collection and is one that fans of the series will appreciate having – including the entire run of episodes in one nice package for fans to enjoy. The release also comes with nice packaging. Highly recommended.